The space into which the action of a work of art is immersed, in many respects already presupposes the development of certain themes and the construction of plot structures. This can be clearly seen in the example of such a novel as Fathers and Sons.
Since the described space in a work of art is always a kind of author's concept of the universe, it is (automatically) endowed by the author with a generalizing character.
As in any other major work of Turgenev, the main scene of action in the novel "Fathers and Sons" is the landlords' estates. Here, of course, this is the Kirsanovs' estate and the Odintsova's estate - the spaces with which the main plot and semantic lines are connected, which receive permission in the relationship of Bazarov with Pavel Petrovich and Odintsova.
External action
The Kirsanovs' estate is important for the scenes of the "clashes" between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich, their ideological disputes. Odintsova's estate - the development of a love affair between her and Bazarov. But still, both in the first and in the second case, the reader sees spaces frozen, static, and only Bazarov is able to bring life into them. So Pavel Petrovich noticeably revives after the arrival of Bazarov, changes his appearance from a bored gentleman to a fierce defender of liberal values and so on. Odintsova, immersed in a lazy, aimless, in her words "calm" state, is almost ready to respond to Bazarov's feelings, but habit wins in this battle. Thus, Bazarov fails to stir up the established life, and this is precisely his function as a revolutionary.
Internal action
In addition, the action can be not only external, but also internal. And such an action plays a rather important role in the novel. This, of course, is the "evolution" of Bazarov, which begins and ends before the eyes of the reader. Bazarov, rejecting the idealistic outlook, adheres to materialistic views, which he constantly demonstrates, however, a crack in his armor of mind appears after meeting Madame Odintsova and developing a love feeling for her. Thus, internally, the action takes over the course of the plot. At the end of the novel, almost at the time of his death, Bazarov says completely unexpected (for the reader), practically poetic (at least from Bazarov, whom the reader meets on the first pages, such words could not have been expected): “Blow on the dying lamp, and let it go out”, which speaks of some kind of internal transformation of the hero (not radical, of course, because he does not refuse his views, but nevertheless the changes that have occurred in him are obvious). And thus one of the places for the development of action becomes the inner world of the hero, his soul.
