Tales of Marshak

Marshak's magical winter tale about a young girl who had a stepsister and stepmother. The stepmother terribly disliked her adopted daughter and exploited her in every possible way: she drove her to fetch water, to the forest for firewood, to do laundry, to weed the beds. But no matter what she did, the stepmother didn’t like it, but she doted on her daughter, and she just lay on the feather beds and ate gingerbread. And then one day in January, when there was a strong cold, a lot of snow and strong winds were blowing from all sides, the stepmother decided to send her stepdaughter to the forest to get snowdrops for her daughter’s birthday, and told her not to return without snowdrops. The poor girl went into the forest and came out to the fire, and they sat around the fire for 12 months. When they found out about her problem, they decided to help her, since they knew her and saw her either on the river or at the well. The month of January gave way to the month of March for an hour and the stepdaughter was able to pick snowdrops and came home. When the stepmother found out how her stepdaughter got hold of snowdrops in January, she immediately sent her daughter to buy gifts: pears, cucumbers, strawberries. But when her daughter met 12 months, they did not recognize her, January caught up with the cold and froze her. Mom didn’t wait for her daughter and went out to search, but she also froze. But the stepdaughter lived for a long time and they said that in her yard one could meet all 12 months at once.

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Do you know how many months there are in a year?

Twelve.

What are their names?

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

As soon as one month ends, another begins immediately. And it has never happened before that February came before January left, and May overtook April.

The months go one after another and never meet.

But people say that in the mountainous country of Bohemia there was a girl who saw all twelve months at once.

How did this happen?

Here's how.

In one small village there lived an evil and stingy woman with her daughter and stepdaughter. She loved her daughter, but her stepdaughter could not please her in any way. No matter what the stepdaughter does, everything is wrong, no matter how she turns, everything is in the wrong direction.

The daughter lay on the feather bed all day long and ate gingerbread, but the stepdaughter had no time to sit down from morning to night: fetch water, bring brushwood from the forest, rinse the linen on the river, or weed the beds in the garden.

She knew winter cold, summer heat, spring wind, and autumn rain. That’s why, perhaps, she once had the chance to see all twelve months at once.

It was winter. It was January. There was so much snow that they had to shovel it away from the doors, and in the forest on the mountain the trees stood waist-deep in snowdrifts and could not even sway when the wind blew on them.

People sat in their houses and lit their stoves.

At such and such a time, in the evening, the evil stepmother opened the door, looked at how the blizzard was sweeping, and then returned to the warm stove and said to her stepdaughter:

You should go to the forest and pick snowdrops there. Tomorrow is your sister's birthday.

The girl looked at her stepmother: was she joking or was she really sending her into the forest? It's scary in the forest now! And what are snowdrops like in winter? They will not be born before March, no matter how much you look for them. You'll just end up lost in the forest and get stuck in the snowdrifts.

And her sister tells her:

Even if you disappear, no one will cry for you! Go and don't come back without flowers. Here's your basket.

The girl began to cry, wrapped herself in a torn scarf and walked out the door.

The wind dusts her eyes with snow and tears her scarf off. She walks, barely pulling her legs out of the snowdrifts.

It's getting darker all around. The sky is black, not a single star looks at the ground, and the ground is a little lighter. It's from the snow.

Here is the forest. It's completely dark here - you can't see your hands. The girl sat down on a fallen tree and sat. All the same, he thinks about where to freeze.

And suddenly a light flashed far between the trees - as if a star was entangled among the branches.

The girl got up and went towards this light. He drowns in snowdrifts and climbs over a windbreak. “If only,” he thinks, “the light doesn’t go out!” But it doesn’t go out, it burns brighter and brighter. There was already a smell of warm smoke, and you could hear the brushwood crackling in the fire.

The girl quickened her pace and entered the clearing. Yes, she froze.

It’s light in the clearing, as if from the sun. In the middle of the clearing a large fire is burning, almost reaching to the sky. And people are sitting around the fire - some closer to the fire, some further away. They sit and talk quietly.

The girl looks at them and thinks: who are they? They don’t seem to look like hunters, even less like woodcutters: look how smart they are - some in silver, some in gold, some in green velvet.

The young people sit near the fire, and the old people sit at a distance.

And suddenly one old man turned around - the tallest, bearded, with eyebrows - and looked in the direction where the girl stood.

She was scared and wanted to run away, but it was too late. The old man asks her loudly:

Where did you come from, what do you want here?

The girl showed him her empty basket and said:

I need to collect snowdrops in this basket.

The old man laughed:

Is it snowdrops in January? What did you come up with!

“I didn’t make it up,” the girl replies, “but my stepmother sent me here for snowdrops and didn’t tell me to return home with an empty basket.”

Then all twelve looked at her and began to talk among themselves.

The girl stands there, listening, but doesn’t understand the words - as if it’s not people talking, but trees making noise.

They talked and talked and fell silent.

And the tall old man turned around again and asked:

What will you do if you don’t find snowdrops? After all, they won’t even appear before March.

“I’ll stay in the forest,” says the girl. - I’ll wait for the month of March. It’s better for me to freeze in the forest than to return home without snowdrops.

She said this and cried.

And suddenly one of the twelve, the youngest, cheerful, with a fur coat over one shoulder, stood up and approached the old man.

Brother January, give me your place for an hour!

The old man stroked his long beard and said:

I would have given in, but March would not be there before February.

“Okay,” grumbled another old man, all shaggy, with a disheveled beard. - Give in, I won’t argue! We all know her well: sometimes you’ll meet her at an ice hole with buckets, sometimes in the forest with a bundle of firewood. All months have their own. We need to help her.

Well, have it your way,” said January.

He struck the ground with his ice staff and spoke:

Don't crack, it's frosty,

In a protected forest,

At the pine, at the birch

Don't chew the bark!

You're full of crows

Freeze,

Human habitation

Cool down!

The old man fell silent, and the forest became quiet. The trees stopped crackling from the frost, and the snow began to fall thickly, in large, soft flakes.

Well, now it’s your turn, brother,” said January and gave the staff to his younger brother, shaggy February.

He tapped his staff, shook his beard and boomed:

Winds, storms, hurricanes,

Blow as hard as you can!

Whirlwinds, blizzards and blizzards,

Get ready for the night!

Trumpet loudly in the clouds,

Hover above the ground.

Let the drifting snow run in the fields

A white snake.

And as soon as he said this, a stormy, wet wind rustled in the branches. Snow flakes began to swirl and white whirlwinds rushed across the ground.

And February gave his ice staff to his younger brother and said:

Now it's your turn, brother Mart.

The younger brother took the staff and hit it on the ground.

The girl looks, and this is no longer a staff. This is a large branch, all covered with buds.

Mart grinned and sang loudly, in all his boyish voice:

Run away, streams,

Spread, puddles,

Get out, ants,

After the winter cold!

A bear sneaks through

Through the dead wood.

The birds began to sing songs,

And the snowdrop blossomed.

The girl even clasped her hands. Where did the high snowdrifts go? Where are the ice icicles that hung on every branch?

Under her feet is soft spring soil. It's dripping, flowing, babbling all around. The buds on the branches have puffed up, and the first green leaves are already peeking out from under the dark skin.

Why are you standing? - Mart tells her. - Hurry, my brothers gave you and me only one hour.

The girl woke up and ran into the thicket to look for snowdrops. And they are visible and invisible! Under bushes and under stones, on hummocks and under hummocks - everywhere you look. She collected a full basket, a full apron - and quickly went back to the clearing, where the fire was burning, where the twelve brothers were sitting.

And there is no longer a fire or brothers. It’s light in the clearing, but not as before. The light did not come from the fire, but from the full moon that rose over the forest. The girl regretted that she had no one to thank and ran home.

And a month swam after her.

Not feeling her feet under her, she ran to her door - and had just entered the house when the buzz began again outside the windows. winter blizzard, and the month hid in the clouds.

Well, - asked her stepmother and sister, - have you returned home yet? Where are the snowdrops?

The girl did not answer, she just poured snowdrops out of her apron onto the bench and placed the basket next to it.

The stepmother and sister gasped:

Where did you get them?

The girl told them everything that happened. They both listen and shake their heads - they believe and don’t believe. It’s hard to believe, but there’s a whole heap of fresh, blue snowdrops on the bench. They just smell like March!

The stepmother and daughter looked at each other and asked:

Have months given you anything else?

Yes, I didn’t ask for anything else.

What a fool! - says the sister. - For once, I met all twelve months, but didn’t ask for anything except snowdrops! Well, if I were you, I'd know what to ask for. One has apples and sweet pears, another has ripe strawberries, the third has white mushrooms, the fourth has fresh cucumbers!

Smart girl, daughter! - says the stepmother. - In winter, strawberries and pears have no price. If we sold this, we would make so much money! Dress up, daughter, get warm and go to the clearing. They won’t deceive you, even if there are twelve of them and you are alone.

Where are they! - the daughter answers, and she herself puts her hands in her sleeves and puts a scarf on her head.

Her mother shouts after her:

Put on your mittens and button up your fur coat!

And my daughter is already at the door. She ran into the forest!

She follows her sister's footsteps and is in a hurry. “I wish I could get to the clearing soon,” he thinks!

The forest is getting thicker and darker. The snowdrifts are getting higher and the windfall is like a wall.

“Oh,” thinks the stepmother’s daughter, “why did I go into the forest!” I would be lying at home in a warm bed right now, but now go and freeze! You’ll still be lost here!”

And as soon as she thought this, she saw a light in the distance - as if a star had become entangled in the branches.

She went to the light. She walked and walked and came out into a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, a large fire is burning, and twelve brothers, twelve months old, are sitting around the fire. They sit and talk quietly.

The stepmother's daughter approached the fire, did not bow, did not say a friendly word, but chose a place where it was hotter and began to warm herself.

The month brothers fell silent. It became quiet in the forest, and suddenly the month of January struck the ground with his staff.

Who are you? - asks. -Where did it come from?

From home,” the stepmother’s daughter answers. - Today you gave my sister a whole basket of snowdrops. So I came in her footsteps.

We know your sister,” says January-month, “but we haven’t even seen you.” Why did you come to us?

For gifts. Let the month of June pour strawberries into my basket, and bigger ones. And July is the month of fresh cucumbers and white mushrooms, and the month of August is of apples and sweet pears. And September is the month of ripe nuts. A October

Wait,” says the month of January. - There will be no summer before spring, and no spring before winter. It's still a long time until June. I am now the owner of the forest, I will reign here for thirty-one days.

Look, he's so angry! - says the stepmother’s daughter. - Yes, I didn’t come to you - you won’t expect anything from you except snow and frost. I need the summer months.

The month of January frowned.

Look for summer in winter! - speaks.

He waved his wide sleeve, and a blizzard rose in the forest from ground to sky: it covered both the trees and the clearing on which the moon brothers had been sitting. The fire was no longer visible behind the snow, but you could only hear a fire whistling somewhere, crackling, blazing.

The stepmother's daughter was scared.

Stop it! - shouts. - Enough!

Where is it?

The blizzard swirls around her, blinds her eyes, takes her breath away.

She fell into a snowdrift and was covered with snow.

And the stepmother waited and waited for her daughter, looked out the window, ran out the door - she was gone, and that’s all. She wrapped herself up warmly and went into the forest. How can you really find anyone in the thicket in such a snowstorm and darkness!

She walked, walked, searched and searched, until she herself froze.

So they both remained in the forest to wait for summer.

But the stepdaughter lived in the world for a long time, grew up big, got married and raised children.

And they say she had a garden near her house - and such a wonderful one, the likes of which the world has never seen. Earlier than everyone else, flowers bloomed in this garden, berries ripened, apples and pears were filled. In the heat it was cool there, in the snowstorm it was quiet.

This hostess has been staying with this hostess for twelve months at once! - people said.

Who knows - maybe it was so.

Cool! 5

The name of Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak is known to everyone. We become acquainted with his work in early childhood. When we were very little, we listened to the poems “Ball”, “Children in a Cage”, “Mustache Striped”. According to the writer himself, when he was a child, he did not have children's books and had to read books for adults. Perhaps that is why, when Samuil Yakovlevich became a writer, he paid much attention to children's literature. We all know Marshak’s poems, they are funny, interesting, and easy to remember. There are also fairy tales in his work. Reading them, we see that the author took as a basis folk art. But the plot of the fairy tales known to all of us has been changed and supplemented with new characters and events.

This happened with the fairy tale-play “Twelve Months”. While working on it, the writer relied on the Slovak legend about the moon brothers who gathered around the fire in New Year's Eve. But the writer changed the plot and came up with it again. S.Ya. Marshak tells us about his stepdaughter, her evil stepmother, the wayward Queen and the month brothers. The stepdaughter is very kind and hard-working. She does not refuse to help either people or animals, in return they give her their love. The only one who doesn't love the girl is her stepmother. She has her own daughter, whom she dotes on and indulges in all her whims. This is probably why this girl is so lazy and greedy.

The image of the Queen is interesting in this fairy tale - she is a capricious and wayward girl. But still, I feel sorry for her - she is an orphan, she has no parents. Of course, she could be better, kinder, but there is no one to raise her. The courtiers only please her and agree with all her statements, even the most stupid ones. And then one day, under New Year The Queen decided to receive a basket of snowdrops. She promised to cut off the head of anyone who did not fulfill her wish, and a basket of gold to anyone who pleased her.

The stepmother and her daughter forced the stepdaughter to go into the dense forest in the middle of winter to buy flowers. This is where miracles begin. Already completely desperate, in the dark forest, the Stepdaughter met twelve brothers-months in a clearing. Each of them knows the girl, because she worked all year round, and they all met her. She conquered each of them with her kindness, meekness and hard work. The author reveals to us that such a person, even in the most difficult situation will find help and support.

Only a person with a pure soul and a kind heart can encounter a miracle. And we also see that the little girl turned out to be an honest and reliable friend, she knows how to hold given word. After all, when the Queen began to ask her Stepdaughter where she got the snowdrops, the girl did not reveal the secret. Although she was meek and obedient, she showed firmness here. But the Queen’s persistence did not bring her anything good. Having achieved her goal with the help of her stepmother and her daughter, she ended up in a magical clearing, where she met twelve months.

It is in this cherished clearing that the denouement takes place. Here the author using characters reveals to the reader the main idea of ​​the tale. We see that the stepmother and daughter are punished for their greed and their quarrelsome nature. Queen - for arrogance and stupidity. The old teacher says that everything should happen in its own time, order should reign in the world. Good finally triumphs, as it should be at all times.

Even more essays on the topic: “12 months”

The fairy tale “Twelve Months” tells us about the girl “stepdaughter”, who I really like. Marshak portrayed the main character of the fairy tale as a very kind and friendly girl, which other negative characters took advantage of. The bad characters in the fairy tale are the stepmother and her daughter. In this fairy tale we see how good fights evil and ultimately defeats it, which is generally typical for literary fairy tales.

The stepdaughter was so hardworking and honest that she followed all the instructions of her stepmother. One day the young queen, who, by the way, was also an orphan, wanted snowdrops, but in the depths of winter snowdrops do not bloom. The Queen issued a decree that whoever brings her snowdrops will receive a basket full of gold in return. When the stepmother and her daughter found out about this, their minds became clouded and, in anticipation of profit, despite the danger of the cold forest, they sent their stepdaughter for snowdrops.

The stepdaughter went into the forest, although she could have deceived her stepmother and not gone for the snowdrops, but because of her honesty she did not deceive. In the forest, she became very cold and got lost, but twelve brothers saved her from death. Having accepted the page, they warmed it up and presented a basket of snowdrops in exchange for the silence of their existence. When the basket was handed over to the queen, she was surprised and asked to tell her about the miracle. The stepdaughter made a promise not to talk about the existence of the magical clearing and kept it. But the selfish queen ordered her naughty stepdaughter to be drowned.

When the queen and stepmother and daughter went into the forest, they got lost and came to a magical clearing, where twelve brothers were staying for months. While at 12 months, the Queen learned a life lesson and began to relate differently to others. And the brothers turned the evil stepmother and her daughter into dogs for months, but with the condition that if they change, they will become people again.

In the fairy tale there is a constant confrontation between good forces and evil ones. The stepdaughter was very kind and she was oppressed by evil forces in the person of her stepmother, but thanks to the kindness and power of the brothers, within twelve months everything will fall into place. The bad characters in the fairy tale were punished, and the good stepdaughter was rewarded. But there is another amazing character in fairy tales - the young queen. At first she was very angry and selfish, even due to the fact that the word “pardon” is more than “execute”, she chooses the latter. In this scene we see the queen's indifference and selfishness. But at the end of the fairy tale, she changes and rethinks her views, becomes kind and treats people better. In this character we also see the victory of good over evil.

In the fairy tale “The Twelve Months,” good defeated evil. Maybe someone wants to say that what they did to the stepmother and her daughter was not very good, but it was fair and they have the opportunity to change. Marshak showed everyone what there are bad people with very ugly actions, and this teaches us what not to be. Looking at my stepmother and her daughter, I don’t want to be like that at all. This fairy tale shows what we should be like and teaches us kindness and reason.

Source: lang-lit.ru

It seems to me that a fairy tale is a unique creation of the human imagination. Why? For only a fairy tale can teach a person from early childhood to distinguish between good and evil, truth and lies. Plunging into the magical world of a fairy tale, you wonder what you would do if you were in the place of its heroes. And each new fantastic story brings new impressions, new experiences and new experiences.

In the fairy-tale play “Twelve Months” by S. Marshak, the irreconcilable struggle between good and evil continues. A sweet, affectionate stepdaughter girl carries goodness within herself. She works hard, fulfilling the whims of her grandmother and her daughter. They seem to enjoy tormenting the poor girl. And when the women learned about the order of the young selfish queen to bring snowdrops from the winter forest, greed overshadowed their minds. They lose the remnants of humanity. But, as they say, the world is not without good people. This is what the moon brothers turned out to be like for the girl, who not only saved her life, but also helped her complete a meaningless task. But she promised to keep the secret and never talk about the magical clearing.

Human stupidity and evil have no boundaries. This is probably why the queen and her entire retinue go into the forest to see the miracle with their own eyes. The orphan refuses to reveal the secret because she made a promise to her brothers for months. The queen, enraged by the disobedience, orders the girl to be drowned, and throws the ring she had given her into the hole. But, fortunately, this is a fairy tale, so evil cannot go unpunished. Grandfather, the elder brother of the month, turned the woman and her daughter into dogs for greed and cruelty. But he left them a chance to become better. It depends only on them whether they can become people again, whether they will forever remain dogs.

So, in the play, good won, because the wisdom, responsiveness, and justice of the month brothers came to its defense. And whether good will win in our lives depends only on us. Don't do harm to people, remember, it always comes back.

In the winter forest, a wolf talks with a raven, squirrels play burner with a hare. They are seen by the Stepdaughter, who came to the forest for brushwood and firewood (sent by her cruel Stepmother). The stepdaughter meets the Soldier in the forest and tells him about the game of animals. He explains that all sorts of miracles happen on New Year’s Eve and helps the girl collect the bundle. And the Soldier himself came to the forest to get a Christmas tree for the Queen. When he leaves, the twelve months gather in the forest to build a fire.

The fourteen-year-old Queen, the same age as her Stepdaughter, is an orphan. The gray-bearded Professor teaches the wayward girl penmanship and mathematics, but not very successfully, because the Queen does not like to be contradicted. She wishes April to come tomorrow, and issues an order: she promises a big reward to the one who brings a basket of snowdrops to the palace. The heralds announce the beginning of spring and the royal order.

The stepmother and her daughter dream of a reward. As soon as the Stepdaughter returns with brushwood, she is immediately sent back to the forest - for snowdrops.

The frozen Stepdaughter wanders through the forest. He comes out into a clearing where a fire is burning, and twelve brothers-months are warming themselves around it. The girl tells them her story. April asks the brothers to give him an hour to help his Stepdaughter. They agree. Snowdrops are blooming all around, the girl is collecting them. April gives her her ring: if trouble happens, you need to throw the ring, say magic words- and all the months will come to the rescue. The brothers punish the Stepdaughter not to tell anyone about meeting them.

Stepdaughter brings snowdrops home. Stepmother's Daughter steals the ring given by April from the sleeping Stepdaughter. She immediately guesses about this and begs for the ring to be returned to her, but the old woman and her evil Daughter don’t even want to listen. They go with the snowdrops to the royal palace, leaving the Stepdaughter at home.

Gala reception at the royal palace. The Queen announces that the New Year will not begin until a basket full of snowdrops is brought. Gardeners appear with greenhouse flowers, but there are no snowdrops among them. Only when the Stepmother and Daughter bring Snowdrops does the Queen admit that the New Year has come. She orders “two persons” to tell where they found the flowers. They weave a tale about a wonderful place where flowers, mushrooms, and berries grow in winter. The Queen decides to send them for nuts and berries, but then she has the idea of ​​going there herself along with the courtiers. Then the Stepmother and Daughter say that the wonderful place is already covered with snow. The Queen threatens them with execution for deception, and the liars admit that it was the Stepdaughter who picked the flowers. The Queen goes to the forest, ordering “two persons” to accompany her along with her Stepdaughter.

In the forest, soldiers are clearing the way for the Queen. They are hot, but the courtiers are cold. The Queen orders everyone to work and takes the broom herself. Stepmother, Daughter and Stepdaughter appear. The Queen orders that the Stepdaughter be given a fur coat. The stepdaughter complains that her ring was taken away. The Queen orders her stepmother to return the ring to her Daughter, and she obeys. The Queen then demands that the Stepdaughter tell where she found the snowdrops. The girl refuses, and then the angry Queen orders her fur coat to be taken off, threatens her with execution and throws her ring into the hole. The stepdaughter finally says the magic words and disappears somewhere. Spring comes immediately. Then summer. A bear appears next to the Queen. Everyone runs away, only the Professor and the old Soldier protect her. The bear leaves. Autumn is coming. Hurricane, rain. The courtiers, having left the Queen, run back to the palace. The Queen remains with the Professor, the old Soldier, the Stepmother and her Daughter. Winter is returning, severe cold. There are sleighs, but you can’t go: the courtiers rode off on horses. The Queen is freezing. How to get out of the forest? An old man in a white fur coat appears and invites everyone to make one wish. The Queen wants to go home, the Professor wants the seasons to return to their places, the Soldier wants to warm up by the fire, the Stepmother and Daughter want fur coats, even dog ones. The old man gives them fur coats, they scold each other for not asking for sables. And then they turn into dogs. They are harnessed to a sleigh.

Twelve months and Stepdaughter are sitting by the fire. The months give the girl a chest with new clothes and a wonderful sleigh drawn by two horses. The royal sleigh in a dog sled appears. Months allow everyone to warm themselves by the fire. Of course, you can't get far with dogs. We should ask the Stepdaughter for a ride, but the arrogant Queen does not want to ask and does not know how. The soldier explains to her how it is done. The Queen finally kindly asks her Stepdaughter, who puts everyone in a sleigh and gives everyone a fur coat. And in three years she will lead the dogs to the New Year's bonfire, and if they reform, they will be turned into people again.

Everyone is leaving. Months remain around the New Year's fire.

We hope you enjoyed it summary fairy tales Twelve months. We will be glad if you manage to read the entire tale of Samuil Marshak.

How snowdrops bloomed on New Year's Eve during the Great Patriotic War or the non-fairytale story of the fairy tale “The Twelve Months”

“The Twelve Months” by Samuil Marshak is one of the most magical New Year’s fairy tales that everyone remembers from childhood. Many do not even suspect that it appeared at the height of the Great Patriotic War, when Marshak no longer wrote for children and published military essays and anti-fascist epigrams.

But one day he received a letter which made him change his mind about what is truly important and needed by readers in wartime.

At the beginning of 1943, the writer published a response to this letter in the newspaper Literature and Art:“My six-year-old correspondent asks me why I, whom the children consider their own writer, cheated on them, and in last year I wrote only for the big ones. ...I remain faithful to the children for whom I have been writing fairy tales, songs, and funny books all my life. I still think about them a lot. Thinking about children means thinking about the future. And so, thinking about the future, I cannot help but devote myself entirely to the simple and modest service of a wartime writer.”

S. Marshak speaks to the tankers when presenting them with a tank

*Merciless*, built with funds from poets and artists, 1942

During the war, Marshak did what he considered really important at that time: he wrote for the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland,” published poems in Pravda, created anti-fascist posters, and helped raise funds for the Defense Fund.

Nevertheless, a naive childish question forced the writer to return to fairy tales even in such non-fairytale living conditions: I wrote “Twelve Months” in harsh, darkened, wartime Moscow - during hours of rest from work at the newspaper and TASS Windows. ... It seemed to me that in harsh times, children - and, perhaps, adults - need a cheerful festive performance, a poetic fairy tale...”

S. Marshak and M. Kupriyanov while the Kukryniksovs were working on a panel on the theme of the writer’s works, 1964

The plot is based on the Slovak fairy tale by Bozena Nemcova, although Marshak claimed that he became acquainted with the original source much later, and at that time he had only heard the Czech or Bohemian legend about the twelve months in an oral retelling.

In addition to the play, the writer also created a prose version of the legend he heard and published it with the subtitle “Slavic Fairy Tale.” In the original there was no queen and her teacher-professor - only the stepmother, her daughter and stepdaughter.

S. Marshak at work, 1947

Left - V. Lebedev. Cover of the 1948 edition. On the right is V. Alfeevsky. 1957 edition

Marshak explained his plan this way:“Nowadays a lot is written about work, but somewhat monotonously and sometimes edifyingly. Meanwhile, we can and should talk about labor in completely different ways. I thought about the ending for a long time. It was impossible to leave her stepdaughter in the kingdom of months and marry her to the month of April. I decided to bring her home - from a fairy tale to real life - so that all months would visit her in turn and bring her as a gift what each of them was rich in. ...I tried to avoid obsessive morality in my tale. But I wanted the fairy tale to tell about what only the simple-minded and honest people nature is revealed, for only those who come into contact with difficulty can comprehend its secrets.”

Cover of the edition of Marshak's fairy tale

Stills from the Japanese cartoon *12 months*, 1980

The “dramatic tale,” as Marshak called it, was written for production at the Moscow Art Theater, but during the war this was impossible. Only in 1947 did the premiere of the play take place at the Moscow Theater for Young Spectators, and in 1948 at the Moscow Art Theater.

Both the printed version and the performance were very popular, and in 1956, a cartoon was made based on the fairy tale.

In 1980, the Japanese, together with Soyuzmultfilm, released “Twelve

months" in the anime genre.

And the most famous film adaptation was the film by A. Granik, released in 1972.

Still from the cartoon *Twelve Months*, 1956

It's interesting that the actors real life embodied what remained unfulfilled Marshak's plan in a fairy tale: the actress who played the role of the Stepdaughter (N. Popova) married the actor who was April in the film (A. Bykov).

But the writer’s son, Immanuel Marshak, was said to be in love with Liana Zhvania, who brilliantly embodied the image of the Queen.

The tale "The Twelve Months" by Samuil Marshak is one of his most famous works, and now we will make brief analysis fairy tales "The Twelve Months", including a summary of the plot.

The author describes to us a girl “stepdaughter” who evokes sympathy from the very beginning of the story. This girl is kind and friendly, she is ready to help others and does not seem to notice that some take advantage of her kindness. So, this is a positive heroine of a fairy tale, but there are also negative characters. We see a stepmother and her daughter who, in essence, oppose and fight against good. When analyzing the fairy tale “The Twelve Months” by Marshak, one can clearly trace a feature characteristic of a literary fairy tale, when after a difficult struggle between evil and good it is good that emerges victorious. Describing the stepdaughter, we note that her hard work and honesty encouraged her to carry out any instructions given by her stepmother.

It is impossible to imagine an analysis of the tale without a brief summary of “The Twelve Months.” Let's consider the plot. Once upon a time, a young queen, also an orphan, wanted to get snowdrops in winter. But as you know, at this time of year there are simply no flowers, so it was not possible to get them. In order for those who would conduct the search to try harder, the queen issued a decree according to which, if the task was successfully completed, the person was to receive gold as a reward. And not just a piece, but a basket filled to the top. It’s not hard to guess what thought came to the evil stepmother’s mind despite the severe forest frosts - she quickly sent her stepdaughter to buy flowers.

Further, continuing the summary of “Twelve Months,” we will see what happened to the poor stepdaughter. The girl was honest - we have already noted this, and the idea of ​​resorting to deception and not going into the cold forest could not enter her head. Going on a search, main character lost her way and was expected to die from the cold, but a miracle happened. Having met twelve months who were brothers in a forest clearing, she was saved. The brothers not only warmed her up, but also gave her a precious gift - a basket of snowdrops. However, there was one condition - the girl had to promise that she would remain silent about this miracle and not tell about the existence of the month brothers.

When analyzing the fairy tale “The Twelve Months,” pay attention to the queen’s reaction. Her surprise knew no bounds, and she demanded to know where the flowers came from. But the stepdaughter did not reveal the secret, after which the queen gave an order to drown the rebellious girl.

Concluding the brief summary of the fairy tale “The Twelve Months,” let’s say that in the end both the young queen and the stepmother and her daughter met the brothers-months. This meeting greatly influenced the queen, and she changed, and her attitude towards others also changed.

Conclusions in the analysis of the tale

It is immediately noticeable that Marshak in his work contrasted evil with good - two forces that are constantly fighting. Negative characters, mainly the stepmother, tried to break the kindness of the stepdaughter. However, the power and influence of twelve months put everything in its place. Evil was punished and good was rewarded. One of the most amazing characters in this fairy tale is the queen. Her anger and selfishness, which we see at the beginning, were replaced by kindness and tenderness. Using the example of the queen, we clearly see how good triumphs over evil. This important detail in the analysis of the fairy tale "The Twelve Months".

What can you say about the stepmother and her daughter? They were turned into dogs by the moon brothers, but they were given the chance to be human if they came to their senses.

After reading this fairy tale, you involuntarily think about what can be considered evil and what is good, and why the victory of good is so important and one must always hope for it.

We are glad if you liked the summary of the fairy tale “The Twelve Months” by Samuil Marshak and the analysis of the work. You can read the story in more detail.