"Antonov's apples": a summary of the story of Ivan Bunin

The story "Antonov's apples" Bunin wrote in 1900. The author gradually immerses the reader in his nostalgic memories, creating the right atmosphere, by describing sensations, colors, smells and sounds.

"Antonov's apples": a summary (1 chapter)

The lyrical hero remembers how they lived before in the landowner's estate. He remembers the early warm autumn. It's dry in the garden, it's thinned out. A subtle smell of fallen foliage and aroma of Antonovka are heard. Apples gardeners sell right in the garden, then poured into carts and sent to the city.

Running out into the night garden and talking to the guards, the hero looks long into the deep and dark blue of the sky, strewn with stars. He looks until the ground begins to spin under his feet. And there will be no feeling of happiness.

"Antonov's apples": a brief summary (Chapter 2)

If a good harvest of Antonov apples - and the bread will be harvest. So, the year will be good.

The hero remembers his village Vyselki, which even during his grandfather's lifetime everyone considered rich. There, the age of the old and the old women lasted for a long time, which was considered the first sign of prosperity. The peasants' houses were solid, brick. The life of the courtesans of average prosperity differed little from the life of rich men. Anna Gerasimovna, aunt of the hero, the estate was small, strong, although old. Centenary trees surrounded it.

The aunt's garden was known for its wonderful apple trees, the singing of nightingales and turtledoves, and the thatched roof of her house was incredibly thick and very high. Under the influence of time it hardened and turned black. The house smelled of apples, and then other flavors were also felt: the smell of the red wood of old furniture and lime-colored.

"Antonov's apples": a summary (Chapter 3)

He remembered the hero-narrator and his late brother-in-law Arseny Semenovich. He was a landowner and a desperate hunter. In his spacious house many people gathered. At first all together densely dined, and then went on hunting. The horn was already blowing in the yard, and many-voiced dog barking was heard. The favorite hostess black greyhound jumped on the table and ate out the hare baked under the sauce directly from the dish. The hero remembers how he rides on a strong, squat and terrible evil Kirghiz: before the eyes of the trees and flash, and in the distance can be heard dog barking and the cries of other hunters. From deep ravines pulls damp, smells of mushrooms and damp bark of trees. It begins to darken, the hunters all fall into the idle estate of one of the company and live with him sometimes for several days.

If you spend the whole day on the hunt, the warmth of a densely populated home becomes especially pleasant.

If you accidentally miss hunting, then the whole day then you will spend in the library of the host, leafing through magazines and books of past years, reviewing the notes of previous readers in the fields. Fill the soul with sad memories of grandmother polonaise, that she played at the clavichord, and languid reading her poems by Pushkin.

And the old dreamy noble life stands before our eyes ... Beautiful souls of women and girls then lived in large and wealthy noble estates! Portraits of them even today look from the walls.

"Antonov's apples": a summary (chapter 4)

But the old men all died in the settlement, Anna Gerasimovna died away, Arseny Semenovich shot himself a bullet in the forehead.

It is time for poor, impoverished nobles who own small estates. But this life, too small, is good! The hero had the opportunity to observe the life of a neighbor, being his guest. When he got up early, he ordered the samovar to be installed immediately. Then, shod in boots, he goes out onto the porch, where the hounds run to him. Yes, the day promises to be wonderful for hunting! But, the hunter is lamenting, it's necessary to hunt with the greyhounds on the Black Hundreds, and not with the hounds, but they do not have it! As soon as winter comes, again, as in ancient times, small-landed people come together all together. They spend the rest of their money and spend the whole day on winter hunt in the fields. In the late evening, the windows of some deaf farm are glowing in the dark. In the wing, a flaky fire burns dimly, smoke is bubbling, there they sing, and the guitar sounds ...

"Antonov's apples" ... a brief description is not capable of recreating the world of an old noble manor. Is it possible, when reading it, to penetrate deep into the subtlest Bunin lyric poetry, where all the old events are experienced by the reader as if they were taking place before his eyes?