Read online asya turgenev summary. "Asya", a detailed retelling of the story by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev
The protagonist of the story, who is also the narrator, is N.N. This is a young man who has completed his education and "break free" abroad to "look at the world of God". He was cheerful, healthy, money was not transferred from him, and worries had not yet appeared, so he lived without looking back and did what he wanted.
He traveled without any purpose and ended up in a small German town Z., on the banks of the Rhine. He was more interested not in nature, but human faces he looked at them "with a kind of joyful and insatiable curiosity". In this town, the hero sought solitude after parting with a young widow, who preferred him a red-cheeked Bavarian lieutenant.
One evening, N. went to the other side of the Rhine for a commercial - student holiday, where he met Russians: a certain Gagin and his sister Anna, but her brother called her Asya. She was pretty, gracefully built, but not at all like her brother. The very next day, the girl shocked her with her eccentricity: she climbed onto the ruins of an old fortress to water the flowers, and sat over the very abyss, dangling her legs. And then she shocked the stiff English with her behavior, walking with a piece of a branch on her shoulder, as if with a gun, and singing loudly.
However, the next day, Asya looked like an ordinary Russian girl, almost a maid. She was embroidering on a hoop, and there was such an everyday expression on her face that the hero even regretted that she was so quiet today. Together with Gagin, they went to nature, where Gagin painted a sketch, and upon returning they found Asya in the same condition. Already falling asleep, N. N. thought: "What a chameleon this girl is!"
In fact, Asya no longer allowed herself the old antics in the presence of N.N. He asked Asya about her past, but she reluctantly answered the questions, causing even more guesses in the mind of the hero. She was naturally shy and, with her deliberate swagger, seemed to be trying to overcome it, but she almost did not succeed.
The hero was haunted by the thought that Asya Gagin was not a sister: by chance, he witnessed a scene between them, when Asya said that she did not want to love anyone except Gagin, and then threw herself on his neck and clung to her chest. The hero was so amazed at how they play a different role in public that the next day he went up the river so as not to see the Gagins. However, upon returning home, having received a note from Gagin, he nevertheless came. Then the young man told him Asya's story.
She was his father's daughter and a maid. The father was widowed at an early age and raised his son himself. When the boy was 12 years old, his own uncle persuaded him to send his son to St. Petersburg to study. He graduated from the cadet school, then served in the guards regiment. In the summer, the young man visited his father and once saw a thin black-eyed girl. Her father explained that she was an orphan, taken in to be raised. Soon Gagin found out that his father was dying, barely had time to catch him alive, and he bequeathed his daughter Asya to him.
The girl got used to her new position for a very long time: after the death of her mother, her father took Anna into the house, but she was aware of her false position and suffered terribly. Gagin sent her to a very good boarding house, where she fell ill and nearly died. Asya studied well, but other girls did not like her. When she was seventeen years old, Gagin retired and they went abroad, where they met the hero.
Mr. N. felt relieved, but a feeling of some unease did not leave him. All day Asya was sweet and simple, and Gagin painted a picture like a man possessed. His sister's gaze often rested on the hero's face, which made his heart clench. In the evening he was tormented by the question: "Does she love me?" The next day, Asya said she was ill and went out only for a minute. And the next morning, N. received a note in which he was invited on a date.
Gagin came and directly asked if N.N. liked his sister. He said that Asya confessed her feelings for N., that "attached at first sight". The hero was embarrassed and muttered that he liked Asya, but Gagin continued that "never marry her". Further, he explained that his sister is gunpowder, she can throw out any trick: get sick, run away, make an appointment. N. admits that she has already made an appointment at four o'clock at the stone chapel.
Gagin was shocked, and they agreed that N. would still go on a date to explain to Asya, and tomorrow they would leave. "After all, you still do not marry her"- added Gagin. After his departure, N. threw himself on the sofa, because he could not fully comprehend what made him confess everything to his brother, and he really had no idea how to marry "a seventeen-year-old girl, with her temper".
When the youth crossed the Rhine, a messenger boy met him and handed him a note from "maid of honor Annette", in which she announced a change in the meeting place. In an hour and a half it was necessary to come not to the chapel, but to Frau Louise's house. He went on a date with a heavy heart, because he had to fulfill the word given to Gagin. The hero decided that Asya would never know about his feelings.
When he entered the room, he saw Asya wrapped in a shawl. She was trembling, she had rapid breathing. N. felt sorry for her, and he took her cold hand. There was something touchingly helpless in the appearance of the girl - the heart of the hero melted from the look "Woman Who Loved". Her face was transformed: the expression of fear disappeared, her gaze carried away, her lips were parted. The hero forgot about everything in the world and drew him to him, but the memory of Gagin lit up him like lightning. He reproached Asya for upsetting their date by telling her brother about everything. The hero stated that she did not give “to develop a feeling that has already begun to ripen”, severed the connection, doubted his love.
Asya jumped up and ran away. When the young man followed him, he was tormented by annoyance. He was tormented by the fact that he pushed the girl in love away from him. Her image stood before my eyes, causing a feeling of annoyance at myself. Near the house, he saw Gagin and learned that Asya did not return. They rushed to search. At some point, the figure of a girl appeared on the river bank near the old cross, but then disappeared. N. rushed to the house where the Gagins lived. Lights were on in Asya's windows, and her brother said that she had returned.
N. was relieved, but the very next minute he wanted to knock on the window and ask Gagin for the hand of his sister. However, he held back this impulse, hoping that recognition could wait until morning. The hero thought "Tomorrow I will be happy!" He seemed to be carried by wide, strong wings, and the nightingale sang about love. But "happiness has no tomorrow» . This simple truth the hero understood when the next morning he came to the Gagins. It turned out that they left early in the morning and did not say where. In a short note, Gagin said goodbye, shook hands in a friendly way and begged them not to look for them. But N. nevertheless found out that they had sailed on a steamer to Cologne. Frau Louise called him and handed over a note from Asya. In it, the girl said goodbye forever and wrote that she expected only one word from him, but did not wait. The hero rushed after them, but was soon forced to give up hope of finding them.
He wasn't too sad about it then, but now, at forty, he's living out his boring years alone. "familyless bean" because no other woman evoked in him such a burning, tender, deep feeling.
"Asya"- the story of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, written in 1857. In 1978, director Iosif Kheifits made a film of the same name based on the story, leading role in which Elena Koreneva performed.
"Asya" summary by chapter
Chapter I
“I was then twenty-five years old,” N.N. began, “things of bygone days, as you can see. I had just broken free and gone abroad, not in order to “finish my upbringing”, as they used to say then, but simply I wanted to look at the world of God. I was healthy, young, cheerful, money was not transferred from me, worries had not yet had time to start - I lived without looking back, did what I wanted, prospered, in a word. It never occurred to me then that a person is not a plant and that he cannot flourish for a long time. Youth eats gilded gingerbread, and thinks that this is their daily bread; and the time will come - and you will ask for bread. But there is no point in talking about it.
I traveled without any purpose, without a plan; I stopped wherever I liked, and immediately set off further, as soon as I felt a desire to see new faces - namely, faces. I was occupied exclusively with people; I hated curious monuments, wonderful meetings, the very sight of a long-footman aroused in me a feeling of melancholy and malice; I almost lost my mind in the Dresden Grün Gewölbe.
The hero was very fond of the crowd. He was amused by "watching people ...". But recently N.N. received a severe spiritual wound, and therefore sought solitude. He settled in the town of 3., which was located two versts from the Rhine. Somehow, while walking, the hero heard music. He was told that it was the students who had come from B. to the business. N.N. decided to go and have a look.
Chapter II
Kommersh is a special kind of solemn feast, to which students of one land, or brotherhood, converge. “Almost all participants in the commercial wear the long-established costume of German students: Hungarians, big boots and small hats with bands of famous colors. Students usually gather for dinner under the chairmanship of a senior, that is, a foreman, and they feast until morning, drink, sing songs, Landesvater, Gaudeamus, smoke, scold the philistines; sometimes they hire an orchestra.”
N.N. mingled with the crowd of spectators. And then suddenly I heard a Russian conversation. Here, next to him, stood a young man in a cap and a wide jacket; he held by the arm a girl of short stature, in a straw hat that covered the entire upper part of her face. The hero did not expect to see the Russians "in such a remote place."
They introduced themselves. The young man is Gagin. The girl standing next to him, he called his sister. Gagin also travels for his pleasure. He had a face “sweet, affectionate, with large soft eyes and soft curly hair. He spoke in such a way that, even without seeing his face, you could feel by the sound of his voice that he was smiling.
The girl whom he called his sister seemed to me at first sight to be very pretty. There was something of her own, special, in the make-up of her swarthy, round face, with a small, thin nose, almost childish cheeks, and black, bright eyes. She was gracefully built, but as if not yet fully developed. She didn't look like her brother at all."
Gagin and Asya (her name was Anna) invited N.N. to visit you. Their house was high up in the mountains. Dinner began. Asya turned out to be very mobile. “... She got up, ran into the house and ran again, sang in an undertone, often laughed, and in a strange way: it seemed that she laughed not at what she heard, but at various thoughts that came into her head. Her big eyes they looked straight, bright, bold, but sometimes her eyelids squinted slightly, and then her gaze suddenly became deep and tender.
Chapter III
The next morning N.N. visited Gagin. They started talking. He had a decent fortune, he did not depend on anyone and wanted to devote himself to painting. N.N. settled down to a new acquaintance and told the story of his sad love. Gagin listened out of courtesy. Then both went to look at sketches in a house in the mountains.
Asya was not at home at that time. N.N. I didn’t really like the drawings, he said about it honestly. Gagin agreed: "... all this is very bad and immature ..."
Let's go look for Asya.
Chapter IV
We arrived at the castle ruins. “We were already approaching them, when suddenly a female figure flashed ahead of us, quickly ran across a pile of rubble and fit on a wall ledge, right above the abyss.” It turned out to be Asya! Gagin shook his finger at her, and N.N. loudly reproached her for her imprudence.
“Asya continued to sit motionless, tucking her legs under her and wrapping her head in a muslin scarf; her slender appearance was distinctly and beautifully drawn in the clear sky; but I looked at her with a feeling of hostility. Already the day before, I noticed something tense in her, not quite natural ... “She wants to surprise us,” I thought, “what is this for? What kind of childish trick is this? As if guessing my thoughts, she suddenly threw a quick and piercing glance at me, laughed again, jumped off the wall in two jumps and, going up to the old woman, asked her for a glass of water.
“She suddenly seemed ashamed, lowered her long eyelashes and modestly sat down beside us, as if guilty. Here I took a good look at her face for the first time, the most changeable face I have ever seen. A few moments later, it had already turned pale and assumed a concentrated, almost sad expression; Her very features seemed to me larger, stricter, simpler. She was all quiet. We walked around the ruins (Asya followed us) and admired the views. N.N. it seemed that Asya was constantly playing pranks new role in front of him. Gagin indulged her in everything. Then the girl went to Frau Louise - the widow of the former burgomaster here, a kind, but empty old woman. She loved Asya very much. “Asya has a passion to get acquainted with people of the lower circle; I noticed: the cause of this is always pride. She’s quite spoiled with me, as you see,” he added, after a pause, “but what do you want to do? I don’t know how to collect from anyone, and even more so from her. I have to be lenient with her."
In the evening, friends went to Frau Louise to see if Asya was there. Arriving home, N.N. “began to think… think about Asya. It occurred to me that Gagin, during the course of the conversation, had hinted to me of some kind of difficulty preventing his return to Russia ... “Enough, is she his sister?” I said out loud.
Chapter V
“The next morning I again went to L. I assured myself that I wanted to see Gagin, but secretly I was drawn to see what Asya would do, whether she would be “strange” as the day before. I found them both in the living room, and, strange to say! - Is it because I thought a lot about Russia at night and in the morning, - Asya seemed to me a completely Russian girl, yes, a simple girl, almost a maid. She was wearing an old dress, she combed her hair behind her ears, and sat motionless by the window, sewing in the embroidery frame, modestly, quietly, as if she had done nothing else in her lifetime. She said almost nothing, calmly looked at her work, and her features took on such an insignificant, everyday expression that I involuntarily remembered our home-grown Katya and Masha. To complete the resemblance, she began to hum "Mother, dove" in an undertone. I looked at her yellowish, faded face, remembered yesterday's dreams, and I felt sorry for something.
Chapter VI
For two weeks in a row N.N. visited the Gagins. “Asya seemed to be avoiding me, but she no longer allowed herself any of those pranks that had so surprised me during the first two days of our acquaintance. She seemed secretly distressed or embarrassed; she laughed less. I watched her with curiosity." The girl turned out to be extremely proud. But Gagin treated her not in a brotherly way: too affectionately, too condescendingly, and at the same time somewhat forced. strange case confirmed the suspicions of N.N.
One evening he overheard a conversation between Asya and Gagin. The girl fervently said that she did not want to love anyone but him. Gagin replied that he believed her. On the way home N.N. everyone thought, why should “Gagin” pretend to be in front of him.
Chapter VII
The next morning N.N. realized that he did not want to see the Gagins. “I assured myself that the only reason for my sudden dislike of them was annoyance at their craftiness. Who forced them to pretend to be relatives?” For three days the hero admired the nature of the German land. And when he returned home, he found a note from Gagin. “He was surprised at the unexpectedness of my decision, blamed me for not taking him with me, and asked me to come to them as soon as I returned. I read this note with displeasure, but the very next day I went to JI.
Chapter VIII
Gagin met N.N. very affectionately. But Asya, as soon as she saw him, burst out laughing without any reason and, according to her habit, immediately ran away. The conversation didn't stick. N.N. decided to leave. Gagin volunteered to see him off. “In the hall, Asya suddenly came up to me and held out her hand to me; I shook her fingers lightly and bowed slightly to her. Together with Gagin, we crossed the Rhine and, passing by my favorite ash tree with a statue of the Madonna, sat down on a bench to admire the view. A wonderful conversation took place here between us.
At first we exchanged a few words, then fell silent, looking at the bright river.
Gagin suddenly asked which N.N. opinions about Asa. Doesn't she seem to N.N. strange? The young man replied that she was indeed a little strange. Gagin began to tell Asya's story.
“My father was a very kind, intelligent, educated man - and unhappy. Fate dealt with him no worse than with many others; but he did not bear the first blow. He married early, for love; his wife, my mother, died very soon; I stayed after her six months. My father took me to the village and did not go anywhere for twelve years. He himself was involved in my upbringing and would never have parted with me if his brother, my own uncle, had not stopped by our village. This uncle lived permanently in St. Petersburg and occupied a rather important place. He persuaded my father to give me to him in his arms, since my father would never agree to leave the village. My uncle suggested to him that it was harmful for a boy of my age to live in complete solitude, that with such an eternally dull and silent mentor as my father was, I would certainly lag behind my peers, and my very temper could easily deteriorate. The father resisted the exhortations of his brother for a long time, but finally yielded. I cried, parting with my father; I loved him, although I never saw a smile on his face ... but, having got to Petersburg, I soon forgot our dark and gloomy nest. I entered the cadet school, and from school I moved to the Guards Regiment. Every year I came to the village for a few weeks, and every year I found my father more and more sad, self-absorbed, thoughtful to the point of timidity. He went to church every day and almost forgot how to speak. On one of my visits (I was already over twenty years old) I saw for the first time in our house a thin black-eyed girl about ten years old - Asya. The father said that she was an orphan and taken by him to feed - he put it that way. I didn't pay much attention to her; she was wild, agile and silent, like an animal, and as soon as I entered my father’s favorite room, a huge and gloomy room where my mother died and where candles were lit even during the day, she immediately hid behind his Voltaire chair or behind a bookcase . It so happened that in the three or four years that followed, the duties of service prevented me from visiting the countryside. I received a short letter from my father every month; he rarely mentioned Asya, and then in passing. He was already in his fifties, but he seemed still a young man. Imagine my horror: suddenly I, suspecting nothing, receive a letter from the clerk in which he informs me of my father's fatal illness and begs me to come as soon as possible if I want to say goodbye to him. I galloped headlong and found my father alive, but with his last breath. He was overjoyed at me, embraced me with his emaciated arms, looked into my eyes for a long time with some kind of searching, or imploring look, and, taking my word that I would fulfill his last request, ordered his old valet to bring Asya. The old man brought her in; she could hardly stand on her feet and was trembling all over.
Here, - my father said to me with an effort, - I will bequeath to you my daughter - your sister. You will learn everything from Yakov,” he added, pointing to the valet.
Asya sobbed and fell face down on the bed… Half an hour later my father died.
Here's what I found out. Asya was the daughter of my father and my mother's former maid, Tatyana. I vividly remember this Tatyana, I remember her tall slim figure, her fine, stern, intelligent face, with large dark eyes. She was known as a proud and impregnable girl. As far as I could understand from Jacob's respectful omissions, my father became friends with her several years after my mother's death. Tatyana no longer lived then in the master's house, but in the hut of her married sister, a cowgirl. My father became very attached to her and after my departure from the village even wanted to marry her, but she herself did not agree to be his wife, despite his requests.
The deceased Tatyana Vasilievna, - this is how Yakov reported to me, standing at the door with his arms thrown back, - they were reasonable in everything and did not want to offend your father. What, they say, I'm your wife? what kind of lady am I? So they deigned to speak, they spoke in front of me, sir.
Tatyana did not even want to move into our house and continued to live with her sister, together with Asya. As a child, I saw Tatyana only on holidays, in church. Tied with a dark scarf, with a yellow shawl on her shoulders, she stood in the crowd, near the window - her strict profile was clearly cut out on the transparent glass - and humbly and importantly prayed, bowing low, in the old way. When my uncle took me away, Asya was only two years old, and in her ninth year she lost her mother.
As soon as Tatyana died, her father took Asya to his house. He had previously expressed a desire to have her with him, but Tatyana refused him this too. Just imagine what was to happen in Asa when she was taken to the master. She still cannot forget that moment when they put on her silk dress for the first time and kissed her hand. Her mother, while she was alive, kept her very strictly; with her father she enjoyed perfect freedom. He was her teacher; besides him, she saw no one. He did not spoil her, that is, he did not nurse her; but he loved her passionately and never forbade her anything: in his heart he considered himself guilty before her. Asya soon realized that she was the main person in the house, she knew that her master was her father; but she just as soon realized her false position; pride developed in her strongly, distrust too; bad habits took root, simplicity disappeared. She wanted (she herself confessed this to me once) to make the whole world forget her origin; she was both ashamed of her mother and ashamed of her shame... You see, she knew and knows a lot that she shouldn't have known at her age... But is she to blame? Young forces played out in her, her blood boiled, and not a single hand was nearby to guide her. Complete independence in everything! is it easy to take it out? She wanted to be no worse than other young ladies; she threw herself on the books. What could possibly go wrong here? An incorrectly begun life was formed incorrectly, but the heart did not deteriorate in it, the mind survived.
And now I, a twenty-year-old fellow, found myself with a thirteen-year-old girl in my arms! In the first days after her father's death, at the mere sound of my voice, she was overcome with fever, my caresses plunged her into melancholy, and only little by little, little by little, did she get used to me. True, later, when she was convinced that I definitely recognized her as a sister and fell in love with her like a sister, she became passionately attached to me: not a single feeling is half in her.
I brought her to Petersburg. No matter how painful it was for me to part with her, I could not in any way live with her; I put her in one of the best boarding houses. Asya understood the need for our separation, but she began by falling ill and almost dying. Then she got tired of it and survived in a boarding school for four years; but, contrary to my expectations, she remained almost the same as she was before. The hostess often complained to me about her. “And you can’t punish her,” she used to say to me, “and she doesn’t give in to affection.” Asya was extremely quick-witted, she studied well, best of all; but she didn’t want to come under the general level, she was stubborn, looked like a beech ... I couldn’t blame her too much: in her position she had to either serve or be shy. Of all her friends, she made friends with only one, ugly, driven and poor girl. The rest of the young ladies with whom she was brought up, for the most part from good families, did not like her, stung her and pricked her as best they could; Asya did not yield to their hair. Once, in a lesson on the law of God, the teacher spoke about vices. “Flattery and cowardice are the worst vices,” Asya said loudly. In a word, she continued on her way; only her manners have improved, although in this respect she does not seem to have done much.
At last she was seventeen years old; it was impossible for her to stay longer at the boarding house. I was in quite a bit of trouble. Suddenly a good thought came to me: to retire, go abroad for a year or two and take Asya with me. Conceived - done; and here we are with her on the banks of the Rhine, where I try to paint, and she ... is naughty and weird as before. But now I hope you won't judge her too harshly; and although she pretends that she doesn’t care about anything, she values \u200b\u200bthe opinion of everyone, especially yours.
And Gagin again smiled his quiet smile. I squeezed his hand tightly."
The trouble is that Asya, for no apparent reason, suddenly began to assure Gagin that she loves him alone, and will love forever. Asya needs a hero, an extraordinary person - or a picturesque shepherd in a mountain gorge. N.N. became easy after this conversation.
Chapter IX
N.N. decided to return to the Gagins in the house. Now the hero understood Asya much more: her inner restlessness, inability to behave, desire to show off ... N.N. invited Asya to take a walk in the vineyard. She agreed at once, with cheerful and almost submissive readiness. We talked about mountains. Asya told N.N. that she was very glad that he had returned. When they were back in the house on the mountain, they waltzed. Asya danced beautifully, with enthusiasm. “Something soft, feminine suddenly appeared through her girlishly strict appearance. For a long time afterwards, my hand felt the touch of her tender figure, for a long time I heard her accelerated, close breathing, for a long time I imagined dark, motionless, almost closed eyes in a pale, but lively face, playfully covered with curls.
Chapter X
After this day, which went so well, in N.N. "the thirst for happiness was kindled."
Chapter XI
“Going the next day to the Gagins, I did not ask myself if I was in love with Asya, but I thought a lot about her, her fate occupied me, I rejoiced at our unexpected rapprochement. I felt that only since yesterday I had recognized her; until then she had turned her back on me.”
Asya blushed when N.N. Walked in the room. She was not the same as yesterday. She didn't sleep well that night, she kept thinking. I thought about whether she was interesting to people, whether she was smart ... She even asked N.N. tell her what to do so he doesn't get bored. Then Asya left.
Chapter XII
She returned an hour later, stopped at the door and called N.N. hand. She asked: "... if I died, would you feel sorry for me?"
She remained sad and preoccupied until the evening. Something was happening in her that no one understood.
"Does she love me?" - I thought, approaching the Rhine, which quickly rolled dark waves.
Chapter XIII
"Does she love me?" I asked myself the next day, just waking up. I didn't want to look into myself. I felt that her image, the image of a "girl with a strained laugh," was pressed into my soul and that I would not soon get rid of it. I went to GI. and stayed there all day, but saw Asya only briefly. She was unwell; she had a headache. She went downstairs for a moment, with her forehead bandaged, pale, thin, with her eyes almost closed; smiled weakly, said: “It will pass, it’s nothing, everything will pass, won’t it?” - and left. I became bored and somehow sad-empty; I, however, did not want to leave for a long time and returned late, not seeing her again.
The next morning the boy handed over to N.N. a note from Asya: “I must certainly see you, come today at four o'clock to the stone chapel on the road near the ruins. Today I made a big negligence... Come for God's sake, you will know everything... Tell the messenger: yes.
Chapter XIV
Gagin came: “On the fourth day, I surprised you with my story; Today I will surprise you even more.” He said that his sister Asya was in love with N.N.
“She says she was attached to you at first sight. That's why she was crying the other day when she assured me that she didn't want to love anyone but me. She imagines that you despise her, that you probably know who she is; she asked me if I told you her story - I said no, of course; but her sensitivity is simply terrible. She wants one thing: to leave, to leave immediately. I sat with her until the morning; she took my word that we would not be here tomorrow, and only then did she fall asleep. I thought and thought and decided to talk to you. In my opinion, Asya is right: the best thing is for both of us to leave here. And I would have taken her away to-day, had it not been for the thought that stopped me. Maybe... who knows? - Do you like my sister? If so, why should I take her away? So I made up my mind, throwing aside all shame ... Moreover, I myself noticed something ... I decided ... to find out from you ... - Poor Gagin was embarrassed. “Excuse me, please,” he added, “I am not used to such troubles.”
We agreed that in order to avoid trouble, N.N. I had to go on a date and honestly explain myself to Asya; Gagin undertook to stay at home and not pretend that he knew her note. The older brother was going to take Asya away tomorrow.
“To marry a seventeen-year-old girl, with her temper, how is it possible!” I said, getting up.
Chapter XV
“At the appointed hour, I crossed the Rhine, and the first person who met me on the opposite bank was the same boy who came to me in the morning.”
He again handed over the note from Asya. The meeting was to take place at Frau Louise's house, on the third floor.
“Asya herself, with her fiery head, with her past, with her upbringing, this is attractive, but strange creature I confess she scared me. For a long time, feelings fought in me. The due date was approaching. “I can’t marry her,” I finally decided, “she won’t know that I also fell in love with her.”
Chapter XVI
Asya was already in the small room where the appointment was made. The girl was trembling and could not start a conversation.
“A thin fire ran through me with burning needles; I bent down and clung to her hand ...
There was a quivering sound, like a broken sigh, and I felt the touch of a weak, like a leaf, trembling hand on my hair. I raised my head and saw her face. How it suddenly changed! The expression of fear vanished from him, his gaze went somewhere far away and carried me along with it, his lips parted slightly, his forehead turned pale like marble, and the curls moved back, as if the wind had thrown them away. I forgot everything, I pulled her towards me - her hand obediently obeyed, her whole body followed her hand, the shawl rolled from her shoulders, and her head quietly lay on my chest, lay under my burning lips ...
Your…” she whispered in a barely audible voice.
My hands were already gliding around her waist ... But suddenly the memory of Gagin, like lightning, lit up me.
N.N. told Asya about the meeting with her brother. Asya wanted to run away, but the young man stopped her. The girl said that she must definitely leave, that she asked him here only to say goodbye. N.N. said it was over and the girl left.
Chapter XVII
Annoyance for one's own strange behavior gnawed at the hero. "Crazy! madman!" - I repeated with bitterness ...
Meanwhile, the night was falling. With long steps I went to the house where Asya lived.
Chapter XVIII
Gagin went out to N.N., but Asya was not at home. We decided to wait. Then, unable to stand it, they went to look for her.
Chapter XIX
“I quickly descended from the vineyard and rushed into the city. I quickly walked around all the streets, looked everywhere, even into the windows of Frau Louise, returned to the Rhine and ran along the coast ... Occasionally I came across female figures, but Asya was nowhere to be seen. It was no longer vexation that gnawed at me - a secret fear tormented me, and I felt more than one fear ... no, I felt remorse, the most burning regret, love - yes! tenderest love."
Chapter XX
N.N. returned to the house on the mountain. Asya is back. Gagin did not let his friend on the threshold.
“Tomorrow I will be happy! Happiness has no tomorrow; he does not have yesterday either; it does not remember the past, does not think about the future; he has a present - and that is not a day, but an instant.
Chapter XXI
But the next morning, when N.N. came to the Gagins' house, it turned out that they had left. All that was left was the letter.
Gagin wrote that he understood that N.N. You can't marry Ash. That you shouldn't look for them. But N.N. still wanted to find his beloved.
Suddenly the widow of the burgomaster called to him. She gave N.N. small note. "Goodbye, we won't see each other again. I'm not leaving out of pride - no, I can't do otherwise. Yesterday, when I was crying in front of you, if you had said one word to me, just one word, I would have stayed. You didn't say it. Apparently, it’s better this way… Goodbye forever!”
N.N. began to reproach himself.
Chapter XXII
The hero went to Cologne. Here he attacked the trail of the Gagins. They went to London. N.N. looked for them there, but could not find them.
“And I did not see them anymore - I did not see Asya. Dark rumors reached me about her, but she disappeared for me forever. I don't even know if she's clear. One day, a few years later, I caught a glimpse abroad, in a carriage railway, a woman whose face vividly reminded me of unforgettable features ... but I was probably deceived by an accidental resemblance. Asya remained in my memory the same girl that I knew her at the best time of my life, as I saw her in last time leaning on the back of a low wooden chair.
content:
N.N., a middle-aged socialite, recalls a story that happened when he was twenty-five years old. N. N. then traveled without a goal and without a plan, and on his way he stopped in a quiet German town N. Once N. N., having come to a student party, met two Russians in the crowd - a young artist who called himself Gagin, and his sister Anna, whom Gagin called Asya. N. N. avoided Russians abroad, but he liked his new acquaintance right away. Gagin invited N.N. to his house, to the apartment in which he and his sister were staying. N. N. was fascinated by his new friends. At first, Asya was shy at N.N., but soon she herself was talking to him. Evening came, it was time to go home. Leaving the Gagins, N.N. felt happy.
Many days have passed. Asya's pranks were varied, every day she seemed to be a new, different - either a well-bred young lady, or a playful child, or a simple girl. N. N. regularly visited the Gagins. Some time later, Asya stopped being naughty, looked distressed, avoided N. N. Gagin treated her kindly and condescendingly, and N. N. had a growing suspicion that Gagin was not Asya’s brother. A strange incident confirmed his suspicions. One day, N.N. accidentally overheard the conversation of the Gagins, in which Asya told Gagin that she loved him and did not want to love anyone else. N. N. was very bitter.
Some next days N. N. spent in nature, avoiding the Gagins. But a few days later he found a note at home from Gagin, who asked him to come. Gagin met N. N. in a friendly way, but Asya, seeing the guest, burst out laughing and ran away. Then Gagin told his friend the story of his sister.
Gagin's parents lived in their village. After the death of Gagin's mother, his father raised his son himself. But one day Uncle Gagina arrived, who decided that the boy should study in St. Petersburg. His father resisted, but gave in, and Gagin went to school, and then to the guards regiment. Gagin often came and once, already at the age of twenty, he saw a little girl Asya in his house, but did not pay any attention to her, having heard from her father that she was an orphan and was taken by him "to feed".
Gagin was not with his father for a long time and only received letters from him, when suddenly one day the news came of his fatal illness. Gagin arrived and found his father dying. He bequeathed to his son to take care of his daughter, Gagin's sister - Asya. Soon the father died, and the servant told Gagin that Asya was the daughter of Gagin's father and Tatyana's maid. Gagin's father became very attached to Tatyana and even wanted to marry her, but Tatyana did not consider herself a lady and lived with her sister with Asya. When Asya was nine years old, she lost her mother. Her father took her into the house and raised her himself. She was ashamed of her origin and at first she was afraid of Gagin, but then she fell in love with him. He, too, became attached to her, brought her to St. Petersburg ... and, no matter how bitter it was for him to do this, he gave her to a boarding school. She had no friends there, the young ladies did not like her, but now she is seventeen, she has finished her studies, and together they went abroad. And now ... she is naughty and fooling around as before ...
After the story of Gagin, N.N. it became easy. Asya, who met them in the room, suddenly asked Gagin to play a waltz for them, and N.N. and Asya danced for a long time. Asya waltzed beautifully, and N.N. later recalled this dance for a long time.
The whole next day, Gagin, N. N. and Asya were together and had fun like children, but the next day Asya was pale, she said that she was thinking about her death. Everyone except Gagin was sad.
Once N.N. brought a note from Asya, in which she asked him to come. Soon Gagin came to N. N. and said that Asya was in love with N. N. Yesterday, she had a fever all evening, she didn’t eat anything, she cried and confessed that she loved N. N. She wanted to leave ...
N.N. told his friend about the note that Asya had sent him. Gagin understood that his friend would not marry Asa, so they agreed that N.N. would honestly explain to her, and Gagin would sit at home and not pretend that he knew about the note.
Gagin left, and N. N.'s head was spinning. Another note informed N.N. of the change in the place of their meeting with Asya. Arriving at the appointed place, he saw the hostess, Frau Louise, who led him to the room where Asya was waiting.
Asya was trembling. N.N. hugged her, but immediately remembered Gagina and began to accuse Asya of telling her brother everything. Asya listened to his speeches and suddenly burst into tears. N. N. was at a loss, and she rushed to the door and disappeared.
N. N. rushed around the city in search of Asya. He was vexed with himself. Thinking, he went to the Gagins' house. Gagin came out to meet him, worried that Asya was still missing. N.N. looked for Asya all over the city, he repeated a hundred times that he loved her, but he could not find her anywhere. However, having approached the Gagins' house, he saw a light in Asya's room and calmed down. He made a firm decision - to go tomorrow and ask for Ashina's hand. N. N. was happy again.
The next day, N.N. saw a maid at the house, who said that the owners had left, and handed him a note from Gagin, where he wrote that he was convinced of the need for separation. When N. N. walked past Frau Louise's house, she handed him a note from Asya, where she wrote that if N. N. had said one word, she would have stayed. But apparently it's better...
N. N. looked everywhere for the Gagins, but did not find them. He knew many women, but the feeling awakened in him by Asya never happened again. The longing for her remained with N.N. for the rest of his life.
Perhaps the roots of such restraint go back to childhood, when, as a child master, he depended on an imperious mother who was simply a despot. But not only this trait of his character prevented the talented writer from literary activity. Researchers of Turgenev's life and work have found that the writer was optional. He never rushed anywhere.
But despite such negative qualities his character, he was a gentle and generous person. He never held a grudge, never tried to hurt with a word. Contemporaries of the writer claimed that he was also very modest. And his most beautiful quality was that he was very talented.
The history of the creation of Turgenev's story "Asya"
Already from the middle of the summer of 1857, famous writer started working on his new story, and worked on it until November of the same year. slow pace writing a new work, was due to the author's illness. In Sovremennik, his work was expected much earlier.
As the writer himself spoke about the idea of his story, it did not arise by chance. In one of the German cities, he saw the usual picture: one elderly woman suddenly looked out of a window located on the first floor. Immediately the head of a young and beautiful girl appeared, but already from a window located above. And as the author stated, at that moment he decided to imagine how the fate of these women could develop. That's how the idea for his story came about. But still, there were prototypes of heroes. Researchers believe that among them was the fate of the author himself, and also in Asya they easily recognized the illegitimate daughter of the author.
It is known that Pauline Brewer, the illegitimate daughter of the writer, was in the same strange position as the heroine. Born a peasant woman, she enters the world of the nobility, which does not accept her in the same way that she cannot accept it. But there are other opinions: some researchers of Turgenev's work argued that the prototype main character is Varvara Zhitova, Turgenev's sister, whose fate was very similar to the fate of the writer's daughter. Most likely, the image of Asya is collective.
The plot of Turgenev's story
The narration comes from the perspective of Mr. N.N., who, having heard some familiar melody, suddenly recalls his young years, when he was happy for a moment. And he felt this happiness in a small town, which is located on the banks of the Rhine.
Then he, too, having heard the music, crossed by boat to the other side, where he met two vacationers from Russia. It was a novice artist Gagin and a young beautiful girl Asya, who introduced herself as a sister young man. Their walks through the ruins of the ancient castle become more and more frequent, and in the soul of Mr. N. a suspicion creeps in that the young people are not brother and sister at all. Soon there is a conversation with the artist, where he learns the story of Asya. The girl is really the sister of the artist. And her fate is sad.
Gagin until the age of 12 lived in the family of his father, who was a landowner. Then the boy was sent to a St. Petersburg boarding school. During his training, a sad whole came - his mother died. When his father also died, Gagin found out that he had a half-sister. At that time, the girl was only thirteen years old, and her mother was a maid in her father's house. Gagin could not deal with the girl at that time, so he gives her to a boarding school for a while, but Asya has a hard time there. Therefore, Gagin decided to take his sister and go abroad with her.
Mr. N. feels sorry for the girl, he falls in love with her. Unexpectedly, Asya receives a letter where she asks for a date. In doubt and confusion, the narrator decides to reject the girl's love. The meeting took place in the burgomaster's house, and Asya found herself involuntarily in the arms of Mr. N., He began to accuse the girl that her brother, who had already talked to him, knew about their love. Thus, he refuses the girl. Asya, disappointed, runs away. And Gagin and Mr. N. are looking for her. Only the next day the narrator begins to realize that he loves.
Suddenly he decides to go to Asa to ask her hand. But it turns out that young people have left the city. He tried to catch up with them, but the trail was lost. So he never saw them again. There were other women in the life of the narrator, but he could not forget Asya, because he loved only her. This girl gave him the brightest feelings and the most emotional minutes of his life.
The image of Asya in Turgenev's story
Turgenev's story "Asya" is striking in its lyricism and sincerity. For many years, his poetry has attracted readers who re-read it again and again.
The main character of Turgenev's story is Asya, young and thin, beautiful and plump. vitality. Asya is an amazing girl, so when Mr. N. meets her, she soon cannot forget. Charming girl dreams of a feat to be useful to people And public life. She thinks a lot and her dreams can never be understood by the main character. The girl thinks that life is slowly disappearing, but she has not done anything, has not done anything yet. This is one of those images that gave reason to be called the “Turgenev girl”.
Asya understood and realized early on what place she occupies in this difficult world. Born all marriages, in a village hut, but knowing that her father is a landowner, she suffered and suffered, and her future position, incomprehensible and unclear, continues to torment her all the time. But to herself, she had long decided to be no different from secular women who were born and raised in wealthy families. At the same time, she did not want to blindly follow the crowd. She already had her own, formed, look.
Throughout the story, the reader sees how attentively and carefully, with great love, the narrator treats Asya. He was able to fall in love with her not for external charm, but for beautiful soul. It is only at the beginning of Turgenev's plot that it turns out to be a mystery to everyone, but gradually the author reveals her morning world. The upbringing of the girl was a little strange. But at the same time, Asya was not devoid of good manners, she was well educated, she spoke excellently in two languages. foreign languages. Gagin had a completely different upbringing.
The character of the main character was also interesting, so it could be said about her that she was inherent in both lyricism, and tenderness, and emotionality. Therefore, when she falls in love, she feels quite conflicted. Inside the heroine, a real struggle just broke out. It is to Mr. N. that she tries to open her heart. And the author constantly portrays the girl in different ways. For example, at the beginning of the story, she is romantic and very mysterious. But then, opening up, he surprises with his courage, invulnerability, and fortitude.
The author interestingly describes how the first feeling comes to this beautiful girl. Her behavior is often impossible to explain, but the reader can see the spiritual evolution of the main character. Right before the eyes of the reader, the girl grew up and learned to trust people. But the result of this growing up is sad: she was disappointed in the person she loved, so many of her hopes were not destined to come true. But there were forces to live on. It was difficult for her to communicate with inner world Mr. N., who was cold and indifferent. Asya turns out to be higher than her friend, spiritually and morally.
Yes, Asya tries to run away from her love, but this does not save her at all. The fate of Asya at the end of the story remains unknown, but her beautiful image forever remembered by the reader.
Analysis of Turgenev's story
According to the plot of the work, the reader may notice that the narration is conducted from the author himself, who is the narrator. But in the course of the denouement of the whole plot, his name is never called.
There are few main characters in Turgenev's story "Asya":
✔ Gagin
✔ Mr. N.N.
In the life of the narrator, quite by accident, a beautiful girl appears who fell in love for the first time. Therefore, Turgenev's story is, first of all, about love, albeit a sad one. The narrator from time to time returns to his past, trying to understand the feelings that he once experienced and comparing them with what the girl could have experienced. Therefore, there are so many monologues of the narrator in the text.
The author carefully observes his heroine and notices any changes in her behavior. The narrator recognizes the story of the girl, so he begins to treat her in a completely different way. Meeting with Mr. N.N. changes the girl, but only the hero himself does not understand his happiness. He pushes Asya away, refuses her love, then regrets, but nothing can be returned.
Critical perception of Turgenev's story "Asya"
Even during the life of the writer, his beautiful and sad story has been translated into many world languages. There were many disputes and critical articles about Turgenev's heroes. So, Chernyshevsky devoted an entire article to the main character, when he said only a few words about the main character, considering him not only an egoist, but also an indecisive person who could not realize his dreams in this life and, accordingly, did not find his place in life . According to Chernyshevsky, the author showed "an extra person" in his interesting story.
The conclusion that any reader can make at the end of the story is simple - love has no tomorrow. You need to love today, now, immediately and forever.
Before you - summary (brief retelling plot) of the story by I.S. Turgenev "Asya". I hope the summary of the story will help you prepare for the lesson of Russian literature.
Brief information about the story: Turgenev's story "Asya" was written in 1857, first published in 1858 in the first issue of the Sovremennik magazine.
ASYA - a summary of the chapters.
Asya. Chapter 1 Summary
The protagonist of the story is named N.N. He talks about what happened to him once. At that time he was twenty-five years old. In his own words, he just broke free and went abroad ". The young man really wanted see the world of God ”, N.N. says about himself at that time:
“I was healthy, young, cheerful, no money was transferred from me, worries had not yet had time to start - I lived without looking back, did what I wanted, prospered, in a word. It never occurred to me then that a person is not a plant and that he cannot flourish for a long time. Youth eats gilded gingerbread, and thinks that this is their daily bread; and the time will come - and you will ask for bread.
The young man traveled a lot, made new acquaintances. His life was easy and carefree. N. N. settled in a small German town Z., which was located on the left bank of the Rhine.
During this period, N.N. wanted to be alone, he was weighed down by gloomy thoughts. He recently met a young woman, a widow. " She was very pretty and smart, she flirted with everyone. ". But she preferred another person. N. N. was not too upset, but for a while he wanted to be alone.
The town where main character settled, was very attractive:
“I liked this town for its location at the foot of two high hills, its decrepit walls and towers, centuries-old lindens, a steep bridge over a bright river that flowed into the Rhine - and most importantly, its good wine.”
On the other side of the Rhine was the town of L. One day, N.N. sat on a bench and listened to music that came from the city of L.N.N. asked a passer-by what was happening in another town. The passer-by replied that they were students " came to the commercial».
N. N. crossed over to the other side.
Asya. Chapter 2. Summary
Kommersh is "a special kind of solemn feast at which students of one land or brotherhood converge." At the celebration, N.N. heard Russian speech. He met a young man Gagin and his sister Asya. New acquaintances invited N.N. to visit them.
New acquaintances liked N. N. And Gagin, and his sister Asya, or Anna (that was her full name), made the most favorable impression on the main character. The house in which they lived was also very much liked by N.N.
Asya was very mobile.
“Not for a single moment did she sit still; she got up, ran into the house, ran again, sang in an undertone, often laughed, and in a strange way: it seemed that she laughed not at what she heard, but at various thoughts that came into her head. Her large eyes looked straight, bright, bold, but sometimes her eyelids squinted slightly, and then her gaze suddenly became deep and tender.
N.N. was visiting for two hours. Then he decided to go home. The young man was happy, a new acquaintance pleased him. That evening he no longer remembered the widow who had occupied his heart for so long.
Asya. Chapter 3. Summary.
The next day, Gagin came to visit N.N. During the usual, meaningless conversation, he talked about his plans for the future. N.N., in turn, told about unhappy love, which, however, had already ceased to interest him. Gagin invites N. N. to look at the sketches.
Gagin's works seemed to N.N. careless, incorrect. He openly expressed his opinion. The author of the sketches agreed:
« Yes, yes,” he added with a sigh, “you are right; all this is very bad and immature, what to do! I did not study properly, and the damned Slavic licentiousness takes its toll. While you are dreaming about work, you are soaring like an eagle: it seems that the earth would be moved from its place - but in performance you immediately weaken and get tired.
Asya. Chapter 4. Summary.
After the conversation, Gagin and N.N. left to look for Asya. They found the girl in the ruins. Asya was sitting right over the abyss. N.N. reproached the girl for being careless. But Gagin warned him, said that if Asya made comments, she could even climb the tower.
N. N. comes to the conclusion that Asa has « something tense, not quite natural». « She wants to surprise us , - so thought the protagonist. And he does not understand why such childish antics are needed. The girl seemed to guess his thoughts. She is acting eccentric.
For example, Asya bought a glass of water from an old woman who traded nearby. And suddenly she announced that she did not want to drink, but was going to water the flowers growing around.
After that the girl
“with a glass in her hand, she started to climb over the ruins, occasionally stopping, bending over and, with amusing importance, dropping a few drops of water that glittered brightly in the sun.”
N.N. cannot but admit that the girl's movements are sweet. But he still cannot understand the meaning of her actions. She seems to be glad to scare those around her, because she puts herself in danger of falling and breaking. The whole look of Asya seemed to say: “ You find my behavior indecent; anyway, I know you admire me».
Gagin bought a mug of beer and proposed a toast to the lady of the heart N.N. Asya asked if she, that is, this lady, really exists. Gagin replied that everyone has such a lady. Asya was embarrassed at first, but then she began to look at everyone defiantly, almost impudently.
The girl is behaving strangely; even passers-by pay attention to her behavior. But after returning home, Asya changed.
“... She immediately went to her room and appeared only at dinnertime, dressed in her best dress, carefully combed, tied and wearing gloves.”
N.N. understood what the girl wanted “play a new role - the role of a decent and well-bred young lady ».
N.N. noticed that Gagin indulged her in everything. After dinner, Asya asked Gagin for permission to go to visit Frau Louise, an old woman, the widow of a former local steward. Gagin allowed her to go.
N. N. stayed with Gagin. In the course of the conversation, Gagin got to know his new acquaintance better and better. And the more he got to know him, the more he became attached. N.N. realized that Gagin is a simple, honest, sincere person. N. N. noticed that he is smart, nice, but he does not have special energy, strength, which distinguishes outstanding personality. N. N. thought that Gagin would hardly work good artist because he is not accustomed to work. But, despite all this, the new acquaintance seemed to N. N. a wonderful person.
N. N. and Gagin talked for almost four hours. When the sun went down, Gagin invited N.N. to see him off. On the way, he decided to call on Frau Louise to find out where Asya was.
When they approached the old woman's house, Asya looked out of the window, threw a sprig of geraniums to Gagin and suggested: "... imagine that I am the lady of your heart ».
Gagin gave the branch to N.N. He put it in his pocket. When N.N. went home, he felt a strange heaviness in his heart. He yearned for Russia. At the same time, the young man realized that he no longer remembered the young widow who had broken his heart. All his thoughts were directed to Asya. He had thoughts that Asya was not Gagin's sister at all.
Asya. Chapter 5. Summary.
The next morning, N.N. again went to Gagin. He wanted to see Asya. When N.N. saw her, she seemed to him a simple Russian girl, “ almost a maid". Asya was wearing an old dress, her hair was also very simple. Asya sewed. Her whole appearance spoke of modesty and simplicity.
N. N. and Gagin went to write sketches. Gagin suggested that N.N. accompany him, so that he would give good advice if necessary.
During work, friends again talked about art. The conversation was empty and meaningless. After returning, N.N. saw that Asya was also engaged in sewing. She was modest, quiet, her behavior was not defiant. N.N. thought that this girl was a real chameleon. He also began to think again about who Asya is Gagin.
Asya. Chapter 6. Summary.
Over the next two weeks, N.N. visited the Gagins every day, but Asya seemed to avoid him. Now she is no longer naughty, as before. It seemed to N.N. that Asya was embarrassed or distressed by something. N. N. noticed that the girl knew both French and German languages. Nevertheless, Asya's upbringing cannot be called good and correct. The girl spoke very little about her life, she answered questions reluctantly. But N.N. found out that in Russia she had lived in the countryside for a long time.
N.N. is watching Asya with interest. Her behavior seems strange to him, but this is precisely what causes the strongest curiosity. In addition, N.N. sees that Gagin treats Asya in a completely different way than the sisters are usually treated.
Once N.N. accidentally overheard a conversation between Gagin and Asya:
No, I don't want to love anyone but you, no, no, I want to love only you - and forever.
Enough, Asya, calm down, - said Gagin, - you know, I believe you.
During the conversation, Asya kissed Gagin, cuddled up to him very gently. N.N. thought that his new acquaintances were pretending to be brother and sister, but he could not guess why they had to put on this performance.
Asya. Chapter 7. Summary.
The next day, N.N. went on foot to the mountains. Here he intended to stay for a while. The young man did not want to see the Gagins. He was somewhat offended by their deception, because no one forced them to be called relatives.
N.N. “wandered slowly through the mountains and valleys, sat up in the village taverns, peacefully talking with the hosts and guests, or lay down on a flat warm stone and watched the clouds float, fortunately the weather was amazing.”
N. N. spent three days in the mountains. After returning, N.N. found a note from Gagin. He was surprised at his disappearance. He asked to come to them as soon as he returned.
Asya. Chapter 8
N. N. accepted the invitation. Gagin meets him with joy. But Asya again behaves unnaturally, to which N.N. immediately draws attention. Gagin was embarrassed by the behavior of the girl, called her crazy and asked N.N. to excuse her.
Despite the fact that N. N. is already accustomed to Asya's antics, her behavior cannot but jar him. However, the young man pretends not to pay attention to these oddities and tells Gagin about his journey. During the conversation, Asya entered the room several times and ran away again, and after a while N.N. decided to return home. Gagin went to see him off. Before leaving, Asya approached N.N. and held out her hand to him. He shook her fingers and bowed slightly.
On the way, Gagin asks N.N. what is his opinion about Asya and whether he finds her strange. N. N. honestly answers that the girl's antics cannot but be evident. The conversation seems to N. N. completely unexpected. Gagin justifies that Asya has kind heart, but "the head is troubled", explains that the girl cannot be blamed for anything. Gagin offers to tell Asya's story. N.N. listens to him with interest.
Gagin says that Asya is his sister. Gagin's father was a kind, intelligent, but very unhappy man. He married for love. But his wife, Gagin's mother, died very early. The boy was only six months old at the time. Heartbroken, the father went to the village and remained there for twelve years. The father raised his son himself. He had no intention of parting with him. However, he came to the village brother father, he was important person In Petersburg. The uncle began to convince the father to give the boy to him for upbringing. The uncle assured his father that the young man should rotate in society.
Father with difficulty, but agreed with his brother. After arriving in St. Petersburg, Gagin entered the cadet school, then transferred to the guards regiment. Every year he went to the countryside for a few weeks to see his father. He was always very sad and thoughtful. Once, during his arrival, Gagin saw a girl about ten years old in his father's house. It was Asya. The father explained that he had adopted the orphan. The girl was wild, silent. Gagin did not pay much attention to her.
It so happened that Gagin was not with his father for three or four years. It was service related. Communication with his father was maintained only through letters.
Once Gagin received a letter from the clerk. He told about the fatal illness of his father. After his arrival, the father turned to his son with a last request. He ordered to bring Asya and told Gagin that this was his sister.
After the death of his father, Gagin learned that Asya was the daughter of his father and his mother's former maid. The father wanted to marry Asya's mother, but she was against it. Tatyana, Asya's mother, died a few years ago, after which her father took Asya into the house. He was going to do this before, but Tatyana did not agree.
Father loved Asya very much.
“Asya soon realized that she was the main person in the house, she knew that the master was her father; but she just as soon realized her false position; pride developed in her strongly, distrust too; bad habits took root, simplicity disappeared. She wanted to make the whole world forget her origins; she was ashamed of her mother, and ashamed of her shame, and proud of her ».
Twenty-year-old Gagin found himself with a thirteen-year-old sister in his arms. He became very attached to the girl, and she answered him the same. Gagin brought his sister to Petersburg. Since he was busy, he placed the girl in one of the best boarding houses. Asya understood that it was necessary. But in the boarding house it was very difficult for her. There she fell ill and nearly died. However, the girl spent four years in a boarding house. Despite a strict upbringing, she has not changed a bit. The head of the boarding house repeatedly complained to Gagin about Asya.
Relations at the boarding school did not work out for the girl, despite the fact that she was very smart and capable, she studied better than anyone. Asya had no girlfriends.
When the girl was seventeen years old, Gagin decided to retire, pick up his sister and go abroad. That is exactly what he did.
Having told this story, Gagin asked N.N. not to judge Asya too harshly, because she “Although she pretends that she doesn’t care about anything, she values \u200b\u200bthe opinion of everyone, especially yours.”
Gagin says that Asya, of course, has her own oddities. For example, recently she began to assure him that she loves only him and will always love him, N.N. asked if Asya liked anyone in St. Petersburg. Gagin replied that "Ace needs a hero, an extraordinary person - or a picturesque shepherd in a mountain gorge." Since the girl has not met such people, she still does not know love.
N. N. after the story of Gagin felt almost happy. Gagin and his interlocutor returned home. Asya was pale and agitated. N.N. realized that the girl attracted him, now he only thinks about her.
Asya. Chapters 9 - 10. Summary
N.N. invited Asya to take a walk through the vineyard. The girl agreed. During the walk they talked. Asya asked N.N. what he likes in women. This question seemed strange to N.N. Asya was confused.
N.N. realized how Asya is a romantic nature. Everyday life, everyday life oppress her.
N.N. understands that love is born in him. The next day, N.N. again came to the Gagins. Asya was embarrassed when she saw him. N.N. noticed that the girl had dressed up. But she was sad. Gagin was engaged in his drawings. Asya says that when she lived with her mother, she did not study anything. And now she can't draw, she can't play the piano, she even sews badly. N.N. reassures her, says that she is smart, educated, reads a lot. Asya says that she herself does not know what is in her head. She is afraid that she will be bored with her.
Asya leaves, then returns and asks:
Listen, if I died, would you feel sorry for me?
Her thoughts frighten N. N. The girl says that she often thinks about imminent death. Asya was sad and worried". She expressed concern that N.N. considered her frivolous.
Asya. Chapters 11 - 13. Summary
N. N. thinks on the way home that Asya, quite possibly, loves him. However, these thoughts seem implausible to him. The young man cannot stop thinking about the girl. The next day, Asya felt bad, she had a headache. N.N. was forced to leave.
The next morning the young man was walking around the city. The boy found him and handed over the note. The message was from Asya.
She invited him to four o'clock to the stone chapel. N.N. came home, "sat down and thought." He was excited by the note from the girl. Suddenly Gagin came. He said that Asya fell in love with N.N.
Asya. Chapter 14
Gagin was very worried about the state of mind of his sister. After all, Asya, despite all her antics, was a very close person to him. Gagin said that Asya fell ill from love. The girl wanted to leave immediately, so as not to expose herself to torment.
Gagin asked N.N. if he liked Asya. And N.N. was forced to admit that he liked her, but he could not marry her. During the conversation, Gagin and N. N. came to the conclusion that N. N. should immediately go on a date with the girl and talk to her. N.N. is very worried, but, knowing Asya's character, he is not at all eager to marry her.
Asya. Chapter 15
On the way, N.N. meets the boy again, who gives him another note from Asya. In the note, the girl was informed about the change of the meeting place. Now the meeting was at Frau Louise's house.
Asya. Chapter 16
When the young man met Asya, a serious conversation took place between them. Asya is very charming, N.N. cannot help but succumb to her charm. However, he reproaches the girl for telling her brother about her feelings. N.N. wants to do everything possible so that the girl forgets about her love. He convinces her. that needs to be separated. Asya is depressed, she cries, it is very difficult for her. In fact, N.N. seems to play a role.
After all, it depends on him whether the relationship will develop further. Asya's wild, unbridled temper frightens him, so he chose to leave. However, the young man cannot but be touched by the sincere feeling of the girl.
Asya. Chapters 17 - 18. Summary.
After the conversation, N.N. "got out of the city and set off straight into the field." He reproached himself for his behavior. Now N. N. regretted that he had lost such an extraordinary girl. When night fell, the young man went to Asya's house.
However, Gagin anxiously says that Asya has disappeared. N.N., together with Gagin, go in search of a girl.
Asya. Chapter 19
Alarmed N.N. feels remorse and even love. He is sincerely concerned about the fate of Asya.
Asya. Chapter 20
After a long search, the young man, climbing the path, saw a light in Asya's room. He immediately went there and learned that the girl had returned.
Delighted, N.N. decided that tomorrow morning he would ask for Asya's hand in marriage. The young man is looking forward to his imminent happiness. “Tomorrow I will be happy! Happiness has no tomorrow; he does not have yesterday either; it does not remember the past, does not think about the future; he has a present - and that is not a day - but a moment.
Asya. Chapters 21-22. Summary.
The next morning, N.N. came to the Gagins. He was struck by one circumstance: all the windows in the house were open, the door as well. The maid told him that everyone had left early in the morning. N.N. handed over a letter from Gagin.
In the letter, he apologized and said goodbye.
“He began by asking not to be angry with him for his sudden departure; he was sure that, in mature consideration, I would approve of his decision. He did not find any other way out of the situation, which could become difficult and dangerous.
Gagin wrote:
“There are prejudices that I respect; I understand that you cannot marry Asya. She told me everything; for her peace of mind, I had to give in to her repeated, intensified requests.
The letter made a painful impression on N.N. Gagin misunderstood him in regard to "prejudices." The origin of Asya did not matter at all for N.N. But Gagin interpreted everything in his own way.
N.N. went in search of the Gagins. He learned that they boarded a steamer and sailed down the Rhine. Before leaving, Frau Louise handed him a small note from Asya. The girl said goodbye to him. N. N. is depressed, he does not know what to do. He went after the Gagins. But, alas, all searches were in vain. He could not find Gagin and Asya.
Only once, several years later, N.N. caught a glimpse of a woman in the carriage who reminded him of Asya. However, he admits that this was a coincidence. N.N. learned nothing more about the fate of Asya. She forever remained for him a young girl whom he recognized at the "best time" of his life.
However, it cannot be said that N.N. longed for Asya for a long time:
“I even found that fate disposed well, not connecting me with Asya; I consoled myself with the thought that I probably would not be happy with such a wife.
However, the feeling that N. N. Asya aroused in the soul never happened again. N.N. never married, he remained forever alone. He always kept notes from the girl and the twig she threw from the window.
I hope this summary of Turgenev's ASYA helped you prepare for your lessons in Russian literature.
