A brief retelling of the Meshchera side for the reader's diary. Meshcherskaya side. Main characters of the story

21.09.2021 Symptoms

Paustovsky Konstantin

Meshcherskaya side

Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky

MESHCHERSKAYA SIDE

ORDINARY EARTH

In the Meshchera region there are no special beauties and riches, except for forests, meadows and clear air. But still this region has great attractive power. He is very modest - just like Levitan's paintings. But in it, as in these paintings, lies all the charm and all the diversity of Russian nature, imperceptible at first glance.

What can you see in the Meshchera region? Flowering or mown meadows, pine forests, floodplains and forest lakes overgrown with black brush, haystacks smelling of dry and warm hay. Hay in stacks keeps you warm all winter.

I have had to spend the night in haystacks in October, when the grass at dawn is covered with frost, like salt. I dug a deep hole in the hay, climbed into it and slept all night in a haystack, as if in a locked room. And over the meadows there was cold rain and the wind came at oblique blows.

In the Meshchera region you can see pine forests, where it is so solemn and quiet that the bell-“chatterer” of a lost cow can be heard far away, almost a kilometer away. But such silence exists in the forests only on windless days. In the wind, the forests rustle with a great ocean roar and the tops of the pine trees bend after the passing clouds.

In the Meshchera region you can see forest lakes with dark water, vast swamps covered with alder and aspen, lonely foresters’ huts charred from old age, sand, juniper, heather, schools of cranes and stars familiar to us at all latitudes.

What can you hear in the Meshchera region except the hum of pine forests? The cries of quails and hawks, the whistle of orioles, the fussy knocking of woodpeckers, the howl of wolves, the rustle of rain in the red needles, the evening cry of an accordion in the village, and at night - the multi-voiced crowing of roosters and the clapper of the village watchman.

But you can see and hear so little only in the first days. Then every day this region becomes richer, more diverse, dearer to the heart. And finally, the time comes when each dead river seems like its own, very familiar, when amazing stories can be told about it.

I broke the custom of geographers. Almost all geographical books begin with the same phrase: “This region lies between such and such degrees of eastern longitude and northern latitude and is bordered in the south by such and such a region, and in the north by such and such.” I will not name the latitudes and longitudes of the Meshchera region. Suffice it to say that it lies between Vladimir and Ryazan, not far from Moscow, and is one of the few surviving forest islands, a remnant of the “great belt of coniferous forests.” It once stretched from Polesie to the Urals. It included forests: Chernigov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Meshchersky, Mordovian and Kerzhensky. Ancient Rus' hid in these forests from Tatar raids.

FIRST MEETING

For the first time I came to the Meshchera region from the north, from Vladimir.

Behind Gus-Khrustalny, at the quiet Tuma station, I changed to a narrow-gauge train. This was a train from Stephenson's time. The locomotive, similar to a samovar, whistled in a child's falsetto. The locomotive had an offensive nickname: “gelding.” He really looked like an old gelding. At the corners he groaned and stopped. Passengers got out to smoke. The silence of the forest stood around the gasping gelding. The smell of wild cloves, warmed by the sun, filled the carriages.

Passengers with things sat on the platforms - things did not fit into the carriage. Occasionally, along the way, bags, baskets, and carpenter's saws began to fly out from the platform onto the canvas, and their owner, often a rather ancient old woman, jumped out to get the things. Inexperienced passengers were frightened, but experienced ones, twisting goat legs and spitting, explained that this was the most convenient way to disembark the train closer to their village.

The narrow-gauge railway in the Meshchera forests is the slowest Railway in the Union.

The stations are littered with resinous logs and smell of fresh felling and wild forest flowers.

At the Pilevo station, a shaggy grandfather climbed into the carriage. He crossed himself to the corner where the round cast-iron stove was rattling, sighed and complained into space:

As soon as they grab me by the beard, go to town and tie up your bast shoes. But there is no consideration that maybe this matter isn’t worth a penny to them. They send me to the museum, where the Soviet government collects cards, price lists, and so on. They send you a statement.

Why are you lying?

Look - there!

The grandfather pulled out the crumpled piece of paper, blew the terry off it and showed it to the neighbor woman.

Manka, read it,” the woman said to the girl, who was rubbing her nose against the window.

Manka pulled her dress over her scratched knees, tucked her legs up and began to read in a hoarse voice:

- “It turns out that unfamiliar birds live in the lake, huge in stature, striped, only three; it is unknown where they flew from - we should take them alive for the museum, and therefore send catchers.”

“This,” the grandfather said sadly, “is why they break the bones of old people now.” And all Leshka is a Komsomol member, Ulcer is a passion! Ugh!

Grandfather spat. Baba wiped her round mouth with the end of her handkerchief and sighed. The locomotive whistled in fear, the forests hummed both to the right and to the left, raging like lakes. The west wind was in charge. The train struggled through its damp streams and was hopelessly late, panting at empty stops.

This is our existence,” the grandfather repeated. “They drove me to the museum last summer, and today is the year again!”

What did you find in the summer? - asked the woman.

Something?

Torchak. Well, the bone is ancient. She was lying in the swamp. Looks like a deer. Horns - from this carriage. Straight passion. They dug it for a whole month. The people were completely exhausted.

Why did he give in? - asked the woman.

The kids will be taught using it.

The following was reported about this find in “Research and Materials of the Regional Museum”:

“The skeleton went deep into the bog, not providing support for the diggers. We had to undress and go down into the bog, which was extremely difficult due to the icy temperature of the spring water. The huge horns, like the skull, were intact, but extremely fragile due to complete maceration (soaking ) bones. The bones were broken right in the hands, but as they dried, the hardness of the bones was restored."

The skeleton of a gigantic fossil Irish deer with an antlers span of two and a half meters was found.

My acquaintance with Meshchera began with this meeting with the shaggy grandfather. Then I heard many stories about mammoth teeth, and about treasures, and about mushrooms the size of human head. But this first story on the train stuck in my mind especially sharply.

ANTIQUE MAP

With great difficulty I got a map of the Meshchera region. There was a note on it: “The map was compiled from old surveys made before 1870.” I had to fix this map myself. The river beds have changed. Where there were swamps on the map, in some places a young pine forest was already rustling; In place of other lakes there were swamps.

K. Paustovsky - story “Meshcherskaya Side”. Nature for K. Paustovsky is not only beautiful pictures of fields, hills, rivers and lakes, blue skies in his works. This is also an expression of love for native land, to Russian nature. The feeling of nature for Paustovsky is an integral element of the feeling of the Motherland; it is nature that teaches a person moral purity, spiritual integrity, an interested, caring attitude towards the past of his country, towards people, towards language and way of life.

Nature is always the focus of this writer. He traveled a lot and reflected his impressions in his best works. Paustovsky was especially attracted to the nature of central Russia with its quiet, harmonious, slightly sad life. The story “Meshcherskaya Side” tells us about such nature. “In the Meshchersky region there are no special beauties and riches, except for forests, meadows and clear air. But still this region has great attractive power. He is very modest - just like Levitan’s paintings. But in it, as in these paintings, lies all the charm and all the diversity of Russian nature, imperceptible at first glance.”

The story consists of 15 chapters and essays, each of which represents an independent work. The chapters are not connected by a common plot, but at the same time they are united by a common hero-narrator, a wanderer traveling through the wilds of untouched, almost wild nature. In “The Meshcherskaya Side” the writer opens a new view of the world - this is the desire for harmony of all living things, the desire to resolve and overcome all contradictions between man and nature.

In the story, the writer creates beautiful pictures of modest Russian nature. By what means is this achieved? The writer uses an unusually colorful color palette, unusual, figurative comparisons, epithets: we see “lilac bells in the clearings,” the lake glitters like “a black, askew mirror,” the sunset gilds the trees with “ancient gilding,” “Venus lights up with blue crystal at dawn.” "

But, in addition to the varied color scheme, the writer draws our attention to the various sounds with which these places are saturated. Here the writer often uses the technique of personification. Paustovsky’s Meshchera region is noisy, ringing, singing in different voices. “The dawn is still smoldering in the west, a bittern is screaming in the thickets of wolf berries, and cranes are muttering and fiddling on the moss, disturbed by the smoke of the fire,” “The fog rustles in the garden,” “Flocks of birds scatter to the sides with a whistle and a slight noise,” “The bowler hat is angry and mutters on the fire. For some reason we speak in a whisper - we are afraid to scare away the dawn. Heavy ducks rush by with a tin whistle.” The silence on Meshchera is also very attractive, when the bell of a lost cow can be heard by a traveler a kilometer away.

In addition, the Meshchera region is a land of special forest smells. The heroes’ hands smell of “smoke and lingonberries,” the bathhouse smells of “apples, cleanly washed floors,” and the garden “smells of rain—a gentle and at the same time pungent smell of moisture, damp garden paths.” When the hero leaves on a foggy morning on a boat, he “can no longer smell the smoke of rural stoves.” Ahead of him is a “desert September day”: “Ahead is being lost in this huge world of fragrant foliage, herbs, autumn withering, calm waters, clouds, low sky.”

Gradually, the image of the hero-storyteller is more clearly outlined in the story. We see that he is a good-natured person who loves and understands nature, a hunter, fisherman, and is keenly interested in people and the world around him. For Paustovsky, nature and man are inseparable; they cannot exist without each other. And, while painting these beautiful pictures, the author cannot do without the people who live on this earth. These are shepherds, ferrymen, watchmen, foresters - the most ordinary, simple people, but all are wonderful and kind, in each of them the author finds some interesting, bright, memorable feature. Thus, the image of the old basket-maker Stepan, nicknamed “Beard on Poles,” is noteworthy in the story. He sheltered a lost girl in his hut and tells the hero stories about the past of the Meshchera region.

These places are very rich in talent. Thus, the village of Solotcha is the birthplace of the famous engraver Pozhalostin, artists Arkhipov and Malyavin, and sculptor Golubkin. Here the hero-narrator also meets the aunt of Sergei Yesenin, who was born not far from Soloncha.

The event plan of the story is presented by the story of the heroes' campaign to Poganoe Lake and the story of an unlucky Moscow fisherman. In the first story, the heroes almost lost their comrade, the writer Gaidar, who alone went to look for Poganoe Lake, which had a bad reputation among the people. However, then Gaidar was found - another traveler with a compass went in search of him. The story of an unlucky Muscovite fisherman gives the whole story a comical touch. In the image of this man, the author presented us with a hero who is not adapted to life in the forest, in nature. He is awkward, deprives everyone of breakfast, accidentally landing his foot in a cooked egg and breaking a jug of milk. His fish don't bite. When he suddenly managed to catch a huge pike, while he was admiring and admiring it, “the pike took a look, blinked its eye and hit the old man on the cheek with all its might,” knocking off his pince-nez.

Thus, in the story the writer recreates a unique world of pure, pristine nature. And Paustovsky’s main principle is to find the beautiful in the ordinary. He talks about how extraordinary this simple land is. “I love the Meshchera region because it is beautiful, although all its charm is not revealed immediately, but very slowly, gradually. At first glance, this is a quiet and unwise land under a dim sky. But the more you get to know it, the more, almost to the point of pain in your heart, you begin to love this ordinary land. And if I have to defend my country, then somewhere in the depths of my heart I will know that I am also defending this piece of land, which taught me to see and understand beauty, no matter how inconspicuous in appearance it may be - this thoughtful forest land, love for who will never be forgotten, just as first love is never forgotten.”

A fascinating poem filled with bright and warm colors about boundless and complete love for one’s native and beloved place. This poem was one of the most beloved and expensive works of the great literary artist Konstantin Paustovsky.

The writer conveys to readers that this amazing and unique region attracts him not for any beauty or wealth, but solely for the transparent and clean air that envelops the Meshchera swamps, for the simple and open people, for all the colors and smells of Russian nature. The author even compares these places with the paintings of the famous Russian artist Levitan, in which each work is filled with something familiar, light and unobtrusive.

Paustovsky vividly reveals the deep beauty of flowering meadows, the smells of pine forests and mown grass, the amazing sounds of the wind, thunderstorms reminiscent of an entire orchestra. In general, Paustovsky pays a lot of attention in his work to the sounds of nature, namely: the distant sound of the bells of a grazing cow, the hysterical howl of a wolf, the knocking of a woodpecker on a tree, the singing of forest birds, the sound of awakening accompanied by the crowing of Meshchera roosters, which especially sank into the heart of the author.

The author puts into his work an immense and selfless love for the homeland, native and beloved places, their beauties and simply for the earth. Paustovsky highlights the point that under any circumstances, or in the event of war, he will not hesitate to go to defend the places dear to his heart and soul, and thereby gives a vivid lesson of complete dedication not only to the Meshchera side, but to the homeland as a whole.

Read the summary Meshcherskaya side Paustovsky

Paustovsky also vividly describes all the simplicity and good nature of the local residents of the Meshcherskaya side. He describes their life and everyday life in colors and details. The story tells that in the Meshchera side there live old people who love to have long conversations, ferrymen, basket makers, and watchmen. Paustovsky also describes frequent meetings with his grandfather Stepan, who acquired the nickname “Beard on Poles” because of his very thin body. Paustovsky with trepidation highlights in the story the overnight stay with Stepan, and their conversations about life, the tsarist regime, forests and other topics. Grandfather Stepan emphasizes how many opportunities appeared for village women who were severely deprived of any rights under the regime of the Tsar and his power.

He also especially emphasizes that the Ryazan region is very filled with different talented people. And, here in absolutely every house you can find paintings painted by either grandfathers or fathers; the region is also very rich in icon painters. He recalls his meetings with the aunt of the great Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, from whom he constantly bought milk.

Paustovsky also describes his life in a tent, in the forest. The author is surprised that, despite the fact that he sleeps quite little, he is completely filled with cheerfulness and good mood. Next, he talks about his life in a bathhouse converted into a residential building. However, the author spends his nights more often in the fresh air in an old dilapidated gazebo located in the garden near the house. I especially like to spend the night in it in the fall and feel when cool gusts of breeze sway the candle on the table, and a flying butterfly lands on an open book. He also describes his morning, which he starts with a cup of tea, and then goes fishing.

The author describes the Meshchera forests very majestically, comparing them with cathedrals. In Meshchera, there are also lakes with various shades of colors, most of them are black, but there are also purple, yellow, blue and pewter in color. Paustovsky also compares the Meshchersky meadows to the sea, among which the old bed of the Prorva River flows. It is described that this river has tall, human-sized grass growing along its steep banks. Every autumn Paustovsky stops along the banks of this river, spending the night in a tent insulated with hay. Throughout the story, all the selfless love for this region and these places can be clearly and characteristically traced.

Paustovsky also emphasizes that his love is not based on the presence of any natural resources and wealth, but simply because of the quiet and calm beauty, filled with sincerity and comfort.

About the story

The work is a prose poem that tells about the writer’s native land.

This region is very dear to the heart, even though it does not have any untold riches. But its nature is indescribably beautiful: clean air, endless meadows and fields, quiet pine forests, rivers and lakes, as well as haystacks that smell so pleasant of fresh grass. The author says that all this nature is incredibly simple, but this is its eternal true beauty.

The nature depicted in the “Meshcherskaya Side” is, as it were, the personification of all Russian nature. Paustovsky repeatedly recalls spending October nights in a haystack, when it is cold and rainy outside, but in the haystack it is incredibly warm and cozy.

The sounds of living nature itself are described no less interestingly. For example, the way pine trees make noise when the wind disturbs them with its gusts. Or how quiet it is sometimes in the forest, that you can hear even the most muffled sounds that are heard somewhere very far away. The author says that the soul of a Russian person is incredibly pleased by the simplest sounds, such as the singing and cries of birds, the knocking of a woodpecker, as well as the sounds of an accordion, which can so often be heard in the evening.

How amazing are the lakes in calm weather, when nothing disturbs their smooth water surface. The swamps of the Meshchera region, which are surrounded by aspens and alders, and also covered with countless mosses, sank especially deeply into the writer’s soul. These places are always very fresh and “smell” of their native land.

And, of course, if you turn your gaze to the sky, it will enchant any person. During the day it can be a bright blue color, without a single cloud. And at night the vault of heaven will amaze with the abundance of stars.

Picture or drawing Meshchera side

Ordinary land

At the beginning of the book, the narrator introduces readers to this land, gives brief description. At the same time, he notes that this region is unremarkable. There is clean air, meadows, lakes. All this is beautiful, but there is nothing special. The Meshcherskaya side also mentions the location of the area; it is located not far from Moscow, between Vladimir and Ryazan.

First meeting

The narrator came to Meshchera from Vladimir while traveling by train on a narrow-gauge railway. At one of the stations, a shaggy grandfather climbed into the carriage and was sent to the museum with a notice. The letter says that in the swamp there live two very large birds, striped, of an unknown species. They need to be caught and taken to the museum. The grandfather also said that a “stick” was found there - huge antlers of an ancient deer.

Vintage map

The author took out a map of this region, a very old one. Surveys of the area were taken before 1870. There were many inaccuracies in the diagram; the lakes had changed, the lakes had become swampy, and new forests had appeared. However, despite all the difficulties, the narrator preferred to use the map rather than the tips of the local residents. The fact is that the natives explained in too much detail and confusion where to go, but many of the signs turned out to be inaccurate, and some were not found at all.

A few words about signs

The author claims that creating and finding signs is a very exciting activity. He then shares some observations. Some signs persist for a long time, others do not. However, real ones are considered to be related to time and weather. Among them there are simple ones, for example, the height of the smoke. There are difficult ones, for example, when the fish suddenly stop biting, and the rivers seem to be dead. This happens before bad weather. Can't display all the beauties summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) admires the nature of Russia.

Return to map

The author, using a map, briefly describes on what lands the Meshchersky region is located. At the bottom of the diagram is Oka. The river separates 2 completely different spaces. To the south are inhabited fertile Ryazan lands, to the north is a swampy plain. In the western part there is Borovaya Side: a dense pine forest in which many lakes are hidden.

Mshary

This is the name of the swamps of the Meshchera region. Overgrown lakes cover an area of hundreds of thousands of hectares. Wooded “islands” are sometimes found among the swamps.

It is worth adding the following case to the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) talks about one of the walks.

One day the author and his friends decided to go to Poganoe Lake. It was located among swamps and was famous for its large cranberries and huge toadstools. It was difficult to walk through the forest where there was a fire a year ago. The travelers quickly got tired. They decided to relax on one of the “islands”. The writer Gaidar was also in the company. He decided that he would look for a way to the lake while the others rested. However, the writer did not return for a long time, and the friends became alarmed: it was already dark and one of the company began to search. Soon he returned with Gaidar. The latter said that he climbed a pine tree and saw this lake: the water there is black, rare weak pine trees stand around, some have already fallen. A very scary lake, as Gaidar said, and the friends decided not to go there, but to get out onto solid ground.

The narrator reached the place a year later. The shores of Poganoe Lake were floating and consisted of tightly intertwined roots and mosses. The water was really black, and bubbles were rising from the bottom. It was impossible to stand still for long: my legs began to sink. However, the fishing was good, the author and his friends caught perch, which earned the women in the village the reputation of “inveterate people.”

The story written by Paustovsky contains many other interesting incidents. “Meshcherskaya side” received different reviews, but mostly positive.

Forest rivers and canals

The map of the Meshchera region shows forests with white spots in the depths, as well as two rivers: Solotcha and Pra. The first water is red in color, on the shore there is a lonely inn, and almost no one settles on the banks of the second.

There are also many channels marked on the map. They were laid during the time of Alexander II. Then they wanted to drain the swamps and populate them, but the land turned out to be poor. Now the canals are overgrown, and only birds, fish and

As you can see, in the story written by Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”), the main characters are forests, meadows, and lakes. The author tells us about them.

Forests

Meshchera pine forests are majestic, the trees are tall and straight, the air is transparent, the sky is clearly visible through the branches. There are also spruce forests, oak forests, and groves in this region.

The author lives in the forests in a tent for several days, sleeps little, but feels cheerful. One day he and his friends were fishing on Black Lake in a rubber boat. They were attacked with a sharp and durable fin, which could easily damage the floating craft. The friends turned to the shore. There was a she-wolf standing there with her cubs; as it turned out, her hole was next to the tent. The predator was driven away, but the camp had to be moved.

The lakes of the Meshchersky region have water of different colors, but most often it is black. This is due to the peat bottom. However, there are purple, yellow, blue and tin ponds.

Meadows

Between the forests and the Oka there are meadows that look like the sea. They hide the old river bed, already overgrown with grass. It's called Prorva. The author lives in those places for a long time every autumn.

A slight digression from the topic

It is impossible not to insert the following episode into the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) talks about such a case.

One day an old man with silver teeth came to the village of Solotche. He fished with a spinning rod, but local fishermen despised the English fishing rod. The guest was unlucky: he tore off the spoons, dragged snags, but could not pull out a single fish. And the local boys successfully fished with a simple rope. One day the old man was lucky: he pulled out a huge pike, began to examine it and admire it. But the fish took advantage of this delay: it hit the elderly man on the cheek and dived into the river. After this, the old man packed all his things and left for Moscow.

More about meadows

In the Meshchera region there are many lakes with strange names, often “telling”. For example, beavers once lived in Bobrovskoye, bog oaks lie at the bottom of Hotts, Selyanskoye is full of ducks, Byk is very large, etc. The names also appear in the most unexpected way, for example, the author called the lake Lombard because of the bearded watchman.

Old men

Let's continue with the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) also describes the life of rural people.

Talkative old men, watchmen, basket makers, and ferrymen live in the meadows. The author often met with Stepan, nicknamed Beard on the Poles. That's what he was called because of his extreme thinness. One day the narrator was caught in the rain, and he had to spend the night with Grandfather Stepan. The basket maker began to remember that previously all the forests belonged to monasteries. Then he talked about how hard life was under the Tsar, but now it’s much better. He told me about Manka Malavina, the singer. Previously, she would not have been able to leave for Moscow.

Homeland of Talents

There are many talented people in Solotch; in almost every hut there hang beautiful paintings drawn by grandfather or father. Famous artists were born and raised here. The daughter of the engraver Pozhalostina lives in the house next door. Nearby is Aunt Yesenina, the author bought milk from her. Icon painters once lived in Solotch.

My house

The narrator rents a bathhouse converted into a residential building. However, he rarely spends the night in the hut. Usually sleeps in a gazebo in the garden. In the mornings he boils tea in the bathhouse and then goes fishing.

Unselfishness

Let's mention the last part, ending brief retelling. “Meshcherskaya Side” (Paustovsky K. G.) shows that the author loves these places not for their riches, but for their quiet, calm beauty. He knows that in case of war he will defend not only his homeland, but this land too.

Brief Analysis

In his work, the writer talks about the Meshchera region and shows its beauty. All the forces of nature come to life, and ordinary phenomena cease to be so: rain or a thunderstorm become threatening, the chirping of birds is compared to an orchestra, etc. The language of the story, despite its apparent simplicity, is very poetic and is replete with various artistic techniques.

At the end of the work, the author talks about selfless love for his land. This idea can be seen throughout the story. The writer briefly mentions natural resources; much more he describes the beauty of nature, the simple and kind nature of the local residents. And he always claims that this is much more valuable than a lot of peat or forest. Wealth is not only in resources, but also in people, Paustovsky shows. “The Meshchera Side,” the analysis of which is being considered, was written based on the actual observations of the author.

The Ryazan region, in which the Meshcherskaya side is located, was not Paustovsky’s native land. But the warmth and extraordinary feelings that he felt here make the writer a true son of this land.

Ordinary land

At the beginning of the book, the narrator introduces readers to this land and gives a brief description. At the same time, he notes that this region is unremarkable. There is clean air, pine forests, meadows, lakes. All this is beautiful, but there is nothing special. Konstantin Paustovsky also mentions the location of the area: the Meshcherskaya side is located not far from Moscow, between Vladimir and Ryazan.

First meeting

Vintage map

The author took out a map of this region, a very old one. Surveys of the area were taken before 1870. There were many inaccuracies in the diagram, river beds had changed, lakes had become swampy, and new forests had appeared. However, despite all the difficulties, the narrator preferred to use the map rather than the tips of the local residents. The fact is that the natives explained in too much detail and confusion where to go, but many of the signs turned out to be inaccurate, and some were not found at all.

A few words about signs

The author claims that creating and finding signs is a very exciting activity. He then shares some observations. Some signs persist for a long time, others do not. However, real ones are considered to be related to time and weather. Among them there are simple ones, for example, the height of the smoke. There are difficult ones, for example, when the fish suddenly stop biting, and the rivers seem to be dead. This happens before bad weather. A brief summary cannot reflect all the beauties. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) admires the nature of Russia.

Return to map

Mshary

This is the name of the swamps of the Meshchera region. Overgrown lakes cover an area of hundreds of thousands of hectares. Wooded “islands” are sometimes found among the swamps.

It is worth adding the following case to the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) talks about one of the walks.

One day the author and his friends decided to go to Poganoe Lake. It was located among swamps and was famous for its large cranberries and huge toadstools. It was difficult to walk through the forest where there was a fire a year ago. The travelers quickly got tired. They decided to relax on one of the “islands”. The writer Gaidar was also in the company. He decided that he would look for a way to the lake while the others rested. However, the writer did not return for a long time, and the friends became alarmed: it was already dark and the wolves began to howl. One of the company went in search. Soon he returned with Gaidar. The latter said that he climbed a pine tree and saw this lake: the water there is black, rare weak pine trees stand around, some have already fallen. A very scary lake, as Gaidar said, and the friends decided not to go there, but to get out onto solid ground.

The story written by Paustovsky contains many other interesting incidents. “Meshcherskaya side” received different reviews, but mostly positive.

Forest rivers and canals

As you can see, in the story written by Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”), the main characters are forests, meadows, and lakes. The author tells us about them.

Forests

The author lives in the forests in a tent for several days, sleeps little, but feels cheerful. One day he and his friends were fishing on Black Lake in a rubber boat. They were attacked by a huge pike with a sharp and durable fin, which could easily damage the craft. The friends turned to the shore. There was a she-wolf standing there with her cubs; as it turned out, her hole was next to the tent. The predator was driven away, but the camp had to be moved.

The lakes of the Meshchersky region have water of different colors, but most often it is black. This is due to the peat bottom. However, there are purple, yellow, blue and tin ponds.

Meadows

A slight digression from the topic

It is impossible not to insert the following episode into the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) talks about such a case.

More about meadows

In the Meshchera region there are many lakes with strange names, often “telling”. For example, beavers once lived in Bobrovskoye, bog oaks lie at the bottom of Hotz, Selyanskoye is full of ducks, Byk is very large, etc. Names also appear in the most unexpected way, for example, the author named the lake Lombard because of the bearded watchman.

Old men

Let's continue with the summary. Paustovsky (“Meshcherskaya Side”) also describes the life of rural people.

Homeland of Talents

My house

Unselfishness

Let us mention the last part, ending the brief retelling. “Meshcherskaya Side” (Paustovsky K. G.) shows that the author loves these places not for their riches, but for their quiet, calm beauty. He knows that in case of war he will defend not only his homeland, but this land too.

Brief Analysis

The Ryazan region, in which the Meshcherskaya side is located, was not Paustovsky’s native land. But the warmth and extraordinary feelings that he felt here make the writer a true son of this land.