Russia, the middle of the XIX century. Serfdom is already running out. However, the family of the Golovlevs’ landowners is still quite prosperous and is increasingly expanding the boundaries of its already vast estates. Merit in that entirely belongs to the owner – Arina Petrovna Golovleva. She is an adamant woman, obstinate, independent, accustomed to … Read more
Tragedy IV Goethe “Faust” was written in 1774 – 1831 years and refers to the literary trend of romanticism. The work is the main work of the writer, over which he worked throughout most of his life. At the heart of the plot of the tragedy lies the German Legend of Faust, a famous warlock … Read more
Dream 1. North Tavria, October 1920 In the cell of the monastery church there is a conversation. The Budyonnovtsy just arrived and checked the documents. Golubkov, a young St. Petersburg intellectual, wondered where the Reds had come from when the area was in the hands of the Whites. Barabanchikova, a pregnant woman who lies right … Read more
Every day children played in the beautiful garden of the Giant, but when he returned from the guests, where he stayed for 7 years, he kicked out of his possessions all the children, built a fence and hung the sign “No Trespassing.” Children did not find another place to play, sadly remembered the garden. Spring … Read more
NN Nosov Hide and Seek Vitya and Slavik Neighbors. They always go to visit each other. One day they began to play hide-and-seek. The first to hide was Vitya. He hid himself three times in a row and Slavik found him all the time, but Vitya always found excuses that Slavik did not find himself: … Read more
The satirical fairy tale “Wise gudgeon” was written in 1882 – 1883. The work was included in the series “Fairy tales for children of a fair age.” In the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin “The Wise Gingerbread Man” ridiculous cowardly people who live their whole lives in fear, without doing anything useful. Main characters The wise pisar … Read more
“In accordance with the law, Cincinnatus C. declared a death sentence in a whisper.” Unforgivable Cincinnatus wine – in its “impenetrability”, “opacity” for the rest, to the horror of the similar (the jailor Rodion now and then turns into the director of the prison, Rodrig Ivanovich, and vice versa, the lawyer and the prosecutor by … Read more
On the table lie cartridges, a ram’s bone, a field map, a brief, a bridle, a crust of bread. At the table sits Nikolka Koshevoy, squadron commander, he fills out the questionnaire. “A rusty sheet says sparingly: Nikolai Koshevoi, squadron commander, a surveyor, a member of the RCYU, age 18 years.” He looked like a … Read more
IA Goncharov Break St. Petersburg Day is slipping towards evening, and everyone who usually gathers at the card table, by this hour begin to bring themselves into the appropriate form. Two friends – Boris Pavlovich Raisky and Ivan Ivanovich Ayanov – are to meet again at the Pakhotins’ house, where the owner himself, Nikolai Vasilyevich, … Read more
The action of the comedy takes place in a fantastic country for the English of Shakespeare’s time – Illyria. The Duke of Illyria Orsino is in love with the young Countess Olivia, but she is in mourning after the death of her brother and even does not accept the emissaries of the duke. The indifference … Read more
A. Shtifter Forest trail Tiburius Knight was a great crank. There were several reasons for this. First, his father was an eccentric. Secondly, his mother also had strangeness, the main of which was excessive care for his son’s health. His tutor had such a strong desire for order, that the boy hated all learning. The … Read more
Plan Morning at Famusov’s house. Arrival of Chatsky. Sophia’s coldness towards him. The conversation between Famusov and Chatsky. The monologue of Famusov about Uncle Maxim Petrovich. Visit Skalozub. Monologue of Chatsky about serfdom. The fall of Molchalin from the horse. Ball in the house of Famusov. Attitude of the guests to the gossip about the … Read more
To the old Cossack colonel Taras Bulba come after the release of the Kiev Academy of his two sons – Ostap and Andriy. Two stout fellows, whose healthy and strong faces had not yet touched the razor, were confused by the meeting with their father, who was making fun of their recent seminarians’ clothes. The … Read more
Two of his sons arrive at the court of King Bithynia Prussia. Nycomed, the son of the first marriage, left the army, at the head of which he won numerous victories, laying at the feet of his father not one kingdom; his deceit was enticed into the capital by his stepmother, Arsinoe. The son of … Read more
Brendan Bien Hostage Action I The raznotsherstnye inhabitants of a Dublin house this evening were in a state more nervous and animated than usual: the master, Musya, displayed heart-rending passages on bagpipes; female prostitutes ruffled with the damaging fishery of former young men – Rio Rita and Princess Grace; one girl made a scandal because … Read more
Esayas Tegner Saga of Fridtjof The name of the ancient Scandinavian (Icelandic) hero – Fridhjofr consists of two parts: fridh – peace, peace and thjofr – the thief, ie means “The thief of the world”. The main source of the poem is the Old Norse saga of Fridtjof Smel, which developed in the late 13th … Read more
A messenger with a small jewel case in the name of Princess Vera Nikolaevna Sheina was delivered by a messenger through a maid. Princess pronounced it, but Dasha said that the messenger immediately ran away, and she did not dare to tear the birthday girl away from the guests. Inside the case was a gold, … Read more
They met in summer, on one of the Volga steamers. He is a lieutenant, She is a lovely little, tanned woman. “… I’m completely drunk,” she laughed, “I was really crazy, three hours ago I did not even know you existed.” The lieutenant kissed her hand, and his heart was blissfully and terribly frozen… The … Read more
The action takes place in 1942 and is centered around a small cafe in one of the Madrid neighborhoods. In the book about one hundred and sixty characters, they appear and, hardly touching each other, disappear, picked up by the cycle of life in the giant hive of the city. Some figures are more detailed … Read more
IS Turgenev First love The story takes place in 1833 in Moscow, the main character – Volodya – sixteen years old, he lives with his parents at the dacha and is preparing to enter the university. Soon, the family of Princess Zasekin enters the poor outbuilding in the neighborhood. Volodya accidentally sees the princess and … Read more
FG Lorca Bloody wedding Spain, early XX century. Mountain village. The play begins in the house of the Bridegroom. Mother, learning that he is going to the vineyard and wants to take a knife, breaks into curses to the one who invented the knives, and the guns and pistols are all that can kill a … Read more
Turning to his children and to all who will ever read his message, Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1053-1125) calls them to have, first of all, the fear of God in the heart and do good, bearing in mind that the days of man on earth are fleeting and terribly dying, not repent of their sins. The … Read more
The most long-awaited event for the seminary is vacancies, when bursaks (kazennokoshtnye seminarians) are dismissed to their homes. Groups they are sent from Kiev along the high road, earning livelihood with a spiritual hymn to well-to-do farms. Three bursaks: the theologian Freebies, the philosopher Homa Brutus and the rhetorician Tiberius Horobets, – straying into the … Read more
MM Prishvin At the walls of the city of the invisible. Bright Lake My native land is a small estate of the Orel province. There, after listening to arguments at religious and philosophical meetings in St. Petersburg, I decided to go to look around, to find out what the wise forest elders think. So began … Read more
Mechanic Etienne Lantier in search of work wandered into coal mines. There he meets an old man, the Immortal (Vincent Mahe), so nicknamed that he was taken three times from the ground where he was to die. The Mae family has been working for the Coal Mining Company for a hundred and six years. Morning … Read more
The first book. The Sisters Beginning in 1914, St. Petersburg, “tormented by sleepless nights, deafening his longing for wine, gold, bezlyuboy love, tearing and powerless sensual sounds of tango – the death hymn lived as if waiting for a fateful and terrible day.” A young, clean girl, Daria Dmitrievna Bulavina, arrives in St. Petersburg for … Read more
Colonel Pryamikov and the Dobrov Raisee meet in the house of the chairman of the Civil Chamber, Krivosudov. Straicomov complains that his neighbor started a lawsuit against him. Dobrov, wishing to regret his unlucky friend, calls Pravolov (neighbor) a cunning and a vicious nonsense. He says that Pravolov went through so many cases that he … Read more
N. G. Garin-Mikhailovsky Engineers A 25-year-old young man, a graduate of the Institute of Railway Transport, appears before the reader, for whom “what for fourteen years he strove with a risk of many thousands to fall through” happened. After graduation, Kartashev wants to find a job “where they do not take bribes.” Full of such … Read more
W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair England, early 19th century. Europe is at war with Napoleon, but this does not prevent a lot of people, possessed by ambition, to pursue the pursuit of worldly goods – status, titles, ranks. Vanity Fair, the Bazaar of everyday life Fusses day and night… Two young girls leave the boarding … Read more
Henry Fielding The story of the adventures of Joseph Andrews and his friend Abraham Adams Starting with a narrative about the adventures of his hero, the author discusses two types of depiction of reality. “Historians,” or “topographers,” are satisfied that they are engaged in “cheating from nature.” The author considers himself to be a “biographer” … Read more
IS Turgenev On the eve On one of the hottest days of 1853, two young people were lying on the shores of the Moscow River in the shade of a blooming linden tree. The twenty-three-year-old Andrei Petrovich Bersenev has just graduated as the third candidate of the Moscow University, and an academic career awaited him. … Read more
It all started with Saratov, where the troupe came on tour and where the actors were accommodated in a bad hotel. It’s hot, director Sergei Leonidovich flew to Moscow, leaving instead of assistant Smurny. This Smurny long ago laid eyes on Lyalya, one of the actresses of the theater, but when she avenged her for … Read more
Torquato Tasso Liberated Jerusalem Lord Almighty from his heavenly throne drew an all-seeing gaze upon Syria, where the camp was a crusading host. For the sixth year, the warriors of Christ have fought in the East, many cities and kingdoms submitted to it, but the Holy City of Jerusalem was still a stronghold of the … Read more
It is always difficult to talk about any one poem in the work of any poet: he expressed himself in everything he wrote. But even more difficult to talk about a poet who was going to become a musician. Being influenced by the music of A. N. Scriabin, Boris Pasternak spent six years seriously engaged … Read more
Lope de Vega Dance teacher Aldemaro, a young nobleman from a noble but impoverished family, comes to the city of Tudela with his cousin Ricaredo for the wedding of Feliciana, the daughter of one of the most famous and wealthy townspeople, and immediately falls in love with the bride’s sister, Florela. The surprise that struck … Read more
The great Alexander Bussar d’Esparvieu, vice-president of the state council under the July government, left his heirs a three-story mansion and a rich library. René d’Esparvieux, a worthy grandson of the famous grandfather, added the precious collection to the extent of his strength. In 1895, he appointed Julien Sariette as the curator of the library, … Read more
Chapters I-LIX Frank Algernon Cowperwood has been attracted to the world of finance since childhood. At the age of 14 he turns the first commercial adventure – he buys and resells the soap. Already in adolescence, he is interested in exceptionally beautiful girls. At the age of seventeen, Cowperwood leaves school and begins to work. … Read more
In Rome, in the temple of Accord, Caesar delivers a speech. He fought a lot and finally returned to Rome. Rome is mighty, it inspires fear of all nations. For the greater glory of Rome, it remains only to subdue the Parthians and take revenge on them for the victory over Crassus. Defeat in the … Read more
About forty years ago, in St. Petersburg on Vasilevsky Island, there lived a male housekeeper. Among the thirty or forty children who studied in that boarding house, there was one boy named Alesha, who then was no more than 9 or 10 years old. His parents, who lived far from St. Petersburg, two years before, … Read more
V. Mayakovsky Klop The play takes place in Tambov: the first three paintings – in 1929, the remaining six paintings – in 1979. Former worker, former party member Ivan Prisypkin, who renamed himself for euphony in Pierre Skripkin, is going to marry Elzevir Davidovna Renaissance – a hairdresser’s daughter, a cashier of a hairdresser and … Read more
The action of this novel anti-utopia takes place in a fictional World State. There is a 632-year stability era, the Era Ford. Ford, who created the world’s largest automobile company in the early twentieth century, is revered in the World State for God. It is called “Our Lord Ford”. In the state this is ruled … Read more
On the birthday of merchant Sun Zhong, only two of his soul mates are to come, two scoundrels – Liu Longqing and Hu Jijun. The wife, who has covered the festive table, reproaches her husband with bitterness that the younger brother, Sun Chuner, is not invited. He was excommunicated from the house by the slander … Read more
The fox at the wolf was in the service, and that the wolf forced her, and the fox had to do it, because she was weaker than him; and the fox wanted to get rid of the owner of such a thing. It happened once they went together in the forest, and the wolf said: … Read more
Pelageya, beautiful maid Alekhina, in love with cook Nikanor, a drunkard and a bully, but, nevertheless, so pious person that he does not agree to live with Pelagia, without concluding a legal marriage. The maid herself does not want to marry Nikanor, he is angry with her and even beats. Alyokhin argues that everything is … Read more
Vesljenov Josap Platonovich, in past years convicted of political actions, returns to the provincial town, where he is met by his sister Larissa and ex-wife, who unexpectedly married General Sintyanin, who has a bad reputation in society. Also to meet Iosaph came Major Forov, who stated that he would never marry a man, but would … Read more
At one of the exhibitions in a secular conversation, a chance to speak about a new, recently published novel. At first no one or almost no one knows about it, but suddenly interest awakens to him. Critics consider it their duty to admire the “Golden Fruits” as the purest example of high art – a … Read more
Victor Pronyakin stood over a giant oval pit of the quarry. Shadows of clouds walked along the ground in a jamb, but not one could cover the entire quarry, the entire motley, moving crowd of cars and people below. “It can not be that I’m not caught here,” thought Pronyakin. But it was necessary. It’s … Read more
VM Garshin Signal Semyon Ivanov serves as a watchman on the railway. He is a seasoned man, but not too lucky. Nine years ago, in 1878, visited the war, fought with the Turks. He was not wounded, but he lost his health. He returned to his native village – the farm did not ask, the … Read more
Bend Sinister – a term of heraldry, denoting the strip to the left of the coat of arms. The title of the novel is connected with the attitude of V. Nabokov to the “ominously leftward world,” that is, the spread of communist and socialist ideas. The events of the novel take place in a conditional … Read more
The calm current of the working morning in laboratory No. 2 was violated by the sudden arrival of the chef of Corresponding Member AN Golitsyn. He made the dispatch to the employees, and then in a grumbling voice ordered that Sergei Krylov apply for the post of nachalab. There was silence. It was believed that … Read more