"The Blizzard" (or The Snow Storm) (russian: Мете́ль, ''Metél' '') is the second of five short stories that constitute ''
The Belkin Tales
''The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin'' (russian: «По́вести поко́йного Ива́на Петро́вича Бе́лкина», 1831) is a series of five short stories and a fictional editorial introduction by Russian autho ...
'' by
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
. The manuscript for the story was originally completed October 20, 1830. It was intended to be the last of ''The Belkin Tales'' to be published, but Pushkin decided to push the story to the front of the volume. The novella, so comical and at the same time so dramatic, is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Russian literature.
Plot
![Le_Tourbillon_de_Neige](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Le_Tourbillon_de_Neige.png)
The plot concerns the
relationships of an
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
ic young woman named Maria Gavrilovna (''Gavrilovna'' is a
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor.
Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...
, not a
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
) and the unusual coincidences that accompany them. The following is copied from the program notes by Ledbetter (see sources):
:In 1811, a seventeen-year-old girl, Maria Gavrilovna, falls in love with a young officer, Vladimir Nikolayevich. Her parents disapprove of the relationship, which continues into the winter through correspondence. Finally they decide to elope, marry quickly, and then throw themselves at the feet of her parents to beg forgiveness (confident that a marriage entered into the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
would be regarded as eternal and unbreakable).
:The plan was for Maria Gavrilovna to slip out in the middle of a winter's night and take a sleigh to a distant village church, where her love would meet her for the wedding. On the night in question, a blizzard was raging, but the girl managed to do all she had promised and to reach the church. Her lover, on the other hand, driving alone to the rendezvous, became lost in the dark and the storm, arriving at the church many hours late to find no one there.
:The next morning, Masha was once more at home, but very ill. In a feverish delirium, she said enough to make it clear to her mother that she was hopelessly in love with the young officer. Her parents, deciding that this was a fated love, gave their permission for a wedding. But when they wrote to inform the officer of this fact, his reply was almost incoherent. He begged their forgiveness and insisted that his only hope was death. He rejoined the army (it was now the fatal year of 1812, when
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
made his famous attack on
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
), was wounded at the
battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
, and died.
:Meanwhile, Masha's father died, leaving her the richest young woman in her region. Suitors pressed for her hand, but she refused to accept anyone. She seemed to be living only for the memory of her lost love.
:Finally, though, she made the acquaintance of a wounded colonel of the
hussars
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
, Burmin, who was visiting the estate near hers. Burmin was a handsome man who had once had a reputation as a notorious rake, but who was now both quiet and modest in his personality. The two developed a warm friendship, and it became very clear that he was so restrained that he never made any declaration of love or formal proposal to her. Masha purposely arranged a situation in which they would be able to talk freely with no one else near. Finally he breaks his silence: He loves her passionately but cannot hope for any happiness with her because he is already married, has been married for four years, to a woman whom he does not know and whom he cannot expect ever to see again.
:To the astonished Masha, he explains that, in the winter of 1812, he was trying to rejoin his regiment, when a terrible blizzard came on. Riding in a
troika
Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to:
Cultural tradition
* Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia
* Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance
Pol ...
with a guide, they became lost in unfamiliar country. Seeing a light in the distance, they drove toward it and found themselves at a village church where people were crying out "This way!" When he stopped at the church, he was told that the bride had fainted and that the priest did not know what to do. When they saw the young soldier, they asked him if he was ready to proceed. Burmin, the young rake, noticed the attractiveness of the bride and decided to play a prank by going through with the ceremony. The church was dark, lit only by a few candles, and everyone in it was little more than a shadow. When, at the end, he was told to kiss his bride, she realized that it was not her intended and fainted dead away. As the witnesses stared at him in horror, he raced out and drove off.
:He explains to Masha that he was so thoroughly lost that he still does not know the name of the village where he was married, or who the bride might have been. As the tale ends, Maria Gavrilovna takes the hand of the man she has come to love and identifies herself as the long-lost bride.
Style
Pushkin uses his story as a means of parody on the classical themes of gothic motivation featured in
Lenore (ballad)
"Lenore", sometimes translated as "Leonora", "Leonore" or "Ellenore", is a poem written by German author Gottfried August Bürger in 1773, and published in 1774 in the ''Göttinger Musenalmanach''. "Lenore" is generally characterised as being part ...
and
Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (russian: Василий Андреевич Жуковский, Vasiliy Andreyevich Zhukovskiy; – ) was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19 ...
's ballad, "Svetlana". In both of these ballads, the lover is only able to dream and 'imagine' life with their deceased lover. Pushkin plays on this idea by presenting the same situation for Marya; however, due to a case of most fortuitous and unforeseen circumstances Marya is actually married to her living lover. Pushkin imitates the style of these ballads, but creates it through a set of realistic circumstances.
Themes
Hero
In ''
The Belkin Tales
''The Tales of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin'' (russian: «По́вести поко́йного Ива́на Петро́вича Бе́лкина», 1831) is a series of five short stories and a fictional editorial introduction by Russian autho ...
'', Pushkin uses a variety of stereotyped gentlemen suitors as the tales'
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
. Bumin acts as the hero in this short story. His wild and borderline criminal behaviour towards marrying an unknown bride in the church ultimately led him to marrying the woman of his dreams.
Antihero
Vladimir is the story's counter or
antihero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
. Being a petty land owner, he is too poor to pursue Masha's hand in marriage openly. Vladimir's plans for marriage were brought to a halt by unfortunate circumstances (the blizzard, fatal injury during the war). However, the same unfortunate events are what grant Burmin the ability to lead a successful
courtship
Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...
with Maria.
Structure
Over seventy percent of the sentences within the story are considered to be a
simple sentence
In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.
Typol ...
, which includes segments of simple sentences cut short by a
semicolon
The semicolon or semi-colon is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon is most commonly used to link (in a single sentence) two independent clauses that are closely related in thought. When a ...
. The story's plot can be dissected into 13 unique parts:
#The two lovers are presented, along with their situation and plans to wed
#Maria makes her preparations to leave and spend her last moments at home
#Vladimir leaves and departs through the snowstorm to the church
#Maria falls ill at her home and professes her love to her parents
#Vladimir's refuses to enter Maria's home and enlists in the military
#The state of Maria and Vladimir's injury and death from the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
#Death of Masha's father and her departure to a new estate
#Describes Maria's faith to the memory of her dead lover
#A degression to the current state of affairs in Russia
#Burmin arrives and the feelings between Masha and Burmin is established
#Burmin's declaration of love
#Burmin's role in the events that occurred during the Blizzard when Masha and Vladimir were supposed to elope
#Brief explanation of events
Adaptations
Film
The story was made into a
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
by
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
Vladimir Basov
Vladimir Pavlovich Basov (russian: link=no, Владимир Павлович Басов; 28 July 192317 September 1987) was a Soviet Russian actor, film director and screenwriter. People's Artist of the USSR (1983).
Biography
Vladimir Basov was ...
. The film's soundtrack was written by
Georgy Sviridov
Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (Russian: Гео́ргий Васи́льевич Свири́дов ; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian neoromantic composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influe ...
, who later modified the soundtrack into a musical
suite of the same name.
Musical
Georgy Sviridov's suite ("musical illustrations to Alexander Pushkin's story"), while mostly unknown in the Americas, is very popular in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Based on the film score that he wrote for Basov's film, the movements of the suite are as follows:
Georgy Sviridov
Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (Russian: Гео́ргий Васи́льевич Свири́дов ; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian neoromantic composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influe ...
#Troika
#Valse
#Spring - Autumn
#Romance
#Pastorale
#Little Military March
#Wedding
#Echo of the Valse
#Finale
References
Bibliography
*Bethea, David M., and Sergei Davydov. “Pushkin's Saturnine Cupid: The Poetics of Parody in the Tales of Belkin”. PMLA 96.1 (1981): 9-10. Web.
*Debreczeny, Paul. The Other Pushkin: A Study of Alexander Pushkin's Prose Fiction. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1983. 80 & 94. Print.
*Gregg, Richard. “A Scapegoat for All Seasons: The Unity and the Shape of the Tales of Belkin”. Slavic Review 30.4 (1971): 749–751. Web.
*Ledbetter, Steven: Program Notes for concert by MIT Symphony Orchestra, 9 Dec. 2005.
*Ward, Dennis. “The Structure of Pushkin's 'tales of Belkin'”. The Slavonic and East European Review 33.81 (1955): 520–521. Web.
External links
Parallel Russian-English text of the novel in ParallelBook formatThe Structure of Pushkin's 'Tales of Belkin'Pushkin's Saturnine Cupid: The Poetics of Parody in The Tales of BelkinThe Other Pushkin: a study of Alexander Pushkin's prose fictionA Scapegoat for All Seasons: The Unity and the Shape of the Tales of Belkin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blizzard
1831 short stories
Short stories by Aleksandr Pushkin