The history of writing the story The Captain's Daughter. Who wrote The Captain's Daughter. Initial stage: collecting information, creating “The History of Pugachev”

There are times when you need to quickly get acquainted with a book, but there is no time to read. For such cases there is a short retelling (brief). “The Captain's Daughter” is a story from the school curriculum, which certainly deserves attention, at least in a brief retelling.

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The main characters of "The Captain's Daughter"

Before you read the abridged story “The Captain's Daughter,” you need to get to know the main characters.

“The Captain's Daughter” tells the story of several months in the life of Pyotr Andreevich Grinev, a hereditary nobleman. He undergoes military service in the Belogorodskaya fortress during the time of peasant unrest under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev. This story is told by Pyotr Grinev himself through entries in his diary.

Main characters

Minor characters

Chapter I

Peter Grinev's father, even before his birth, enrolled in the ranks of the sergeants of the Semenovsky regiment, since he himself was a retired officer.

At the age of five, he assigned his son a personal servant named Arkhip Savelich. His task was to raise him to be a real master. Arkhip Savelich taught little Peter a lot, for example, to understand the breeds of hunting dogs, Russian literacy and much more.

Four years later, his father sends sixteen-year-old Peter to serve with his good friend in Orenburg. Servant Savelich is traveling with Peter. In Simbirsk, Grinev meets a man named Zurin. He teaches Peter how to play billiards. After getting drunk, Grinev loses a hundred rubles to a military man.

Chapter II

Grinev and Savelich got lost on the way to their place of service, but a random passer-by showed them the way to the inn. There Peter examines the guide- he looks about forty years old, he has a black beard, a strong build, and in general he looks like a robber. Having entered into a conversation with the owner of the inn, they discussed something in a foreign language.

The guide is practically naked, and therefore Grinev decides to give him a hare sheepskin coat. The sheepskin coat was so small for him that it was literally bursting at the seams, but despite this, he was glad for the gift and promised never to forget this kind deed. A day later, young Peter, having arrived in Orenburg, introduces himself to the general, who sends him to the Belgorod fortress to serve under Captain Mironov. Not without the help of Father Peter, of course.

Chapter III

Grinev arrives at the Belgorod fortress, which is a village surrounded by a high wall and one cannon. Captain Mironov, under whose leadership Peter came to serve, was a gray-haired old man, and two officers and approximately a hundred soldiers served under his command. One of the officers is the one-eyed old lieutenant Ivan Ignatich, the second is called Alexey Shvabrin - he was exiled to this place as punishment for a duel.

Newly arrived Peter met Alexei Shvabrin that same evening. Shvabrin told about each of the captain’s family: his wife Vasilisa Egorovna and their daughter Masha. Vasilisa commands both her husband and the entire garrison. And my daughter Masha is a very cowardly girl. Later, Grinev himself meets Vasilisa and Masha, and also the constable Maksimych . He's very scared that the upcoming service will be boring and therefore very long.

Chapter IV

Grinev liked it in the fortress, despite Maksimych’s experiences. The soldiers here are treated without much severity, despite the fact that the captain at least occasionally organizes exercises, but they still cannot distinguish between “left” and “right”. In the house of Captain Mironov, Pyotr Grinev becomes almost a member of the family, and also falls in love with his daughter Masha.

In one of the outbursts of feelings, Grinev dedicates poems to Masha and reads them to the only one in the castle who understands poetry - Shvabrin. Shvabrin makes fun of his feelings in a very rude manner and says that the earrings are this is a more useful gift. Grinev is offended by this too harsh criticism in his direction, and he calls him a liar in response, and Alexey emotionally challenges him to a duel.

Excited Peter wants to call Ivan Ignatich as a second, but the old man believes that such a showdown is too much. After dinner, Peter tells Shvabrin that Ivan Ignatich did not agree to be a second. Shvabrin proposes to conduct a duel without seconds.

Having met early in the morning, they did not have time to sort things out in a duel, because they were immediately tied up and taken into custody by soldiers under the command of a lieutenant. Vasilisa Egorovna forces them to pretend that they have made peace, and after that they are released from custody. From Masha, Peter learns that the whole point is that Alexey had already received a refusal from her, which is why he behaved so aggressively.

This did not dampen their ardor, and they meet the next day by the river to complete the matter. Peter had almost defeated the officer in a fair fight, but was distracted by the call. It was Savelich. Turning towards a familiar voice, Grinev is wounded in the chest area.

Chapter V

The wound turned out to be so serious that Peter woke up only on the fourth day. Shvabrin decides to make peace with Peter, they apologize to each other. Taking advantage of the moment that Masha is caring for the sick Peter, he confesses his love to her and receives reciprocity in return.

Grinev, in love and inspired writes a letter home asking for blessings for the wedding. In response, a stern letter comes with a refusal and the sad news of the death of the mother. Peter thinks that his mother died when she found out about the duel, and suspects Savelich of the denunciation.

The offended servant shows proof to Peter: a letter from his father, where he scolds and scolds him because he did not tell about the injury. After a while, suspicions lead Peter to the idea that Shvabrin did this in order to prevent his and Masha’s happiness and disrupt the wedding. Having learned that her parents do not give their blessing, Maria refuses the wedding.

Chapter VI

In October 1773 very quickly rumor spreads about the Pugachev rebellion, despite the fact that Mironov tried to keep it a secret. The captain decides to send Maksimych on reconnaissance. Maksimych returns two days later and reports that a huge disturbance is rising among the Cossacks.

At the same time, they report to Maksimych that he went over to Pugachev’s side and incited the Cossacks to start a riot. Maksimych is arrested, and in his place they put the man who reported on him - the baptized Kalmyk Yulay.

Further events pass very quickly: constable Maksimych escapes from custody, one of Pugachev’s men is captured, but he cannot be asked anything because he does not have a language. The neighboring fortress has been captured, and very soon the rebels will be under the walls of this fortress. Vasilisa and her daughter go to Orenburg.

Chapter VII

The next morning, an armful of fresh news reaches Grinev: the Cossacks left the fortress, taking Yulay prisoner; Masha did not have time to get to Orenburg and the road was blocked. By order of the captain, the rebel patrolmen are shot from a cannon.

Soon Pugachev’s main army appears, led by Emelyan himself, smartly dressed in a red caftan and riding a white horse. Four traitorous Cossacks offer to surrender, recognizing Pugachev as ruler. They throw Yulay's head over the fence, which falls at Mironov's feet. Mironov gives the order to shoot, and one of the negotiators is killed, the rest manage to escape.

They begin to storm the fortress, and Mironov says goodbye to his family and gives Masha’s blessing. Vasilisa takes away her terribly frightened daughter. The commandant fires the cannon once, gives the order to open the gate, and then rushes into battle.

The soldiers are in no hurry to run after the commander, and the attackers manage to break into the fortress. Grinev is taken prisoner. A large gallows is being built in the square. A crowd gathers around, many greet the rioters with joy. The impostor, sitting on a chair in the commandant's house, takes oaths from prisoners. Ignatyich and Mironov are hanged for refusing to take an oath.

The turn reaches Grinev, and he notices Shvabrin among the rebels. When Peter is escorted to the gallows to be executed, Savelich suddenly falls at Pugachev’s feet. Somehow he manages to beg for mercy for Grinev. When Vasilisa was taken out of the house, seeing her dead husband, she emotionally called Pugachev “an escaped convict.” She is immediately killed for this.

Chapter VIII

Peter began to look for Masha. The news was disappointing - she was lying unconscious with the priest’s wife, who told everyone that it was her seriously ill relative. Peter returns to the old looted apartment and learns from Savelich how he managed to persuade Pugachev to let Peter go.

Pugachev is the same random passer-by whom they met when they got lost and gave them a hare sheepskin coat. Pugachev invites Peter to the commandant’s house, and he eats there with the rebels at the same table.

During lunch, he manages to overhear how the military council is making plans to march on Orenburg. After lunch, Grinev and Pugachev have a conversation, where Pugachev again demands to take an oath. Peter again refuses him, arguing that he is an officer and the orders of his commanders are law for him. Pugachev likes such honesty, and he lets Peter go again.

Chapter IX

On the morning before Pugachev’s departure, Savelich approaches him and brings things that were taken from Grinev during his capture. At the very end of the list is a hare sheepskin coat. Pugachev gets angry and throws out the sheet of paper with this list. Leaving, he leaves Shvabrin as commandant.

Grinev rushes to the priest's wife to find out how Masha is, but very disappointing news awaits him - she is delirious and in a fever. He can't take her away, but he also can't stay. Therefore, he has to leave her temporarily.

Worried, Grinev and Savelich walk slowly to Orenburg. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the former constable Maksimych, who is riding a Bashkir horse, catches up with them. It turned out that it was Pugachev who said to give the officer a horse and a sheepskin coat. Peter gratefully accepts this gift.

Chapter X

Arriving in Orenburg, Peter reports to the general about everything that happened in the fortress. At the council they decide not to attack, but only to defend. After some time, the siege of Orenburg by Pugachev’s army begins. Thanks to a fast horse and luck, Grinev remains safe and sound.

In one of these forays he meets Maksimych. Maksimych gives him a letter from Masha, which says that Shvabrin kidnapped her and forcibly forces her to marry him. Grinev runs to the general and asks for a company of soldiers to liberate the Belgorod fortress, but the general refuses him.

Chapter XI

Grinev and Savelich decide to escape from Orenburg and without any problems go towards the Bermuda settlement, which was occupied by Pugachev’s people. Having waited until nightfall, they decide to drive around the settlement in the dark, but they are caught by a detachment of patrolmen. He miraculously manages to escape, but Savelich, unfortunately, does not.

Therefore, Peter returns for him and is then captured. Pugachev finds out why he fled Orenburg. Peter informs him about Shvabrin’s tricks. Pugachev begins to get angry and threatens to hang him.

Pugachev's adviser does not believe Grinev's stories, claiming that Peter is a spy. Suddenly, a second adviser named Khlopusha begins to stand up for Peter. They almost start a fight, but the impostor calms them down. Pugachev decides to take the wedding of Peter and Masha into his own hands.

Chapter XII

When Pugachev arrived to the Belgorod fortress, he began to demand to see the girl who was kidnapped by Shvabrin. He leads Pugachev and Grinev into the room where Masha is sitting on the floor.

Pugachev, deciding to understand the situation, asks Masha why her husband beats her. Masha exclaims indignantly that she will never become his wife. Pugachev is very disappointed in Shvabrin and orders him to immediately let the young couple go.

Chapter XIII

Masha with Peter set off on the road. When they enter the town, where there should be a large detachment of Pugachevites, they see that the city has already been liberated. They want to arrest Grinev, he goes into the officer’s room and sees his old acquaintance Zurin at the head.

He remains in Zurin’s detachment, and sends Masha and Savelich to their parents. Soon the siege was lifted from Orenburg, and news of victory and the end of the war arrived, since the impostor was captured. While Peter was getting ready to go home, Zurin received an order for his arrest.

Chapter XIV

In court, Pyotr Grinev is accused of treason and espionage. Witness - Shvabrin. In order not to drag Masha into this matter, Peter does not justify himself in any way, and they want to hang him. Empress Catherine, taking pity on his elderly father, changes the execution to serving a life sentence in the Siberian settlement. Masha decides that she will lie at the feet of the empress, begging for mercy on him.

Having gone to St. Petersburg, she stops at an inn and finds out that the owner is the niece of the stove burner in the palace. She helps Masha enter the garden of Tsarskoye Selo, where she meets a lady who promises to help her. After some time, a carriage arrives from the palace for Masha. Entering Catherine's chambers, she is surprised to see the woman with whom she spoke in the garden. She announces to her that Grinev is acquitted. read our article.

Afterword

This was a short retelling. “The Captain's Daughter” is a rather interesting story from the school curriculum. A summary of the chapters is needed for.

After the brutal suppression of the rebellious uprising of military settlers in Staraya Russa in the early 30s of the 19th century, Pushkin draws attention to the “troubled” times in the history of the fatherland. This is where the story of the creation of “The Captain's Daughter” begins. The image of the rebel Pugachev fascinates and attracts the poet’s attention. And this theme runs through two of Pushkin’s works at once: the historical work “The History of Pugachev” and “The Captain’s Daughter”. Both works are dedicated to the events of 1773-1775 under the leadership of Emelyan Pugachev.

Initial stage: collecting information, creating “The History of Pugachev”

The history of the creation of “The Captain's Daughter” takes more than 3 years. Pushkin was the first to write the work “The History of Pugachev,” for which he carefully collected facts and evidence. He had to travel around several provinces in the Volga region and Orenburg region, where the uprising took place and witnesses to those events still lived. By decree of the tsar, the poet was given access to secret documents relating to the uprising and its suppression by the authorities. Family archives and private collections of documents constituted a significant part of the sources of information. Pushkin’s “Archival Notebooks” contain copies of personal decrees and letters from Emelyan Pugachev himself. The poet communicated with old people who knew Pugachev and passed on legends about him. The poet questioned, wrote down, and examined the battle sites. He carefully and punctually wrote down all the information he collected in the historical work “The History of Pugachev.” A short novel reveals to us one of the most exciting pages in Russian history - the period of Pugachevism. This work was called “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion” and was published in 1834. Only after creating a historical work, the poet began to write a literary work - “The Captain's Daughter”.

Prototypes of heroes, plotting a storyline

The novel is narrated from the perspective of a young officer Pyotr Grinev, who is serving in the Belogorsk fortress. Several times the author changed the plan of the work, structured the plot differently and renamed the characters. At the beginning, the hero of the work was thought to be a young nobleman who went over to Pugachev’s side. The poet studied the history of the nobleman Shvanvich, who voluntarily went over to the side of the rebels, and the officer Basharin, who was captured by Pugachev. Based on their real deeds, two characters were formed, one of whom was a nobleman who became a traitor, whose image required passing through the moral and censorship barriers of that time. We can say that Shvabrin’s prototype was officer Shvanovich. This name was mentioned in the royal decree “On punishing with death the traitor rebel and impostor Pugachev and his accomplices.” And the main character of “The Captain’s Daughter,” Grinev, was created by the author based on the true story of an officer taken into custody by the authorities. He was suspected of having connections with but later this was not confirmed, the officer was found not guilty and released.

Publication and history of the creation of Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter”

For Pushkin, covering such a sensitive political topic was not an easy task, as evidenced by the history of the creation of “The Captain’s Daughter”: numerous changes in the construction of the plan of the work, changes in the names of the characters and the storyline.

The story “The Captain's Daughter” was first mentioned in mid-1832. The work itself appeared in print in December 1836 in the Sovremennik magazine without the author’s signature. However, censorship prohibited the publication of a chapter about a peasant revolt in the village of Grineva, which the poet himself later called “The Missing Chapter.” For Pushkin, the creation of “The Captain’s Daughter” took the last years of his life; after the work was published, the poet tragically died in a duel.

Alexander Sergeevich had to put a lot of effort into creating the characters. He turned to unpublished documents, family archives, and ardently studied the history of the uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. Pushkin visited many cities of the Volga region, including Kazan and Astrakhan, where the “exploits” of the rebel began. He even found relatives of the participants to more reliably study all the information. From the materials received, a historical work, “The History of Pugachev,” was compiled, which was used by him to create his own Pugachev for “The Captain’s Daughter.” I had to simultaneously think about censorship and a character who contradicted not only the moral and ethical values ​​of the time, but also raised political discussions. His renegade nobleman was initially supposed to take Pugachev’s side, but the plan changed many times throughout the process.

As a result, it was necessary to divide the character into two - “light” and “dark”, that is, the defender Grinev and the traitor Shvabrin. Shvabrin absorbed all the worst qualities, from betrayal to cowardice.

The world of the heroes of "The Captain's Daughter"

The poet managed to describe truly Russian qualities and character traits on the pages of the story. Pushkin very clearly and colorfully manages to convey the contrasting characters of people from the same class. In the work “Onegin” he vividly described the opposing types of nobility in the images of Tatiana and Onegin, and in “The Captain’s Daughter” he managed to show the contrasting characters of the types of the Russian peasantry: the prudent, loyal to the owners, prudent and prudent Savelich and the rebellious, frantic, rebellious Pugachev. In the story “The Captain's Daughter,” the characters are described very plausibly and expressively.

Nobleman Grinev

The main characters in our story deserve special attention. The hero of “The Captain's Daughter,” the young officer Grinev, on whose behalf the story is told, was brought up in ancient traditions. From an early age he was placed under the care of Savelich, whose influence only intensified after the expulsion of the Frenchman Beaupre from his teachers. Before he was born, Peter was registered as a sergeant, which determined his entire future.

Pyotr Alekseevich Grinev, the main character of The Captain's Daughter, was created in the image of a real person, information about whom Pushkin found in archival documents from the Pugachev era. Grinev's prototype is officer Basharin, who was captured by the rebels and escaped. The creation of the story “The Captain's Daughter” was accompanied by a change in the hero's surname. It changed several times (Bulanin, Valuev), until the author settled on Grinev. The image of the main character is associated with mercy, “family thought,” and free choice in difficult and harsh circumstances.

Describing through the lips of Grinev the terrible consequences of Pugachevism, Pushkin calls the rebellion senseless and merciless. Mountains of dead bodies, a bunch of people chained, whipped and hanged - these are the terrible consequences of the uprising. Seeing robbed and devastated villages, fires, and innocent victims, Grinev exclaims: “God forbid we see a Russian rebellion, senseless and merciless.”

Serf Savelich

The creation of the story “The Captain's Daughter” would have been impossible without the vivid image of a native of the people. Serf Savelich firmly believed that he was born only to serve his master. He could not imagine any other life. But his service to the masters is not servility, he is full of self-esteem and nobility.

Savelich is rich in inner selfless affection and self-sacrifice. He loves his young master like a father, takes care of him and suffers from unfair reproaches addressed to him. This old man suffers from loneliness, because he devoted his whole life to serving the masters.

Rebel Pugachev

The poet managed to convey another vivid image of the Russian character through Emelyan Pugachev. This hero of The Captain's Daughter is viewed by Pushkin from two different sides. One Pugachev is an intelligent, with great ingenuity and insightful man, whom we see as a simple person, described in his personal relationship with Grinev. He remembers the kindness shown to him and feels deep gratitude. Another Pugachev is a cruel and merciless executioner, sending people to the gallows and executing the middle-aged widow of Commandant Mironov. This side of Pugachev is disgusting, striking in its bloody cruelty.

The story “The Captain's Daughter” makes it clear that Pugachev is a reluctant villain. He was chosen for the role of “counselor” by the elders and was later betrayed by them. Pugachev himself believed that Russia was destined to be punished through his damnation. He understood that he was doomed, that he was only a leading role player in the rebellious elements. But at the same time, Pugachev is not a soulless puppet in the hands of the elders; he puts all his courage, perseverance and mental strength into the success of the uprising.

The antagonist of the main character is Shvabrin

The nobleman Shvabrin, the hero of The Captain's Daughter, is another real person, mentions of whom were found by Pushkin in archival documents. In contrast to the noble and honest Grinev, Shvabrin is a scoundrel with a dishonest soul. He easily goes over to Pugachev’s side as soon as he captured the Belgorod fortress. He tries to gain Masha's favor by force.

But at the same time, Shvabrin is far from stupid, he is a witty and entertaining conversationalist, who ended up serving in the Belgorod fortress for his love of duels. It is because of Shvabrin that Grinev comes under suspicion of treason and almost loses his life.

Captain's daughter Maria Mironova

The story “The Captain's Daughter” also tells about love in a difficult time of popular uprising. The main character of “The Captain's Daughter” is Maria Mironova, a dowry girl brought up on French novels, the daughter of the captain of the Belogorsk fortress. It is because of her that Grinev and Shvabrin fight a duel, although she cannot belong to either of them. Petrusha's parents forbade her to even think about marrying a dowry girl, and the scoundrel Shvabrin, who practically won the duel, has no place in the girl's heart.

She did not give in to him during the capture of the fortress, when he tried to force her favor. Masha contains all the best character traits of a Russian woman - innocence and purity of character, warmth, patience and readiness for self-sacrifice, fortitude and the ability not to betray her principles. In order to save Masha from the hands of Shvabrin, Grinev goes to Pugachev to ask him for the release of his beloved.

Description of events in the story

The description of events is based on the memoirs of a fifty-year-old nobleman Pyotr Alekseevich Grinev. They were written during the reign of Emperor Alexander and dedicated to the peasant uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. As fate would have it, the young officer had to take an involuntary part in it.

Petrusha's childhood

The story of “The Captain’s Daughter” begins with Pyotr Andreevich’s ironic memories of his childhood. His father is a retired prime minister, his mother is the daughter of a poor nobleman. All eight of Petrusha's brothers and sisters died in childhood, and the hero himself was registered as a sergeant while still in his mother's womb. At the age of five, the eager Savelych is assigned to the boy, who is promoted to Petrusha’s uncle. Under his leadership, he learned Russian literacy and “could sensibly judge the properties of a greyhound dog.” Afterwards, the young master was assigned a Frenchman, Beaupre, as a teacher, whose teaching ended in shameful expulsion for drunkenness and spoiling of courtyard girls.

Young Petrusha lives a carefree life until the age of sixteen, chasing pigeons and playing leapfrog. At the age of seventeen, the father decides to send the youngster to serve, but not in the Semenovsky regiment, but in the active army, so that he can smell gunpowder. This was a reason for disappointment for the young nobleman, who had hoped for a fun and carefree life in the capital.

Officer Grinev's service

On the way to Orenburg, the master and his servant find themselves in a strong snowstorm, and were completely lost when they met a black-bearded gypsy, who led them to the edge. On the way to housing, Pyotr Andreevich has a prophetic and terrible dream. Grateful Grinev gives his savior a hare sheepskin coat and treats him to a glass of wine. After mutual gratitude, the gypsies and Grinev part.

Arriving at the place, Peter was surprised to discover that the Belgorod fortress did not at all look like an impregnable bastion - it was just a cute small village behind a wooden fence. Instead of brave soldiers there are military invalids, and instead of formidable artillery there is an old cannon with old garbage stuffed into its muzzle.

The head of the fortress - an honest and kind officer Mironov - is not strong in education and is completely under the influence of his wife. The wife runs the fortress as if it were her own household. The Mironovs accept young Petrusha as their own, and he himself becomes attached to them and falls in love with their daughter Maria. The easy service encourages reading books and writing poetry.

At the beginning of his service, Pyotr Grinev experiences friendly sympathy for Lieutenant Shvabrin, who is close to him in education and occupation. But Shvabrin’s causticity, with which he criticized Grinev’s poems, served as a reason for a quarrel between them, and dirty hints towards Masha became a reason for a duel, during which Grinev was basely wounded by Shvabrin.

Maria takes care of the wounded Peter, and they confess their mutual feelings to each other. Peter writes a letter to his parents, asking for their blessing for his marriage. However, having learned that Maria does not have a dowry, the father forbids his son to even think about the girl.

Pugachev's rebellion

The creation of "The Captain's Daughter" is associated with a popular uprising. In the story, events developed as follows. A mute Bashkir with outrageous messages was caught in a fortress village. Residents fearfully await the attack of the rebel peasants led by Pugachev. And the rebel attack happened unexpectedly; at the very first military attack, the fortress surrendered its position. Residents came out to meet Pugachev with bread and salt, and they are led to the city square to swear allegiance to the new “sovereign.” The commandant and his wife die, refusing to swear allegiance to the impostor Pugachev. Grinev faces the gallows, but later Emelyan himself pardons him, recognizing in him the fellow traveler whom he saved in a snowstorm and received a hare’s fur coat as a gift from him.

Pugachev releases the officer, and he sets off for help in the direction of Orenburg. He wants to save sick Masha from captivity, whom the priest passes off as his niece. He is very worried about her safety, because Shvabrin, who went over to the side of the rebels, was appointed commandant. In Orenburg they did not take his reports seriously and refused to help. And soon the city itself found itself under a long siege. By chance, Grinev receives a letter from Masha asking for help, and he again heads to the fortress. There, with the help of Pugachev, he frees Masha, and he himself comes under suspicion of espionage at the suggestion of the same Shvabrin.

Final Analysis

The main text of the story is compiled from the notes of Pyotr Andreevich Grinev. Critics characterized the story “The Captain's Daughter” as follows: it is a historically important story. The era of Pugachevism is seen through the eyes of a nobleman who took an oath of allegiance to the empress and religiously followed his duty as an officer. And even in a difficult situation, among mountains of dead bodies and a sea of ​​​​people's blood, he did not break his word and preserved the honor of his uniform.

The popular uprising led by Pugachev is viewed in The Captain's Daughter as a national tragedy. Pushkin contrasts the people and the authorities.

Critics call the story “The Captain's Daughter” the pinnacle of Pushkin’s artistic prose. The work brought to life truly Russian characters and types. All of Pushkin’s poetry is permeated by a rebellious spirit, he transcends the boundaries of everyday life. And in the story, in the story of Pugachev’s rebellion, the poet glorifies freedom and rebellion. Russian classics gave the story “The Captain's Daughter” a positive review. Russian literature has added another masterpiece.

"The Captain's Daughter": genre affiliation

Can we consider that the story “The Captain's Daughter” belongs to the genre of a historical novel? After all, the poet himself believed that having covered an entire historical era in his work, he could consider it a novel. However, according to the volume accepted in literary criticism, the work is classified as a story. Few critics admit that “The Captain's Daughter” is a novel; more often it is called a story or story.

"The Captain's Daughter" in the theater and in productions

To date, many theatrical and film productions of the story “The Captain's Daughter” have been carried out. The most popular was Pavel Reznikov's feature film of the same name. The film was released in 1978 and is essentially a film performance. The roles of the main characters were given to well-known actors familiar to television viewers. The unusual nature of the acting is that no one gets used to the character, no one is given special makeup, and in general there is nothing that connects the actors and the book except the text. It is the text that creates the mood, makes the viewer feel, and the actors simply read it in their own voice. Despite the originality of the production of the story “The Captain's Daughter,” the film received amazing reviews. Many theaters still follow the principle of just reading Pushkin's text.

This, in general terms, is the story of the creation of the story “The Captain's Daughter” by A. S. Pushkin.

The history of the creation of "The Captain's Daughter" may be of interest to anyone who has read this historical novel by Pushkin or in its entirety.

"The Captain's Daughter" writing history

From the middle 1832 A. S. Pushkin begins work on the history of the uprising led by Emelyan Pugachev. The king gave the poet the opportunity to familiarize himself with secret materials about the uprising and the actions of the authorities to suppress it. Pushkin turns to unpublished documents from family archives and private collections. His “Archival Notebooks” contain copies of Pugachev’s personal decrees and letters, extracts from reports on military operations with Pugachev’s detachments.

IN 1833 year, Pushkin decides to go to those places in the Volga and Urals regions where the uprising took place. He looks forward to meeting eyewitnesses of these events. Having received permission from Emperor Nicholas I, Pushkin leaves for Kazan. “I’ve been in Kazan since the fifth. Here I tinkered with the old people, my hero’s contemporaries; traveled around the city, examined the battle sites, asked questions, wrote down notes, and was very pleased that it was not in vain that he visited this side,” he writes to his wife Natalya Nikolaevna on September 8. Next, the poet goes to Simbirsk and Orenburg, where he also visits the battle sites and meets with contemporaries of the events.

From materials about the riot, “The History of Pugachev” was formed, written in Boldin in the fall of 1833. This work of Pushkin was published in 1834 entitled “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion”, which was given to him by the emperor. But Pushkin conceived the idea of ​​a work of art about the Pugachev uprising of 1773–1775. The plan of the novel about a renegade nobleman who found himself in Pugachev’s camp changed several times. This is also explained by the fact that the topic that Pushkin addressed was ideologically and politically acute and complex. The poet could not help but think about the censorship obstacles that had to be overcome. Archival materials, stories of living Pugachevites, which he heard during a trip to the site of the uprising of 1773–1774, could be used with great caution.

According to the original plan, he was supposed to become a nobleman who voluntarily went over to Pugachev’s side. His prototype was second lieutenant of the 2nd Grenadier Regiment Mikhail Shvanovich (in the plans of the novel Shvanvich), who “preferred a vile life to an honest death.” His name was mentioned in the document “On the death penalty for the traitor, rebel and impostor Pugachev and his accomplices.” Later, Pushkin chose the fate of another real participant in Pugachev’s events - Basharin. Basharin was captured by Pugachev, escaped from captivity and entered the service of one of the suppressors of the uprising, General Mikhelson. The name of the main character changed several times until Pushkin settled on the surname Grinev. In the government report on the liquidation of the Pugachev uprising and the punishment of Pugachev and his accomplices dated January 10, 1775, Grinev’s name was listed among those who were initially suspected of “communication with the villains,” but “as a result of the investigation they turned out to be innocent” and were released from arrest. As a result, instead of one hero-nobleman in the novel, there were two: Grinev was contrasted with a nobleman-traitor, the “vile villain” Shvabrin, which could make it easier to carry the novel through censorship barriers.

Working on a historical novel, Pushkin relied on the creative experience of the English novelist Walter Scott (among his many admirers in Russia was Nicholas I himself) and the first Russian historical novelists M.N. Zagoskin, I.I. Lazhechnikov. “In our time, the word novel refers to a historical era developed in a fictional narrative” - this is how Pushkin defined the main genre feature of a novel on a historical theme. The choice of era, heroes, and especially the style of “fictional narrative” made “The Captain’s Daughter” not only the best among the novels of V. Scott’s Russian followers. According to Gogol, Pushkin wrote “a one-of-a-kind novel” - “in its sense of proportion, in its completeness, in its style and in its amazing skill in depicting types and characters in miniature...” Pushkin the artist became not only a rival, but also a “winner” of Pushkin -historian. As the outstanding Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky noted, “The Captain’s Daughter” has “more history than “The History of the Pugachev Rebellion,” which seems like a long explanatory note to the novel.”

Pushkin continued to work on this work in 1834. In 1836 he reworked it. October 19, 1836 year – the date of completion of work on “The Captain’s Daughter”. “The Captain’s Daughter” was published in the fourth issue of Pushkin’s Sovremennik at the end of December 1836, a little over a month before the poet’s death.

Now you know the history of the writing and creation of Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter” and can understand the entire historicism of the work.

A complex and deep work, marked by historical truth, strong feeling and virtuoso skill.
And it all started like this. Already from the beginning of the 1830s, the theme of the peasant uprising became important for Pushkin. And in the summer of 1833, he sought permission for a long trip to the sites of the Pugachev uprising. This journey lasted four months. In the Orenburg province there were still alive people who remembered Emelyan Pugachev. And in the fall of 1833, the poet returned to the capital with “The History of Pugachev”. This work was the first scientific study of the “Russian rebellion”, a bold study, unusual for that time. Pushkin wrote in it that “all the black people were for Pugachev,” and “the nobility was openly on the side of the government,” since their goals and interests were too “opposite.” The poet was not afraid to speak the truth that he understood here. But Pushkin decided to create another work dedicated to the events of the Pugachev uprising.
The historical process was presented to the poet as an endless chain, where people were the links, and its beginning and end were lost in time. According to Pushkin, history is a stream flowing through a person’s home, through his personal, private life. The poet believed that a person remains in history thanks to his sense of self-worth, kindness, breadth and wealth of soul, and not to orders and royal favor. History for Pushkin is not a scientific abstraction, but a living connection of living people, in their faces, “in a cap and robe.” This living connection meant the continuity of generations, when each subsequent one respects and preserves the experience of their fathers and increases the spiritual values ​​of their ancestors. Therefore, the poet associated social progress not with technical discoveries, but with cultural achievements, with the development of the spiritual world of man. Many of these thoughts were one way or another implemented in The Captain's Daughter.
The genre of this work is still controversial. What is this? A story? Novel? Historical chronicle? Family notes? This is not memoir literature - it is created only on the basis of factual material. And here a lot belongs to artistic invention. For the same reason, “The Captain’s Daughter” cannot be classified as a family note, although the work was written in the form of a family chronicle. Therefore, it is a story or historical novel. Modern literary criticism tends to favor the former. Nevertheless, this story contains historical material, is written in the form of family notes and is the memoirs of an already aging Grinev. Here we see how Pushkin’s understanding of historicism was reflected in the very genre of the work: the poet depicted important social events through the destinies of people.

This work is the literary notes of a literary hero. This technique enabled the author, when reproducing pictures of the Pugachev war, not to give a direct assessment of either side. The family memoirs that Grinev writes require him to say only what only he himself witnessed. Therefore, Pushkin, for example, could not give a psychological portrait of the empress (Grinev never saw her), and reproduce this image in the spirit of pomp inherent in that time.
For Pushkin, truth is the principle of presenting material, so he makes his hero the best of the nobles. Grinev is characterized by kindness and nobility. Even Pushkin’s predecessor, Fonvizin, in the comedy “The Minor,” through the mouth of one of the heroes, Starodum, remembering his father’s behest, said: “Have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at all times.”
Grinev is just such a person. But this is not Pushkin, his views are not in tune with Pushkin’s. He doesn't understand everything he saw. Much in Pugachev remains closed to him, and here the poet, as it were, “corrects” Grinev’s judgments with the help of observations and facts that he, as a conscientious memoirist, allegedly writes down. Let us recall, for example, the episode with the Kalmyk fairy tale, when Pugachev looks at the young nobleman with surprise. This surprise says a lot. Grinev did not understand Pugachev’s allegory, but the author helps the readers: he “forces” Grinev to see this perplexed look of the “rebel,” thereby leaving room for us to think about the fairy tale.
The story is also interesting from a compositional point of view: each chapter is structured in such a way that it adds a new touch to the characterization of the characters.
In 1837, the poet’s contemporary, historian A.I. Turgenev, wrote: “Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter” became so famous here that Barant, not jokingly, suggested that the author, in my presence, translate it into French<язык>with his help, but how will he express the originality of this style, this era, these Old Russian characters and this girlish Russian charm - which are sketched throughout the story? The main charm is in the story, and it is difficult to retell the story in another language. The French will understand our guy<…>, they had such things; but will the faithful wife of the faithful commandant understand?" (Letter from A.I. Turgenev to K.Ya. Bulgakov. January 9, 1837 - In the book: Letters of Alexander Turgenev to Bulgakov. M., 1939, p. 204.)

Previously, schoolchildren had no questions about what prose genre “The Captain's Daughter” belonged to. Is this a novel or a story? "Of course, the second one!" - this is how any teenager would have answered ten years ago. Indeed, in the old textbooks on literature, the genre of “The Captain's Daughter” (story or novel) was not questioned.

In modern literary criticism

Today, most researchers believe that the story of Captain Grinev is a novel. But what is the difference between these two genres? "The Captain's Daughter" - a story or a novel? Why did Pushkin himself call his work a story, and modern researchers refuted his statement? In order to answer these questions, you should first of all understand the features of both the story and the novel. Let's start with the largest form that a prose work can take.

Novel

Today this genre is the most common type of epic literature. The novel describes a significant period in the lives of the heroes. There are a lot of characters in it. Moreover, completely unexpected images often appear in the plot and, it would seem, do not have any influence on the overall course of events. In reality, there can be nothing superfluous in real literature. And a rather serious mistake is made by those who read “War and Peace” and “Quiet Don”, skipping the chapters devoted to the war. But let's return to the work "The Captain's Daughter".

Is this a novel or a story? This question arises often, and not only when it comes to “The Captain's Daughter”. The fact is that there are no clear genre boundaries. But there are features, the presence of which indicates belonging to one or another type of prose. Let us recall the plot of Pushkin’s work. "The Captain's Daughter" covers a considerable period of time. "Is this a novel or a story?" - answering such a question, we should remember how the main character appeared before the readers at the beginning of the work.

A story from the life of an officer

Landowner Pyotr Grinev recalls his early years. In his youth he was naive and even somewhat frivolous. But the events that he had to endure - a meeting with the robber Pugachev, acquaintance with Masha Mironova and her parents, Shvabrin's betrayal - changed him. He knew that honor must be protected from a young age. But I realized the true value of these words only at the end of my misadventures. The personality of the main character has undergone significant changes. Before us is a characteristic feature of the novel. But why then did “The Captain’s Daughter” belong to a different genre for so long?

Story or novel?

There are not many differences between these genres. A story is a kind of intermediate link between a novel and a short story. In a work of short prose there are several characters, the events cover a short period of time. There are more characters in the story, and there are also minor ones who do not play an important role in the main storyline. In such a work, the author does not show the hero in different periods of his life (in childhood, adolescence, youth). So, “The Captain’s Daughter” is a novel or a story? Perhaps it’s the latter.

The narration is told on behalf of the main character, who is already in old age. But almost nothing is said about the life of the landowner Pyotr Andreevich (only that he was a widower). The main character is a young officer, but not the middle-aged nobleman who acts as the narrator.

The events in the work cover only a few years. So this is a story? Not at all. As mentioned above, a characteristic feature of the novel is the development of the protagonist’s personality. And this is not just present in The Captain's Daughter. This is the main theme. It is no coincidence that Pushkin used the wise Russian proverb as an epigraph.

“Is The Captain’s Daughter a novel or a story? To give the most accurate answer to this question, you should know the basic facts from the history of this work.

Book about Pugachev

In the thirties of the 19th century, the novels of Walter Scott were very popular in Russia. Inspired by the work of the English writer, Pushkin decided to write a work that would reflect events from the history of Russia. The theme of rebellion has long attracted Alexander Sergeevich, as evidenced by the story “Dubrovsky”. However, the story of Pugachev is a completely different matter.

Pushkin created a contradictory image. In his book, Pugachev is not only an impostor and a criminal, but also a man not devoid of nobility. One day he meets a young officer, and he presents him with a sheepskin coat. The point, of course, is not the gift, but the attitude of the scion of a noble family towards Emelyan. Pyotr Grinev did not show the arrogance characteristic of representatives of his class. And then, when capturing the fortress, he acted like a true nobleman.

As is often the case with writers, in the process of working on the work, Pushkin deviated somewhat from the original plan. Initially, he planned to make Pugachev the main character. Then - an officer who went over to the side of the impostor. The writer scrupulously collected information about the Pugachev era. He traveled to the Southern Urals, where the main events of this period took place, and talked with eyewitnesses. But later the writer decided to give his work a memoir form, and introduced the image of a noble young nobleman as the main character. This is how the work “The Captain's Daughter” was born.

Historical story or historical novel?

So, after all, what genre does Pushkin’s work belong to? In the nineteenth century, a story was called what today is called a story. The concept of "novel" by that time, of course, was known to Russian writers. But Pushkin still called his work a story. If you do not analyze the work "The Captain's Daughter", it is indeed difficult to call it a novel. After all, this genre is associated for many with the famous books of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. And everything that is smaller in volume than the novels “War and Peace”, “The Idiot”, “Anna Karenina”, according to generally accepted opinion, is a story or story.

But it is worth mentioning one more feature of the novel. In a work of this genre, the narrative cannot be focused on one character. In "The Captain's Daughter" the author paid much attention to Pugachev. In addition, he introduced another historical figure into the plot - Empress Catherine II. This means that "The Captain's Daughter" is a historical novel.