The content of the story is Turgenev's first love. Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

The story "First Love" by Turgenev was written in 1860, and in many ways became a reflection of the author's personal experiences. This is a story about the first, still half-childish love, which had to face adult love, full of drama and sacrifice.

On our website, you can read online a summary of "First Love" chapter by chapter, and then take a test to test your knowledge. A brief retelling of the work is useful for the reader's diary and preparation for the literature lesson.

main characters

Vladimir- a sixteen-year-old boy who had to endure all the joys and troubles of first love.

Zinaida- A 21-year-old impoverished princess, spoiled by male attention, with whom Vladimir was in love.

Petr Vasilievich- Vladimir's father, a smart, freedom-loving middle-aged man who started an affair with Zinaida.

Other characters

Princess Zasekina- Zinaida's mother, an untidy, uneducated woman with bad manners.

Vladimir's mother- a restrained, delicate woman who was much older than her husband.

Malevsky, Lushin, Maidanov, Nirmatsky and Belovzorov- Fans of Zinaida.

Chapter 1

Sixteen-year-old Volodya was preparing to enter the university at his parents' dacha. He lived in anticipation of something extraordinary and this "was destined to come true soon." Soon the family of Princess Zasekina moved into a small outbuilding.

Chapter 2

During one of the walks, Volodya saw an unusually attractive blond girl in the company of young people. The stranger struck the young man in the heart, and he, feeling "unprecedented excitement", ran home.

Chapter 3

The next morning, all Volodya's thoughts were occupied only with how to get acquainted with the object of his passion. The young man was rescued by his mother, who ordered "to go to the princess and explain to her in words" so that she would come to visit her.

Chapter 4

Once in the chambers of the Zasekins, Volodya was unpleasantly surprised by the excessive simplicity and untidiness of the decoration and the princess herself. Her daughter Zinochka turned out to be the complete opposite - gentle, graceful, with excellent manners. She admitted that she was five years older than Volodya, and asked to be told "always the truth" to her. At that moment, the young man was as "well, like a fish in water." But soon his joy faded when a young hussar appeared at the Zasekins and presented a kitten to Zinaida - Volodya was jealous for the first time in his life.

Chapters 5-7

Volodya's mother found the princess "a very vulgar woman", obsessive and mercenary. It turned out that she was the daughter of a wealthy clerk, and married a ruined prince, who soon squandered her dowry.

At the reception with Volodya's parents, Princess Zasekina "did not repair at all", while Zinaida "behaved very strictly, almost arrogantly, a real princess". Saying goodbye, she invited Volodya to come to them in the evening.

Arriving at the appointed hour to the Zasekins, Volodya saw Zinaida surrounded by young people. Her admirers included "Count Malevsky, Dr. Lushin, poet Maidanov, retired Captain Nirmatsky and Belovzorov". The guests had fun with might and main: they played forfeits, "sang and danced, and represented the gypsy camp."

Chapter 8

Mother was against Volodya's communication with neighbors, whom she considered ill-bred. She reminded her son that he should "prepare for the exam and study."

Volodya shared his impressions of Zinaida with his father, a smart, interesting man who valued freedom above all else. After a conversation with Volodya, he "ordered to saddle his horse" and went to the Zasekins. In the evening, the young man found Zinaida pale and thoughtful.

Chapter 9

Volodya was languishing in love with Zinaida, who by that time had become interested in playing with her fans - "she kept them all on a leash, at her feet."

Once Volodya found his chosen one in a strange mood. When looking at his face, she noted that he had “the same eyes”, and then admitted that she was sick of everything. Volodya realized that Zinaida was in love.

Chapters 10-12

Volodya kept trying to figure out who was the lucky one with whom Zinaida fell in love. Dr. Lushin tried to warn him against the frequent visits of the Zasekin family - the choice of the house was already “painfully unsuccessful”, and its atmosphere is fatal for a pure, ardent young man.

Meanwhile, "Zinaida was becoming more and more strange, more and more incomprehensible." She began to allow herself strange antics, and once passionately kissed Volodya.

Chapters 13-15

The young man for a long time felt indescribable bliss after the kisses of his beloved. Once he noticed how, during a horse ride, his father was whispering something enthusiastically in Zinaida's ear. Throughout the next week, the girl did not show herself to anyone, saying she was sick. After a while, she informed Volodya that “now everything is gone”, asked for forgiveness for her former coldness and offered friendship.

Chapter 16

One day the young princess invited the guests to tell their dreams. When it was her turn, she described her dream. In it, she was in the form of a queen, surrounded by fans. Each of them is ready to die for her, but the queen's heart is given to the only one that is waiting for her near the fountain. "No one knows him", but the queen is ready to come at his first call and "both stay with him and get lost with him."

Chapters 17-19

The next day, Malevsky, "contemptuously playfully" looking at Volodya, hinted that he needed to be inseparably near his "queen", especially at night. The young man realized that Zinaida was leading a double life.

At night, in the garden, Volodya noticed his father crouching, but did not attach any importance to this. Soon everything fell into place - "a terrible scene took place between father and mother." Mother "reproached her father for infidelity, for meeting a neighboring young lady", and he, in response, flared up and left. This "sudden revelation" completely crushed Volodya.

Chapter 20

It was decided to return to Moscow. Volodya came to say goodbye to Zinaida and tell her that he would "love and adore" her until the end of his days. The touched girl pressed Volodya to her, "kissed him hard and passionately."

In Moscow, a young man who survived a love drama did not soon "get rid of the past, did not soon set to work." His spiritual wound healed very slowly, but he did not feel anger towards his father. During a frank conversation, Pyotr Vasilyevich gave advice to his son "to live normally and not to succumb to hobbies."

Chapter 21

Once Volodya went with his father to ride. After a long walk, Pyotr Vasilyevich asked his son to wait a bit and disappeared somewhere in an alley. Tired of the long wait, Volodya began to look for his father, and soon found him near a wooden house, in the window of which Zinaida was visible. A tense conversation took place between them, during which Pyotr Vasilyevich hit Zinaida's bare hand with a whip, and she only "kissed the scar that had turned red on her." The father immediately "threw the whip aside" and ran into the house to his beloved.

Volodya was shocked by what he saw - he realized what true, "adult" love was, which had nothing to do with his enthusiastic youthful feeling. Six months later, his father died of a stroke, having received before that "a letter from Moscow, which greatly excited him." Before his death, he warned Volodya against female love.

Chapter 22

After four years, Volodya successfully graduated from the university. He found out that Zinaida was married, but at first it was not easy for her to make a party for herself after contacting Pyotr Vasilyevich. Volodya delayed meeting his first love until he found out that she "died almost suddenly from childbirth."

Conclusion

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. "First Love" is one of his most striking works.

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The story of the Russian classic begins with introducing the reader to the situation that preceded the fact that the author suddenly delved into memories. The protagonist of the work - Vladimir Petrovich - starts a story about the days of his youth.

He came to visit, stayed up late. The interlocutors started talking about the experience of their first love. The author then admitted that his story was special, but persuaded his friends to wait until he described everything that happened on paper. A couple of weeks later, friends again made an appointment, and the story from the notebook was read to them by the author himself.

"First Love": a summary of the chapters

Chapter 1

The main character, being a young man of sixteen, on the eve of a meeting with a girl who was to become his first love, was relaxing at his parents' dacha near Moscow and preparing for university exams. Volodya foresaw the approach of something unusual in his life. Soon in the next poor outbuilding the princely family of the Zasekins settled.

Chapter 2

On one of those summer days, the protagonist of the story found himself on the territory next to the outbuilding of the Zasekins. Behind the fence, he saw a blond girl of extraordinary beauty, surrounded by a company of young boys. She laughed at them, and they only happily responded to her amusements.

Volodya looked in confusion:

• graceful stature,
• light and charming movements of a young lady.

The company took notice of him. The girl laughed, and the young man, burning with shame he did not understand, ran away to his place.

Chapter 3 - 4

Volodya fell in love with a neighbor and looked for an excuse to meet the object of his attraction again. Mother instructed him to go to the neighbors and invite them to visit. The reason for this was a letter from Princess Zasekina, where she complained about her unenviable position and begged for help. The note was extremely poorly written.

The young master noticed that the neighbors in the guest room were cramped and dirty. The princess had rather simple manners. But the heiress was not at all like her. With a slight smile, Zinaida, that was the name of the lovely girl, asked "Voldemar" to help her unravel the skein of thread. They introduced themselves to each other, and Volodya was invited to the princess for dinner.

Chapter 5-7

Mother Volodya spoke negatively about Zasekina and found the princess a vulgar, self-serving person, and said that the princess, who grew up in the family of a clerk, went down the aisle with Zinaida's father when he squandered all his fortune. About young Zasekina, mother said that she was unlike any of her parents and was educated and smart.

In the evening, Volodya met with Zinaida, however, she was again surrounded by fans. They played forfeits, and the girl immediately dragged the embarrassed "Voldemar" into the game. He was introduced to the company. Among those present were:

• poet Maidanov,
• Dr Lushin,
• Count Malevsky,
• hussar Belovzorov,
• retired German captain.

During the game, Volodya got the cherished phantom - to kiss the girl's hand. Thanks to this, for the rest of the evening he was in an ecstatic state and experienced a feeling of great happiness.

Chapter 8 - 9

Pyotr Vasilyevich, Volodya's father, did not pay much attention to his family. He was in his inner world and kept repeating that the sweetest thing is to have the opportunity to belong only to himself and power.

Volodya told his father about his visits to the Zasekins and, although not immediately, he nevertheless dared to mention Zina. The father is deep in thought and at the end of the conversation he orders the servant to saddle the horse.

He went to the Zasekins. In the evening, for the first time, the young man saw Zina differently - pale, thoughtful, with carelessly collected curls.

Volodya is no longer able to think about anyone and nothing but her, and compares himself with soft wax in her palms. Zina herself declares herself that she is an actress and behaves accordingly - she plays with her admirers, either pulling them closer to herself or pushing them away.

Once the hero found his beloved in some new frame of mind. Seeing him, she said aloofly: “The same eyes ...” And then she said doomedly that she was sick of everything. Volodya, at her request, recited poetry to her. He realized that the girl fell in love. But in whom?

Chapter 10-12

Dr. Lushin, having met with the young man, seeks to warn him of ardent feelings, says that the choice of a house for frequent visits is unfavorable for him, that the atmosphere there is harmful. It reminds of the importance of preparing for the university and makes a hint that there is a lot going on around Volodya that he should know.

Zina becomes more and more strange. She allows herself sudden antics: for example, she grabs Volodya by the hair, asking: “Does it hurt? Doesn't it hurt me?" - and as a result pulls out a piece. She tells him to jump towards her from an imposing height and, when he jumps and faints without much thought, she covers his face with passionate kisses.

Chapter 13-15

The young man keeps remembering about Zina's kisses and feel at the top of bliss. However, when meeting with her, he cannot help but notice that she looks at him like a child. The girl is planning a horseback riding excursion for the coming day.

Volodya learns in the morning that his parent is riding with Zina. Through the window, the young man sees that the father is enthusiastically telling the girl something, bending low towards her. Over the next week, Zina was sick and did not go out to anyone. After that, she avoided Volodya's company for a long time, but as a result she asked his forgiveness for the dryness and offered him her friendship.

Chapter 16

When Zinaida again began to take at her guests, one day she offered to tell dreams. Her story came out like this: she imagines in her nightly dreams the life of some queen, whose neighborhood is again full of boyfriends, and each of them intends to give everything for her sake. However, she herself belongs only to the one who is waiting for her at the fountain, waiting for her to come to him herself. Volodya understands that Zina's dream must be understood as an allegory about her life. He admires her role as an "adventurer" and is fascinated with fresh strength.

Chapter 17-19

A young man comes across Malevsky on the street, and he gives him a hint that the “pages” need to be near their mistress inseparably both during the day and, and especially at night. Volodya makes it clear that we are talking about the double life of his beloved and decides at night to find out the truth. In the garden, he suddenly meets his father, hiding under a spacious cloak and hurrying somewhere. The young man does not dare to give free rein to his conjectures.

However, the situation is soon resolved. Something is going on in Volodya's home. Mother does not talk to her father, and the servants gossip that a very repulsive scene has happened between the owners. Mother Volodya accused his parent of treason, and the young man guessed everything. He decided to see Zina for the last time and at the meeting admitted to her that always, no matter what she did, she would always have the best opinion of her. Zina answered with a passionate kiss. They said goodbye forever.

Chapter 20

The family of the protagonist returned to the city. One day, Pyotr Vasilievich took his offspring with him to ride around the Moscow environs. At the end of the walk, the parent asked his son to wait and went off somewhere. Quite a lot of time passed, and the young man went in search of a parent. He found him near the window of a log house, behind the curtain of which Zinaida was hiding.

The girl put her hand out the window, and Pyotr Vasilievich hit her with a whip. The girl only flinched, and then kissed the wound from the blow. The offender dropped the whip and flew towards her. What happened shocked the young man. He was overwhelmed by a new thought: this is love. A completely different feeling - not what he experienced himself.

Six months later, Volodya's father died from a stroke. Before his death, he managed to say to his son: "Be afraid of a woman's love ..."

Subsequently, already a student, Volodya met Maidanov and learned from him that Zina had married and was currently in the capital. Volodya wanted to meet her, but he was swallowed up by business. When he nevertheless appeared at the indicated appointment, it was too late: the princess had died four days later during childbirth. The hero's story ends with reflections on the reckless nature of youth.

In 1860, Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev wrote the story "First Love". It is interesting that the author treated this work with special trepidation, because many of the moments described in the story were taken from the biography of Ivan Sergeevich and his own father. What is it about?

Here he describes the impressions of his first deep feeling and reveals the details of the family drama. How his own first love was reflected in the story, a summary, heroes and the main idea is the topic of our article.

The images of the main characters of the work "First Love" are based on real people:

• Volodya. This hero is the embodiment of the author himself in his youth. The experiences and feelings of Vladimir Petrovich can tell us what Ivan Sergeevich himself once experienced.
• Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna. This heroine also had a real prototype. This is Ekaterina Shakhovskaya, a poetess with whom the writer was in love.
• Peter Vasilyevich is the father of the protagonist. The prototype is the father of Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev - Sergey Nikolaevich, who did not love his wife, got married because of promising material gain.
  His wife, Varvara Petrovna, was much older. During his lifetime, Sergei Nikolayevich was successful with women, and a stormy romance continued with Shakhovskaya for a long time.

Interesting! The story was filmed four times, not only by Russian directors, but also by foreign ones. For example, in 2013 a French adaptation of the book was released.

Turgenev said that it was important for him to describe everything reliably. There was no resentment either for the former beloved or for the father. The author tried to understand their actions.

The beginning of the story

The action of the story "First Love" by Turgenev takes place in 1833. The main character of the book, Vladimir Petrovich, is 16 years old.

The young man, together with his father and mother, lives in a dacha in Moscow, is preparing to become a university student.

Unexpectedly, an event occurs in the life of the protagonist that dramatically influenced him and the life of his entire family.

Near the dacha of Volodya and his parents there was a poor outbuilding in which Princess Zasekina settled with her daughter.

Volodya accidentally runs into the young princess Zinaida, and he likes the girl. He wants to get to know her better.

This was helped by chance. The princess's mother wrote a letter to Volodya's mother. The message was not very literate and contained a request for help. Zasekina asked for patronage.

The young man's mother was not indifferent to other people's troubles and ordered the young man to go to the Zasekins' house and invite him to dinner.

During this visit, Volodya met Princess Zinaida. It turned out that she was twenty-one years old. The princess at first flirts with the hero of the story, but soon ceases to do so.

At dinner, it becomes clear that Princess Zasekina is not very strong in manners: she sniffs tobacco loudly, cannot sit still on a chair and constantly complains about her difficult financial situation.

The daughter seems to be the complete opposite - she behaves with restraint, proudly. Zinaida Aleksandrovna communicates in French with Volodya's father and at the same time looks at him incredulously. She shows no interest in Vladimir himself at dinner. And, nevertheless, before leaving, in a whisper invites him to visit in the evening.

The birth of first love

Coming to the princess, the young man discovers that the girl has many admirers:

• poet named Maidanov,
• Dr Lushin,
• retired captain Nirmatsky,
• hussar named Belovzorov.

In this company, the evening was very fun and noisy. The young man even manages to kiss Zasekin's hand. The girl does not let go of Vladimir Petrovich a single step away from her. The young man decides that he is also not indifferent to her.

The next day, Volodin's father asks about the princess and the family, and then he himself went to the Zasekins' wing.

After dinner, the young man also goes to visit the princess, but she does not even come out. From that moment on, the girl seems to ignore him, and because of this, the hero suffers.

When Zinaida reappears, she feels happy.

So the young man becomes dependent on the presence of his beloved, feels jealous of the girl's fans. She soon guesses about the feelings of the hero.

In the house of Volodya's parents, Zinaida Aleksandrovna appears quite infrequently. The young man's mother does not like the princess, and the father sometimes communicates with the girl - little and restrained, in some language they both understand.

Important! Wikipedia in the article on the story provides users with not only a summary, but also a lot of interesting facts about the creation of the work.

Secret of Zinaida

Suddenly, the princess changes dramatically - from a coquette she turns into a thoughtful girl. He walks alone for a long time, often refusing to go out when guests come.

Vladimir suddenly realizes that the princess has fallen seriously in love. But at the same time, the hero does not guess who kindled this feeling in the princess.

Once a young man was sitting in the garden, on the wall of a dilapidated greenhouse, and suddenly saw Zinaida.

The girl also noticed Vladimir and ordered him to immediately jump onto the road to prove his feelings. The young man complied with this request, but falling to the ground, he lost consciousness for a moment.

Because of what happened, the girl is very frightened and, in a fit of emotions, even kisses the young man, but when he comes to his senses, he leaves and does not allow him to go with her. The young man feels inspired. True, the next day, when meeting, the princess keeps aloof.

Later, Volodya and Zinaida meet again in the garden. The young man wants to leave, but the princess does not allow this to be done. The girl behaves kindly and nicely, says that she is ready to be a friend and jokes that Vladimir can become her page.

This joke is picked up by Count Malevsky, who says that the young man must now know every little thing about his "queen" and constantly be there.

Vladimir attaches great importance to these words and goes to the garden at night to guard the girl, taking an English knife with him.

Unexpectedly, he meets his father, gets scared, drops his weapon on the ground and runs away.

The next day, the young man wants to discuss with his beloved what happened. But Zinaida cannot communicate face to face. Her twelve-year-old brother from the cadet school comes to the girl, and she asks the young man to entertain the boy.

In the evening, the princess finds Volodya in the garden and asks what happened and why he is so sad. He replies that he is unhappy that his beloved is not serious about him. The girl asks for forgiveness. Volodya cannot hold a grudge against his beloved, so after a quarter of an hour he is already running around the garden with might and main with a girl and her brother and enjoying life.

The denouement of the story

The hero tries to communicate with his beloved as if nothing had happened, tries not to keep bad thoughts in his head and not to suspect the girl of anything. But a week later, after returning home, he witnesses a scandal between his parents.

The mother says that her husband has a relationship with Princess Zasekina: an anonymous letter has arrived with information about this. The young man cannot believe it.

The next day, the mother declares that she is moving to another city and taking her son with her.

Volodya wants to say goodbye to his beloved before leaving, confesses his love to Zinaida, and says that he will not be able to love anyone else.

After some time, the young man meets again by chance with Zinaida. Together with his father, Vladimir goes on a horseback ride. Suddenly, the father gives him the reins and disappears.

The young man goes after him and finds that he is communicating with the princess through the window, insistently saying something to the girl, and Zinaida suddenly holds out her hand. The father abruptly raises the whip and strikes. The girl is frightened, but silently brings her bruised hand to her lips. Volodya is very alarmed by what he sees and runs away in fright.

Some more time passes. The hero of the story moves to St. Petersburg with his parents, becomes a university student.

Six months later, his father suddenly passes away: he receives a letter from Moscow and then dies of a heart attack. After Volodya's mother sends a substantial sum of money to Moscow.

Four years pass. Suddenly, Vladimir in the theater runs into an old acquaintance, Maidanov.

He told him that Zinaida now also lives in the northern capital. She is married and wants to move abroad.

After a high-profile story with Volodya's father, it was difficult for Zinaida to find a good groom. But since the girl was smart, she was able to do it.

Maidanov even tells the young man exactly where Zinaida lives. Volodya comes to the princess after some time and receives sad news on the spot. His lover died four days ago in childbirth.

Important! Like other works of Turgenev, this story can be read online for free on many resources.

What is the story about?

The story "First Love" almost completely reflects the difficult situation that occurred in the life of the author. It describes the details of the family drama. The work is written in an easy, simple language, and thanks to this, the reader can feel the experiences of the characters and better understand the essence of the work.

It is impossible not to believe in the sincerity of Vladimir Petrovich's feelings and to go through the stages of his growing up with him - from passionate and enthusiastic first love to sympathy.

The work clearly shows how the relationship between Volodya and Zinaida is changing, as well as how his attitude towards his own father is changing.

The story also reveals well the image of Princess Zinaida Alexandrovna. We see how she transforms from a frivolous flirtatious young lady into a devoted and loving woman. In addition, here Turgenev reflects the deep feeling of Father Volodya.

He did not love his wife, married her for money. And Zinaida sincerely fell in love, but he had to crush this feeling in himself.

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Summing up

Despite what the protagonist had to endure, he did not hate either Zinaida or his father. On the contrary, he loved his father even more.

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The story of I.S. Turgenev's "First Love" begins with a conversation between three already far from young men about their first love. Each had to tell his story, and when the turn comes to Vladimir Petrovich, he admits that his situation was truly extraordinary. The man, with the permission of his friends, put the whole story in writing. Two weeks later, when the company reconvened, he began to read the created recordings, immersing listeners and readers in the days of his youth. To understand all the subtleties of this book, pay attention to

The main character is sixteen years old, then just Volodya lived with his parents in a dacha that they rented near the Kaluga outpost. The young man was preparing to enter the University, but he worked little for this. The young man more and more often read aloud poems, which he knew a lot by heart, and was in a sweet state of anticipation of the unknown.

His expectations were destined to come true, because soon the family of Princess Zasekina settled in a dilapidated outbuilding next door.

Chapter 2

One evening, Volodya, habitually walking around the garden with a gun and guarding the crows, accidentally wandered to the neighbor's fence, where he saw her: a beautiful tall blond girl. She clapped gray flowers on the foreheads of the men around her. She had so much love and charm.

The hero, it seemed, would give everything in the world, if only these thin feminine fingers would touch his forehead. Volodya could admire her endlessly, but he was prevented. He was seen by one of the men. Not knowing where to hide from shame, Volodya ran away to the sonorous laughter of the blond beauty.

Chapter 3

Volodya is looking for ways to get to know his beautiful neighbor, and fate itself helps him in this. Unexpectedly, the mother, who had previously received an illiterate letter from Princess Zasekina asking for a petition, instructs Volodya to go to the neighbors to invite them to visit.

The young man was overjoyed at this chance. Unprecedented excitement seized him, putting on a frock coat and tie, he goes to the coveted wing.

Chapter 4

Having crossed the threshold of the neighbor's wing, the young man immediately notes the wretchedness of the interior decoration. The princess's manners seemed too simple to him, but on the other hand, Princess Zinaida turned out to be amazingly charming (here is her). She jokingly names Volodya "Valdemar". She asks to help her unravel the wool - the young man unquestioningly agrees to everything.

The idyll is interrupted by the appearance of the hussar Belovzorov with a kitten, which he brought for the princess.

Volodya needed to go home, because his mother was waiting for him. Zinaida manages to invite Volodya to visit them more often. And the hero himself for the first time feels that he is jealous of the princess for the hussar.

Chapter 5

The visit of the princess leaves an unpleasant impression on Volodya's mother. In a conversation with the father of the young man, she admitted that the princess seemed to her a very vulgar person.

On the same day, in the garden, Volodya and his father accidentally meet a princess walking around the territory with a book.

Chapter 6

The dinner visit of the Zasekins only worsened Volodya's mother's opinion of them. Yes, and the young man was surprised by the coldness of Zinaida, who did not pay attention to him all evening, but only talked with Pyotr Vasilyevich (Volodya's father) in French.

However, before leaving, she manages to invite the young man to her evening. He is happy.

Chapter 7

At the evening, Volodya meets Zinaida's admirers: Belovzorov, retired captain Nirmatsky, Count Malevsky, poet Maidanov and Dr. Lushin. The company had fun playing forfeits and Volodya joined them.

The young man gets a phantom - a kiss. Kneeling down, he kisses the princess's hand, and his whole being is filled with happiness. Returning home, he could not fall asleep in any way: the image of the girl did not leave his thoughts, and the emotions from the spent evening overwhelmed him.

Chapter 8

In the morning, after drinking tea, the father invited Volodya to take a walk in the garden and there he persuaded his son to tell him everything that he had seen at the Zasekins.

Pyotr Vasilievich was far from family life, he lived in accordance with his philosophy, which was to belong only to himself. Volodya decided to tell his father about Zinaida as well. After the conversation, Pyotr Vasilyevich went to the Zasekins. In the evening of the same day, Volodya discovered another change: the princess was pale and cold with him.

Chapter 9

Thoughts of love completely absorb Volodya. The princess, in conversation, admits that she is only playing with her fans.

Volodya, seeing the strange mood of Zinaida, fulfills the request of the princess and reads poetry to her by heart. Then they go to the wing to listen to Maidanov's compositions, where Volodya realizes that the princess has fallen in love with someone.

Chapter 10

Volodya was lost in conjecture, not understanding the reason for Zinaida's strange behavior.

Dr. Lushin, on the other hand, gives the young man advice to stop visiting the Zasekins, since, in his opinion, the atmosphere of this house may have a negative impact on the young man in the future.

Chapter 11

Everyone again gathered at the Zasekins, including Volodya. They talked about Maidanov's poem, and then Zinaida suggested playing comparisons. Comparing the clouds with the purple sails on Cleopatra's ship, on which she hurried to meet her beloved Anthony, Zinaida involuntarily betrays her feelings.

Volodya regretfully understands that she fell in love, but the question "WHO?"

Chapter 12

Zinaida becomes even stranger. Once Volodya finds the princess in tears, she calls him to her, then suddenly grabbing the young man by the hair, asks: “It hurts! Doesn't it hurt me?" Having pulled out a tuft of hair, she comes to her senses and, in order to somehow make amends for her guilt, she promises to keep this strand in her locket.

Some time later, Zinaida asks Volodya to jump off a high wall as a sign of his love, he, without hesitation, jumps and loses consciousness for a moment, in the meantime she kisses him.

Chapter 13

All the thoughts of the young man were again occupied by Zinaida, he was sweetly attached to the memories of kisses, but the behavior of the princess made it clear to him that in her eyes he was only a child.

Zinaida asks Belovzorov to find a quiet riding horse for her.

Chapter 14

In the morning Volodya went to the outpost. He wandered for a long time and indulged in dreams about how heroically he was saving the princess.

On the way to the city, the young man unexpectedly meets Zinaida and his father on horseback, the whole blushing Belovzorov rushed behind.

Chapter 15

The next week, Zinaida was reputed to be sick and avoided Volodya's company.

However, later the princess herself volunteered to talk with the young man. She asked for forgiveness for her behavior and offered friendship to Volodya, and also announced that from that day on he was her faithful page.

Chapter 16

At the next reception, Zinaida invited the guests to tell fictitious stories in turn.

When the phantom fell to the princess, she told the following story: the beautiful young queen is giving a ball, around a crowd of worthy and ready for all fans, and a sea of ​​​​flattering speeches, but she strives into the garden, to the fountain, where her lover is waiting. Volodya, like all those present, guess that this story is a metaphorical reflection of the real life of the princess.

Chapter 17

Volodya once accidentally meets Count Malevsky on the street, who in hints advises the young man, as Zinaida's page, to follow what his mistress is doing at night.

He longs to know the truth, and armed with an English knife in order to be able to punish an unknown "rival", he goes to the garden at night, where he meets his father. The man, wrapped in a cloak, was in a hurry to leave the neighbor's outbuilding.

Chapter 18

The next morning, Zinaida entrusts her cadet brother to Volodya, hoping that the boys will become friends. Volodya spends the whole day in secret thoughts, and by evening he is already crying in Zinaida's arms, accusing her of playing with him. The princess admits her guilt, but assures that she loves the young man in her own way.

A quarter of an hour later, the cadet, Volodya and Zinaida, forgetting about everything, ran to run. Here Volodya realizes that he is completely in the power of the princess, and even this he is incredibly happy.

Chapter 19

Volodya tried not to draw any conclusions about what he saw at night. He "burned" in the presence of Zinaida and he was happy to burn for her.

Ignorance could not last forever. Volodya learns from the barman Philip that his mother reproached his father for treason, and then everything becomes clear to the young man.

Chapter 20

After the announcement of his mother about moving to the city, Volodya decides to meet with Zinaida for the last time.

At the meeting, Volodya confesses to the princess that he will always love her, regardless of her actions. The girl gives the young man a farewell kiss. Volodya and his family move to the city.

Chapter 21

Once Volodya persuaded his father to take him for a ride. By the end of the walk, Pyotr Vasilyevich ordered his son to wait for him, and he himself left. It's been a long time, and it's all gone. Volodya decided to go in search of his father. The young man found him standing near the window of the house in which Zinaida was seen.

The girl held out her hand, and her father suddenly hit her with a whip. The princess kissed the place of the blow, and Pyotr Vasilyevich, throwing a whip, ran into the house. Then it dawned on Volodya that this is true love.

Soon the father died from a stroke, but before his death he left a letter in which he asks his son to beware of the love of women.

Chapter 22

Several years pass, Volodya accidentally meets the already married Maidanov, who tells him about the marriage of Zinaida, now Mrs. Dolskaya.

Volodya is going to visit her, but due to the abundance of important things, he constantly had to postpone the visit. When he nevertheless arrives at the indicated address, it turns out that Mrs. Dolskaya died four days ago in childbirth.

The action of the story takes place in 1833 in Moscow, the main character - Volodya - is sixteen years old, he lives with his parents in the country and is preparing to enter the university. Soon, the family of Princess Zasekina moves into the poor outbuilding next door. Volodya accidentally sees the princess and really wants to get to know her. The next day, his mother receives an illiterate letter from Princess Zasekina asking him to protect her. Mother sends a verbal invitation to Princess Volodya to come to her house. There Volodya meets the princess - Zinaida Alexandrovna, who is five years older than him. The princess immediately calls him to her room to unravel the wool, flirts with him, but quickly loses interest in him. On the same day, Princess Zasekina pays a visit to his mother and makes an extremely unfavorable impression on her. However, despite this, the mother invites her and her daughter to dinner. During dinner, the princess noisily sniffs tobacco, fidgets in her chair, fidgets, complains about poverty and talks about her endless bills, and the princess, on the contrary, is majestic - she talks with Volodya's father in French all dinner, but looks at him with hostility. She does not pay attention to Volodya, however, as she leaves, she whispers to him to come to them in the evening.

Appearing to the Zasekins, Volodya meets the princess's admirers: Dr. Lushin, the poet Maidanov, Count Malevsky, the retired captain Nirmatsky and the hussar Belovzorov. The evening is fast paced and fun. Volodya feels happy: he gets a lot to kiss Zinaida's hand, all evening Zinaida does not let him go and gives him preference over others. The next day, his father asks him about the Zasekins, then he goes to them himself. After dinner, Volodya goes to visit Zinaida, but she does not come out to him. From that day, Volodya's torment begins.

In the absence of Zinaida, he languishes, but even in her presence he does not feel better, he is jealous, offended, but cannot live without her. Zinaida easily guesses that he is in love with her. Zinaida rarely goes to the house of Volodya's parents: her mother does not like her, her father speaks little to her, but somehow especially cleverly and significantly.

Zinaida suddenly changes a lot. She goes for a walk alone and walks for a long time, sometimes she doesn’t show herself to guests at all: she sits in her room for hours. Volodya guesses that she is in love, but does not understand with whom.

Once Volodya is sitting on the wall of a dilapidated greenhouse. Zinaida appears on the road below. Seeing him, she orders him to jump onto the road if he really loves her. Volodya immediately jumps and faints for a moment. An alarmed Zinaida fusses around him and suddenly begins to kiss him, however, guessing that he has come to his senses, gets up and, forbidding him to follow him, leaves. Volodya is happy, but the next day, when he meets with Zinaida, she keeps herself very simple, as if nothing had happened.

One day they meet in the garden: Volodya wants to pass by, but Zinaida herself stops him. She is sweet, quiet and kind to him, invites him to be her friend and bestows the title of her page. A conversation takes place between Volodya and Count Malevsky, in which Malevsky says that the pages should know everything about their queens and follow them relentlessly day and night. It is not known whether Malevsky attached particular importance to what he said, but Volodya decides to go to the garden at night to guard, taking an English knife with him. He sees his father in the garden, gets very frightened, loses his knife and immediately returns home. The next day, Volodya tries to talk about everything with Zinaida, but her twelve-year-old cadet brother comes to her, and Zinaida instructs Volodya to entertain him. On the evening of the same day, Zinaida, finding Volodya in the garden, inadvertently asks him why he is so sad. Volodya cries and reproaches her for playing with them. Zinaida asks for forgiveness, consoles him, and a quarter of an hour later he is already running around with Zinaida and the cadet and laughing.

For a week, Volodya continues to communicate with Zinaida, driving away all thoughts and memories from himself. Finally, returning one day for dinner, he learns that a scene had taken place between his father and mother, that his mother reproached his father in connection with Zinaida, and that she learned about it from an anonymous letter. The next day, mother announces that she is moving to the city. Before leaving, Volodya decides to say goodbye to Zinaida and tells her that he will love and adore her until the end of her days.

Volodya once again accidentally sees Zinaida. They are riding with their father for a ride, and suddenly the father, dismounting and giving him the reins of his horse, disappears into the alley. Some time later, Volodya follows him and sees that he is talking through the window with Zinaida. The father insists on something, Zinaida does not agree, finally she holds out her hand to him, and then the father raises the whip and sharply beats her bare arm. Zinaida shudders and, silently raising her hand to her lips, kisses the scar. Volodya runs away.

Some time later, Volodya moved with his parents to St. Petersburg, entered the university, and six months later his father died of a stroke, having received a letter from Moscow a few days before his death, which greatly excited him. After his death, his wife sends a fairly significant amount of money to Moscow.

Four years later, Volodya meets Maidanov at the theater, who tells him that Zinaida is now in St. Petersburg, she is happily married and is going abroad. Although, Maidanov adds, after that story it was not easy for her to form a party for herself; there were consequences... but with her mind anything is possible. Maidanov gives Volodya Zinaida's address, but he goes to see her only a few weeks later and finds out that she died suddenly from childbirth four days ago.