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Portrait characteristics of Asya Turgenev. Essay on the story and

Very touching, lyrical and beautiful in terms of literary art the story "Asya" was written in 1857 by Ivan Turgenev. Millions of readers were literally captivated by this work - people read, re-read and read "Asya", it was translated into many foreign languages, and critics did not hide their delight. Turgenev wrote an attractive and unpretentious love story, but how beautiful and unforgettable it turned out! Now we will make a short analysis of the story "Asya" by Ivan Turgenev, and in addition, you can read the summary on our website. In the same article, the plot of "Ashi" will be presented very briefly.

Writing history and prototypes

The story was published when Turgenev was almost forty years old. It is known that the author was not only well educated, but also had a rare talent. Once Ivan Turgenev went on a trip to Germany, and fleetingly saw the following picture: two women looked out of a two-story house through the windows - one was an elderly and orderly lady, and she looked from the first floor, and the second was a young girl, and looked out she is on top. The writer thought - who are these women, why do they live in the same house, what brought them together? Reflections on this glimpsed picture prompted Turgenev to write the lyrical story "Asya", the analysis of which we are now conducting.

Let's discuss who could become a prototype main character. Turgenev, as you know, had a daughter, Pauline Brewer, who was born illegitimate. She is very reminiscent of the timid and sensual main character Asya. At the same time, the writer had Native sister, therefore it is quite possible that Turgenev could also consider Varvara Zhitova as Asya's prototype. Both that and the other girl could not come to terms with their dubious position in society, which worried Asya herself.

The plot of the story "Asya" is very short

A short retelling of the plot will help to better understand the analysis of the story "Asya" by Turgenev. The story is told by the main character. We see the anonymous Mr. N.N., who traveled abroad and met his compatriots there. Young people made acquaintances and even became friends. So, N. N. meets the Gagins. This is a brother and his half-sister Asya, who also went on a trip to Europe.

Gagin and N.N. like each other, they have a lot in common, so they communicate, relax together and have fun. In the end, N.N. falls in love with Asya, and the main character experiences reciprocal feelings. They declare their love, but misunderstandings in the relationship lead to mixed feelings and awkward conversation. Asya and Gagin abruptly leave, leaving a note, at the very moment when N.N. decided to ask for her hand. He rushes about in search of the Gagins, looking for them everywhere, but does not find them. And the feelings that he had for Asya will never be repeated again in his life.

Be sure to read Gagin's characterization, and it is important that we reviewed the plot of the story "Asya" very briefly, because this makes it easier to analyze further.

Image of Asya

Asya seems special to us and unusual girl. She reads a lot, draws beautifully and takes what is happening close to her heart. She has a heightened sense of justice, but as far as character is concerned, she is changeable and even somewhat extravagant. At times, she is drawn to reckless and desperate acts, as can be seen from her decision to leave her relationship with N.N., with whom she fell deeply in love.

However, an analysis of the story "Asya" shows that the girl's soul is easy to hurt, she is very impressionable, kind and affectionate. Of course, such a nature attracted Mr. N.N., who began to spend a lot of time with his new friends. He is looking for the reasons for her actions and is sometimes perplexed: to condemn him Asya or to admire her.

Important details of the analysis of the story "Asya"

When Asya begins to communicate with the main character N.N., unintelligible and previously unknown feelings awaken in her soul. The girl is still very young and inexperienced, and does not know how to cope with her emotions. She is afraid of this state, this explains her strange and changeable actions, which can hardly be called ordinary whims. She wants to evoke sympathy from N.N., to be attractive and charming in his eyes, and in the end she opens up to both him and Gagin.

Yes, this is a childish and naive act, but here she is - a sweet, kind girl Asya. Unfortunately, neither Gagin nor N.N. appreciate Asya's frank and temperamental behavior. She seems reckless to her brother, and the protagonist reflects on her temper, thinking that it is crazy to marry a girl of seventeen years of age with such a character. In addition, he found out that Asya was illegitimate, and yet such a wedding would cause misunderstanding in secular circles! Even a short analysis of the story "Asya" showed that this ruined their relationship, and when N.N. changed his mind, it was already too late.

Of course, we have something to think about: could Gagin reason with his sister, whom he loved so much, and whose whims he always fulfilled, and convince her not to rush things? Or maybe Gagin should have talked more frankly with N.N.? Was it worth Asya to make such a hasty decision and leave the relationship? Was it cruel to the main character? And Mr. N.N. himself - was he ready to fight for his love, to go against secular rules, to put feelings higher? Well, there are a lot of questions, but can anyone give definitive answers to them? Hardly. Let everyone find the answer for himself...

You have read the analysis of the story "Asya" by Turgenev, also in this article the plot of the story was presented very briefly, a description of the image of Asya and a description of all the characters.

Here is an example of an essay-reasoning on the topic “The Image of Asya” for grade 8. I hope this example will be useful to you when writing your own essay.

Composition "THIS ATTRACTIVE BUT STRANGE BEING"

(According to the story by I. S. Turgenev "Asya")

The plot of the story developed with I. S. Turgenev, according to the author himself, unexpectedly and immediately. Under the influence of that “special mood” that is born from communication with nature, from a mental return to your youth, to love, to the wonderful impulses of youth. Turgenev in his work preached "universal good feelings”, which are based on a deep faith in the triumph of light, goodness and moral beauty,” we read from M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

The plot of the story "Asya" is very poetic. This is a story about two young people, different, but having experienced one, such a dissimilar feeling for each other. This is a story about Romeo and Juliet, whose happiness, it would seem, did not interfere with anything, but who themselves pushed this happiness away from themselves, perhaps by hastening events, or perhaps, on the contrary, subordinating their feelings to a sober thought.

A special flavor of the story is given by its main character - a semi-mysterious, extraordinary creature, not like anyone or anything! Anyone could have taken the place of Mr. N., but Asya is unique and inimitable. She seems a little strange, but you have to get to know her well to judge her. The whole story is a story about her, deep, emotional, "rebellious" nature. All events unfold around this fragile and eccentric creature, so the story is called by her name - "Asya".

Fate decreed that Asya - the illegitimate daughter of a master and a maid - after the death of her mother, was taken by her father to a manor house. Asya soon realized that she was the main person in this house, that her father loves and spoils her, but she also soon realized her false position, pride developed in her strongly. She wanted to make the whole world forget her origin, but she herself was ashamed of it. “A life that began incorrectly was formed incorrectly, but the heart did not deteriorate in it, the mind survived,” Gagin said about her. In a boarding school in St. Petersburg, where she studied for four years, she showed an independent character, stubborn, "did not want to come under the general level." And now, being abroad with her brother, "she is naughty and weird as before."

Turgenev draws Asya as a pretty, well-built, very mobile, like a boy, she could not sit still for a minute, “her big eyes they looked straight, bright, bold, but sometimes her eyelids squinted slightly, and then her eyes suddenly became deep and tender, ”she hardly entered into communication, her actions were strange and contradictory, she seemed either strainedly cheerful, then distressed and embarrassed, sometimes proud, sometimes sweet and simple. Some kind of work was going on inside her all the time, conflicting passions were seething. "What a chameleon this girl is!" - N. thought about her. “By nature bashful and timid, she was annoyed at her shyness and out of annoyance forcibly tried to be cheeky and bold, which she did not always succeed in,” this is how the author explains the inconsistency of her character.

Gagin knew and understood his sister well. She seemed to him "crazy", but he treated her condescendingly, with understanding. He knew that she was hot as gunpowder, if she fell in love with anyone, then there would be trouble, because “she doesn’t have a single feeling half”, she “needs a hero, an extraordinary person”, she deeply feels, and these feelings come to her so swiftly, like a thunderstorm, she is truthful, sincere, pure, “although she pretends that she doesn’t care about anything, she values everyone’s opinion,” she cannot bear what any other would easily endure, “she has a very kind heart, but bad head", "it's hard to get along with her." “Oh, what a soul this girl has ... but she will destroy herself, without fail,” Gagin expresses his opinion about Asya.

So N., when he looked deeper into Asya’s soul, realized that Asya attracted him “not only with half-wild charm,” he liked her soul! But Asya, “with her fiery head, with her past, with her upbringing, this is attractive, but strange creature", scared N. He was not ready for the feeling that arose between them. He could not fully understand Asin's inner world, could not become a support for her. He postponed his happiness "for tomorrow"!

The hero of the story consoled himself with the thought that he would probably not be happy with a wife like Asya. She, of course, has a deep, romantic nature. With such people it is extremely interesting, but also incredibly difficult. You yourself must be an extraordinary, attentive, noble person, with a deep inner world to understand and accept. In a word, one must be worthy of it so that happiness is mutual.

Written in 1857. This story tells us about the unhappy love of a young underage girl who fell in love with a twenty-five-year-old man. The story is based on the recollection of a certain N.N., who is one of the main characters in Turgenev's story "Asya". In addition to N.N., the story also has the main character Asya, whose characterization we need to describe.

The image of Asya in Turgenev's story

The image of Asya in Turgenev's story is well drawn in the work. And this is a pretty girl, with a roundish face. She has a small nose and round cheeks. Dark hair, bright eyes with long eyelashes. Asya is graceful, "her slender appearance was clearly and beautifully drawn in the clear sky." The girl was fluent in two languages. It is this portrait of a girl that emerges when you read summary Turgenev's story "Asya".

Asya is the illegitimate daughter of a landowner and a peasant woman. The girl knew about this and was very ashamed, "she wanted to make the whole world forget her origin." After the death of her mother, she lived in her father's house, and after his death she was in the care of her brother. And although Asya studied at the best boarding school, she could not become a real young lady. She is "accustomed to chatting whatever comes into her head."

Asya was naturally timid, but at the same time she behaved cheekily. This is a girl about whom you can say "gunpowder" and "fire", "chameleon girl". She is wayward, kind, sincere, sensitive. Asya can be like a child, or she can be capricious, playful and impudent. Her image remains forever in the memory of the reader.
One day she met her love in the form of Mr. N.N. And I completely surrendered to this feeling, which I experienced for the first time. For her N.N. was a real hero. She fell in love so much that she is ready for anything, but the girl made the wrong choice. N.N was indecisive and despite the fact that his feelings were mutual, despite the fact that the girl told him “yours” and confessed her love, he rejected her and Asya leaves forever. N.N. later he regretted his decision many times, but it was too late.

The girl's first love was broken and unhappy.

In the essay based on Turgenev's story "Asya", I would like to highlight the main idea of Turgenev's story "Asya". The author shows us how important it is to do everything on time and not be afraid of your feelings. You have to fight for your dream so you don't regret it later. And just Asya was not afraid, Asya acted, and, although we do not know future life girls, I would very much like her future to be happy.

Turgenev's story "Asya" is one of the most famous works writer written in love lyrical genre. The main characters of "Asia" are young people who fell in love with each other, but due to the weakness of one of them, they never found happiness. In his elegiac tale, the author concluded deep meaning content, conveyed his thoughts about how a person's life depends on his actions and words. In its philosophical content, the story is a pearl of the world classics of the elegiac genre.

Characteristics of the heroes "Asia"

Main characters

Asya

Young, attractive girl. She was born from the relationship of the master with his maid. She was brought up by her mother, and only after her death the girl was taken to the manor house as his own daughter. She cannot get used to her new position, rushes from one extreme to another. Asya is not accustomed to the lordly environment, she behaves stiffly and timidly. This is a pure and bright girl, sincere and kind. She fell in love with Mr. N.N., who did not accept her feelings, and she disappeared from his life forever.

Mr. N.N.

In the story "Asya" is the hero on whose behalf the story is told. This is a calm, balanced person, conflict-free, and, one might say, spineless. For him, peace and harmony are important in everything. He is afraid of any intrusion into his life, the main thing for him is spiritual comfort. He liked the girl Asya, he even fell in love with her, but when the decisive moment came when he had to make a choice, Mr. N. N. cowardly lost heart. Until the end of his life, he never experienced full happiness.

Minor characters

Gagin	A hero who is raising his sister. A wealthy man, dreams of taking up painting seriously, regrets that he missed a lot of time. He ardently loves his sister, wants her to have a happy future. Upon learning that Asya is in love with N.N., Gagin, straightforward and fair man, came to him to find out how N.N. himself felt about this. He is not indifferent to the fate of Asya, and he tries to protect her from disappointment.

Frau Louise	An elderly woman, a widow, kind and simple. Asya made acquaintance with her, and often visits her. At Frau Louise's house, Asya made an appointment with N.N. he himself will go to the widow of the burgomaster.

Ivan Turgenev not only made a significant contribution to the development domestic literature within the framework of existing areas, but also opened up new original features national culture. In particular, he created the image of the Turgenev young lady - he revealed the unique character of the Russian girl on the pages of his books. To get to know this special one, it is enough to read the story "Asya", where female portrait acquired unique features.

The writer was busy writing this work for several months (from July to November 1857). He wrote heavily and slowly, because illness and fatigue were already making themselves felt. Who is the prototype of Asya is not exactly known. Among the versions, the point of view that the author described his illegitimate daughter prevails. Also, the fate of his sister on the paternal side could be reflected in the image (her mother was a peasant woman). Based on these examples, Turgenev knew well how a teenager who found himself in such a situation felt, and reflected his observations in the story, showing a very delicate social conflict, to which he himself was to blame.

The work "Asya" was completed in 1857 and published in Sovremennik. The story of the story, told by the author himself, is as follows: once Turgenev in a German town saw an elderly woman looking out of a window on the first floor, and the head of a young girl on the floor above. Then he decided to imagine what their fate could be, and embodied these fantasies in the form of a book.

Why is the story called that?

The work got its name in honor of the main character, whose love story is the focus of the author. His top priority was uncovering the ideal female image, dubbed "Turgenev's young lady." To see and evaluate a woman, according to the writer, is possible only through the prism of the feeling that she experiences. Only in it, its mysterious and incomprehensible nature is fully revealed. Therefore, Asya experiences the shock of his first love and experiences it with the dignity inherent in an adult and mature lady, and not the naive child she was before meeting N.N.

This reincarnation shows Turgenev. At the end of the book, we say goodbye to Asya the child and get acquainted with Anna Gagina, a sincere, strong and self-aware woman who does not agree to compromises: when N.N. afraid to surrender to the feeling completely and immediately recognize it, she, overcoming pain, left him forever. But in memory of the bright time of childhood, when Anna was still Asya, the writer calls his work this diminutive name.

Genre: novel or short story?

Of course, "Asya" is a story. The story is never divided into chapters, and its volume is much smaller. The segment from the life of the characters depicted in the book is smaller than in the novel, but longer than in the book itself. small form prose. Turgenev also held this opinion about genre nature his creation.

Traditionally, there are more characters and events in the story than in the story. In addition, it is the sequence of episodes that becomes the subject of the image in it, in which cause-and-effect relationships are revealed, which lead the reader to realize the meaning of the finale of the work. This is what happens in the book "Asya": the characters get to know each other, their communication leads to mutual interest, N.N. learns about the origin of Anna, she confesses her love to him, he is afraid to take her feelings seriously, and in the end all this leads to a break. The writer first intrigues us, for example, shows strange behavior heroine, and then explains it through the story of her birth.

What is the piece about?

The main character is a young man, on whose behalf the story is being told. These are the memories of an already mature man about the events of his youth. In "Ace" a middle-aged secular man N.N. recalls a story that happened to him when he was 25 years old. The beginning of his story, where he meets his brother and sister Gagin, is the exposition of the story. Place and time of action - "a small German town Z. near the Rhine (river)". The writer has in mind the city of Sinzig in the province of Germany. Turgenev himself traveled there in 1857, at the same time he finished the book. The narrator writes in the past tense, stipulating that the events described took place 20 years ago. Accordingly, they took place in June 1837 (N.N. himself reports on the month in the first chapter).

What Turgenev wrote about in Asa is familiar to the reader since the time of reading Eugene Onegin. Asya Gagina is the same young Tatyana who fell in love for the first time, but did not find reciprocity. It was the poem "Eugene Onegin" that N.N. for the Gagins. Only the heroine in the story does not look like Tatyana. She is very changeable and fickle: either she laughs all day long, or she walks gloomier than a cloud. The reason for this mood lies in the difficult history of the girl: she is the illegitimate sister of Gagin. In high society, she feels like a stranger, as if unworthy of the honor that she has been given. Thoughts about her future situation constantly weigh on her, so Anna has a difficult character. But, in the end, she, like Tatiana from "Eugene Onegin", decides to confess her love to N.N. ridicule. Asya, having heard a reproach instead of a confession, runs away. A N.N. understands how dear she is to him, and decides to ask for her hand the next day. But it's too late, as the next morning he finds out that the Gagins have left, leaving him a 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!

Main characters and their characteristics

The reader's attention is attracted, first of all, by the main characters of the work. They are the ones who embody author's intention and are the supporting images on which the narrative is built.

Asya (Anna Gagina)- a typical "Turgenev young lady": she is a wild, but subtly sensitive girl who is capable of true love, but does not accept cowardice and weakness of character. This is how her brother described her: “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 ashamed of her mother, and ashamed of her shame, and proud of her. She grew up in nature on the estate, studied at the boarding school. At first she was raised by her mother, a maid in her father's house. After her death, the master took the girl to him. Then the upbringing was continued by his legitimate son, the brother of the main character. Anna is a modest, naive, well-educated person. She has not matured yet, so she fools around and plays pranks, not taking life seriously. However, her character changed when she fell in love with N.N.: he became fickle and strange, the girl was sometimes too lively, sometimes sad. Changing images, she unconsciously sought to attract the attention of a gentleman, but her intentions were absolutely sincere. She even fell ill with a fever from a feeling that overwhelmed her heart. From her further actions and words, we can conclude that she is a strong and strong-willed woman, capable of sacrifice for the sake of honor. Turgenev himself outlined her description: “The girl whom he called his sister seemed to me very pretty at first sight. 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. The somewhat idealized image of Asya was repeated in the faces of other famous heroines of the writer.
N.N.- a narrator who, 20 years after the event described, takes up a pen to ease his soul. He can never forget his lost love. He appears before us as a selfish and idle rich young man who travels from nothing to do. He is lonely and afraid of his loneliness, because, by his own admission, he loves to be in the crowd and look at people. At the same time, he does not want to get acquainted with the Russians, apparently, he is afraid of disturbing his peace. He ironically remarks that "he considered it his duty to indulge in sadness and loneliness for a while." This desire to show off even in front of him opens in him weak sides nature: he is insincere, false, superficial, looking for an excuse for his idleness in fictitious and far-fetched suffering. It is impossible not to note his impressionability: thoughts about his homeland angered him, a meeting with Anna made him feel happy. Main character educated and noble, lives "as you want", and he is characterized by inconstancy. Understands art, loves nature, but cannot find application for his knowledge and feelings. He likes to analyze people with his mind, but he does not feel them with his heart, which is why he could not understand Asya's behavior for so long. Love for her revealed in him not the most best qualities: cowardice, indecision, selfishness.
Gagin- Anna's older brother, who takes care of her. This is how the author writes about him: “It was just a Russian soul, truthful, honest, simple, but, unfortunately, a little sluggish, without tenacity and inner heat. Youth did not seethe in him; she glowed quiet light. He was very nice and smart, but I could not imagine what would become of him as soon as he matured. The hero is very kind and sympathetic. Honored and respected the family, because last will he fulfilled his father honestly, and he fell in love with his sister as if he were his own. Anna is very dear to him, so he sacrifices friendship for her peace of mind and leaves N.N., taking the heroine away. In general, he willingly sacrifices his interests for the sake of others, because in order to raise his sister, he resigns and leaves his homeland. Other characters in his description they always look positive, he finds an excuse for all of them: both the secretive father and the compliant maid, masterful Asya.

Minor characters are only mentioned in passing by the narrator. This is a young widow on the waters who rejected the narrator, Gagin's father (a kind, gentle, but unhappy person), his brother, who arranged for his nephew to serve in St. Petersburg, Asya's mother (Tatyana Vasilyevna is a proud and impregnable woman), Yakov (the butler of Gagin the elder) . Description of heroes given by the author, allows an even deeper understanding of the story "Asya" and the realities of the era that became its basis.

Subject

Theme of love. Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev wrote many stories about this. For him, feeling is a test of the souls of heroes: “No, love is one of those passions that breaks our “I”, makes us forget about ourselves and our interests,” the writer said. Only real man can truly love. However, the tragedy is that many people do not cope with this test, and it takes two to love. When one fails to truly love, the other undeservedly remains alone. So it happened in this book: N.N. could not pass the test of love, but Anna, although she coped with it, still could not stand the insult of neglect and left forever.
The theme of the superfluous person in the story "Asya" also occupies an important place. The main character can not find a place in the world. His idle and aimless life abroad is proof of this. He wanders around in search of who knows what, because he cannot apply his skills and knowledge in the real case. His failure is also manifested in love, because he is afraid of the direct recognition of the girl, afraid of the strength of her feelings, so he cannot realize in time how dear she is to him.
The theme of the family is also raised by the author. Gagin raised Asya as his sister, although he understood the complexity of her situation. Perhaps it was this circumstance that prompted him to travel, where the girl could be distracted and hide from sidelong glances. Turgenev emphasizes superiority family values over class prejudices, urging their compatriots to care more about family ties than about the purity of blood.
Nostalgia theme. The whole story is imbued with the nostalgic mood of the protagonist, who lives with memories of the time when he was young and in love.

Issues

Problem moral choice. The hero does not know what to do: is it worth taking responsibility for such a young and offended creature? Is he ready to say goodbye to single life and tie himself to one single woman? Besides, she had already taken away his choice by telling her brother. He was annoyed that the girl took all the initiative, and therefore accused her of being too frank with Gagin. N.N. was confused, and even not experienced enough to unravel the subtle nature of his beloved, so it is not surprising that his choice turned out to be wrong.
Problems of feeling and duty. Often these principles are opposed to each other. Asya loves N.N., but after his hesitation and reproaches, she realizes that he is not sure of his feelings. The duty of honor tells her to leave and not see him again, although her heart rebels and asks to give her lover another chance. However, her brother is also adamant in matters of honor, so the Gagins leave N.N.
The problem of extramarital affairs. In the time of Turgenev, almost all nobles had illegitimate children, and this was not considered abnormal. But the writer, although he himself became the father of such a child, draws attention to how badly children live, whose origin is outside the law. They suffer without guilt for the sins of their parents, suffer from gossip and cannot arrange their future. For example, the author depicts Asya's studies in a boarding school, where all the girls treated her with disdain because of her history.
The problem of transition. Asya at the time of the events described is only 17 years old, she has not yet formed as a person, so her behavior is so unpredictable and eccentric. It is very difficult for a brother to deal with her, because he does not yet have experience in the parental field. Yes and N.N. could not understand her contradictory and sentimental nature. This is the reason for the tragedy of their relationship.
The problem of cowardice. N.N. she is afraid of serious feelings, therefore she does not say the very cherished word that Asya was waiting for.

Main thought

The story of the main character is a tragedy of naive first feelings, when a young dreamy person first encounters the cruel realities of life. Conclusions from this encounter - the main idea story "Asya". The girl went through the test of love, but many of her illusions were broken in it. In indecision N.N. she read the sentence to herself, which her brother had mentioned earlier in a conversation with a friend: in such a position she cannot count on a good match. Few will agree to marry her, no matter how beautiful or funny she is. She had seen before that people despise her for her unequal origin, but now the person she loves hesitates and does not dare to bind himself with a word. Anna interpreted this as cowardice, and her dreams crumbled to dust. She learned to be more selective in boyfriends and not to trust them with her heart secrets.

love in this case opens the heroine to the adult world, literally pulling her out of her blissful childhood. Happiness would not be a lesson for her, but a continuation of a girl's dream, it would not reveal this contradictory character, and Asya's portrait in the gallery of female characters in Russian literature was greatly impoverished from happy ending. In tragedy, she gained the necessary experience and became richer spiritually. As you can see, the meaning of Turgenev's story is also to show how the test of love affects people: some show dignity and fortitude, others show cowardice, tactlessness and indecision.

This story from the lips of a mature man is so instructive that it leaves no doubt that the hero recalls this episode of his life as an edification to himself and the listener. Now, after so many years, he understands that he himself missed the love of his life, he himself destroyed this sublime and sincere relationship. The narrator urges the reader to be more attentive and resolute than he himself, not to give his guiding star leave. Thus, the main idea of the work "Asya" is to show how fragile and fleeting happiness is if it is not recognized in time, and how merciless love is, which does not give a second attempt.

What does the story teach?

Turgenev, showing the idle and empty lifestyle of his hero, says that the carelessness and aimlessness of existence will make a person unhappy. N.N. in old age, he bitterly complains about himself in his youth, regretting the loss of Asya and the very opportunity to change his fate: “Then it never occurred to me that a person is not a plant and he cannot flourish for a long time.” He realizes with bitterness that this “blooming” did not bear fruit. Thus, morality in the story "Asya" opens before us true meaning being - you need to live for the sake of the goal, for the sake of close people, for the sake of creativity and creation, in whatever it is expressed, and not for the sake of oneself alone. After all, it was egoism and the fear of losing the opportunity to “bloom” that prevented N.N. say the same thing cherished word that Anna was waiting for.

Another conclusion that Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev makes in Asa is the assertion that one should not be afraid of one's feelings. The heroine gave herself completely to them, burned herself with her first love, but she learned a lot about life and about the person to whom she wanted to devote it. Now she will be more attentive to people, will learn to understand them. Without this cruel experience, she would not have revealed herself as a person, would not have understood herself and her desires. After breaking up with N.N. she realized what the man of her dreams should be. So do not be afraid of the sincere impulses of the soul, you need to give them free rein, and come what may.

Criticism

The reviewers called N.N. typical literary embodiment"an extra person", and later singled out new type heroines - "Tugenev's young lady." Chernyshevsky, Turgenev's ideological opponent, studied the image of the protagonist with particular attention. He dedicated an ironic article to him called “Russian man on rendez-vous. Reflections after reading the story "Asya". In it, he condemns not only the moral imperfection of the character, but also the poverty of the whole social group to which it belongs. The idleness and selfishness of noble offspring destroys real people in them. It is in this that the critic sees the cause of the tragedy. His friend and colleague Dobrolyubov enthusiastically appreciated the story and the author's work on it:

Turgenev ... talks about his heroes as about people close to him, snatches their warm feeling from his chest and watches them with tender participation, with painful trepidation, he himself suffers and rejoices along with the faces created by him, he himself is carried away by the poetic atmosphere that he loves always surround them...

The writer himself speaks very warmly about his creation: "I wrote it very passionately, almost in tears ...".

Many critics responded positively to Turgenev's work "Asya" even at the stage of reading the manuscript. I. I. Panaev, for example, wrote to the author about the impression of the editors of Sovremennik in the following terms:

I read the proofs, the proofreader, and, moreover, Chernyshevsky. If there are still mistakes, it means that we did everything we could, and we can’t do it better. Annenkov has read the story, and you probably already know his opinion about it. He is delighted

Annenkov was a close friend of Turgenev and his most important critic. In a letter to the author, he praises him new job, calling it "a frank step towards nature and poetry".

In a personal letter dated January 16, 1858, E. Ya. Kolbasin (a critic who positively assesses Turgenev’s work) informed the writer: “Now I have come from the Tyutchevs, where there was a dispute about Asya. And I like it. They find that Asya's face is strained, not alive. I said the opposite, and Annenkov, who arrived in time for the dispute, completely supported me and brilliantly refuted them.

However, it was not without controversy. Nekrasov, editor-in-chief of the Sovremennik magazine, suggested changing the scene of the explanation of the main characters, believing that it would belittle the image of N.N. too much:

There is only one remark, personally mine, and that is unimportant: in the scene of a meeting at the knees, the hero unexpectedly showed an unnecessary rudeness of nature, which you do not expect from him, bursting into reproaches: they should have been softened and reduced, I wanted to, but I did not dare, especially since Annenkov against this

As a result, the book was left unchanged, because even Chernyshevsky stood up for it, who, although he did not deny the rudeness of the scene, noted that it best reflects the real appearance of the class to which the narrator belongs.

S. S. Dudyshkin, who in the article “Tales and Stories of I. S. Turgenev”, published in “ Domestic notes", contrasted" the sick personality of a Russian person 19th century to an honest worker - a bourgeois businessman. He was also extremely worried about the question of historical destinies " extra people”, set by the author of“ Asya ”.

The story is clearly not for everyone. After its publication, reproaches rained down on the writer. For example, reviewer V.P. Botkin told Fet: “Not everyone likes Asya. It seems to me that Asya's face failed - and in general the thing has a prosaically invented look. There is nothing to say about other people. As a lyricist, Turgenev can only express well what he experienced ... ". Famous poet, the addressee of the letter, was in solidarity with a friend and recognized the image of the main character as far-fetched and lifeless.

But Tolstoy was the most indignant of all critics, who assessed the work as follows: “Asya” by Turgenev, in my opinion, is the weakest thing of all that he wrote” - this remark was contained in a letter to Nekrasov. Lev Nikolayevich connected the book with the personal life of a friend. He was unhappy that he arranged for the illegitimate daughter Pauline in France, forever separating her from her own mother. Such a “hypocritical position” was sharply condemned by the count, he openly accused his colleague of cruelty and improper upbringing of his daughter, which was also described in the story. This conflict led to the fact that the authors did not communicate for 17 years.

Later, the story was not forgotten and often appeared in the statements of famous public figures era. For example, Lenin compared Russian liberals to an indecisive character: