“Victoria” Hamsun in summary
The action takes place in the modern writer of Norway.
From time to time, when a walk or a game is started, the children of the owner of the manor estate, which the people called the Castle, Victoria and Dietlef, invite the son of the miller’s neighbor, Johannes, to join them. The boy reaches out to communicate with his peers, but every time it hurts him painfully, that the young gentlemen treat him haughtily, stressing in every way that he is uneven. Especially he is annoyed by Otto, the son of a rich chamberlain, who often visits the owners of the estate. Only Victoria is friendly to him, she likes to listen to entertaining stories about trolls and giants, composed by the imaginative Johannes. A ten-year-old girl who, four years younger than an irrepressible dreamer, begs him not to marry a princess – no one will love him like she does.
Johannes leaves for the city to study and returns to his native place when he turns twenty. On the wharf, he sees the owner
Not wishing to admit that, Johannes is looking for a meeting with Victoria. And here they are in the woods. Both feel uncomfortable, and the conversation is not glued. The young man is discouraged: Victoria seems alien and distant, she coldly addresses him at you. Only pretends to be amiable, and she laughs at him, drops arrogant words, thinks Johannes. And all the poems written by him are dedicated to her alone!
Johannes and Dietlef are going to swim by boat to the island. From the steamer falls into the water girl, and Johannes manages to save the drowned, he becomes the hero of the day, all praise him and enthusiastically welcome. He is happy that Victoria saw how he accomplished this deed, this feat. However, he is constantly confused by the behavior of the girl, both are proud and proud, and their relationship is difficult.
The young man again leaves for the city and writes,
Johannes feels that he is happy, he wants to see Victoria again and again, he is looking for meetings, but next to her constantly is her fiancé, Lieutenant Otto. Johannes walks near the chamberlain’s house, and finally two days later Victoria goes on a date. What she said is true, confirms the girl, but they are not meant to be together, too many of them share. Father would never have given consent to their marriage. And let Johannes stop persevering following her. Johannes is confused and depressed. Having received an invitation to a party for the celebrated couple to Sayyer’s spouses and learning that there will be Victoria, he sends a note with a polite refusal: no more meetings with her.
All autumn and winter he spends a recluse, almost nowhere to be, and is working on a large book. Having finished it, he takes his essay to the publisher and leaves abroad. By autumn his new book, written in a foreign land, is published. There comes recognition, fame, his name is on everyone’s lips.
One day, Victoria appears in the miller’s house, she wants to know if there is any news from Johannes. But parents do not know anything about him, he does not write to them. Two days later a letter comes that Johannes will arrive in a month, and the miller hurries with this news to the estate. Victoria perceives his message with complete indifference, the miller is discouraged: his wife claimed in vain, as if she knows what’s on the mind of the landowner’s daughter.
Johannes is back at home, he bypasses the places with which memories of childhood are connected. In the forest, he meets Victoria, she collects flowers, the Castle awaits guests and it is necessary to decorate the house. Young people have not seen each other for two years, love attracts them to each other, but both struggle with themselves, suppressing this feeling.
Johannes receives an invitation to the owners of the estate for a party. He first crosses the threshold of this house, where he meets a rather warm welcome – in fact now he is a famous writer. As a promised surprise, Victoria brings Camille, whom she specially invited to visit, to him, now she is a charming seventeen-year-old girl. By the kindness of the soul she found herself a deputy, thinks Johannes. It turns out that the reception is organized on the occasion of the announcement of the engagement. From the conversation of the guests, Johannes finds out that the owner of the estate is on the verge of ruin, and the groom is rich, an advantageous party. Johannes hurts Victoria’s quips, her quirks. Only Camille brightens his stay there. The behavior of Victoria looks quite strange at all, which the groom notices. Sensing something that was not right, Otto, as arrogant and arrogant as he was in his childhood,
Camille goes to the mill to visit Juhannes. They go for a walk in the woods. Johannes seems that he knows the way out of the impasse – he makes a proposal to Camille. The girl confesses that she has loved him for a long time.
The next day, Johannes comes to the pier to conduct Camilla and learns from her that Otto is killed. It turned out that after the incident, he assembled in a jiffy and left with a neighbor-landlord to hunt woodcocks, where he fell under a crazy bullet. Johannes wants to express his condolences to Victoria, but he hears insulting words from her. Later she asks for an apology for her trick, explains the situation. The marriage with Otto forced his father to prevent the ruin of the family. She was against it, saying that it was better for her parents to insure her life, and then she would drown in the gulf or at the dam, but she had to give in, asking for a three-year delay. Tomorrow, she and her mother must move to the city, only the father will remain in the estate. She expects to hear words of love and support from Johannes, but he hesitates, and then embarrassedly confesses that he has a bride.
In the morning the miller helps to deliver Otto’s body to the ship and, fulfilling the mission of Victoria and her mother, returns to the estate. There he becomes a witness, as the landlord carefully and deliberately arranges arson and perishes. When neighbors run, nothing can be done about it, the manor burns to the ground.
Johannes is working on another book when Camille comes to him. She enthusiastically tells about the ball, which she happened to be, and about the acquaintance with the Englishman Richmond. By the way, parents arrange a party, and Victoria and her mother are invited. Poor thing so emaciated. Johannes recalls how much they had not seen, about one year. No, he will not go, he does not want this meeting. Appearing next time, Camilla reports that Victoria danced all evening, and then she felt bad, she was sent home. The constant subject of her conversations is a new acquaintance, Richmond. She can not understand the emotional turmoil, it seems to her that by accepting his courtship, she betrays her fiancé. Johannes guesses that a great real feeling awoke in her. He is not going to discourage her happiness with another, but in his heart he becomes empty and cold.
Johannes is informed that Victoria died, she was consumptive. He reads her death letter, full of tenderness and sadness, where she regrets the unrealized love, the failed life.
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