Andersen shadow analysis. The motive for the loss of a shadow in G.Kh’s fairy tale

Picture instead of epigraph

Games of noble girls with various types of dolls (lithograph by P. Vdovichev, 1830–1840s)

An ancient lithograph depicts a children's room in Russian noble house. The drawing was made and carved on stone by Pyotr Vdovichev, an engraver and owner of a workshop that existed in St. Petersburg in the 1830s–1840s. Vdovichev was engaged in the production of lithographic paintings and cardboard games, among which were cut pictures (puzzles). To make them, lithographs were printed, glued onto cardboard and cut into intricate shapes. Perhaps the lithograph with a view of a children's room and children playing was made by Vdovichev for a board game.

Dolls and accessories for doll play were reproduced by a lithograph with precision and detail - these were the toys that were sold in toy shops in both capitals and brought by Russian nobles from foreign voyages. The dolls, which sit in a stroller or lie in a crib, have wax heads with painted faces and a rag body covered with kid. The parts of the doll's body are connected by fabric or leather, which makes them convenient for playing mother-daughter. Dolls with removable clothes are suitable for sewing and handicraft lessons, required for every girl. Dolls mounted on a stand have a different purpose: they delight the eye with a fashionable French dress or a picturesque peasant outfit. Such toys decorate the home half of the house like paintings, vases and sculptures.

The space of the picture depicting girl's game with dolls, enclosed by the walls of the nursery. Beyond it lies the world of adults. The closedness of the space is broken by the entry of a lady (mother or governess): she came to call the eldest of the girls to her (books in both hands remind of adult responsibilities). The girl doesn’t want to tear herself away from the game, and the teacher seems to be hesitating at the door: the door to the adult half is not wide open, but only slightly open.

This is how a game of dolls appears in a lithograph by an old St. Petersburg master. Was it really like that? Memoirs and historical documents testify: social practices, educational methods and family circumstances in Russian families were different. In the 1820s–1840s, girls from the families of St. Petersburg aristocrats, namely the family depicted in the picture, had expensive dolls and accessories for doll play. In families provincial nobility such toys were rare. But even where they were found, dolls did not often fall into children’s hands, because wax or porcelain heads break easily, and arms and legs quickly break. In the lithograph depicting a nursery, paradise has reigned - girls can enjoy toys and doll play to the fullest.

The expression “girl and doll” became a formula that consolidated the object-symbolic connection between the toy and its owner.

In ethnographic, psychological and social sciences There are many interpretations of this connection. Despite all the differences in approaches, there is a fundamental commonality between them. The connection between “a girl and a doll” is based on the existential, age-related, social “incompleteness” of the participants in the game: a doll is more than an object, and a girl is less than a woman. In the game, potential completeness is realized: the doll seems to come to life, and the girl, as it were, becomes adult woman. This “as if” is a reflection of magical ideas about the doll as an object for ritual actions and ritual practices. Participants in the doll game dissolve into invented roles and imaginary images.

The description of a girl with a doll is a persistent motif in culture. The connotations of this motif are divided into different emotional and semantic poles - from innocent admiration to sexual desire, from sweet dreams to mundane reality, from aesthetic pleasure to consumption. This range narrows in texts for children's reading: the set of motives is limited, and interpretations do not go beyond generally accepted truths. The limitations and simplifications of the image are redeemed by the richness of everyday and psychological details. Priceless “little things in life,” be it a doll’s name day or sewing doll clothes, receive the status of an event in texts for children. The simplicity of stories for children's reading is complicated by adult reflection on the principles of education.

The fate of the character doll is closely connected with the history of the doll as an object for children's play, interior decoration and fashion demonstration. The long period of creation and production of dolls provides extensive material for this, which has been little studied in relation to domestic dolls. The doll is a smaller copy of a person, and the entire development of doll production was aimed at making this copy authentic. The body, face and clothing of manufactured, and later factory, dolls carried information about the material, objective and social world. Numerous accessories for puppet play (furniture, dishes, linen), which copied household items, served as information carriers. The doll was part of the everyday world, and doll making was its mirror repetition. N. Bartram, a connoisseur and collector of toys, wrote about the “mirror” function of toys: “A toy has always been a “mirror of life,” and ancient toys, reflecting their time, the life that surrounded them, provide an opportunity to approach from a completely new, untouched side , To intimate life the past, figuratively characterizing it both in general and in detail" 1
Bartram N. “Museum of Toys” of the People’s Commissariat for Education // Child and Toy / Sat. Art. under. ed. ON THE. Rybnikov. M.; L.: State. publishing house, 1923. P. 69.

The ladies in the living room are engaged in needlework and raising children. The care of the infant is entrusted to the nurse (lithograph by P. Vdovichev, 1830–1840s)

A nursery in a noble house unites children of different sexes and ages (lithograph by P. Vdovichev, 1830–1840s)

The first book publications dedicated to dolls were published in mid-18th century century, simultaneously with the spread of dolls in European leisure. At the same time, the first releases of cardboard dolls with sets of interchangeable outfits appeared. 2
In 1791, the German magazine Jornal des Luxus und der Moden published a report about new products from London - cardboard dolls with a set of clothes. German-made dolls were created based on English cartons (M?ller H.F. “Isabellens Verwandlungen oder das M?dchen in sechs Gestalten” (“The Transformations of Isabella, or a girl in six images”)).

Object and printed dolls were equally expensive and hard-to-find pleasures. Therefore, the heroines of the first puppet stories young aristocrats and daughters of large merchants became the real owners of doll wealth.

The expansion of manufacturing and then factory production in the second half of the 19th century led to the spread of dolls in the games of children from different social classes. In everyday life, a female child from a wealthy family had up to two to three dozen dolls of various types and sizes. The tradition of giving girls dolls for name days and Christmas became a generally accepted practice; such a gift was considered decent in a bourgeois environment. From the amusement of aristocrats, the doll turned into a toy for middle-class children. But even in this capacity, she continued to maintain the appearance of a respectable toy, which flattered her owners. Publications of children's books and paper dolls addressed to children of the “educated” classes became much more accessible. Accordingly, the heroines of doll stories changed - they became girls from middle-income bourgeois families. The doll of this time fit seamlessly into the domestic world of the German Biedermeier and the French Second Empire, and it is this period that is considered the golden age of the doll. The second half of the 19th century became the time of spread puppet template(in the production of dolls and their depiction in literature), designed for the tastes of the general public.

The presentation of a porcelain doll to a child was arranged by adults with solemnity (Andreevskaya V.P. Notes of a doll. A story for little girls. St. Petersburg: F.A. Bitepazh, 1898)

Simultaneously with the democratization of dolls at the end of the 19th century, the production of expensive and very expensive toys continued: models of dolls appeared that could “talk” and “walk” and make movements with body parts. The “revival” of dolls turned out to be possible thanks to the use of new technologies and materials. They began to take part in the creation of dolls fashion designers And professional artists. Some of the products were striking in their resemblance to a living child, others were impressive in their artistic grace. The dolls of aristocrats of the 18th century seemed like trivial crafts next to the toys of the children of financial magnates and large manufacturers of the early 20th century. The elitism that has always distinguished this toy has become even more noticeable in the era of dolls for everyone.

The elitism of the doll was acutely felt in Russian life, since products brought from Europe were expensive and inaccessible, and own production There were no porcelain dolls in Russia. The name “Parisian” or “French” doll became the typical name for an expensive toy (it was also retained by Russian manufacturers). The high cost of a “real” doll is evidenced by a fact from the memoirs of Anna Kern, whose family belonged to the middle nobility. The grandmother suggested that her granddaughter choose a doll from a French store or a village as a gift (the events took place in the 1800s). The girl’s choice was predetermined: instead of an “ordinary” village, she chose an extraordinary doll. Three or four decades later, the situation changed: girls from wealthy families began to own dolls of various types and prices. According to the testimony of one of the residents of St. Petersburg in the mid-19th century, there were about two dozen dolls in the nursery of a noble girl. But there were few toys from expensive stores in this set. In a situation of low accessibility, the presentation of the doll in books for children was especially significant. Literary stories about “real” dolls opened up for the Russian reader a tempting world of expensive toys and rich children.

The image of a doll in literature for children was created with a continuous eye on objective realities. Prototypes stood on the shelves of toy stores and in the windows of fashion stores; they were brought from foreign voyages. These were manufactory and later factory-made dolls, varied in materials and types, dressed and undressed (with items for sewing). Along with dolls, doll products were exhibited on store shelves: furniture, dishes, clothes, accessories. Here is an example of a description of the doll section from the catalog of a capital toy store last third 19th century:

1. Dolls: undressed, wooden, rubber, porcelain, cotton - dressed in costumes of different professions and nationalities.

2. Dolls' furnishings: living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, bathhouse, house, farm, store, station.

3. Doll's household items: teaware, tableware, kitchen utensils, toilet, office, bathroom accessories, etc. 3
Litvinsky P.A. Systematic index of toys, activities and games. SPb.: type. V. Kirshbaum, 1890. P. 8.

Samples of dolls (Catalogue of publications and products of the store " Children's education"; beginning XX century)

You could buy all this wealth in toy stores in both capitals. Store trade in dolls began to develop in Russia in the second half of the 19th century. In St. Petersburg, “Parisian” dolls were traded in Gostiny Dvor. The largest Gostinodvorsky store belonged to S.I. Doinikov, offering big choice dolls of different production. Handicraft toys were sold in the shops of Apraksin Dvor. In the last third of the 19th century, many shops appeared in St. Petersburg, the owners of which (often ladies) kept craftswomen who were engaged in sewing foreign dolls and making dowries for them. It is known that dolls with a dowry were sold in the St. Petersburg shops of V.R. Zhukovskaya, E.F. Nikolaeva, N.A. Voronova and others. The products offered were distinguished by their elegance and were awarded diplomas at Toy Exhibitions 4
At the First All-Russian Exhibition of Children's Toys in St. Petersburg in 1890, dolls exhibited by V.R. stores were awarded diplomas. Zhukovskaya, S.I. Doynikova, E.F. Nikolaeva, N.A. Voronova, as well as toys from Schwarzkopf Arnold & Co. (Steam factory, Moscow).

Cheap dolls were displayed in front of the toy store, attracting the attention of walking children. Expensive dolls were displayed in colorfully decorated display cases. On holidays, the windows of large stores presented scenes from doll life with a large number of characters and accessories. Store-bought dolls were sold in elegant boxes with compartments for the doll's trousseau or in gift baskets decorated with bows and lace. Indicating the store and address where the doll was purchased served as a true description of the type of toy and its cost. The phrase “doll from Nevsky Prospekt” spoke volumes to his contemporaries.

The choice of toy products was much more modest in the provinces: young ladies, along with courtyard girls, played with homemade or handicraft toys bought at fairs. Waist dolls, dressed like fashionistas in dresses and hats, were especially popular. 5
Waist dolls were exhibited in the departments of handicraft products (Toy Exhibition in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg, 1890).

The figurine of such a doll is carved from wood, and the face is made of mastic. Dolls called skeletons, which were wooden figures mounted on a board, were sold without clothes - the girls themselves came up with various outfits for them. A large number of handicraft dolls were sold at bazaars during Palm Week, where children of different classes came to buy toys.

IN noble estates items for doll play were made by home craftsmen, and some of these products can be called real works of art (doll furniture, kitchens, outfits, etc.). But there is no mention of these wonderful objects in the literature. Publishers preferred to describe the doll products of the capital's stores - the fashionable dolls sold there corresponded to literary types and themselves served as models for them.

Styles of outfits were copied from fashion dolls, fashionable models standards of doll beauty, toy body shapes and hairstyles were determined. Authors of children's literature explained naturalism in descriptions of toys by the desire to be “truthful.” Often this explanation served as an excuse for literary ineptitude, but this is not the only reason for the appearance of “naturalistic descriptions”. Authors and publishers had to take into account children's interest in dolls, their close attention to little things and details in the form of a toy. The book was used as a supplement to a toy and children's game. Toy manufacturers also contributed to this: they produced brochures with stories about dolls of their brand 6
The “Sonya Doll” toy set, produced by the “Children’s Education” company, consisted of a basket with a doll, a travel bag, sewing material and a book of the same name.

Books for “reading” to dolls, magazines for dolls, doll almanacs, etc. were also printed. 7
The small-format magazine “Doll” was published as a supplement to the magazine “Firefly” (editor A.A. Fedorov-Davydov) in 1908–1909. The model for doll magazines was such German publications as “Die Puppenwelt. Eine neue Bilderlust f?r kleine M?dchen. N?rnberg, 1844" ("Doll world. New fun in pictures for little girls. Nuremberg. 1844").

On the pages of the publications, along with descriptions of the dolls, information was provided about outfits, fashionable color combinations, stylish styles, hairstyles and exquisite accessories, because the doll itself was a fashionable detail of the girl’s weekend outfit. In an era of low prevalence of fashion magazines, book text served as a source of utilitarian, but significant information for readers. It is not a coincidence that the writers of puppet stories were also publishers of fashion magazines (such as the German writer and publisher F.Yu. Bertuch). The images of outfits in illustrations in children's books were also distinguished by their authenticity. Interest in the details of the toilet contradicted the instructive nature of the image: a lovely dress and fashionable hat put on a heroine of bad character. However, the desire to visually present fashion trends overpowered the need to edify.

The world of fashionably dressed dolls continued to beckon even when information about fashion became more accessible. The continued interest in fashion dolls was evidenced by the growth of their production and the organization of exhibitions. Since the end of the 19th century, such exhibitions have become regular. Thus, at the 1912 exhibition held in Leipzig, among other things, female doll athletes and female models were exhibited. Every detail of their outfit, according to the correspondent, aroused great interest among the public and became the subject of discussion. The dolls were “in chic black velvet suits with fur trim, with pointed hats on fashionable hairstyles and in high brown boots with tiny skates in hand. Here we can admire luxurious toilets, made according to the latest Parisian fashion, which can even serve as models. Worth mentioning is purple velvet dress a neckline embroidered with beads, with a light gray cape and a light green silk dress, laid out in beautiful folds and decorated with damask roses, is the characteristic fashion of this season.” 8
Toy business. 1913. No. 3. P. 13. Even the doll’s shoes corresponded to fashion trends (“Rosettes and bows have given way to large buckles, which look more beautiful and fit much better with modern dresses” - ibid. P. 18).

The intimate items of the toy ladies' outfits seemed no less attractive 9
“Finally they are starting to dress the doll as a little society lady. First, they put on a lace-trimmed shirt, elegant embroidered pantaloons, a scented skirt, fishnet stockings and shoes, depending on the purpose of the doll, a traveling toilet, an athletic dress or a costume for a walk” (Toy business. 1913. No. 4. P. 17).

Descriptions of doll fashion (including in professional magazines for fashion designers and toy makers) used literary clichés borrowed from mass publications. For two centuries, dolls, fashion and children's books have existed in close relationship.

The history of the doll was reflected in the change of doll images created in literature. The heroines of the 18th century publications were dolls produced in the famous workshops of Nuremberg. The heads and arms and legs of dolls of this time were made of wax or papier-mâché, the bodies were sewn from husky and stuffed with bran. To replace them in mid-19th century, the doll classics came, produced in French and German manufactories: the porcelain head and the subtle depiction of the aristocratic face testified to the class culture of those to whom these dolls were intended. The end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century is characterized by the luxury of curvaceous doll forms and the flashy appearance of factory dolls, which became a sign of advancing democracy. Then came the era of the revolutionary avant-garde of the 1920s, with its sharp features wooden doll, common or homemade. It was replaced by a period of rubber factory blanks, durable in war and post-war conditions. Then plastic and celluloid neoclassical dolls of the Soviet era of the 1960s–1980s came into use. For changing Soviet era comes political and economic restructuring with the face of Barbie. The change of puppet images is imprinted in literature and in the memory of contemporaries as an epoch-making event (with positive or negative connotations).

No matter how ideological views and artistic positions changed, the doll remained the embodiment of ideas about female beauty and girlish attractiveness, serving as an ideal example of fashionable and bodily, and implicitly, sexuality. The following words apply to the doll: “children’s toys, for all their fragility, are distinguished by their durability, and are, as it were, a living embodiment of the dream of eternal spring that is inherent in all of us.” 10
Ogonyok. 1899. No. 4. P. 30.

In turn, the doll participated in the creation of the semantics of female and girlish images in life, culture and fashion: some of them are pale, like “wax”, others seduce with the freshness of “porcelain”, others seem rough “wooden”, and others are reminiscent of the cheapness of “plastic”. "

There is a considerable gap between the product doll and the character doll. A popular toy did not always turn out to be a character in literature, or became one in another era, or remained unnoticed at all. Among the characters there was also a favorite doll, who dominated all literary eras. It became an expensive doll made of wax or porcelain, representing a fashionably dressed lady. Such dolls, created for children's play, simultaneously served to demonstrate attire, lifestyle and social status its owners. Girls brought expensive dolls to children's parties and social events, and went for walks in parks and boulevards. With dolls in their hands, children posed for artists and later for photographers. 11
This is evidenced by the fact that dolls appeared in photographs of girls from bourgeois families at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The toy was given a place of honor next to the child. There are examples when photographers focused on the doll’s head, and not on the face of its owner.

An expensive toy demonstrated the social capabilities of the family and was the material equivalent of the love of adults for a child. The lady doll also performed demonstration functions in children's games, where she served as a model female beauty, respectability and fashionable grace. It was believed that such a toy, like a sculpture or painting, contributed to the development of artistic taste in children 12
“Paintings, toys and dresses intended for a child should, if possible, contribute to the development of taste” (O. Geifelder. Children's games // Teacher. 1861. No. 24. P. 990).

Wax and porcelain ladies reigned supreme in children's rooms and in children's books, where they were depicted as the favorites of children and the objects of their passionate dreams.

However, literary preferences diverged from everyday practices. In everyday life of girls from three to fourteen years old, an expensive doll was not the only, much less favorite, toy. Let us refer to documentary evidence from the beginning of the 20th century - a period of relative availability of dolls: “We had three types of dolls: 1) “large”, these were purchased dolls with porcelain or mastic heads, 2) “medium”, made by ourselves or by one of the elders sisters and brothers, dolls made of hard paper with heads and faces from pasted pictures... 3) “small” ones, made from paper by ourselves” 13
Child and toy / Sat. Art. edited by ON THE. Rybnikov. M.; L.: State. publishing house, 1923. P. 57.

According to the memoirist, she and her sisters loved to play with “medium” and “small” dolls as children: these toys were suitable for the toy houses and towns that they built. The children of the noble and bureaucratic elite agreed with the opinion of the girl from a middle-income bourgeois family - they also preferred to play with simpler dolls. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the fragility of the doll and the fragility of parts made of wax or porcelain. Playing with a breakable toy implied caution bordering on reverence and fear. The stand, which securely fastened the doll to an iron pin, made it difficult to manipulate the doll and limited contact with it. Interfered with the game and big sizes toys. Carrying a “yards-sized” doll in your arms is tiring, and dragging it across the floor is reprehensible. The doll's lush outfits and the complexity of the wardrobe, made up of many details, were a hindrance for the child. Hats with feathers caused particular inconvenience - must-have accessory lady doll costume. The aesthetics of the expensive toy, with its delicate facial features and exquisite hairstyle, were more designed for the tastes of adults than for the liking of children 14
“The sophistication of toy factory production for last decades does not find justification in the demands of the child’s psyche itself. And indeed, we often see that children prefer the simplest toys over the most expensive and complex ones” (Anosov A. The Most Interesting Christmas Gifts // The Whole World. 1910. No. 43. P. 24).

The adults dictated the rules for playing with the doll: governesses were required to be present during the game, and parents did not let the expensive product out of their eyes 15
“We played only on holidays: by order of our father, the governess left us alone on holidays, we breathed deeply on these days” (Rumyantseva K. About dolls (to the psychology of playing with dolls) // Child and toy / Collection of articles. edited by N.A. Rybnikov. M.; Leningrad: State Publishing House, 1923. P. 56).

Restrictions in play sometimes led to children's rebellions, when a girl pointedly refused to play with a doll given to her, and there are many examples of such rebellions against dolls. Games with handicrafts and paper dolls were different more freedom and variety. It was possible to study with them secretly from parents and teachers, hiding them under an apron, in a desk or in a textbook.

This is Andersen's fairy tale about a scientist who left a cold country for warmer lands. There he sat at home all day, and went out to his balcony only in the evening. One day he talked to his shadow and drove it away. What did the shadow do when it left its owner?

Fairy tale Shadow read

That's where the sun burns - it's in hot countries! People sunbathe there until they become red-skinned, and in the hottest countries - black, like blacks. But for now we will only talk about hot countries; A scientist came here from cold countries. He was thinking about running around the city, like in his homeland, but he soon weaned himself from this and, like all prudent people, began to sit at home all day with the shutters and doors tightly closed. One would think that the whole house was asleep or that no one was home. Narrow street, built up tall buildings, roasted in the sun from morning to evening; I just didn’t have the strength to endure this heat! To the scientist who came from cold countries - he was a smart man and still young - it seemed as if he was sitting in a hot stove. The heat greatly affected his health; he grew thin, and even his shadow somehow shrank, became much smaller than it was in cold countries; the heat affected her. Both of them - the scientist and the shadow - came to life only with the onset of evening.

And, really, it was nice to look at them! As soon as candles were brought into the room, the shadow stretched across the entire wall, even capturing part of the ceiling - after all, she had to stretch thoroughly in order to straighten her limbs and gain strength again. The scientist went out onto the balcony and also stretched to stretch, admired the clear evening sky, in which golden stars were lit, and felt that he was being reborn to life again. On all the other balconies - and in hot countries there is a balcony in front of every window - people could also be seen; It is still necessary to breathe air - even for those whom the sun has made red-skinned. Liveliness reigned both below, on the sidewalks of the street, and above, on the balconies. Shoemakers, tailors and other working people all poured out into the street, carried tables and chairs there and lit candles. Life was in full swing everywhere; the streets were illuminated by thousands of lights, people - some were singing, some were talking to their neighbors, a mass of people were moving along the sidewalks, carriages were rolling along the pavement, pack donkeys were making their way here, jingling their bells, there was stretching out, singing psalms, funeral procession, the crackle of firecrackers thrown on the pavement by street boys was heard, the ringing of bells was heard... Yes, life was in full swing everywhere! It was quiet only in one house, which stood just opposite the one where the scientist lived. The house, however, was not uninhabited: there were wonderful flowers on the balcony; Without watering, they could not have bloomed so luxuriantly; someone watered them, which means someone lived in the house. The door leading to the balcony also opened in the evenings, but the rooms themselves were always dark, at least in the first one. Music could be heard from the back rooms. The scientist found her marvelously beautiful, but it may turn out that it only seemed so to him: in his opinion, here, in hot countries, everything was beautiful; one problem - the sun! The owner of the house where the scientist lived said that he also did not know who lived in the neighboring house: not a single living soul had ever appeared there; As for music, he found it terribly boring.

It’s as if someone sits and hammers away at the same play over and over again. Things are not going well; and he continues, they say, “I’ll achieve my goal!” In vain, however, he tries, nothing comes of it!

One night the scientist woke up; the door to the balcony stood open, and the wind threw open the curtains; the scientist looked at the opposite house, and it seemed to him that the balcony was illuminated by some strange radiance; the flowers glowed with wonderful multi-colored lights, and between the flowers stood a slender, lovely girl, who also seemed to be surrounded by radiance. All this sparkle and light hurt the scientist’s eyes, wide open from sleep. He jumped up and quietly approached the door, but the girl had already disappeared, the shine and light too. The flowers no longer glowed with lights, but stood calmly, as always. The door from the front room to the balcony was half open, and from the depths of the house came gentle, enchanting sounds of music that could carry anyone into the kingdom of sweet dreams and daydreams!..

It all looked like some kind of witchcraft! Who lived there? Where exactly was the entrance to the house? The entire lower floor was occupied by shops - residents weren’t constantly walking through them!

One evening the scientist was sitting on his balcony; a candle was burning in the room behind him, and it was quite natural that his shadow was located on the wall of the opposite house; it even fit on the balcony itself, right between the flowers; As soon as the scientist moved, the shadow moved too - she can do that.

With these words, the scientist stood up, and so did his shadow, sitting on the opposite balcony; the scientist turned - the shadow also turned, and if anyone had watched them carefully at that time, they would have seen how the shadow slid into the half-open balcony door mysterious house when the scientist left the balcony into the room and pulled the curtain behind him.

In the morning, the scientist went to the pastry shop to drink coffee and read newspapers.

What does it mean? - he said, stepping out into the sun. - I don't have a shadow! So she really left last night and didn't come back? Quite an unpleasant story!

And he got angry, not so much because the shadow had gone, but because he remembered famous story about a man without a shadow, which everyone knew in his homeland, in cold countries: if he returned there now and told his story, everyone would say that he set out to imitate others, but he did not need it at all. Therefore, he decided not to even mention the incident with the shadow and did it smartly.

In the evening he again went out onto the balcony and put a candle behind him, knowing that the shadow always tries to shield its master from the light; However, he failed to lure out the shadow with this maneuver. He sat down and straightened up to his full height - the shadow still did not appear. He chuckled thoughtfully, but that didn't help either.

It was a shame, but, fortunately, in hot countries everything grows and ripens unusually quickly, and a week later the scientist, going out into the sun, noticed to his great pleasure that things began to grow from his feet. new shadow, - the roots of the old one must remain. After three weeks, he already had a fairly tolerable shadow, which, during the scientist’s return trip to his homeland, grew even larger and in the end became so large and long that it was even shorter.

The scientist returned home and began to write books that talked about truth, goodness and beauty. So days and years passed, many years passed.

One evening, when he was sitting at home, he heard a quiet knock on the door.

Sign in! - he said, but no one came in; then he opened the door himself - an incredibly thin man stood in front of him; He was dressed, however, very elegantly, like a noble gentleman.

Who do I have the honor of speaking to? - asked the scientist.

“I thought so,” said the elegant gentleman, “that you wouldn’t recognize me!” I gained physicality, acquired flesh and a dress! Of course, you never expected to meet me so prosperously. But do you still not recognize your former shadow? Yes, you probably thought that I wouldn’t come back again? I have been very lucky since I left you. In all respects I have won a strong position in the world and can buy myself out of service whenever I wish!

At these words, he jingled a whole bunch of expensive key rings hanging on a watch chain, and then began to play with his thick gold chain which he wore around his neck. His fingers sparkled with diamond rings! And the gold and stones were real, not fake!

I just can’t come to my senses from surprise! - said the scientist. - What it is?

Yes, this phenomenon is not entirely ordinary, it’s true! - said the shadow. - But you yourself are not one of the ordinary people, and as you know, I have followed in your footsteps since childhood. As soon as you found that I was mature enough to live on my own, I went my own way and achieved. as you can see, complete well-being, but something was sad for you, I wanted to see you before you died - you must die! - and by the way, take another look at these lands. You always retain love for your homeland!.. I know that you now have a new shadow; tell me, don’t I owe her or you anything? Just say the word and I'll pay.

No, is it really you?! - the scientist cried. - What a miracle, so wonderful! I would never have believed that my old shadow would return to me, and as a human being at that!

Tell me, don't I owe you? - the shadow asked again. - I wouldn’t want to be in anyone’s debt!

What kind of talk! - said the scientist. - What a debt! You are completely free! I am incredibly happy about your happiness! Sit down, old friend, and tell me how it all happened and what you saw in that house opposite?

I'll tell you now! - said the shadow and sat down. - But on the condition that you give me your word not to tell anyone here in the city - wherever you meet me - that I was once your shadow! I'm going to get married! I am able to support more than one family!

Stay calm! - said the scientist. - No one will know who you really are! Here's my hand! I give you my word! But the word is a person...

The word is a shadow! - the shadow finished - she couldn’t express herself any other way.

In general, the scientist could only be amazed at how much human there was in her, starting with the dress itself: a black pair of thin cloth, patent leather boots on her feet, and in her hands a cylinder that could be folded, so that only the bottom and the brim remained of it; We have already talked about key chains, a gold chain and diamond rings. Yes, the shadow was dressed perfectly, and this, in fact, gave it the appearance of a real person.

Now I'll tell you! - said the shadow and pressed his feet in patent leather boots on the sleeve of the scientist’s new shadow, which, like a dog, lay at his feet.

Why she did this, whether out of arrogance, or perhaps in the hope of gluing it to her feet, is unknown. The shadow lying on the floor did not even move, turning entirely into hearing: she really wanted to know how she could achieve freedom and become her own master.

Do you know who lived in that house? - asked former shadow. - Something most beautiful in the world is Poetry itself! I spent three weeks there, and it’s the same as living in the world for three thousand years and reading everything that was composed and written by poets - I assure you! I have seen everything and know everything - and this is the absolute truth!

Poetry! - the scientist cried. - Yes Yes! She often lives as a hermit in big cities! Poetry! I only saw her briefly, and even then I was still sleepy! She stood on the balcony and sparkled like the northern lights! Tell me, tell me! You were on the balcony, walked through the door and...?

And he got to the front! - picked up the shadow. - You always sat and looked at the front. It was not illuminated, and there was some kind of twilight in it, but through the open door a whole suite of illuminated chambers could be seen. This light would have completely destroyed me if I had immediately entered the maiden, but I was prudent and bided my time. This is how you should always do it!

And what did you see there? - asked the scientist.

Everything, and I will tell you about everything, but... You see, I’m not out of pride, but... in view of the freedom and knowledge that I have, not to mention my position in the world... I would very much like you to contact me on you.

Ah, please excuse me! - said the scientist. - This is me out of old habit!.. You are absolutely right! And I'll try to remember that! But tell me what you saw there?!

All! - answered the shadow. - I saw everything and know everything!

What did these inner chambers resemble? - asked the scientist. - Is it fresh? green Forest? Or a holy temple? Or did it open to your gaze starry sky, visible only from mountain heights?

Everything was there! - said the shadow. - I, however, did not enter the chamber itself, I remained in the hallway, in the twilight, but there I felt great, I saw everything, and I know everything! I spent so much time in the hallway at the Court of Poetry.

But what did you see there? Majestic processions of the ancient gods? The struggle of the heroes of hoary antiquity? Games of cute children babbling about their wonderful dreams?..

I'm telling you, I was there, therefore, I saw everything that could be seen! If you had appeared there, you would not have become a man, but I became one! I learned there my own nature, my natural affinity with poetry. Yes, in those days when I was with you, I still didn’t think about anything like that. But just remember how amazingly I always grew at sunrise and sunset! In the moonlight I was almost more noticeable than you! But then I still didn’t understand my nature; it only dawned on me in the hallway! There I became a man, fully matured. But you were no longer in hot countries; meanwhile, I, as a person, was already embarrassed to show myself in my previous form: I needed boots, a decent dress, in a word, I needed all this external human gloss by which one is recognized as a person. And so I found refuge for myself... Yes, I confess this to you, you won’t print it: I found refuge for myself under the skirt of a sweets seller! The woman had no idea what she was hiding! I only went out in the evenings, ran around moonlight along the streets, stretched out at full length on the walls - it tickles your back so nicely! He ran up the walls, ran down, looked into the windows of the highest floors, looked into the halls and attics, looked into places where no one could look, saw what no one should have seen! And I learned how low the light really is! Really, I wouldn’t even want to be human, if only it weren’t once and for all accepted to consider this something special! I noticed the most incredible things in women, in men, in parents, even in sweet, incomparable children. “I saw something,” the shadow added, “that no one should have, but that everyone so wanted to see—the secret vices and sins of people.” If I had written in the newspapers, they would have read me! But I wrote directly to the interested parties themselves and instilled such fear in everyone and everywhere I went! Everyone was so afraid of me and loved me so much! The professors recognized me as their colleague, the tailors dressed me - I now have plenty of dresses - the miners minted coins for me, and the women admired my beauty! And so I became what I am. And now I will say goodbye to you; here's my card. I live on the sunny side and in rainy weather I’m always at home!

With these words the shadow left.

How strange it is! - said the scientist.

Days and years passed; suddenly the shadow again appeared to the scientist.

Well how are you? - she asked.

Alas! - answered the scientist. “I write about truth, goodness and beauty, but no one cares about that.” I'm just desperate; This makes me so sad!

But I’m not there! - said the shadow. - That’s why I’m getting fatter, and this is the most important thing! Yes, you don’t know how to live in the world! You'll probably get sick again. You need to travel a little. I'm just planning to take a short trip this summer - would you like to come with me? I need company on the road, so won’t you go... as my shadow? Really, your company would give me great pleasure; I will, of course, bear all the costs!

No, that's too much! - the scientist got angry.

But how can you look at the matter! - said the shadow. - The trip would be of great benefit to you! And as soon as you agree to be my shadow, you will go with everything ready!

This is out of hand! - the scientist cried.

Such is the light, said the shadow. - He will remain that way!

And the shadow left. The scientist felt bad, and grief and worries still haunted him: he wrote about truth, goodness and beauty, and people understood as much about all this as cows in roses. Finally he became completely ill.

You are unrecognizable, you have become just a shadow! - people said to the scientist, and a shiver ran through his body from the thought that came to his mind at these words.

You should go somewhere on the water! - said the shadow, which turned towards him again. - There is nothing else left for you! I am ready to take you with me for the sake of an old acquaintance. I will cover all travel expenses, and you will describe our trip and pleasantly entertain me along the way. I'm going to the waters; my beard doesn’t grow as it should, and this is a kind of disease - you have to have a beard! Well, be wise and accept my offer; After all, we will go as comrades.

And off they went. The shadow became the master, and the master became the shadow. They were inseparable: they rode, talked, and always walked together - sometimes side by side, sometimes a shadow in front of the scientist, sometimes behind, depending on the position of the sun. But the shadow perfectly knew how to behave like a master, and the scientist, out of the kindness of his heart, did not even notice it. He was generally so nice warm-hearted man, and one day just say to the shadow:

We are comrades now, and we grew up together - let’s have a drink, it will be like friends!

There really is a lot of sincere goodwill in your words! - said the shadow - now, in fact, she was the master. - And I also want to be frank with you. You, as a scientist, probably know what oddities human nature has! Some, for example, find it unpleasant to touch gray paper, others shudder with their whole body if they run a nail across the glass. This same feeling takes over me when you tell me you. I feel completely depressed, as if reduced to my previous position. You see that this is just a painful feeling, and not pride on my part. I cannot allow you to tell me you, but I myself will willingly tell you you; in this way, your wish will be fulfilled at least half.

And so the shadow began to say to its former master, you.

“This, however, is out of the question,” thought the scientist. “I have to address him informally, but he pokes me.” But there was nothing to do.

Finally they arrived at the waters. There was a large gathering of foreigners at the waters. Among the visitors was a beautiful princess who suffered from an overly keen eye, and this is no joke, even if it frightens anyone.

She immediately noticed that the newly arrived foreigner was not at all like all the other people.

Although they say that he came here to grow a beard, you can’t fool me: I see that he simply cannot cast shadows!

Her curiosity was piqued, and without hesitation, she approached the stranger on a walk and entered into a conversation with him. As a princess, she, without further ado, told him:

Your illness is that you cannot cast shadows from yourself!

And Your Royal Highness must be close to recovery! - said the shadow. - I know that you suffered from too keen an eye - now, as you can see, you have been healed of your illness! I just have a very unusual shadow. Or have you not noticed the person who constantly follows me? All other people have ordinary shadows, but in general I am the enemy of everything ordinary, and just as others dress their servants in liveries made of finer cloth than they wear themselves, so I dressed up my shadow as a real person and even attached, as you see, a shadow to it ! All this, of course, costs me a lot, but in such cases I’m not responsible for the expenses!

“That's it! - thought the princess. - So I really recovered? Yes, these waters are the best in the world! It must be admitted that in our time waters truly have amazing power. But I won’t leave yet - now it will be even more interesting here. I really like this foreigner. Just don’t let his beard grow, otherwise he’ll leave!”

In the evening there was a ball, and the princess danced with a shadow. The princess danced easily, but the shadow danced even easier; The princess had never met such a dancer. She told him which country she came from, and it turned out that he knew that country and had even been there, but the princess was leaving at that time. He looked into windows everywhere, saw something and therefore could answer all the princess’s questions and even make such hints, from which she was completely amazed and began to consider him the smartest person in the world. His knowledge simply amazed her, and she was imbued with the deepest respect for him. Having danced with him again, she completely fell in love with him, and the shadow noticed this very well: the princess pierced her gentleman with her gaze. Having danced with the shadow again, the princess was ready to confess her love to her, but reason still prevailed, she thought about her country, state and people, which she had to rule. “He’s smart,” she said to herself, “and that’s wonderful; He dances amazingly, and that’s also good, but does he have thorough knowledge, which is also very important! We need to examine him."

And she again started a conversation with him and asked him the most difficult questions, which she herself could not answer.

The shadow made a surprised expression.

So you can't answer me! - said the princess.

I learned all this as a child! - answered the shadow. “I think even my shadow, which stands at the door, will be able to answer you.”

Your shadow?! - the princess was surprised. - It would be simply amazing!

“You see, I don’t say so,” said the shadow, “but I think that she can, - after all, she has been inseparable from me for so many years and has heard a lot from me! But, Your Royal Highness, let me draw your attention to one thing. My shadow is very proud to be considered a human, and if you do not want to put it in a bad mood, you should treat it like a human! Otherwise, she probably won’t be able to answer properly!

Well, I like it! - answered the princess and, going up to the scientist standing at the door, she spoke to him about the sun, about the moon, about external and internal sides and properties of human nature.

The scientist answered all her questions well and intelligently.

“What kind of person must this be,” thought the princess, “if even his shadow is so smart! It will be a real blessing for my people and state if I choose him as my wife. Yes, I will do that!”

And soon they resolved this issue among themselves. No one, however, was supposed to know anything until the princess returned home to her state.

No one, no one, not even my own shadow! - insisted the shadow, which had its own reasons.

At last they arrived in the country which the princess ruled when she was at home.

Listen, buddy! - the shadow said to the scientist. - Now I have achieved the highest happiness and human power and I want to do something for you too! You will stay with me, live in my palace, ride with me in the royal carriage and receive one hundred thousand riksdalers a year. But for that you must allow everyone to call you a shadow. You shouldn't even stutter that you were ever human! And once a year, on a sunny day, when I sit on the balcony in front of all the people, you will have to lie at my feet, as befits a shadow. I must tell you that I am marrying a princess; The wedding is tonight.

No, this is out of hand! - the scientist cried. - I don’t want this and I won’t do it! This would mean deceiving the whole country and the princess! I'll tell you everything! I’ll say that I’m a man, and you’re just a shadow in disguise - I’ll say everything, I’ll say everything!

Nobody will believe you! - said the shadow. - Well, be reasonable, otherwise I’ll call the guard!

I'll go straight to the princess! - said the scientist.

Well, I’ll get to her before you! - said the shadow. - And you will go under arrest.

And so it happened: the guards obeyed the one whom everyone knew the princess was marrying.

You're shaking! - said the princess when the shadow came to her. - Something happened? Don't get sick, look! After all, our wedding is tonight!

Oh, I just went through the most terrible moment! - said the shadow. - Think... How much, in essence, does the brains of some unfortunate shadow need!.. Think about it, my shadow has gone crazy, imagined itself as a man, and calls me - just think - its shadow!

Horrible! - said the princess. - I hope it was locked?

Of course, but I'm afraid she'll never come to her senses!

Poor shadow! - the princess sighed. - She is very unhappy! It would be a real blessing to rid her of that particle of life that still exists in her. And if you think about it carefully, then, in my opinion, it’s even necessary to end things with her as quickly and quietly as possible!

It's still cruel! - said the shadow. - She was my faithful servant! - And the shadow feigned a sigh.

You have a noble soul! - said the princess.

In the evening the whole city was illuminated, cannon shots thundered, soldiers saluted with their guns. There was a wedding! And the princess and the shadow went out onto the balcony to show themselves to the people, who once again shouted “hurray” to them.

The scientist did not hear this rejoicing - it was already finished.

This is where the sun shines - in hot countries! People sunbathe there until their skin becomes the color of mahogany, and in the hottest days it becomes black, like that of blacks.

But for now we will only talk about hot countries: one scientist came here from cold ones. He was thinking of running around the city as if he were at home, but he soon lost the habit and, like all sensible people, began to sit at home all day with the shutters and doors closed. One would think that the whole house was asleep or that no one was home. The narrow street, lined with tall houses, was located in such a way that it was roasted in the sun from morning to evening, and there was simply no strength to bear this heat! To the scientist who came from cold countries - he was a smart man and still young - it seemed as if he was sitting in a hot furnace. The heat greatly affected his health. He lost weight, and even his shadow somehow shrank and became much smaller than it was at home: the heat affected it too. Both of them - the scientist and the shadow - came to life only with the onset of evening.

And really, it was a pleasure to look at them! As soon as a candle was brought into the room, the shadow stretched across the entire wall, even capturing part of the ceiling - after all, she needed to stretch well in order to gain strength again.

The scientist went out onto the balcony and also stretched, and as soon as the stars lit up in the clear evening sky, he felt that he was being reborn to life again. People also went out onto all the other balconies - and in hot countries there is a balcony in front of every window: Fresh air necessary even for those who don’t care about being mahogany-colored!

Liveliness reigned both below - on the street and above - on the balconies. Shoemakers, tailors and other working people all poured out into the street, carried tables and chairs onto the sidewalks and lit candles. There were hundreds of them; these candles, and people - some sang, some talked, some just walked. Carriages rolled along the pavement and donkeys trotted along. Ding-ding-ding! - they jingled their bells. Here a funeral procession passed with singing, there street boys exploded firecrackers on the pavement, and bells rang.

Yes, there was excitement everywhere. It was quiet in only one house, which stood just opposite the one where the scientist lived. And yet this house was not empty: there were flowers on the balcony in the very sun; without watering they could not have bloomed so magnificently; someone had to water them! Therefore, someone lived in the house. The door to the balcony was opened in the evenings, but the rooms themselves were always dark, at least the one facing the street. And somewhere in the depths of the house music sounded. The scientist heard something marvelously beautiful in it, but perhaps it only seemed so to him: in his opinion, here, in hot countries, everything was beautiful; one problem - the sun! The owner of the house where the scientist settled also did not know who lived in the house opposite: not a soul was ever shown there, and as for the music, he found it terribly boring.

“It’s like someone sits and hammers away at the same play, and nothing works out for him, but he keeps hammering away: they say, I’ll achieve my goal, and still nothing works out, no matter how much he plays.”

One night the scientist woke up; the door to the balcony stood wide open, the wind moved the curtains, and it seemed to him that the balcony of the house opposite was illuminated by some amazing radiance; the flowers glowed with the most wonderful colors, and between the flowers stood a slender, lovely girl who seemed to also glow. All this blinded him so much that the scientist opened his eyes even wider and then finally woke up. He jumped up, quietly walked to the door and stood behind the curtain, but the girl disappeared, the light and shine disappeared, and the flowers no longer glowed, but simply stood there, beautiful, as always. The door to the balcony was ajar, and from the depths of the house one could hear gentle, enchanting sounds of music that could carry anyone into the world of sweet dreams.

It all looked like witchcraft. Who lived there? Where exactly was the entrance to the house? The entire lower floor was occupied by shops - residents couldn’t constantly enter through them!

One evening the scientist was sitting on his balcony. A candle was burning in the room behind him, and quite naturally, his shadow fell on the wall of the house opposite. Furthermore, she even settled down between the flowers on the balcony, and as soon as the scientist moved, the shadow moved too - that’s just her property.

“Really, my shadow is the only living creature in that house,” said the scientist. - Look how cleverly she settled between the flowers. But the door is ajar. If only the shadow could figure out how to enter the house, look around, and then come back and tell me what she saw there. Yes, you would serve me well,” the scientist said as if jokingly. - Be kind, go in there! Well, are you coming?

And he nodded to the shadow, and the shadow answered him with a nod.

- Well, go, just make sure you don’t get lost there! With these words, the scientist stood up, and so did his shadow on the balcony opposite. The scientist turned - the shadow also turned, and if anyone had carefully watched them at that moment, they would have seen how the shadow slid into the half-open balcony door of the house opposite just at the moment when the scientist left the balcony into the room and lowered the with a curtain.

The next morning, the scientist went out to the pastry shop to drink coffee and read newspapers.

- What's happened? - he said, stepping out into the sun. – I don’t have a shadow! Therefore, she really left last night and did not return. What a shame!

He felt unpleasant, not so much because the shadow was gone, but because he remembered the story about a man without a shadow, known to everyone in his homeland, in cold countries. If he returned home now and told what happened to him, everyone would say that he embarked on an imitation, but he had no need for it. That's why he decided not to even mention the incident with the shadow and did it smartly.

In the evening, he again went out onto the balcony and placed the candle right behind him, knowing that the shadow always tries to shield its owner from the light. But he failed to lure his shadow out in this way. He sat down and straightened up - there was no shadow, the shadow did not appear. He chuckled - what's the point?

It was a shame, but in hot countries everything grows unusually quickly, and a week later the scientist, going out into the sun, to his great pleasure, noticed that a new shadow began to grow from his feet - the roots of the old one must have remained. Three weeks later he already had a tolerable shadow, and during the scientist’s return trip to his homeland it grew even larger and in the end it became so big and long that it was even shorter.

So, the scientist returned home and began to write books about truth, goodness and beauty. Days passed, years passed... Many years passed.

And he was sitting at home one evening when suddenly he heard a quiet knock on the door.

- Come in! - he said, but no one entered. Then he opened the door himself and saw an unusually skinny man in front of him, so that he even felt somehow strange. However, he was dressed very elegantly, like a gentleman. – Who do I have the honor of speaking to? - asks the scientist.