The Boarding-School Girl, 1861

Nadezhda Khvoshchinskaya

Setting: City of N., Last Chapter: the Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Protagonist(s?)

Alexsander Ivanych Veretitsyn (Sasha), graduated with honors, teacher in Moscow for 2 years, now exiled to N to work as a copyist for provincial administration, under police surveillance, living off his brother-in-law, the provincial treasurer, handsome, but in ill health

Alyona Gostyeva (Lolenka, Lolya, Hélène), living at home, studying at Shabicheva’s boarding school, about 15

Foils

Ibrayev, a man of high society, has just arrived to take a distinguished position in N.

Sofya Alkesandrovna Khemeleskaya, Veretitsyn’s love interest, from an aristocratic family in financial decline

Other Characters

Alyona’s parents

Sofya’s mother and sister

Pelageya Semyonovna, “clerk’s widow & mother of two young clerks,” a gossip & matchmaker

Schoolmate, Olenka Belyaeva

Viktor Martynych Farforov, suitor

Lolenka’s aunt and namesake, Alyona Gavrilovna (never actually appears in the novel as a character, but plays a crucial role, a childless widow (husband was a clerk who worked for an important person in St. Petersburg), Lolenka’s godmother & namesake.

Chapter Breakdown

Ch. 1: Veretitsyn & Ibrayev in the garden (they see Lolenka studying next door)

Ch. 2: Veretitsyn tells Ibrayev about Sofya

Ch. 3: Veretitsyn & Lolenka meet & speak

Ch. 4: Veretitsyn trades Lolenka an English version of Shakespeare for her schoolbook, Koshansky’s Rhetoric. Since Lolenka doesn’t read English, he later replaces the English with a French version of Romeo & Juliet

Ch. 5: Lolenka’s oppressive home environment; Pelageya Semyonovna & Lolenka’s mother discuss Lolenka’s prospects; plan to appeal to Alyona Gavrilovna for bestowal & dowry.

Ch. 6: EXAMS. Lolenka is betrayed by Olenka Belyaeva; Lolenka fails first exam

Veretitsyn reflects on his visit with Sofya the night before

On the way home, in the rain, Veretitsyn is snubbed by Ibrayev

Veretitsyn meets up with Lolenka

Ch. 7: More exams, more failures

Lolenka & Veretitsyn discuss exams

Ch. 8: Lolenka shown off at church; Lolenka fails entirely & is shunned at school; a suitor is found; Alyona Gavrilovna to be approached for the dowry

Ch. 9: Veretitsyn & Lolenka discuss her “romanticism”

Veretitsyn tries to arrange for time off work, ostensibly to visit the Khemelevskys in the countryside, but perhaps b/c he is ill. Question of whether he’s used Ibrayev’s name . . .

Ch. 10: Lolenka reading Romeo & Juliet, working at home

Pelageya Semyonovna arranges the marriage with Viktor Martynych Farforov

Lolenka’s father delays writing the letter to Alyona Gavrilovna

Veretitsyn ill, inside for six days

Ch. 11: Treasurer’s wife (Veretitsyn’s sister) surprises everyone by attending the parish church; Lolenka learns that Veretitsyn is ill

Lolenka’s father, along with Lolenka, write the letter to Alyona Gavrilovna, with no mention of the bestowal & dowry

Sofya visits Veretitsyn, who has been inside ill for three weeks. Lolenka witnesses their visit.

Chapter 12: Lolenka reflects on Veretitsyn & Sofya

Lolenka performs for Pelageya Semyonovna—not wife material yet, “You have to submit”

Veretitsyn dismisses Lolenka

Lolenka refuses to marry

Ch. 13: Eight years later, at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg