The main characters of Leskov's story are an old genius. Analysis of the story "The Old Genius" (N

The short story is divided into 5 chapters, each of which describes a certain episode from the life of the main character. The main events took place in the second half of the 19th century. The author took the plot from life, because he actively traveled around home country and listened to many similar stories. The main thing actor works - a poor elderly noblewoman, whom the wise Litrecon managed to catch. He will tell the reader short retelling her misadventures.

In the first chapter, we learn the story of the heroine. Once (several years ago) an old woman decides to financially help her friend and takes a loan secured by her house. The money received is given to him with the condition of an early return. But the young man deceives the noblewoman and leaves with 15 thousand for St. Petersburg.

Worried about her estate, the old woman goes to the capital to "bother". The unhappy woman is already barely making ends meet, because on her shoulders lies the care of her sick daughter and young granddaughter.

Chapter 2

In the second chapter, an elderly woman begins to walk to various levels, where she hears only refusals. She won the court, but no one could oblige the gentleman to give the money, because he did not live at the place of registration and avoided receiving a summons.

No matter how sorry the upper and lower ranks of the old woman were, they could not do anything, because her acquaintance is a malicious defaulter. Officials persuade her to leave this business, since behind the debtor's back there is a powerful family, to which no one can find justice.

Chapter 3

In the third chapter, after vain attempts to get an answer even for a bribe, significant meeting old women with Ivan Ivanovich. He has experience in such matters, and he is ready to take on the next debtor.

He promises an elderly lady for only 500 rubles to embody his ingenious ideas and hand the summons to the villain. The old woman takes time to think: the amount is rather big and again to trust to a stranger fearfully.

Chapter 4

In the fourth chapter, the old woman learns about the imminent departure of the debtor abroad for a very long time. This gentleman is going on a journey with a very wealthy person with whom he lived and was hiding from justice.

Worried about her estate, the woman decides to resort to the help of the mysterious Mr. Ivan Ivanovich.

Chapter 5

The fifth chapter is the denouement of the epic with debt. Having given Ivan Ivanovich 500 rubles, the old woman goes with him to look for the performer of the brilliant idea. A man prepares to act out a little scene in front of the debtor.

The next day, they all come to the station together, where Ivan Ivanovich's partner deliberately arranges a quarrel with the villain, a scuffle begins. Ultimately, the police show up, arrest the Serb, and deliver the summons to the defaulter. Worried about going abroad, the debtor immediately writes the old woman a check for 15 thousand. The Serbian battler, who received 300 rubles for the execution of the plan, remains under temporary arrest, and the old woman returns her money.

“To live life is not to cross a field,” says popular wisdom. There are no straight, straight paths. People are faced with many problems that require non-trivial solutions. But reality is good because there are always those who are ready to come to the aid of the weak, to lend them their reliable hand. NS Leskov narrates about the cunning and ingenuity of the "passage genius" who restores justice.

In 1884, the work "Old Genius" was published in the humorous magazine "Oskolki". Nikolai Semyonovich did not leave the feeling of a “dead end”, when everything noble and honest around him was dying. Those who deserved only contempt and censure were swiftly going up the hill and occupying leading positions.

The writer loved his homeland immensely and felt emotional excitement for its future. In the story, the author emphasizes that he is not ready to put up with bureaucratic arbitrariness and will expose the violation of the law in its various manifestations.

Genre, direction

Leskov is a representative of the realistic trend in literature. The motive of denouncing the bureaucratic bacchanalia that occurs at all levels runs through the story as a red thread.

Techniques of irony and sarcasm are used by the master in order to draw the attention of readers to the realities of that time.

The essence

A kind old woman, having mortgaged her house, borrows a large sum of money for a high-class dandy. When the deadline for repaying the debt comes, the young man disappears, leaving the landowner in distress: non-payment of the loan threatens her, along with her granddaughter and immovable daughter, with the fact that the whole family will be on the street.

The old woman goes to St. Petersburg "to seek justice", but the executive authorities, expressing sympathy for her, cannot help in any way. Ivan Ivanovich, an official who believes that nothing is impossible, offers his services. The next day, he "turns" the case in such a way that the policeman personally hands the deceiver his receipt for the return of the money. This allows the situation to get off the ground and forces the "swindler" to pay off the debt in full.

The main characters and their characteristics

1. An important quality old landowners- "perfect honesty." She is generous, does not refuse to help those who turn to her, takes care of loved ones. The troubles that periodically arise in her fate make her act decisively, and not give up. Despite the fact that she was "burned", her heart still retains faith in human sincerity and decency.
2. Ivan Ivanovich- a businessman with a wonderful mind and excellent logic. It gives him pleasure to look for a way out of difficult situations. It is not in his rules to profit from other people's misfortunes (he takes insignificant sums for his services), the most important thing is to provide assistance. Decency, commitment, kindness and humanity are the main character traits that inspire confidence in him. He is a man of word and honor, which, above all, disposes others to "reveal" their secrets to him.
3. High-class dandy- an egoist living at the expense of others. He belongs to one of those surnames, before which bright prospects open up. Every month he is paid a high salary in the service, he receives huge incomes from estates. It would seem that there is everything to live with dignity. But the hypocritical use of people to increase his own capital becomes his ineradicable habit.
4. "Serbian battler"- Ivan Ivanovich's assistant, practical executor of his ideas. I am sure that everything can be arranged, only first you need to drink for courage. Wears a military suit, looks unkempt. There is no permanent home.
5. The narrator- a minor character with his own vision of the events taking place. He acts as an observer who sincerely sympathizes with the landowner, but does not believe in the triumph of justice.

Themes

Leskov continues the topic of insecurity in literature “ little man", Which is closely intertwined with main theme his creativity is righteousness.

Ivan Ivanovich appears in the narrative for a reason. He is a righteous person who helps someone in need. The old woman tried all sorts of options to "rein in" the impudent person, but nothing worked. Despair seized her. Then this mysterious guardian angel seemed to descend to the mortal earth and help a defenseless soul. Justice has triumphed.

No matter how the powers that be dodge, no matter what "patrons" they choose, the path of lying and humiliating their own kind will never bring success. Truth will always take its rightful place.

Problems

1. The problem of lawlessness... How many destinies in Russia have suffered from the bureaucratic apparatus? Is a person without rights in our vast country? - these main questions deeply concern the author. Where fear reigns, insignificance reigns. Leskov wanted readers to understand this grim truth.
2. The problem of irresponsibility and impunity. The high-society dandy is a freeloader of pure water. He lives on everything ready, he is used to impunity. Why do freeloaders appear in society, heartlessly taking away the last money from ordinary people? Surely, they would stop their "dirty" activities if the enforcement and punishment authorities would bring them to justice. In the story, neither the bailiffs nor the police dare to even say an unnecessary word to the impudent deceiver, since they are very afraid of his influential relative.
3. Blat and nepotism. One of the problems of the story is the patronage of the "dear little man". There is a certain stratum of the population in Russia, in relation to which those in power cannot, and do not want to "take measures", if it was not worse for themselves. The poor old woman, as soon as she sought the truth from the "higher", but all was in vain. The young slacker had some kind of powerful kinship that did not allow him to be caught.
4. Compassion problem... How petrified should the heart of a person who deprived an old woman, a child and his sick mother of a house have to be? The soullessness and heartlessness of the young dandy are amazing.

the main idea

The life of a writer was not easy. Injustice, flattery, hypocrisy surrounded him. But the belief that all is not yet lost, that there will always be a “good person” who quietly does good, helped him to fight for justice. This belief is the main idea of ​​the work. It is always warm and calm around the righteous. It was such people that the master was inspired, connecting with them the brightest hopes for the future.

The meaning of the work lies in the fact that one must believe in the best, in spite of everything. Then there will certainly appear someone who can help and protect from adversity. The Russian people are not without rights. He has ingenuity, decency, the breadth of his soul. Resourcefulness and a desire to do good help a person to take his own worthy place in life.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov (1831-1895) - famous Russian writer. Many of his works are held at school. A short summary will help you to study one of the most famous stories of the writer. Leskov wrote "The Old Genius" in 1884, in the same year the story was published in the Oskolki magazine. Then it was reprinted many times.

Chapter first

In it, we get to know an elderly woman, learn that she came to St. Petersburg on a "blatant business." The old woman was kind and somehow took pity on the son of an unfamiliar woman, lending him money.

Have young man was a difficult situation- either he lost money at cards, or because of a fleeting hobby he lost funds. He told the old woman that he needed to somehow get to Peter. She took pity on the man and lent him money.

But he was in no hurry to give them away, on the contrary, he pretended not to receive those letters in which the woman asked to repay the debt. At first, the messages were soft, but due to the fact that the debtor did not answer, they became more severe. However, this did not lead to anything either.

And in the care of the grandmother was a sick daughter and a young granddaughter. To then lend, the old woman mortgaged her house, and now the family, consisting only of women, faced a terrible threat - they could lose their homes and remain on the street. The summary tells about it. Leskov wrote the "old genius" in five chapters, then we move on to the second.

Chapter two

From it we learn that the lawyer won the case, and the court ruled to return the debt. But the positive news ended there, because the man skillfully hid himself, and he had powerful relatives. Therefore, no one wanted to contact him.

Representatives of the law, state people sympathized with the grandmother, said that they felt sorry for her, but let her better leave this empty venture. The woman was genuinely perplexed, she knew that he was not a poor man and could well repay the debt.

They explained to her that he took money not only from her, but he was not used to giving it back. Representatives of the law hinted to the petitioner that he could cause trouble for her if she did not calm down. They said that it was better for her to walk quietly along Nevsky Prospekt or go home. But she believed that the debtor was a good person, he just “got bogged down”.

The woman was told that she could go with her case to the higher authorities. This she did. A brief summary will also tell about this. "Old genius" - Leskov so called one smart person... Whom, you will find out about this later.

Chapter Three

It starts with the fact that middle-aged woman went to the top management, but this did not lead to a positive result. There she was told that they did not know where the wanted person was. The old woman told what a man could be in a house, they objected to her, saying that this was his wife's house, and she was not responsible for her husband's debts, and he did not live there.

The elderly woman did not know what to do. Then she began to hint that she would give one or even three thousand rubles as a token of gratitude when the debtor was found. But that didn't help either.

In this chapter, we will learn about one of the main characters of the story, who for the time being remained in the shadows. A brief summary will also tell about it. "Old genius" - Leskov called this particular person that way, and why - it will soon become clear.

The woman told the interlocutor, on whose behalf the narration is being conducted, that one person gets down to business. He called himself Ivan Ivanovich and assured that he could collect the debt for 500 rubles. The old woman decided to think, but it was impossible to postpone any longer, and why, he further writes about this in his work Leskov ("The Old Genius"). Summary will inform you about it immediately.

Chapter four

Her narrator begins with the fact that an old woman came to him. She was saddened by the news that Christmas was approaching, and the mortgaged house was soon to be sold. Another elderly woman said that she saw the debtor walking arm in arm with the woman. The old woman hurried after the couple, started shouting that the man owed her. However, no one helped her, on the contrary, she was told not to shout in a crowded place. While they were sorted out, the man and his companion left.

But the elderly woman managed to find out that tomorrow she was going abroad with a rich lady, most likely forever. Therefore, it was necessary to act immediately.

It turns out that she had already met Ivan Ivanovich, gave him a deposit of 100 rubles and promised to bring 400 more. But the old woman did not have the entire amount. She had only 250 rubles, and she asked the narrator for 150 rubles, saying that she would definitely return them.

He was too kind person, I thought that even if a woman could not give this money, he would not become poorer from this. This was also Leskov himself. "Old genius" (the content of this story in summary you're reading now) moves on to the next episode.

This chapter ends with the narrator, having given up the money, anxiously awaiting the outcome of events. What ended the case, will tell further a brief summary. Leskov wrote the "old genius" by chapters, the summary in the abbreviated form follows the same structure.

Chapter 5, final

It was the third day of the Christmas holidays. The old woman, as the author says, "flew in" to him in a traveling dress and immediately gave 150 rubles, and then showed a check for 15 thousand. The narrator realized that everything ended well, but he wanted to know the details.

The woman said that she had met with Ivan Ivanovich, who said that they had to go to look for the “Serbian battler”. This is how the author speaks about a person who took part in the wars between Serbia and Turkey. Not immediately, but they found this person, then they discussed everything.

The next morning, the trio went to the station from which the debtor was leaving. The old woman pointed out to Ivan Ivanovich who was the cause of her troubles, they hid, and a former military man entered the arena of theatrical performance.

Several times he unhurriedly walked past the debtor who was drinking tea, and then asked sternly why he was looking at him like that. The warrior provoked a scandal, hit the dandy. The police approached them. After clarifying the identity, the policeman showed a paper, because of which the debtor was not allowed to go abroad. It was a court decision. He quickly paid off the debt with interest. This story ended so well.

Leskov, "The Old Genius": the heroes of the story (positive)

There are several of them. Of course, this is a persistent and courageous old woman who went to St. Petersburg to save herself, her daughter and granddaughter. Otherwise they would have lost their home. The narrator is also the hero of the work, since without his 150 rubles, it would hardly have ended so well. Clever Ivan Ivanovich, whom Leskov gave the nickname "Genius", "Serbian battler" - are also positive heroes of the story.

Year: 1884 Genre: story

This story tells about a simple kind old woman who decided to help the metropolitan dandy. He established himself as a decent man, belonged to one of the most famous surnames, so the kind woman felt trust in him. To help him, she mortgages the house and waits for the debt to be paid back. The young man promised to return everything to her in a short time and, having received the money, leaves for St. Petersburg.

The old woman lived modestly, with her daughter and granddaughter and, apart from a house, they had nothing. But the young man was in no hurry to pay the debt. He does not respond to all the woman's requests for a refund. Then the old woman comes to the capital and turns to all kinds of offices, asking for help. Everyone says that there are many complaints about him, but they cannot do anything because he has influential connections. Then she turns to the higher ranks, but the answer is the same, and that if the paper is not given to him, they will not be able to do anything.

She accidentally meets one official who agrees to help her for a small amount. The woman knows nothing about him, except that this man promises to return her money to her. The old woman consults with her acquaintance, he advises her not to rush and think it over well. But suddenly, she finds out that this dandy is going to go abroad with a rich lady. In view of the extreme situation, the poor woman makes an agreement with the official Ivan Ivanovich.

The next day, the old woman tells her friend that the case is settled, thanks to the resourcefulness of Ivan Ivanovich. On the very day when the gentleman was about to leave the country, the old woman, the official and his acquaintance come to the station. The latter makes a scandal and slaps the debtor, which is why the police come. Taking this opportunity, they give him a paper on the payment of the debt. Thanks to the mind of a new acquaintance, the old woman was able to buy out the house and live in peace.

The story shows how difficult it is for an ordinary person to get justice from an influential person. But even in any situation, thanks to ingenuity, you can find a way out.

Read a summary of Leskov Old genius chapter by chapter

Chapter 1

A high-class dandy comes to the old woman with a request to help him out of financial difficulties. The woman agrees because to her he seems to be a man with an impeccable reputation, receiving a good income. To do this, she mortgages the house and gives him 15,000 rubles, on the condition that he will return the entire amount in a short time after he gets to the capital. The gentleman leaves, time passes, and he is not going to return the debt. The landowner is worried, because her daughter and granddaughter are in her care. The old woman writes letters in which she reminds of her debt, but does not receive any answer. The term of the mortgage is approaching and, in despair, she goes to Petersburg.

Chapter 2

At first, her efforts were successful: everyone was encouraging that the case was not difficult, it would be resolved quickly, the court made a favorable decision. But when the time came to fulfill it, difficulties arose. In order to fulfill her request, it was necessary to hand over a special receipt, but no one could do this because this man had influential acquaintances, about whom no one began to say anything to the old woman. Everyone told her that he did not return debts to anyone, he owed almost everyone, it was pointless to try to do something and offered to leave this venture. The old woman firmly refused and continued to insist on her request. She could only be advised to turn to the higher ranks.

Chapter 3

The conversation with the higher officials was more difficult. Officials claimed that he was not. The surprised woman said that she sees him every day, that he lives at the specified address. The answer was that this was the house of his wife, that she also had complaints against him and they could not do anything about it. The old woman thought that by offering money, the case would be settled. But this had no effect: after she wanted to offer 3,000, she was asked to leave.

In a conversation with her acquaintance, she talks about the current situation, argues that before, connections did not mean so much. After that, she mentions one person who is ready to help her for 500 rubles. Of course, the woman doubted because she knew nothing about the stranger. To all her questions, he answered evasively, the only thing she knew was that he was an official of the 14th grade. The heroine, despite the doubts of a friend, for some reason believes the official, but for now she decides to think it over and wait a little.

Chapter 4

An old woman comes to a friend in frustrated feelings. Soon Christmas and the house is about to be taken away, on the street she saw the debtor with the lady and tried to appeal to his conscience, hoping that in the presence of the public, he would still fulfill his promise. But, of course, it was pointless, the poor woman was held accountable for disturbing order in a public place. The worst part for her was that he was going on vacation abroad with this rich lady. In despair, the old woman tells everything to a businessman with 14 ranks. Despite the unforeseen circumstance, he agrees to help her. She has no choice but to trust him because otherwise she will not see her money. She does not have the entire amount and she asks for a loan, promising to return it after the case is settled. An acquaintance, knowing her as an honest woman, helps her. Concerned about her cause, he is looking forward to whether this businessman will help her.

Chapter 5

The old woman runs to her friend, returns the money and shows a receipt for an amount even more than she expected. The official, whose name is Ivan Ivanovich, justified the hopes of a kind and compassionate woman. Taking money from her, Ivan Ivanovich explains that he needs a performer and he has an acquaintance, a “Serbian battler”. They traveled to different places and finally found him. They went to the inn because the battler needed a drink to be brave. The contractor says that he needs 300 rubles for his help. Ivan Ivanovich, having transferred part of the money, agrees to meet the next morning.

In the morning they went to Train Station... When passengers began to approach the train, the old woman saw the debtor with the lady, who, while waiting for the departure, were drinking tea. The fighter provokes a scandal by hitting the dandy in the face. The gentleman tried to escape, but the police arrived, saying that such behavior is not permissible in a public place. The lady leaves, and her companion, answering the police, says his name, surname and rank. The policeman with witnesses hands him the paper for delivery. That has no choice but to accept it, to pay off the debt, and even with interest, to the old woman in order to go abroad. The old woman is happy that everything was resolved well, and goes home. This is how the ability to find a way out of such difficult situations allows us to call this mysterious official a genius.

The small old landowner went to St. Petersburg to deal with the "blatant case." The landowner decided to help the "high society dandy" by mortgaging the house and giving him the proceeds, while receiving a promise from the debtor to pay off the debt in the near future. The dandy belonged to one well-known surname, he had the prospect of a brilliant career, and his official salary and estates were quite good sums. In addition, the old woman previously knew the mother of this dandy, which influenced her decision to lend him money. Meanwhile, the debtor fled to St. Petersburg and began to play cat and mouse with the old woman. Poor grandmother tried to pay back the debt in order to buy out the mortgaged house. In addition to the old woman, her disabled daughter and granddaughter lived there. She sent letters to Petersburg, but no response was received. Soon the date of the mortgage began approaching, which, in case of non-payment, threatened the old woman to stay in her old age on the street with her daughter and granddaughter. The old woman left her daughter with her granddaughter in the custody of a neighbor, and she went to Petersburg for the dandy. A summary of the second chapter It all started very successfully: the court sided with her, but difficulties arose with the execution of the sentence. The debtor had very influential connections, which gave rise to all kinds of difficulties in repaying the debt. The debtor had to hand over the paper so that he signed it, but no one could do this. Everyone tried to convince grandmother to forget about this debt, she was not alone in this situation because of him. This did not calm the landowner, and she lamented for a long time. She did not believe that the dandy was like that bad man, she hoped that he was just spinning, but is a good man ... A summary of the third chapter The old woman went to the higher authorities, where she was advised to find him and catch him, then he could be handed the paper. Even an attempt to "come to an agreement" with the representatives of the higher authorities did not lead to anything. However, there was a person who said that he could deliver a court notice to a dandy for 500 rubles. The old woman told the interlocutor that her inquiries about this man were not crowned with success, even when she spoke with him personally. She tried to find out who he was and what his rank was. But I heard in response that it is better not to tell him about it. His name is Ivan Ivanovich, and he has a lot of ranks, whatever he wants - he will be so. Ivan Ivanovich considered himself a genius and offered the old woman a plan to return money for 200 rubles and was going to give 300 rubles to the performer. The old woman did not immediately dare to use the services of the collector, although she believed him. She decided to wait a little while she could. However, soon there was no time left at all. Summary of the fourth chapter On Christmas Eve, the old woman arrived at the collector, very saddened. News came from the house from a neighbor that the house was about to be put up for sale. In addition, the old woman was able to catch the debtor, but she was accused of violating the order. But the saddest news was tomorrow's departure of the debtor with his lady outside the country. These events left the old woman no choice but to turn to Ivan Ivanovich. She paid him 500 rubles, of which she borrowed 150 from the author. The author believed the old woman and was sure that she would return the money to him. The next morning, he learned that all his expectations were met. A summary of the fifth chapter The landowner came to the narrator with a traveling bag and in a traveling dress. First of all, she put 150 rubles on the table, after which she presented the author with a bank receipt for more than 15,000. The author could not believe his eyes and wanted to know the circumstances. The old woman told him that Ivan Ivanovich and his executor, who could not be dispensed with, had fulfilled a wonderful plan. At first, he and Ivan Ivanovich searched for this mysterious performer for a long time, having traveled around many hot places and baths. They were looking for a "Serbian battler", but the search dragged on for a long time. In the end, he was found and in the morning the three of them went to the railway station, from where the debtor was going to leave. Soon he appeared with his passion, and they began to drink tea. The Serbian warrior walked past them three times, and then asked the dandy why he was staring at him. Word for word, and the Serbian warrior hit him in the face 3 times. The debtor tried to escape, but both of them were detained by the police. A protocol was drawn up, and the debtor was served with a judicial notice, which could not be served in any way. The debtor took a notice in front of the witnesses and, in order not to get a recognizance not to leave, was forced at the same moment to pay by check all his debt, together with interest. The story ends with the author's words that a person who has thought of such an original solution to such a difficult problem has every right to be called a genius.