Cat Murr. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann came up with this cat that is known to every student, and his “feline” satirical novel, which was released in 1819-1821, is rightly considered the best work of the writer. The full title of the work is “The life views of Kota Murr, coupled with fragments of the biography of bandmaster Johannes Kreisler, who accidentally survived in the waste paper.” Sounds solid! But this is not a coincidence at all, because the protagonist of the novel is a real aristocrat, a descendant of the famous Ginz von Ginzenfeld. Yes, the one that the whole world knows as a Cat in Boots. And Murr is extraordinarily talented, because he writes an autobiography with his own hands – yes, with pen and ink. And he doesn’t say that “he has paws”.
Puss in Boots. And now that same Puss in Boots, invented by the great French storyteller Charles Perrault. Already this cat is known not only by students but also by schoolchildren and even preschoolers! Well, we now know his real name – Ginz von Ginzenfeld. Despite the fact that Charles Perrault wrote his tale more than three hundred years ago, to this day it remains one of the most beloved books of young readers. As well as listeners and spectators: a lot of cartoons and feature films were shot after the tale, and even the opera was staged. The plot of this tale is known to everyone: the cat, which after the death of his father went to the poor son of the miller, helps his young master to overcome all difficulties and hardships. Royal castle and princess love included!
Hippo cat. “I’m not naughty, I’m not touching anyone, I’m fixing the Primus. ” This and many other aphorisms of the demonic hero of the novel “Master and Margarita” readers, as they say, have long been stolen into quotes. One of the most striking, and perhaps the most striking character of the retinue of Messier Woland conquers with a peculiar charm and an equally peculiar sense of humor. As you know, in fact, the Hippopotamus cat is not quite a cat: a knight got his four-legged appearance due to an unsuccessful joke that was released centuries ago. However, the hero had a real mustachioed-striped prototype: the Bulgakov’s pet Flyushka is a huge gray cat. Perhaps, the hippo of Behemoth, his cunning and gluttony, Mikhail Afanasevich “wrote off” from his favorite. As for the demonic essence – who knows! Many people – and not without reason – consider cats to be mystical creatures …
Cheshire Cat. Cheshire Cat, the most mysterious character in the mysterious story “Alice in Wonderland”, invented by an English mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, whom we all know as the writer Lewis Carroll. He was born, as you know, in the county of Cheshire – this is probably why the cat, which, dissolving in the air, leaves its smile goodbye, is called Cheshire. However, Vladimir Nabokov, translating the legendary tale, gave this hero a different name – Pancake Week. The very idea of creating a Cheshire cat was borrowed by Carroll from urban folklore: in England, in the middle of the XIX century there was a saying “smirks like a Cheshire cat”. According to one version, a certain unknown painter painted grinning cats over the doors of taverns. What for? This is the same mystery as the Cheshire Cat himself.
A cat that walked on its own. At the beginning of time, the Woman domesticated the Man and tamed wild animals. Wild Dog became the first friend of man, Horse – his first servant, and Cow – the nurse. The only one who could not be tamed was the Cat. And walks – by itself, wherever he pleases. Learned? This is, in brief, the plot of a fairy tale invented by Rudyard Kipling. The original title of the book is “The Cat Who Walked Where He Wanted”. However, the Russian-speaking reader, or rather, the viewer, is more familiar with the name “The Cat That Walked On Its Own” – according to the animated film made by director Aleksandra Snezhno-Blotskaya at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in 1968. However, exactly 20 years later, the director Idea Garanina shot another, already full-length cartoon, where the main character again becomes the Cat. However, Kipling’s fairy tales had many translations and reprints, therefore, the names of the most independent cat of all time cannot be counted: Wild cat; Like a cat walking, wherever he wants; The cat who walked where he wanted; A cat that walked on its own; The cat is on its mind; A cat wandering on its own; A cat that walked on its own; The cat that wandered where she wanted.
