Chapter Summaries: Dole: Denisof and Nikolai at the front. The earth hut. Mashka's sweetwort. Games. Denisof in trouble. Denisof's indignation. His fit. Exaggerated account of Denisof's behavior. Denisof's obstinate gallantry. Wounded.
Briggs: Denisov illegally seizes supplies from his own army and is wounded
Maude: Denisov seizes transports of food, gets into trouble, is wounded
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Denisov seizes a supply transport. Threatened with court-martial. Wounded by French sniper.
XVI. In the month of April the troops livened up at the news about the arrival of the sovereign to the army. Rostov did not succeed in getting into the review which the sovereign did at Bartenstein: the Pavlograd were standing at the outposts, a long way ahead of Bartenstein. They were standing in bivouacs. Denisov with Rostov lived in a dug for them by the soldiers dugout, covered in twigs and turf. The dugout was arranged for the next to enter in the then in fashion way: a ditch broke to one and a half arshins of width, two in depth and three and a half in length. From one end of the ditch were stairs, and this was the descent to the porch; the ditch itself was the room in which were the happy, as the squadron commander, at the far, the opposite side of the steps, lied an on stakes board — this was the table. From both parts along the ditch was an arshin of land, and this had two beds and a sofa. The roof was arranged so that in the middle one could stand, but at the bed one could even sit, if they were to move nearer to the table. Denisov, living luxuriously because of how the soldiers of his squadron loved him, was still boarded in pediment roofs, and this board was broken, but glued to glass. When it was very cold, the steps (in the reception room, as Denisov called this part of the booth), were brought on an iron curved sheet heated from the soldier’s bonfires, and made so heated that the officers, who always happened to be with Denisov and Rostov, were sitting in only shirts. In the month of April Rostov was on duty. In the 8th hour of the morning, returning home after a sleepless night, he told to bring heat, changed the soggy from rain linen, prayed to God, drank tea, warmed up, removed in order things on his corner and on the table, and with a weathered, burning face, in only a shirt, lied down on his back, and laid down his hand under his head. He nicely pondered about how on the next day he should exit to the next rank for his last reconnaissance, and saw something released by Denisov. Rostov wanted to talk with him. Behind the hut was heard the rolling shout of Denisov, obviously flaming up. Rostov moved to the window to look with whom he had business, and saw Master Sentinel Topcheenko. — I ordered you to not let them eat this root, Mashkin something! — shouted Denisov. — I myself saw Lazarchuk from the field dragging it. — I ordered, your high nobility, they do not listen, — was the response of the master sentinel. Rostov again lied down on his bed and with pleasure thought: "let him now tinker, busy, I have finished off my business and lie — fine!" From behind the walls he heard that besides the master sentinel, still spoke Lavrushka, this jaunty rogue lackey of Denisov. Lavrushka talked about some kind of carts, breadcrumbs and bulls, which he saw, driving for provisions. Behind the booth was heard again the receding shout of Denisov and the words: "Saddle! Second platoon!" "Where is this gathered?" thought Rostov. In five minutes Denisov entered in the booth, climbed with dirty feet onto the bed, angrily smoked a pipe, scattered all his things, allotted with his whip and saber and began to exit from the dugouts. To the question of Rostov, what? He angrily and vaguely responded that this is business. — Judge me there God and great sovereign! — said Denisov, exiting; and Rostov heard how behind the booth several horse legs spanking in the mud. Rostov did not take care to even know where Denisov went. Sunken in his corner, he slept and only before night got out alone from the booth. Denisov had still not returned. At night roamed about the neighboring dugouts two officers with a cadet playing in the pile, with laughter planting radishes in the loose dirty land. Rostov joined them. In the middle of the game the officers saw driving by them wagons: 15 hussars on thin horses followed behind them. The wagons, escorted by the hussars, pulled up to the hitching posts, and the crowd of hussars surrounded them. — Well here Denisov was all grieved, — said Rostov, — here provisions have arrived. — And that! — said the officers. — those sweetheart soldiers! — A little behind the hussars rode Denisov, accompanied by two infantry officers, with whom he about something talked. Rostov went towards him. — I am warning you, captain, — spoke one of the officers, lean, little by height and apparently embittered. — I said that I will not give, — was the response of Denisov. — You will respond, captain, this is unruly behavior, — their transports were beat off! For two day we have not eaten. — But I have for two weeks not eaten, — was the response of Denisov. — This is robbery, answer, gracious sir! — raising his voice, repeated the infantry officer. — And what do you stick with me? Ah? — shouted Denisov, suddenly inflamed, — I will respond, but not you, but you are here not buzzing while intact. March! — he shouted at the officers. — Okay already! — not shy and not driving off, shouted the little officer, — You rob, so I to you... — March in a damn fast step, while intact. — and Denisov turned the horse to the officer. — Okay, okay, — spoke the officer from the threat, and, turning his horse, went away trotting, shaking in his saddle. — Dog on a fence, lively dog on a fence, — said Denisov following him— the highest mockery to a cavalryman is an infantry on horseback, — and, driving to Rostov, burst out laughing. — Repulsed the infantry, repulsed the force of the transport! — he said. — What the same, not with hunger again gasp the people? The wagons that were pulled up to the hussars were assigned to the infantry regiment, but, being notified through Lavrushka that this transport was going alone, Denisov with the hussars forcibly repulsed it. The soldiers distributed bread at free will, divided evenly with the other squadrons. On the next day, the regimental commander called to himself Denisov and said to him, closed open fingers to his eyes: "I on this here look so, I know nothing and the affairs did not begin; but I advise you to go to the staff and there, at the supply department settle this business, and, if possible, sign how you received so many provisions; otherwise the case demands to be written in the infantry regiment: the business rises and may run out and charge badly." Denisov all from the regimental commander groaned in the staff, with sincere desire to perform his advice. At night he returned to their dugout in such a position, in which Rostov had still never seen his friend. Denisov could not speak and was gasping for breath. When Rostov asked him what was with him, he was only hoarse and with a weak voice uttered incomprehensible swear words and threats. In a scared position for Denisov, Rostov suggested to him to undress, drink water and sent for a doctor. — I am for robbery judged — Oh! Give more water — let me be judged, but I will, always will beat scoundrels, and tell the sovereign, Give ice, — he sentenced. The coming regimental healer said that it was necessary to let blood. A deep plate of black blood exited from the furry hand of Denisov, and then only was he in a condition to say everything that was with him. — I come, — talked Denisov. —"Well, why are you here chief?" I showed. —"Whether or not you waited for anything." —"I am in service, I for 30 versts had arrived, I wait once and report." Okay, exit this chief thief: also thinking to teach me: "This is robbery!" —"Robbery, I speak, is not those who take provisions, so that to feed their soldiers, but those who take it so that to place it in their pocket!" Okay. "Sign, speak at the agent, but your business will be delivered by command." I come to the agent. I enter — behind the table... who again?! No, you think!...Who again burns us with hunger, — shouted Denisov, hitting his sick fist sick on the table so hard that the table barely did not fall and glasses jumped on it. — Telyanin!!" How, you and I with hunger starve?!" Time and time his face was so clever..."Ah!.. So sloppy," ...and he started to roll! But amused, he can talk, — shouted Denisov, happily and viciously from below the black mustache grinned his white teeth. — I would have killed him, if I was not taken away. — And for what are you shouting, calm down, — spoke Rostov: — Here — again blood went. — Wait again, need to bandage it. Denisov was bandaged and lied sleeping. On the next day he awoke merry and calm. But at noon the adjutant of the regiment with a severe and sad face came to the dugout of Denisov and Rostov and with regret showed a uniform paper to Major Denisov from the regimental commander, who made requests about yesterday’s incident. The adjutant informed that the business must accept quite a bad turnover, and that the appointed military court commission presently regarded with severity the looting and self-will of troops, and the happy case may to run a charge of demotion. The business presented with parties offended at seeing that, after driving off the transport, Major Denisov, without any call, drunkenly seeing the appearance of the chief provisions master, called him a thief, threatened him with beatings and when he was withdrawn, rushed into that office, beat two officials and dislocated one arm. Denisov, at the new questions of Rostov, laughingly said that it seems, here exactly something else turned up, but that all this is nonsense, trivial, that he did not think to be afraid of any court, and that should these scoundrels dare to pull him up, he will answer them so that they will remember. Denisov spoke dismissively about all of this case; but Rostov knew him too well to not notice how he in his soul (hiding this from others) was afraid of a trial and tormented by this business, which, obviously, must have bad consequences. Every day came paperwork requests, demands to the court, and the first of May Denisov was prescribed to hand the seniority of his squadron and to appear in the staff division for explanations of the business about the riot at the food commission. On the eve of this day Platov did a reconnaissance of the enemy with two Cossack regiments and two squadrons of hussars. Denisov, as always, left forward in the rows, flaunting his courage. One of the bullets, launched by the French shooters, hit him in the flesh of the upper part of his leg. Maybe, at another time Denisov with such an easy wound would not have left from the regiment, but now he took advantage of this case, was refused from attendance in the division and left to the hospital.
Time: April, eight o'clock in the morning (cut in Bell. between seven and eight in Maude. Past seven in Pevear and Volkhonsky), five minutes later, the evening, the following day, the evening (before dusk in Bell), the next day, noon, 1st of May, the day preceding
Mentioned: two weeks
Locations: far beyond Bartenstein (outposts near... in Bell)
Mentioned: French
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The sovereign is coming to review them, in again what feels like a circular, a repeat.
Briggs: Denisov illegally seizes supplies from his own army and is wounded
Maude: Denisov seizes transports of food, gets into trouble, is wounded
Pevear and Volkhonsky: Denisov seizes a supply transport. Threatened with court-martial. Wounded by French sniper.
XVI. In the month of April the troops livened up at the news about the arrival of the sovereign to the army. Rostov did not succeed in getting into the review which the sovereign did at Bartenstein: the Pavlograd were standing at the outposts, a long way ahead of Bartenstein. They were standing in bivouacs. Denisov with Rostov lived in a dug for them by the soldiers dugout, covered in twigs and turf. The dugout was arranged for the next to enter in the then in fashion way: a ditch broke to one and a half arshins of width, two in depth and three and a half in length. From one end of the ditch were stairs, and this was the descent to the porch; the ditch itself was the room in which were the happy, as the squadron commander, at the far, the opposite side of the steps, lied an on stakes board — this was the table. From both parts along the ditch was an arshin of land, and this had two beds and a sofa. The roof was arranged so that in the middle one could stand, but at the bed one could even sit, if they were to move nearer to the table. Denisov, living luxuriously because of how the soldiers of his squadron loved him, was still boarded in pediment roofs, and this board was broken, but glued to glass. When it was very cold, the steps (in the reception room, as Denisov called this part of the booth), were brought on an iron curved sheet heated from the soldier’s bonfires, and made so heated that the officers, who always happened to be with Denisov and Rostov, were sitting in only shirts. In the month of April Rostov was on duty. In the 8th hour of the morning, returning home after a sleepless night, he told to bring heat, changed the soggy from rain linen, prayed to God, drank tea, warmed up, removed in order things on his corner and on the table, and with a weathered, burning face, in only a shirt, lied down on his back, and laid down his hand under his head. He nicely pondered about how on the next day he should exit to the next rank for his last reconnaissance, and saw something released by Denisov. Rostov wanted to talk with him. Behind the hut was heard the rolling shout of Denisov, obviously flaming up. Rostov moved to the window to look with whom he had business, and saw Master Sentinel Topcheenko. — I ordered you to not let them eat this root, Mashkin something! — shouted Denisov. — I myself saw Lazarchuk from the field dragging it. — I ordered, your high nobility, they do not listen, — was the response of the master sentinel. Rostov again lied down on his bed and with pleasure thought: "let him now tinker, busy, I have finished off my business and lie — fine!" From behind the walls he heard that besides the master sentinel, still spoke Lavrushka, this jaunty rogue lackey of Denisov. Lavrushka talked about some kind of carts, breadcrumbs and bulls, which he saw, driving for provisions. Behind the booth was heard again the receding shout of Denisov and the words: "Saddle! Second platoon!" "Where is this gathered?" thought Rostov. In five minutes Denisov entered in the booth, climbed with dirty feet onto the bed, angrily smoked a pipe, scattered all his things, allotted with his whip and saber and began to exit from the dugouts. To the question of Rostov, what? He angrily and vaguely responded that this is business. — Judge me there God and great sovereign! — said Denisov, exiting; and Rostov heard how behind the booth several horse legs spanking in the mud. Rostov did not take care to even know where Denisov went. Sunken in his corner, he slept and only before night got out alone from the booth. Denisov had still not returned. At night roamed about the neighboring dugouts two officers with a cadet playing in the pile, with laughter planting radishes in the loose dirty land. Rostov joined them. In the middle of the game the officers saw driving by them wagons: 15 hussars on thin horses followed behind them. The wagons, escorted by the hussars, pulled up to the hitching posts, and the crowd of hussars surrounded them. — Well here Denisov was all grieved, — said Rostov, — here provisions have arrived. — And that! — said the officers. — those sweetheart soldiers! — A little behind the hussars rode Denisov, accompanied by two infantry officers, with whom he about something talked. Rostov went towards him. — I am warning you, captain, — spoke one of the officers, lean, little by height and apparently embittered. — I said that I will not give, — was the response of Denisov. — You will respond, captain, this is unruly behavior, — their transports were beat off! For two day we have not eaten. — But I have for two weeks not eaten, — was the response of Denisov. — This is robbery, answer, gracious sir! — raising his voice, repeated the infantry officer. — And what do you stick with me? Ah? — shouted Denisov, suddenly inflamed, — I will respond, but not you, but you are here not buzzing while intact. March! — he shouted at the officers. — Okay already! — not shy and not driving off, shouted the little officer, — You rob, so I to you... — March in a damn fast step, while intact. — and Denisov turned the horse to the officer. — Okay, okay, — spoke the officer from the threat, and, turning his horse, went away trotting, shaking in his saddle. — Dog on a fence, lively dog on a fence, — said Denisov following him— the highest mockery to a cavalryman is an infantry on horseback, — and, driving to Rostov, burst out laughing. — Repulsed the infantry, repulsed the force of the transport! — he said. — What the same, not with hunger again gasp the people? The wagons that were pulled up to the hussars were assigned to the infantry regiment, but, being notified through Lavrushka that this transport was going alone, Denisov with the hussars forcibly repulsed it. The soldiers distributed bread at free will, divided evenly with the other squadrons. On the next day, the regimental commander called to himself Denisov and said to him, closed open fingers to his eyes: "I on this here look so, I know nothing and the affairs did not begin; but I advise you to go to the staff and there, at the supply department settle this business, and, if possible, sign how you received so many provisions; otherwise the case demands to be written in the infantry regiment: the business rises and may run out and charge badly." Denisov all from the regimental commander groaned in the staff, with sincere desire to perform his advice. At night he returned to their dugout in such a position, in which Rostov had still never seen his friend. Denisov could not speak and was gasping for breath. When Rostov asked him what was with him, he was only hoarse and with a weak voice uttered incomprehensible swear words and threats. In a scared position for Denisov, Rostov suggested to him to undress, drink water and sent for a doctor. — I am for robbery judged — Oh! Give more water — let me be judged, but I will, always will beat scoundrels, and tell the sovereign, Give ice, — he sentenced. The coming regimental healer said that it was necessary to let blood. A deep plate of black blood exited from the furry hand of Denisov, and then only was he in a condition to say everything that was with him. — I come, — talked Denisov. —"Well, why are you here chief?" I showed. —"Whether or not you waited for anything." —"I am in service, I for 30 versts had arrived, I wait once and report." Okay, exit this chief thief: also thinking to teach me: "This is robbery!" —"Robbery, I speak, is not those who take provisions, so that to feed their soldiers, but those who take it so that to place it in their pocket!" Okay. "Sign, speak at the agent, but your business will be delivered by command." I come to the agent. I enter — behind the table... who again?! No, you think!...Who again burns us with hunger, — shouted Denisov, hitting his sick fist sick on the table so hard that the table barely did not fall and glasses jumped on it. — Telyanin!!" How, you and I with hunger starve?!" Time and time his face was so clever..."Ah!.. So sloppy," ...and he started to roll! But amused, he can talk, — shouted Denisov, happily and viciously from below the black mustache grinned his white teeth. — I would have killed him, if I was not taken away. — And for what are you shouting, calm down, — spoke Rostov: — Here — again blood went. — Wait again, need to bandage it. Denisov was bandaged and lied sleeping. On the next day he awoke merry and calm. But at noon the adjutant of the regiment with a severe and sad face came to the dugout of Denisov and Rostov and with regret showed a uniform paper to Major Denisov from the regimental commander, who made requests about yesterday’s incident. The adjutant informed that the business must accept quite a bad turnover, and that the appointed military court commission presently regarded with severity the looting and self-will of troops, and the happy case may to run a charge of demotion. The business presented with parties offended at seeing that, after driving off the transport, Major Denisov, without any call, drunkenly seeing the appearance of the chief provisions master, called him a thief, threatened him with beatings and when he was withdrawn, rushed into that office, beat two officials and dislocated one arm. Denisov, at the new questions of Rostov, laughingly said that it seems, here exactly something else turned up, but that all this is nonsense, trivial, that he did not think to be afraid of any court, and that should these scoundrels dare to pull him up, he will answer them so that they will remember. Denisov spoke dismissively about all of this case; but Rostov knew him too well to not notice how he in his soul (hiding this from others) was afraid of a trial and tormented by this business, which, obviously, must have bad consequences. Every day came paperwork requests, demands to the court, and the first of May Denisov was prescribed to hand the seniority of his squadron and to appear in the staff division for explanations of the business about the riot at the food commission. On the eve of this day Platov did a reconnaissance of the enemy with two Cossack regiments and two squadrons of hussars. Denisov, as always, left forward in the rows, flaunting his courage. One of the bullets, launched by the French shooters, hit him in the flesh of the upper part of his leg. Maybe, at another time Denisov with such an easy wound would not have left from the regiment, but now he took advantage of this case, was refused from attendance in the division and left to the hospital.
Time: April, eight o'clock in the morning (cut in Bell. between seven and eight in Maude. Past seven in Pevear and Volkhonsky), five minutes later, the evening, the following day, the evening (before dusk in Bell), the next day, noon, 1st of May, the day preceding
Mentioned: two weeks
Locations: far beyond Bartenstein (outposts near... in Bell)
Mentioned: French
Pevear and Volkhonsky: The sovereign is coming to review them, in again what feels like a circular, a repeat.
“Denisov, who lived in luxury, because the soldiers of his squadron loved him”.
Repeat of “In the month of April” in first and third paragraph.
Denisov, just as Rostov did in the previous chapter, gets in an argument with other Russian soldiers, this time over food and who gets the transport. Just like Rostov, Denisov appears to be doing what he thinks is right, despite what
others think, or what is “normal”.
others think, or what is “normal”.
Again infantry and hussar/cavalry infighting. Telyanin is who is on the wrong side of Denisov and they fight, though we don’t see it, but just get Denisov’s point of view. It appears Denisov will be demoted. “He was afraid of the trial
and suffered over the affair, which was obviously going to have bad consequences.”
and suffered over the affair, which was obviously going to have bad consequences.”
Denisov gets (mildly) hurt in battle and decides to go to the hospital.
Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):
Rostof
Czar Alexander (“emperor”)
Major Denisof
Topcheyenko (“the quartermaster”.)
Lazarchuk
Lavrushka
The regimental commander
The regimental surgeon (“the regimental doctor” in Mandelker, Garnett, and Briggs.)
Telyanin
The adjutant of the regiment (no reason to think that this is any previously mentioned adjutant)
Platof
(officers and a yunker are referenced to be playing a game, as well as some hussars with horses. Two infantry officers are also arguing with Denisof, one in particular that is called little stands out more than the other. There is also
the “commissary” and two “cinovnoks mentioned in relation to Denisof )
the “commissary” and two “cinovnoks mentioned in relation to Denisof )
Abridged Versions: No break in Bell.
Gibian: Chapter 14.
Gibian: Chapter 14.
Fuller: entire chapter is cut.
Komroff: Chapter begins with Rostov being on duty in April, jettisoning some the detail and setup early on in the chapter. Some detail throughout the chapter is removed, but the rest is pretty well preserved and followed by a line break.
Kropotkin: Chapter is preserved. End of Chapter 7.
Simmons: Chapter 14. Entire chapter is cut and replaced with: "Furious over the undernourished condition of his hussars, Denisov forcibly appropriates a transport of food consigned to the infantry and uses his fists when called to account
for it by the commissariat. Threatened with a court-martial, he seeks escape in hospitalization after a slight leg wound in a skirmish with the French."
Simmons: Chapter 14. Entire chapter is cut and replaced with: "Furious over the undernourished condition of his hussars, Denisov forcibly appropriates a transport of food consigned to the infantry and uses his fists when called to account
for it by the commissariat. Threatened with a court-martial, he seeks escape in hospitalization after a slight leg wound in a skirmish with the French."
Additional Notes:
Roberts: Page 449: “On April 26 the Convention of Bartenstein confirmed that Russia and Prussia would continue the war, that of the Fourth Coalition, and invited Britain, Sweden, Austria and Denmark to join. The first two responded
positively, Britain joining in June and sending money as its contribution, while maintaining the naval stranglehold on French trade. Sweden - which had not made peace with Napoleon after the end of the Third Coalition at Austerlitz -
sent a small body of troops. Napoleon never forgave King Gustav IV, whom he called ‘a lunatic who should be king of the Petites-Maison (a Paris lunatic asylum) rather than of a brave Scandinavian country’.”
Ridley: Page 157: "a French soldier, a mason, who allowed a Russian Freemason prisoner to escape during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow; and the Russian Freemason, General Platov, set free a French prisoner-of-war in the
campaign of 1807 because they were both Freemasons."
Joseph Frank Introduction: "Sketches brought home to his readers both the unassuming heroism and patriotism of the Russian soldiers, and contains some withering portraits of the officer class, whose members were concerned largely with promotions and social prestige, that foreshadow the biting attack on similar characters in his later work. Most of all, it nakedly portrays the inhuman senselessness and the horror of war. The narrator visits a military hospital where amputations are being performed, and addresses the reader: "You will see the wounded man suddenly regain consciousness, cursing with a terrible, harrowing shriek," and watch "the apothecary assistant fling the severed arm into a corner...you will see war not as a beautiful, orderly and gleaming formation, with music and beaten drums, streaming banners and generals on prancing horses, but war in its authentic expression--as blood, suffering and death" (Tales of Army Life, Louise and Aylmer Maude, trans. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1935, p.96)."
No comments:
Post a Comment