Even the most impressive books can inevitably fade in your memory over time, time is in a hurry to delete minor episodes from it. However, the literature teacher verifies precisely the knowledge of the details, so he can make sure that the work is really studied, read and analyzed (analysis of the book hereby the way). That is why we offer a brief retelling of Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons in chapters. So you definitely will not miss anything.
I chapter
The reader is transported to 1859 and sees the landowner Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. The author describes his fate: the hero grew up in the family of a wealthy general, and after graduating from Petersburg University he married his beloved woman. But after her death, a nobleman, living in a village, alone raised a first-born.
When the boy enrolled in the university, he and his father were in the capital, and the elder Kirsanov did not miss the opportunity to be closer to his son, so he always tried to get acquainted with his companions Arkady.
The author smoothly proceeds to the beginning, describing the present: now Nikolai Petrovich is a 44-year-old nobleman who is engaged in farming “in a new way”. Nothing comes of him in this matter, but he does not give up, because he is waiting to help a young son. The old man impatiently wanders around the inn and peers out the carriage.
II chapter
Finally, the long-awaited guest arrives, but not one: a friend with him. Turgenev says so about Bazarov:
in a long hoodie with tassels ... a naked red hand ... hanging whiskers ... the face expressed self-confidence and intelligence.
Arkasha himself is a rosy-cheeked young man who is very shy to show joy from meeting with dad. Before a stern and silent friend, the hero is clearly ashamed of his emotions.
Chapter III
All three are sent to Maryino - the Kirsanovs estate. Arkady in conversation with his father mentions another characteristic of Bazarov:
I can’t express to you the extent to which I value his friendship ... His main subject is natural sciences. Yes, he knows everything.
From this conversation we learn that Bazarov is a future doctor, a natural scientist, and Arkady is trying to resemble his friend, admiring him very much. He even tries to hide his own joy associated with returning home, as his friend does not like to express emotions too much.
The clash of spiritual and material, and more precisely, poetry and medicine occurs already in the third chapter: Nikolai Petrovich reads Pushkin’s lines by heart, which undoubtedly speaks of his fine nature, and Bazarov simply interrupts him. The rudeness of the guest is explained by his worldview. The hero considers reading Pushkin’s poems absolutely inappropriate and unnecessary.
Chapter IV
At home they are greeted by Uncle Arkady - Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov, an elderly, but very well-groomed and dressed up man. He "took out his beautiful hand with long pink nails from the pantalon's pocket", but disdained to shake the guest’s red hand. He immediately hides his beautiful brush from his pocket.
So the conflict arises: men at first sight did not like each other.
Chapter v
Early in life, Eugene goes to the swamp along with peasant children. He urgently needed frogs as experimental material.
Arkady notices the inhabitant of the outbuilding - Fenichka, a serf girl. It turns out she has a son from the master. The hero is glad about the appearance of his brother, but wonders why his father was silent about such happiness.
Arkady educates relatives at the table, explaining the ethical and moral principles of a friend. He is a nihilist who takes the liberty of denying authority, traditional values and generally accepted ways of things.
The guest returns with a swamp catch.
Chapter VI
The unfulfilled handshake of Pavel Petrovich and Bazarov in the sixth chapter develops into a mutual antipathy of the heroes. Eugene announces his dislike for domestic scientific authorities, and his elderly interlocutor is annoyed. He was accustomed to the manners of the court salon, and the circumvention of a young upstart is offensive to him. He especially did not like the rude and impudent voice of the speaker.
In the midst of controversy, Bazarov exposes his truth:
A decent chemist is twenty times more useful than any poet.
Feeling the tension, Arkady tries to distract those present with a story about the fate of his uncle. So he wants to prevent ridicule of a relative, because he knows about the gall character and acute language of a friend.
Chapter VII
Pavel Petrovich was a brilliant officer, a star of balls and evenings, a welcome guest of all chosen people. But he had the misfortune of falling in love with Princess R., resigned, and everywhere followed her for many years. When Princess R. died, Pavel Petrovich settled with his brother in Maryino.
Soul history does not touch the protagonist at all, he sees weakness in this act.
He believes that "a man who has put his love on women’s card all his life and when he was killed this card, turned limp and sank ... - not a man."
Confirming his worldview as a nihilist, he calls all this romanticism nonsense, which is useless for society, unlike medicine.
Chapter VIII
Pavel Petrovich visits Fenichka, although he usually does not honor her with such an honor. After describing the room, the author reveals the purpose of Kirsanov’s arrival: he wished to take a look at the seven-month-old Mitya.
In the same chapter, we plunge into the past and find out the secret of rapprochement between Nikolai Petrovich and Fenechka - the daughter of his housekeeper. Three years ago, a man decided to show pity and took two poor helpers, a mother and a daughter, to him. Not so long ago, an old woman died, and a soft and timid girl began to live with her master in an illegal marriage.
IX chapter
Bazarov skillfully treats the baby Fenichka, talking with her about the health of Mitya. He is ready to provide all the necessary services if the child needs a doctor.
However, Bazarov in his repertoire: having heard Nikolai Kirsanov playing the cello, Eugene only condemns him. Arkady is unhappy with this reaction.
X chapter
During the two weeks of Bazarov’s stay at the Kirsanovs' estate, Pavel Petrovich hated Eugene even more, and Nikolai Petrovich often listened to his speeches, looked at interesting experiences, but, of course, was afraid of a strange guest.
Eugene again indignant in response to reading poetry by Pushkin Nikolai Petrovich, without hesitation calls the owner of the house "retired man." Then Pavel Petrovich, standing up for his brother, again encounters Bazarov in a heated verbal battle. Bazarov says that “denial is the most useful thing”, but does not meet with support from the Kirsanovs.
And Nikolai Petrovich, recalling his misunderstanding with his mother, begins to compare this situation with his son Arkady.
Xi chapter
The author describes the feelings of Nikolai Petrovich after disputes with Bazarov: the hero is annoyed that young people are even further from the truth than the older generation.
Nikolai Petrovich is nostalgic: he recalls his spouse, involuntarily compares her with Fenichka, but understands that the deceased wife was much better. His thoughts are gaining more and more sentimental notes, and he suffers from the realization that young people would blame him for his gentleness and sensitivity.
Bazarov offers his friend Arkady a trip to the city: old comrade Eugene lives there.
Xii chapter
As suggested by Bazarov in the previous chapter, he and Arkady went to meet with a student of Eugene. Separate lines are devoted to the description of the city, where they finally meet with a fussy person - Sitnikov, who considered himself a follower of Bazarov. The heroes also get acquainted with the official from St. Petersburg, Kolyazin, and the governor, which was facilitated by the connections of Father Arkady.
Sitnikov invites the arrived heroes to Kukshina. He himself calls her an emancipated, advanced woman.
Xiii chapter
Together with the heroes, the reader gets acquainted with Kukshina, as with a caricature of a woman who considers herself educated and progressive. However, during the conversation, the girl is not particularly carried away by the answers of her guests, she only leads meaningless conversations, which explains some discomfort of Arkady and Bazarov in her society.
For the first time an important name will sound for the work - Anna Sergeyevna Odintsova, who subsequently will play a significant role in the life of the protagonist.
XIV chapter
Thanks to his father’s connections, Arkady and his friend come to the governor’s ball, where Nikolai Petrovich’s son meets Anna Sergeyevna. This sweet, young, wealthy landowner learns from her interlocutor about his friend. The girl is intrigued and asks both young people to visit her.
Bazarov was impressed by Anna Sergeyevna.
He said that "she has such shoulders that I have not seen for a long time."
So, he decides that a trip to her is a good idea, and the men intend to pay a visit without having to wait.
XV chapter
Arkady and Bazarov are sent to meet her, then the girl makes an even greater impression on Eugene.
The reader is told the story of the enrichment and widowhood of Anna Sergeyevna: after receiving her education in St. Petersburg, her ruined father dies, and she accepts the offer of Odintsov, a wealthy elderly landowner, from hopelessness. However, her husband dies after six years, and Anna Sergeyevna remains with his condition.
A common topic in the conversation between Anna and Eugene is science. Heroes quickly come together, they are interested in communication. At the end of the meeting, Anna Odintsova invited the heroes to her estate.
XVI chapter
Odintsova introduces men to her sister Katya.
The author describes in detail the girl’s appearance: "black-haired, dark-skinned ... with a pleasant face ... small dark eyes."
Bazarov teaches the environment, stating that all people are equally structured, the organs are identical, like what a person proudly calls the inner world. All moral illnesses come from society and its errors, therefore it is enough to correct it so that there are no more ailments.
The author describes Odintsova. This is a devastated and indifferent person. She thought she wanted everything, but, in fact, she wanted nothing. She did not have prejudices, but there was no attachment as such either.
XVII chapter
Friends stayed at the Odintsova estate (Nikolsky) for about fifteen days. Bazarov considered love to be stupid, and "chivalrous feelings were a kind of ugliness or illness." However, he noted indignantly that he himself fell into Anna's snare. It was too good for him to be alone with this lady. However, Arkady found his ideal in Katerina.
In the same chapter, Bazarov meets the manager of his father. He tells him that Eugene’s parents are excited about his delay and were waiting for his son.
XVIII chapter
By the eighteenth chapter of the former Eugene you can not recognize: denying any romanticism or accepting love with nonsense, Bazarov is aware of the emerging feelings for Anna Odintsova.
A man speaks to a woman, but she rejects him. She cherishes the peace of a lonely life. Eugene despondently goes to the parental estate.
XIX chapter
Heroes leave Odintsova to visit their parents. Changes in Eugene are noticed not only by the reader, but also by their friend Arkady: it painfully became a friend loaded.
After seeing the guests, Anna Sergeyevna still hopes that in the near future the conversation with Bazarov will take place again, although they parted very coldly.
XX chapter
Friends come to the parents of Eugene. Turgenev describes the delight of the parents of the character associated with the long-awaited arrival of his son, although they tried to be a little more restrained, knowing full well about the worldview of Eugene.
Bazarov had not seen his parents for three years, and, despite this, was in no hurry to devote his father and an hour of conversation. He complains of fatigue from the road, goes to sleep, but does not close his eyes.
XXI chapter
Not even a week had passed before Eugene decided to leave. In the bosom of the family, Bazarov thinks that everything distracts him, and although Arkady tries to convey to his friend how wrong this is, Eugene stands his ground.
We are presented with the gloomy thoughts of the protagonist:
He didn’t break himself, and the woman will not break me.
Of course, the hero’s parents were not at all happy about his son’s decision to leave so soon. They grieved, barely daring to discover annoyance.
However, Bazarov still leaves. And the author leaves us alone with upset parents who love their son.
Xxii chapter
Heroes come back to Maryino, where they are welcome.
However, Arkady is not so easy to sit still. After some time, he again leaves for the city, having failed to pass Nikolskoye, where Anna and her sister perfectly received him. Meanwhile, Eugene with his head goes into medicine, trying to recover from the heat of love.
Xxiii chapter
Bazarov realizes where and why Arkady is going all the same, and grins at his excuses. But Eugene himself prefers to hit the job.
The only person on the Kirsanov estate to whom Bazarov has a positive attitude is Fenechka. She saw in him a simple man, so she was not embarrassed as much as the masters. Even under Nikolai Petrovich, she was not so calm and free. The doctor was always happy to talk about her baby.
Once Bazarov kissed a girl, but Pavel Petrovich accidentally caught this scene.
Xxiv chapter
Then the old man takes a desperate step: he challenges the young guest to a duel. He does not tell the true motive, but he insults Eugene, stating directly that he is superfluous. The aristocrat in him despises this rude and uncouth lout.
The duel is not fatal for any of the characters, however, it cannot do without victims, and Bazarov shoots the opponent’s foot. However, as a real doctor, he immediately provides uncle Arkady with medical care.
After what happened, Eugene leaves for the family, and his rival asks his brother to marry Fenechka. Previously, he opposed unequal marriage, but now he realized its necessity.
Xxv chapter
Arkady was always in the shadow of his older comrade, blindly imitating him and repeating his words. But after meeting Katya, everything changed. The girl indicated to the cavalier that without Bazarov he was much kinder and nicer. This is he real.
Along the way, Eugene calls in Nikolskoye, meets a friend and tells him that without him there was a complete break between Bazarov and his relatives.
Xxvi chapter
Katya and Arkady are in love, the young people exchanged confessions. The young man asks her for consent to marry him. Excited and romantic Katya agrees to the offer of Arcadia.
Heroes hear the voice of Anna Sergeyevna, who, meanwhile, is talking with Bazarov. She tells him:
You and I were mistaken ... at first we interested each other, curiosity was aroused, and then ... "-" and then I ran out of steam, "Bazarov answers her.
Eugene leaves forever: a friend and a beloved woman are forever lost to him.
Xxvii chapter
The hero comes to the family. There is a bad rumor about him in the village, people do not understand his scholarship, people are alien to his denial, although he sincerely believed that they supported him.
This self-confident Bazarov did not suspect that in their eyes he was a bit of a pea jester.
Eugene was in apathy, abandoned science. He only helped his father treat the people around him. But even this was not given to him. During the autopsy, he cut himself and contracted typhoid. He knows that death awaits him. Now he asks one thing - to send for Anna.
When a guest arrives, he believes his feelings, complains that no one needs him, that people did not understand and did not accept him, and yet he wanted to be useful to society. And he couldn’t.
Chapter XXXVIII (Epilogue)
All couples got married: Nikolai Petrovich married Fenechka, Arkady - Katya. Even Anna is getting married to an intelligent but cold person who fully matches her.
In the last lines of the work, Turgenev describes the grave in a rural cemetery, where often only an elderly couple comes to his beloved son.
You can agree on everything.
