Summary. Leskov "Lefty" - a story about a talent lost by a country that does not protect its true wealth

Among the pleiad of the most famous Russian writers, it differs, perhaps, the greatest adherence to the Russian national tradition. The writer's inner conviction is that everything beautiful and exciting must be sought and found on his native land, has vivid confirmation in the written works. His heroes are invariably "little great people". Characters - simple, but necessarily bright: eccentrics and the righteous, rebels and wanderers. The writer can not, in modern language, "calculate" as a narrator, understand his secret, personal attitude to the exposition. He is both mocking and delighted, ironic and simple, sublime and consistent. Such is the writer from God - Nikolai Semenovich Leskov. The short story of the story "Lefty" (however, literary critics call the creation a story) when reading assures: the work is both an artistic and authentic retelling of real events.

The story was created by the writer on the basis of history, turned folk narrators into a legend. Here is the summary. "Lefty" Leskov begins with the acquisition in the English Kunstkammer by Emperor Alexander I of a technical miracle - a miniature dancing flea. They marveled at the technical miracle and forgot. But the next king, Nicholas I, pays attention to him, who ascended to the throne after the sudden death of his father, which happened near Taganrog. The Emperor sends the Cossack Platov to the Tula masters, urging them from the royal name to create the impossible - to surpass the art of foreigners. Three masters, praying before the icon of St. Nicholas and taking a flea from Platov, are locked in the house of the oblique Lefty and - here it is, a real miracle.

Continue to retell the summary. Leskov "Lefty" is a work that gradually narrows down the narrative to describe the steps in the "land of england" of one single character - a unique self-taught person from the people. The master from Tula has earned this "voyage", because he managed to mobilize all his skills and "put on" in the work. This is very artistically shown by the writer. Platov, taking the flea from Levshi's hands, first notices only that the mechanism does not work. In anger, he "rubs" the commoner. However, on the advice of the latter, taking advantage of the "melkoscope," he notices the horseshoes on the legs of a steel insect. And when the master informs that each forging is marked by its brand and fastened with nails made by Levsha himself, Platov understands that the task set by the king with brilliance is fulfilled. From this moment the story acquires a great deal of documentary.

What kind of thought becomes obvious, if we state not even the entire work, but only its brief content? Leskov's "Lefty" is a story imbued with the writer's pain that "between the lines" pains that never for a man our country, whatever it was, was not a value. Nikolai Semyonovich tells us with bitterness, with laughter and tears, in the language in which Levsha's contemporaries would retell the story. (Leskov called his own creative style based on facts "to collect a mosaic.") Is this idea relevant today for the Russian land? You will understand this if you try yourself honestly to answer the question of whether it is easy for our artisan man who is not speculating, not reselling, but working according to his conscience, to be successful and prosperous.

Let's return to Levsey. Masters disguise and with the delegation sent on a ship to England. What is the manner of behavior of this, in effect, commoner, forced to perform representative "power" function? What does not even cover the summary? Leskov "Lefty" - a patriotic creation about the dignity, nowhere losing self-control, behaves like a hero. On the one hand, Western masters are disgraced - the level of the Russian master exceeded their own by an order of magnitude. But on the other hand, here he is accompanied by success and recognition, the British appreciate the masters, he is promised assistance if he decides to get married and settle on Foggy Albion. Lefties show industrial manufactories, trying to impress him. But he does not bow his head in Russian in front of foreign curiosities. However, the inquisitive look of the guest catches useful organizational and technical innovations.

The yearning for the homeland wins, the masters are sent to Petersburg, it is accompanied by a British skipper. On the way, men argue on a bet "who will drink to whom." Already in the city on the Neva, carelessly removing the senseless Left-hander from the ship (apparently, it is simply dropped like a sack), he is mortally smashed by the head, then sent to a common folk house for the dying. When in the morning the sobered skipper found his Russian friend at death, he hurried for help.

What will we see while continuing to study the summary? Leskov "Lefty" - a story that reliably points to the names of historical personalities indifferent to ordinary people bringing glory to Russia. They are not interested in "some man": the excited Englishman at first rushes for help to Count Kleinmichel, then to Platov, then to commandant Skobelev, but everywhere he faces arrogant indifference. The last one for the pro forma sends the healer, but that one is useless - Left-hander withdraws.

The last words of the master are addressed to the sovereign. His advice is quite sensible: he recommends, in English experience, that the Russian military stop spoiling guns, cleaning their trunks with bricks. (How is this actual on the eve of the Crimean company!) It's sad. The pearl is lost. A simple man from the people made a great service to his native land. He became a legend, raised the prestige of Russia (which was beyond the strength of either counts or princes), benefited everyone except himself. To him reacted consumerly. As always: they did not save, did not support, like Vysotsky, like Bashlachev ...

On the example of the story "Lefty" we once again see: the writer, master of small-form works, demonstrates no less than the authors of epic novels, multi-layered, non-linear dynamics of plot development. His speech is always alive, folk. The writer reverently respects the word, he believes that if you can not serve your Truth and Good with your pen, literature is not for you.

The main thing, what bribes Nikolai Semenovich, he believes in the future renewal of the country, as well as the fact that the true Russian character will be the key to it.