Vasily Belov, "Lad": a short summary

It is not difficult to write about the people and their traditions. It is difficult to write in such a way that it captures the spirit, so that colorful images appear in my head, melodies sound and the warm summer breeze blows. That's how many people who call themselves writers know how to write. Today we will talk about an outstanding man who was gifted with a writer's talent - Vasily Belovo. In more detail we will consider one of his books, which is called "Lad". It is devoted to the study of the everyday life of the Russian people, and its other name looks like this: "Essays on folk aesthetics." Belov "Lad" (a brief summary of which we will consider in the article) wrote under the influence of the muse, as you can see for yourself.

A little about the author

Vasily Belov is a famous Russian writer, one of the brightest representatives of the so-called "village prose." His pen belongs to works that can be read not only for pleasure, but also for replenishing their knowledge about the way of life and customs of our ancestors. Belov's language is precise, concise and colorful, because of which many images are formed in my head that lead to the understanding of the Russian soul. For his work Belov was repeatedly awarded with state awards. His books - this is a guide to the primordially Russian world, which appears before the reader's inner eye in all its greatness and diversity.

Creativity of Vasily Belov

Would you like to know the summary of Belov ("Lad")? For the readers' diary, it will be given a little lower, and now we will talk about the writer's work, his career life. In total, the author wrote 12 books, each of which is a pearl of its kind. Real talented writers never write too often. A lot of work is only for those who work for the public and wants to get more profit. True writers write only when one can not remain silent, when they are full of inspiration and they can no longer contain the creative flow in themselves. Belov's works were written from 1961 to 2000. To date , the author no longer engages in writing, but his works are enough to plunge into the mystery of the Russian soul and appreciate the talent of Belov. Fame came to the writer after he began to publish in different journals of his ethnographic essays. They were too short, and the reader wanted more and more. This is what made Vasily Belov think about writing the first book, and then the next ones.

Books

As already mentioned, the author wrote 12 books. His first essays were conceived as unpretentious sketches of the northern life of Russian people. In his works he tells about the inhabitants of the Vologda, Kirov and Arkhangelsk regions of Russia. How does he know this? All his conscious life he devoted to collecting peanuts folk oral songs, proverbs, byvalchiny, objects of everyday life and culture, and also on sleepless nights he studied archival data for completeness.

A lot of things were written by Belov from the lips of his mother, who instilled in him love for everything that was popular with him. She was a real Russian woman who lived all her life according to tradition. "Essays on People's Aesthetics" is a very valuable and interesting source for studying the ethnography of Russia, which was presented to us all by the talented writer Belov. "Lad", a brief summary of which you will see below, was written in 1982. It is believed that this is one of the best works of the writer.

"Lad": part one

The book "Lad" is divided into three parts. Each of them is devoted to a review of the material of a certain topic. We will review all parts of the book, as well as one chapter in each of them. The chapter was chosen according to the degree of saturation of information and its importance in the text. The chapters of the first part are called: "All the year round", "Journeymen and masters", "Sputnik of female destiny", "Needle-girls" and "Stopped moments". What does Belov ("Lad") say about this? The summary for the reader diary will contain the main points from each chapter.

In the chapter "All the year round" we are talking about four seasons. The author describes each of them in great detail, telling what kind of life the people led in different weather conditions. In this case, not dry facts are described - the material is presented in the form of a colorful story. Also in the text you can find old Russian proverbs. Each time period is characterized by the fact that apart from the description of everyday life, one can meet stories about the mood of the people, cultural features and traditions of celebrating the great festivities.

In the chapter "Journeymen and Masters" we are talking about different types of activities that were common in Russia. There are descriptions of even healers and beggars. In addition, the author describes the work and life of shepherds, shoemakers, smiths, carpenters, traders, millers, etc. After reading this chapter, it seems that he has been in several roles at once - so accurately and brightly Belov describes each profession.

In the chapter "Rukodelnitsy" we are talking about such women's pursuits as sewing, weaving and knitting. In this chapter the author says not only about work, but also about how women entertained themselves during work: singing, inventing songs, ditties, dancing. In addition, Vasily Belov emphasizes that, despite the fact that this work is considered female, it requires a lot of strength and perseverance.

The chapter "Stopped moments" tells about the beauty: carving on the bone, birch bark, silvering and lacework. Much attention is paid to the skill, the ability to do their work. The chapter received such a name, because the masters did it when inspiration came to them, and time stopped until the masterpiece was created.

"Satellite of female destiny"

This chapter of the first part of the book is not separately taken by chance. First, it is the most voluminous, and secondly, all kinds of female labor are considered here. The author describes the work with great accuracy, which makes the reader really plunge into the era. Much attention is also paid to the mystical meaning of female labor. For example, Len has long been considered a companion of female life. According to popular beliefs, when a woman works with a flax, she makes her own destiny. An interesting fact: the girls in Russia began to prepare their own dowry from the age of 7-8. In other words, already at this age they were able to work with flax.

It is very interesting to combine facts with popular beliefs. Each stage of any work process went along with certain customs. The gift of Belov is precisely to pass unnoticed from the actual to the artistic, thereby creating an interesting literature. In addition to individual works, there were also general women's labors. For example, every day the day of rope whiskers came. In the middle of the street, the woods were exposed, and everyone could turn the handle to twist the ropes. It was a kind of folk entertainment, which was loved by both children and old people.

"LAD": part two

The second part of the book introduces us to such chapters: "Laymen", "Life Circle", "Native Nest", "Weekdays and Holidays", "Zastolschina", "Clothes", "Games". As can be seen from the chapters, this part of the book is devoted to the daily life of people. Here, in contrast to the first section, culture, traditions and customs are no longer given in part but in full attention.

The chapter "Laymen" tells about the structure of life from the edge to a separate family. The way of life in the province, the village, the volost, the farmstead and in the family is considered. "Native Nest" will lead to the house of a villager. The reader will visit the yard, the house, the barn, the hut and the hayloft. The chapter "Weekdays and holidays" is devoted to stories about how people shared the days of the week and how each of them was special. In the chapter "Clothes" the author tells about the clothes of the people for different occasions, and the "Games" section will tell you about folk indulgence, fun, games and chastushki.

Life Circle

The chapter entitled "The Life Circle" tells us about life from infancy to old age, tells about the stages that every Russian person went through. Here everything that meets a person on his way is described in detail. Life is a certain rhythm, which must be obeyed so that a beautiful melody will turn out. It is the rhythm that the whole life of the Russian people is subordinated to. Everything has its own duration, its time: there are games for different seasons, holidays, seasonal work, fun, etc. The transition from one age stage to the next occurred gradually, there were no sharp boundaries, because everyone felt the charms of his time.

Part Three

What did Vasiliy Belov prepare in the last part of his book? "LAD", the summary of which is coming to an end, ends with a philosophical chapter. Here the reader will learn about the festivities in Russia. The head of the "Long Life" will tell about this. About how houses were built, mills, temples and chapels, we learn from the chapter "Treewood-stone". Also Belov highlights religious aspects in the part "Not in a single word". This part also tells about folk sculpture, philosophical issues of culture and human life.

"The beginning of all beginnings"

What will the Belov reveal in this chapter? "LAD", whose brief content is very briefly discussed here, in this chapter will tell you about folk conspiracies, riddles, fairy tales, ditties, lamentations, etc. All of the above is the basis of the life of the people, what it relies on in difficult times. Summary Belova ("Lad") only in a small proportion conveys all the information and artistic saturation. That is why this brightest work should be read in full.

main characters

Was Vasyl Belov taking the information? "Lad", the main characters of which are impersonal, - describes ordinary people with whom he communicated throughout his life. Heroes were created as prototypes of people known to him: mother, relatives, fellow villagers, etc. Each image is laconic, but finished precisely because it is not fictional. Important features that distinguish each hero are life and hard work, kindness and simple-mindedness.

Gave the keys to the ancient and wonderful door - that's what Belov did. "LAD", a brief summary of which we reviewed, is a very valuable and significant work on the ethnography of the north of Russia. To read this work is to plunge into the wonderful world of our ancestors and to be treated with their wisdom. "LAD" (Vasily Belov), reviews of which are difficult to find on the Internet, is not the most readable book. You can think long about what is the reason, but everything lies in the unwillingness of the people to know about their past.