A poem is a large poetic work on a historical or sublime lyrical theme. Hero of “Dead Souls” Nozdryov

Image of the Box. Chapter III

1. Tell us how and why Chichikov got to Korobochka, because he was going to Sobakevich, whom he met in the city? (Answer yourself.)

2. What is the meaning of the romantic beginning of the chapter about Korobochka (night, thunder, rain)? (Here comes Gogol’s style of writing, which tends towards contrasts - a romantic beginning and a prosaic denouement: Chichikov finds himself in the prosaic life of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. In addition, the chapter about Korobochka is given in contrast with the chapter telling about Manilov. This is a feature of the composition of the poem. Let us add that the following the chapters telling about Nozdrev and Sobakevich are also constructed in contrast.)

3. What detail in the description of the village indicates the thriftiness of the landowner Korobochka? (The abundance of dogs in the village suggests that Korobochka cares about the safety of her fortune. “Just by the barking of dogs, composed of such musicians, one could assume that the village was decent...”)

4. How does Gogol emphasize the typicality of Korobochka? (Reading an excerpt from the words: “A minute later the hostess came in... one of those mothers, small landowners...")

5. Read and compare two portraits of Korobochka. (In the portrait of Korobochka, almost identical details of clothing are repeated, but Gogol does not pay attention to the face and eyes, as if they were not there. This also emphasizes the lack of spirituality of a person. Gogol will repeat this principle of describing appearance several times in the poem.)

6. After examining the text of the chapter, talk about what traits make up the “core” of Korobochka’s character. Pay attention to the description of the room, the view from the window, the description of the village. (The box is neat and economical. She saves and saves money in colorful bags and is well versed in housekeeping, thrifty, but nevertheless she is also a dead soul.

In terms of her mental development, Korobochka seems lower than all the other landowners. Limitations, “club-headedness,” according to Chichikov’s definition, know no bounds.

If Manilov “floats” above the earth in dreams, then she is absorbed in the prose of everyday earthly existence. Manilov does not know farming - she plunged into it headlong. Unlike Manilov, she takes care of her farm herself and enters into direct communication with the peasants, which is reflected in her speech, which is close to peasant dialect.

Korobochka is a hospitable, hospitable hostess: she regrets that it’s already late and it’s impossible to cook something to eat, but she offers to “drink tea.” They prepared a bed for Chichikov “almost to the ceiling”, offered to scratch his heels at night, in the morning he was offered a “snack” - reading an excerpt from the words: “Chichikov looked around and saw that there were already mushrooms and pies on the table...”

Let us pay attention to the fact that Korobochka treats Chichikov exclusively to flour dishes. This is understandable: meat is expensive, she will not kill cattle.

Find out what Korobochka treated Chichikov to. What are “skorodumki”, “pryagly”, “snyatok”, “shanishki”, “cakes with all sorts of toppings” (see “ Dictionary living Great Russian language" V.I. Dalia)?

How did Korobochka react to Chichikov’s proposal to sell dead souls?

Is it only the fear of miscalculation that explains her reluctance to sell them to Chichikov? (The whole character of Korobochka, her whole nature is reflected in her behavior when selling dead souls. A complete lack of understanding of the meaning of this transaction, the fear of selling too cheap and being deceived when selling a “strange, completely unprecedented product”, the desire to “measure up” to market prices, stupidity, lack of understanding - all the character traits of the “club-headed” landowner, brought up by a long lonely life (“inexperienced widowhood”) and the need to independently resolve all issues, came to light in the deal with Chichikov.

The reluctance to sell Chichikov’s souls is also explained by the fact that all her life she has strived for hoarding, and therefore believes that they “will somehow be needed on the farm just in case.”

She is stubborn and suspicious. She is puzzled, however, by the penny benefit. And she doesn’t know how to manage a penny; they lie in her bags like dead weight.

So she was not far from Manilov, who also could not understand Chichikov’s “negotiations.”)

8. What is the meaning of the surname Korobochka? (The landowner is really enclosed in a “box” of her space and concepts. For example, about Sobakevich she says that there is no such thing in the world, on the grounds that she has not heard of him.)

9. Compare Chichikov’s behavior in chapters I and II. What new is revealed to us in the hero? (Chichikov does not stand on ceremony with Korobochka, perhaps because she is a widow, a “college secretary,” which equals grade 10 in the “Table of Ranks.”)

Card 48

Image of Nozdryov. Chapter IV

1. How does Chichikov’s meeting with Nozdryov and his son-in-law take place? What is the role of this character? (Answer yourself.)

2. Read the description of Nozdryov’s appearance (“He was of average height, a very well-built fellow...”) and the details of his characteristics. (“Nozdryov’s face is probably already somewhat familiar to the reader...”)

What about the hero, despite his healthy appearance, reveals the deadness of his soul? (At 35 years old it is the same as at 18 and 20. Lack of development is a sign of lifelessness.)

3. Why does Gogol call Nozdrev “ historical person"? (Gogol ironically calls Nozdryov a “historical man”, in the sense that “wherever he was, history could not be avoided.”

The most important feature of the poem is that the “backdrop” for such “historical” characters is actual history. That is why heroes and commanders look at them and readers from portraits. They look and seem to reproach.)

4. Name distinctive features character of Nozdryov, which manifest themselves in relation to Chichikov. (First of all, Nozdryov is rude. Having barely met Chichikov, he calls him on a first name basis, although there was “no reason for that.” Nozdryov calls Chichikov a “piggy” and a “cattle breeder,” his speech is filled with curses, words from the gambling vocabulary, unceremonious expressions.)

5. Is it possible to compare Nozdryov with Khlestakov? If so, what do they have in common? What is the difference?

(Probably in some ways he resembles Khlestakov. But the types are different: Khlestakov - small man, “a little guy”, due to circumstances, forced to play a role that is not typical for him “ significant person" After all, at first it never even occurs to him to impersonate an auditor. And only after he realized that he was being mistaken for someone else, Khlestakov began to “get into the role.”

Nozdryov is completely different. This is a liar by calling and by conviction. He deliberately piles one nonsense on top of another. He behaves defiantly, arrogantly, aggressively.)

6. Read the description of Nozdryov’s office from the words “Nozdryov led them into his office, in which, however, there were no visible traces of what happens in offices...” What details of the description highlight the “core” of the image especially clearly? (Nozdryov is a swindler and a liar, and this is emphasized by the inscriptions on the “Turkish daggers” - “Master Savely Sibiryakov” - “was cut by mistake.”)

7. Name the traits of the “core” of Nozdryov’s character, which the reader will learn about not only from Chapter IV. (Nozdryov - player, reveler, regular hot spots, a dissolute man, but he is charming. There is some subtle catch in this charm, but even the astute Chichikov did not immediately notice it and made a mistake.

It was Nozdryov who notified everyone that Chichikov was trading “dead souls” with him, immediately swore that Chichikov was dearer to him than his own father, did not hesitate to confirm that Chichikov was going to steal the governor’s daughter, then assured that Chichikov was a spy, and This time I came to visit him and confessed my love and friendship.

8. From what motives does he act? (There is no calculation in his actions. But he acts out of purely “aesthetic” pleasure. The thirst to receive everything instantly, without any mental cost, became the main engine of life, suppressed all the properties of his human nature. The main refrain of his stories is “Eh, brother! How let's go on a spree!")

9. How does Nozdryov behave during a conversation about dead souls? (Read this episode by role.)

10. What is the meaning of the appearance of the police captain at Nozdryov’s place? (This appearance perhaps saves Chichikov’s life. This visit can be correlated with the arrival of a real auditor in the comedy “The Inspector General”, that is, this is the beginning of retribution for Nozdryov.)

11. What is the attitude towards Nozdryov in society? (Nozdryov’s behavior shocks no one. Although his card frauds end in a scandal, and sometimes in the fact that he returns home with only one sideburn. At the same time, he is not deprived of friendship with his friends, everyone takes his behavior for granted.

Among the provincial authorities there is no one who has not heard a lot about Nozdryov’s “weaknesses,” but nevertheless, when ominous rumors began to spread that Chichikov was either Captain Kopeikin or Napoleon, rumors from which the officials almost went crazy , they again turned to Nozdryov. We decided to ask a good question again: what kind of person is Chichikov?

And again the author’s voice intrudes into the narrative: “These gentlemen officials are strange, and after them all the other titles: after all, they knew very well that Nozdryov was a liar, that he could not be trusted in a single word, or in the most trifle, and yet they resorted to him".

They can’t live without people like Nozdryov, just as he can’t live without them.)

Card 49

The image of Sobakevich. Chapter V

1. How does Gogol prepare the readers’ meeting with Sobakevich? (The character of the hero begins to reveal itself before meeting him. Approaching the estate, Chichikov drew attention to a large wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof and dark gray walls, “like those that we build for military settlements and German colonists.” The yard is surrounded strong and thick wooden lattice. The owner’s buildings were made from “full-weight and thick logs, designed to last for centuries.” Even the well was built from such strong oak, “the kind that only goes to mills and ships.” The owner “woos a lot about strength.”)

2. How is he different from other landowners? (This is a prudent owner, a cunning tradesman, a tight fist. He does not dream, like Manilov, does not run wild, like Nozdryov. Everything around him is strong, everything is in abundance (with Nozdryov, everything is ruined). Korobochka’s feeble-mindedness is also not characteristic of him.

In his village, everything is good and reliable, he knows the peasants perfectly, appreciates their work qualities, skillfully advertises in order to sell the dead more profitably.

He won’t get confused in the city either, he won’t miss out on his benefits anywhere. Gogol emphasizes strength, health, and sedateness in the hero.

On this basis, some critics believed that this character was almost positive in comparison with others. Gogol saw it differently.)

3. What alarms readers in the description of Sobakevich’s strong economy? (Comparison with barracks, prison, military settlement.)

4. What details of appearance emphasize Sobakevich’s deadness? (His appearance is “nature”, that is, life, “chopping with all his might” - you can chop devevo! This emphasizes the “wooden” (inanimate) essence of the hero’s face. But the person’s soul is reflected most of all in the face!)

What did Sobakevich’s “soul” demand? (The demands are only gastronomic, and colossal ones at that - all the pig, all the ram, all the goose. Gogol writes: there was no soul in this body at all.)

5. What is the role of describing the details of everyday life in revealing the image of Sobakevich? (A thing bears the imprint of the character of the person to whom it belongs, so the person and the inanimate object become closer. One helps to better understand the other.

Students give examples: portraits of Greek commanders and heroes attract attention, and among them the “thin” Bagration, “extremely attentively” looking at the deal between Chichikov and Sobakevich. This emphasizes the distance between the real exploits, deeds and “deeds” of the heroes of the poem.)

6. Prepare an annotated reading of the bargaining scene. (Pay attention to the combination of the characters’ inner speech with their statements, on internal monologue Chichikov.)

Card 50

The image of Plyushkin. Chapter VI

1. What is the meaning of the name of this Gogol hero? (She emphasizes the “flattening”, distortion of the hero and his soul. He has one concern - collecting all kinds of goods and rotting them, and even making sure that no one steals. There is a lot of everything and everything disappears, decays, everything is in disrepair.)

2. Let’s read the description of Plyushkin’s house and garden from the words: “The master’s house began to appear in parts...” to the words: “... for a giant castle hung in an iron loop.”

Let us pay attention to the details accompanying this description. Why is Plyushkin's house compared to a castle? (This reveals the author’s irony - the times of chivalry are gone. There is nothing that would enliven this picture - everything here seems to have died out. The giant castle is a symbol of the suspicion of the owner, who locks everything.)

3. Read and comment on the description of the portrait with the words: “His face did not represent anything special...” (Plyushkin’s appearance is such that Chichikov, having seen him at the church, could not resist giving him a copper penny.

Plyushkin's first name is “figure”. Chichikov does not understand who is in front of him - “a woman or a man,” at least not a landowner. Chichikov thought it was the housekeeper. And one more important detail: Plyushkin’s description is accompanied by the word “hole”; for the author he turns into “a hole in humanity.”)

4. What detail in Plyushkin’s portrait is especially significant and why? (These are the eyes: “the little eyes have not yet gone out... like mice...” But this detail emphasizes not human liveliness, but animal one; the lively agility and suspicion of a small animal are conveyed here.)

5. Reading a fragment from the words: “He entered the dark, wide entryway...” What detail in the description of the interior indicates that life died in this house? (In Plyushkin’s house it is dark, dusty, a cold air blew on Chichikov, as if from a cellar. Everything is a mess, and in the corner of the room there is a pile of rubbish, from which a piece of a wooden shovel and an old boot sole stick out.

A noticeable detail is the stopped clock: time died in Plyushkin’s house, life stopped.)

6. Why did Gogol give only this hero a biography, talk about his past, about how the process of his degradation took place? (The author had the hope that this hero was capable of moral change. Apparently, it is no coincidence that he is given last in the gallery of landowners.

There is another point of view: among all landowners.

It is important for Gogol to show how man has become a “tear in humanity,” so he reveals the character of the hero in development.)

7. Find in the story about Plyushkin’s past details that alarm the reader, forcing him to foresee the hero’s terrible present. (The comparison with the “hardworking spider” suggests that Gogol does not seek to turn Plyushkin into a tragic figure. The writer completes his story about Plyushkin’s past with the words: “... such a phenomenon rarely comes across in Rus'...” Spider, phenomenon - these comparisons talk about the deadness of Plyushkin's nature. Gogol directly calls Plyushkin's face “wooden,” although he once glides on it “ warm ray- a pale reflection of feeling.")

8. What kind of reception did Chichikov receive from Plyushkin? “I haven’t seen guests for a long time...” and “Put on the samovar, do you hear, but take the key and give it to Mavra so she can go to the pantry...”)

9. What is Plyushkin’s reaction to Chichikov’s proposal to “pay taxes for all peasants”? Reading from the words: “The proposal seemed to completely amaze Plyushkin. He looked at him with wide eyes and looked at him for a long time...”

10. Why was Chichikov “in the most cheerful mood” after such a reception? (Not only the dead, but also the fugitives of “more than two hundred people,” bought at a price of 30 kopecks, were a real gift for him.)

11. Why, in your opinion, does the image of a landowner appear on the pages dedicated to Plyushkin, carousing, as they say, “through and through life”? What does this landowner and Plyushkin have in common, despite all the differences in their characters and lifestyles? (Gogol interrupted the story about the miser with a description of the opposite type - a nobleman who plundered the labor of the people in a different way. The writer knew many such cases, and his words about “wild and threatening in this violent light” and “formidable sky” express a premonition of an impending catastrophe for the noble class .)

Card 51

Why does Sobakevich praise dead peasants? 1

In Chapter V, Chichikov ends up with the landowner Sobakevich, a cunning, economical and tight-fisted man. Chichikov asks him to set a price for dead souls, that is, for peasants who have died, but are still on the audit lists, and hears in response a fantastic figure: “one hundred rubles apiece!”

Chichikov carefully reminds that these are not people, they died long ago and what remains is “one sound that is not tangible to the senses.” But Sobakevich ignores these considerations.

“Milishkin, a brickmaker, could install a stove in any house. Maxim Telyatnikov, shoemaker: whatever pricks with an awl, then the boots, whatever the boots, then thank you, and even if you put a drunken mouth in your mouth! And Eremey Sorokoplekhin! Yes, this guy alone will stand for everyone, he traded in Moscow, brought one rent for five hundred rubles. After all, this is what people are like! This is not something that some Plyushkin will sell you,” he praises his product.

Sobakevich’s rantings at one time baffled the critic Shevyrev: “... It seems unnatural to us that Sobakevich, a positive and respectable person, would begin to praise his dead souls and indulge in such a fantasy. Nozdryov might have become more interested in her if such a thing had worked out for him.” Indeed, why should Sobakevich praise dead peasants?

Sobakevich's practical mind, his fraudulent cunning and savvy are beyond doubt. One can also assume his conscious intention to mock Chichikov - but still this is nothing more than an assumption. Gogol deliberately does not reveal inner world your hero, his true experiences and thoughts.

There was no need for Sobakevich to deceive the chairman. It wasn't even safe to say something like that. And yet Sobakevich cannot resist again not indulge in his “fantasies” about the peasants sold to Chichikov.

It is natural to assume that Sobakevich, to some extent, really believes in what he says. About the same as Khlestakov believed that he once managed a department and that the State Council itself was afraid of him. And it is easy to believe in the merits of the peasants: they really were talented and hardworking, they provided for the life and livelihood of the masters. Shevyrev called Sobakevich’s behavior unnatural. But in fact, the whole inimitable comedy of Sobakevich’s speeches lies in their complete naturalness, in the fact that he communicates things that are obviously absurd with complete naivety and simplicity. And that’s why Sobakevich is “not afraid” of the chairman; That’s why he was not embarrassed by his interlocutor’s reminder that Mikheev had died. A known deceiver, perhaps, this revelation would be perplexing. But Sobakevich got out of a difficult situation with the same ease with which Khlestakov “dispelled” the objection that “Yuri Miloslavsky” was written by Zagoskin: “... It’s true, it’s definitely Zagoskina; and there is another Yuri Miloslavsky, so that one is mine.” Compare the logic of Sobakevich’s answer: it is certain that Mikheev died, but his brother is alive and has become healthier than before...

And is Sobakevich the only one in Gogol’s poem who believes in the obviously incredible and absurd?

Here, for example, is Korobochka, a prudent and practical landowner. Soon after the departure of Chichikov, who bought dead souls from her, she “became so worried about what might happen from his deception that, having not slept for three nights in a row, she decided to go to the city...”.

Why was she worried, what kind of “deception” did she suspect? Another, sane person would have thought with alarm about Chichikov: was it some kind of crazy person who came, obsessed with a crazy idea?

But Korobochka’s concern is of a different kind. She is tormented by the thought of whether she sold herself short, whether the visitor deceived her, and Korobochka goes to the city “to find out for sure why dead souls walk.” This means that the very unusualness of the product does not bother her, that she is ready to believe even in “dead souls”, if they are in demand on the market.

LESSONS 73-74

GALLERY OF IMAGES OF LAND OWNERS IN GOGOL'S POEM

"DEAD SOULS"
"Dead Souls" is a gallery of

cooling, aging, losing

vital juices of souls.

Yu.M. Lotman
DURING THE CLASSES
I. The teacher's word.

We begin our acquaintance with the heroes of the poem by comparing the different points of view of our famous writers, literary critics, author.

For Vasily Vasilyevich Rozanov (writer, philosopher, publicist of the late 19th - early 20th centuries), all the heroes of the poem are dead, “dolls, pitiful and funny,” the fruit of “great, but empty and meaningless skill,” the author seemed to him “the bishop of carrion,” an evil genius, almost the Antichrist.

V.V. Nabokov saw in the foreground characters grouped around Chichikov, subhumans, the product of the otherworldly, devilish world. In Chichikov himself, he agrees to see partly a person, albeit a fool. He explains this by saying that “it was stupid to trade dead souls with an old woman who was afraid of ghosts, and it was unforgivable recklessness to offer such a dubious deal to the braggart and boor Nozdryov.” Nabokov further calls Chichikov “a low-paid agent of the devil,” because the vulgarity that the hero personifies is a property of the devil.

Nevertheless, the writer did not want to create caricatures and monsters; he created people who were not vile.

Let us remember that when Gogol read excerpts of the poem to Pushkin, the poet said: “God, how sad our Russia is!” And this amazed Gogol: “From then on, I began to think only about how to soften the painful impression that Dead Souls could make.”

Gogol created in " Dead souls ah" "standard models" different options coarsening, vulgarization human soul.

Whose point of view is closest to you? To resolve this issue, we continue to work in groups.

There is always irony in Gogol's satire. On the one hand, he used this method in censored conditions, on the other hand, satirical irony helped expose the objective contradictions of reality. Gogol believed that irony is generally characteristic of Russian thinking. At the same time, I think, this method helped the writer to show the complexity of man and the ambiguity of the author’s attitude towards him. Comparing Manilov with the minister suggests that the minister is not so different from him and Manilovism is a typical phenomenon in society. At the same time, let’s not forget Gogol’s words about heroes: “My heroes are not villains...”

Manilov, although he does not monitor the economy, but “reflects and thinks”, creates projects for human well-being, theoretically making sure that Russia does not suffer any damage, but prospers.
III. Conversation with students using card 47 Image of the Box.
Teacher's word

And in this chapter of the poem the author’s voice was heard again: “... he is a different and respectable man, and even a statesman, but in reality he turns out to be a perfect Box.” As in the case of Manilov, Gogol directs the edge of his satire to the very top of the social pyramid of the landowner-bureaucratic society.

Moreover, Gogol compares Korobochka with the St. Petersburg ladies, owners of disorganized estates, and concludes that the “gap” between them is small, that the real “ dead souls“are representatives of high society, cut off from the people.
IV. Conversation with students using card 48. Image of Nozdryov.
V. Conversation with students using card 49. The image of Sobakevich.
Teacher's word

(After discussing the fourth question.)

IN creative world Gogol, things begin to play an active role, helping to more clearly reveal the character traits of the characters. Things seem to become doubles of their owners and a tool for their satirical denunciation.

Details of the material world characterize Gogol’s landowners: (Manilova is the famous gazebo, “Temple of Solitary Reflection”, Nozdreva is the immortal organ-organ, whose playing suddenly stops and begins to sound either a waltz or the song “Malbrug went on a hike”, And now the organ-organ has ceased to sound , and one lively pipe in it just doesn’t want to calm down and continues to whistle for a long time. This is where Nozdryov’s whole character is captured - he himself is like a spoiled organ-organ: restless, mischievous, violent, absurd, ready at any moment to do something without any reason unexpected and inexplicable.

Conclusion: spiritual world Gogol's heroes are so petty and insignificant that the thing can fully express their inner essence.

Things grew most closely with their owner in Sobakevich’s house.

Reading Chapter VI, one cannot help but pay attention to its lyrical tone. It begins lyrical digression about youth main feature whose curiosity; maturity and old age bring indifference to a person. The author’s voice also breaks through in the story about Plyushkin, for example: “And a person could condescend to such insignificance, pettiness, disgusting!..”, and this exclamation ends with a fiery appeal to young people: “Take with you on the journey... all human traffic, don’t leave them on the road, don’t pick them up later..."

1. What unites the heroes of the chapters about landowners? (Each of the heroes is individual, each has some kind of “devilish” energy, because everything around them takes on their features: around Nozdryov it smells like a tavern, a scandal, in Sobakevich every thing says: “... and I, too, Sobakevich!” Around Manilov even the landscape and weather have some kind of grayish uncertainty.The same can be said about Korobochka and Plyushkin.

The story is narrated by Chichikov. It ties together all the events and human destinies. Each chapter expands our understanding of Chichikov.)

2. Why does Gogol build chapters II-VI approximately according to the same plan (the surroundings of the estate and the estate itself, the interior of the house, a description of the hero’s appearance, the meeting of the owner and the guest, a conversation about acquaintances, dinner, the scene of the sale and purchase of dead souls)? What do you see as the point of constructing chapters this way? (The repeating plan of the chapters creates a feeling of the same type of phenomena depicted. In addition, the description is constructed in such a way that it allows you to characterize the personalities of the landowners.)

1. Reading chapters I, VII, VIII, IX, X.

2. Individual tasks - prepare messages on the topics: “What does the story of Captain Kopeikin have to do with the action of the poem?” and “What prompted Gogol’s plot, The Tale of Captain Kopeikin?” (according to cards 52, 53).

Card 52

What told Gogol the plot of “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin?” 1

It is possible that the idea to write “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” was suggested to Gogol by folk songs about the robber Kopeikin, dying in a foreign country. Here is an abbreviation of one of the songs recorded in the city of Syzran in the former Simbirsk province:

At the glorious mouth of Karastan.

The thief Kopeikin went to bed in the evening,

By midnight the thief Kopeikin got up...

Get up, dear brothers!

Brothers, I had a bad dream:

As if I good fellow, I walk on the edge of the sea,

I grabbed onto a strong tree...

But the fierce snake here hissed,

A lead bullet flew past.

In a brief preface to the series, the publisher wrote: “...The presented samples are extremely curious in the sense that, together with the legends surrounding them, they gave birth to Gogol’s pen famous story about the antics of the extraordinary Kopeikin in “Dead Souls”, the hero appears there without a leg precisely because, according to the songs, he tripped with his foot (either left or right) and damaged it; after failures in St. Petersburg, he appeared as an ataman in the Ryazan forests..."

Maybe, folk songs Gogol was prompted by both the name of the character and the very fact of his “robbery.” That’s why Gogol was afraid that the censors would find fault with the name “Kopeikin”: apparently, this folklore image was quite famous.

The name of the hero is important to Gogol because, in accordance with its hidden meaning, with etymology, it suggested associations with reckless daring and audacity: let us remember the popular expression: “life is a penny.” In the draft edition of the “story,” by the way, this expression was played out: “...All this is accustomed, you know, to a dissolute life, everyone’s life is a penny, life is destroyed everywhere, even though the grass does not grow...”

But anyone who, on this basis, would exaggerate the similarity of “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” with the cycle of folk songs would make a big mistake. The publisher of this cycle put it very poorly, saying that Gogol’s Kopeikin “appears... without a leg precisely because he lost his foot in the songs...”. If we mean that a folklore image suggested such a detail to Gogol, this is possible. If we talk about the reason, about the artistic motivation of the event, then between folk song Yu and Gogol’s “story” have nothing in common. Captain Kopeikin did not “stumble”. His lameness has a very real motivation that does not have any symbolic connotation: “whether near Krasny or near Leipzig... his arm and leg were torn off.”

In addition, in the folk song there is no mention of the cruelty and callousness of those in power, the theme of a dead soul is not raised, there is no tone of simple-minded praise and mockery, in a word, there is no everything that makes Gogol’s “story” an original work, but also organically, inextricably binds it with the rest of the text of Dead Souls.

Card 53

What does the story of Captain Kopeikin have to do with the action of the poem? 1

At first glance - none. The action of the poem takes place in the provincial town and nearby landowners' estates (volume 1). The action of “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” takes place in St. Petersburg. The story does not talk about Chichikov's scam; none of the characters act in it.

The story about the captain is told by the postmaster (chapter 10), with a clear desire to convince the officials that Chichikov is none other than Captain Kopeikin. But his story did not convince anyone, and the postmaster’s version was rejected.

At first glance, this is the only thread connecting the “story” and the action of the poem. It seems that if this thread were to break, nothing would change in the development of the action of the work. However, the story continues the theme of the death of the human soul begun in the poem and thereby forms an inextricable unity with the text of the poem.

Captain Kopeikin, a participant in the War of 1812, crippled and disfigured, stretches out his hand to the nobleman for help and does not receive it. The answer to him is icy coldness, indifference, and contempt.

Thus, Gogol’s idea about people who are dead in spirit moves from the chapters of the poem into “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” One has only to look closely at the three times the “nobleman” appeared on stage (the narrator also calls him “general”, “general-in-chief”), at his manner of treating the petitioner, indifferent and contemptuously cold, to be convinced of this.

And what a doorman standing at the general’s house! “One doorman is already looking like a generalissimo: a gilded mace, a count’s physiognomy, like some kind of well-fed fat pug...” The reducing function of comparison, equating a person with a pug, is clearly visible in this description. And we already know that such comparisons reflect one of the facets of the image “ dead soul"- deadness, lack of spirituality.

Gogol gave one and only explanation why “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” is necessary in the poem. In the letter we know to Nikitenko dated April 10, 1842, he said that “this piece is necessary not for connecting events, but in order to distract the reader for a moment, in order to replace one impression with another, and whoever is an artist at heart will understand, that without him there remains a strong gap.”

The “connection of events”, the history of the sale and purchase of “dead souls” is broken. But one of the cross-cutting themes of the poem - a deadened, frozen soul - continues. It continues with a complete change in the material, setting, and time of action - and this is the special artistic effect of the “story.”

Among these changes, the most important was the change in the setting, the stage: not a province, not a province, but the capital, the very heart of Russian Empire. And not provincial landowners and provincial officials of various calibers and stripes, but the highest state administration!

True, under pressure from censorship, Gogol was forced, as they say, to demote his characters. The nobleman, the general became simply a “boss.” Generals are not mentioned among his petitioners. All events unfold in another, lower sphere: “Wait for the arrival of Mr. Minister,” the boss says to Kopeikin. And in the pre-censorship edition, the “nobleman” advised him to wait for the sovereign’s arrival. Even the name “Palace Embankment”, where the nobleman’s house is located, is removed by Gogol, since it was known that the royal residence was also located here - Winter Palace, and palaces of the most prominent dignitaries.

And all the same: the most important thing remains. After all, St. Petersburg remained, some very important metropolitan authority and its servants remained. And this is what Gogol needed.

Among the features of the “story” that helped “replace one impression with another” and gave rise to a feeling of change, we note the following. It was none other than a man who suffered in the war, immeasurably patient, unpretentious, and honest, who encountered official power, stupid indifference, and deadness. Among the main characters of the poem there was no such hero and, therefore, such a conflict.

True, under the influence of censorship, Gogol was forced to soften the novelty of the “story” conflict. On the one hand, he added “ dark paint" into the portrait of the main character. It turns out that Kopeikin is picky and impatient (“he has also been in guardhouses under arrest...”). It turns out that he is not achieving the most necessary things, not his daily bread: “I need, he says, to eat a cutlet, a bottle of French wine, to entertain myself too, to the theater, you know.” On the other hand, the boss also became softer and more pliable under the pressure of censorship. He puts himself in Kopeikin’s position and gives him modest “assistance.”

And all the same: much remains in the censorship editorial office. After all, the very fact remains that a war veteran knocks on the threshold of a high commission, asking for a pension, and never receives it.

One of the critics of the last century said well that Gogol “somehow used words in a special way”; it seems that nothing of the kind is said, nothing is specifically denounced or ridiculed, but the impression is amazing. Gogol’s “words” mercilessly hit the “monuments”, the shrines of the Russian Empire.

The awkwardly comical manner of narration (let’s not forget that the “story” is told by the postmaster) casts a reflection on what is being said - on the subject of the story. Not a high commission, but “sort of a high commission.” Not the board, but “the board, you know, that kind of thing.” The difference between the nobleman and captain Kopeikin was transferred to a cash account: “90 rubles and zero!”

Sometimes critics express the idea that Gogol needed such “tricks” to deceive the censor (like how a fabulist needs wolves and bears). There is nothing more naive than such a thought. This is not a disguise, not a camouflage, but an integral part of Gogol’s art world. Through such and such a dense network of words: “in some way”, “that way”, “you can imagine”, etc. - the royal capital is seen, and some motley, wavering ripples fall on its monumental, majestic face (and on everything that happens in the “Tale...”).

Herzen wrote: “...If the lower ones are allowed to laugh in front of the higher ones, or if they cannot resist laughing, then goodbye to rank. To make one smile at the god Apis means to demote him from the sacred rank into a simple bull.”

By making the reader laugh, Gogol deprived the royal institutions and establishments of the priesthood. The question arises: could anything like this be in the thoughts of the postmaster, the narrator of the story? But that’s the point: his tongue-tied manner of narration is so naive, so sincere that admiration in it is indistinguishable from evil mockery. And if so, then this manner is capable of conveying the caustic mockery of the author of “Dead Souls” himself.

The narrator, for example, admires the doorknob in the nobleman’s house: “... so you need, you know, to run ahead to a small shop, buy soap for a penny, and first rub your hands with it for two hours, and then decide to grab it.” Who knows: maybe the postmaster really thinks so. Isn’t veneration, reverence and awe for superiors in his character? But all this is expressed so clumsily - naively and tongue-tiedly, that we have the right to suspect mockery in these words.

“Nozdryov was,” according to Gogol, “in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting he attended was complete without a story. Some kind of story would certainly happen: either the gendarmes would lead him out of the hall by the arm, or his own friends would be forced to push him out.” If Manilov’s egoism is covered up by his complacency, then Nozdryov does not even hide his desire to profit at someone else’s expense, to deceive, slander, and do nasty things. In terms of lies, Nozdryov is not inferior to Khlestakov. He leads his guests to a pond in which, according to him, there are fish of such size that two people could hardly pull out one fish. Showing the border of his possessions, Nozdryov immediately forgets that he just marked it on “this side” of the ditch. He “corrects” himself: “... all this is mine, and even on the other side, all this forest that turns blue over there, everything that is beyond the forest, everything is mine.” Caught in a lie, he is not at all embarrassed and begins to lie and cheat three times as much. But if Khlestakov lies aimlessly, “with inspiration,” then Nozdryov, in his lies, most often also acts as a deliberate slanderer. He is ready at any moment to slander everyone, to spread an absurd, but nevertheless malicious rumor. Having informed Chichikov that everyone in the city thinks that he is making false papers - by the way, a rumor immediately invented by Nozdryov himself - he immediately offers Chichikov his help in kidnapping the governor’s daughter: “So be it: I’ll hold the crown for you, the carriage and the changing horses they will be mine, only with an agreement: you must lend me three thousand. We need it, brother, at least kill it!”

Gogol, as already mentioned, clearly conveys the character of his heroes through the peculiarities of their speech. So Belinsky noted this role of the verbal characteristics given by Gogol to his characters. Responding to the reproaches of reactionary criticism, which accused the writer of the “rudeness” of his language, Belinsky wrote: “... the author of Dead Souls never speaks himself, he only makes his characters speak in accordance with their characters. He expresses the sensitive Manilov in the language of a person educated in bourgeois taste; and Nozdryov - the language of a historical person, a hero of fairs, taverns, drinking bouts, fights and gambling tricks. It was impossible to force them to speak the language of people of high society!” In this regard, Nozdryov’s speech is extremely indicative, full of slang words, professional expressions and terms. There are also gambling terms that characterize him as a gambler and a sharpie: “If I hadn’t forgotten the password on the damned seven, I could have lost the whole bank.” Here is the ugly French army-restaurant jargon: “Bordeaux is simply called a bottle,” “clicquot matradura,” “a bottle of French called bonbon,” “handles... of the most subtle superflue.” (Gogol adds here: “The word that probably meant for him highest point perfection.") Hunting and dog breeding terms characterize Nozdryov as a passionate dog lover: “the strength of black meat,” “shield.” Nozdryov’s speech is deliberately rude, incoherent and abrupt: “Well, her, wife, to! ", "get back to her, you pig", "what a cattle breeder", "... I would hang you on the first tree", "grandfather me."

Saltykov-Shchedrin subsequently remarkably demonstrated the typicality of Nozdryov as a representative of rabid government reaction. Gogolevsky Nozdryov in “Letters to Auntie” becomes not only the editor of the dirty and impudent reactionary newspaper “Slops”, but also an influential public figure: “This is far from being the brawler Nozdryov whom we knew in the blooming mountain of youth (for mercy! how at the ball he sat on the floor and caught the ladies by the hemlines!), but a respectable, albeit burnt-out conservative. The thing is that he was lucky enough to make some surprisingly successful denunciation, which first drew the attention of the protective Russian press to him, and then further and higher - and suddenly a saving revolution took place in him! Now he drinks only orange juice and visits taverns solely for the sake of domestic policy and both sideburns contain the same length and the same fluffiness. In a word, he rises to the occasion and is not at all burdened by it.” Shchedrin's appeal to Gogol's images in the early 80s testifies to the breadth and strength of their typism, to how deeply and perspicaciously Gogol grasped the reactionary essence of Nozdrevism.

Dictionary:

• A poem is a large poetic work on a historical or sublime lyrical theme.

• A system of images is a certain order in the arrangement and connection of actions.

• The exposition is the introductory part of the work.

• Negotia - commerce

"Dead Souls". N.V. Gogol

• Construction of the poem. Image system

• Chapter 1 - introduction to the poem, the arrival of P.I. Chichikov. to provincial town N, meeting with officials, preparing the ground for the adventure

• Chapters 2-6 ----- depiction of the life of Russian landowners.

• 7-10 - image of the provincial city and the world of officials.

• Chapter 10 – “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.”

• Chapter 11 - a story about the life fate of the hero of Chichikov’s poem

Image of Nozdryov

This is a “jack of all trades” man. He is carried away by drunken revelry, riotous fun, card game. In the presence, not a single society could do without scandalous stories, so the author ironically calls Nozdryov a “historical” person. Unbridled chatter, boasting, and outright lies accompany this personality. According to Chichikov, Nozdryov is “a piece of trash.” He behaves casually and has a “passion to spoil his neighbor.” But Nozdryov’s activities are as aimless as Manilov’s dreams. His revelry and aimlessness lead to spiritual death.

• Why does the author call him a “historical man”?

Provincial Society

• In this poem, the theme of serfdom is intertwined with the theme of bureaucracy, bureaucratic arbitrariness and lawlessness. Gogol draws attention to this in Chapter 1, discussing thick and thin.

• Provincial officials are at the lowest level of culture and education.

• Landowners and officials do not burden themselves with worries about state affairs. Both of them live idly.

• In the society of officials, “meanness, pure meanness” reigns.

• The city’s leaders strive to live off “the sums of their dearly beloved state. Officials rob the state and petitioners. Embezzlement, bribery, robbery of the population are everyday phenomena.

• The police keep people in fear

• People exposed by the authorities help the fraudster in his dirty, criminal machinations and are afraid of him.

The Tale of Captain Kopeikin

• A hero and invalid of the Patriotic War of 1812 goes to St. Petersburg to ask for help.

• But legal requests were unsuccessful.

• Fraudsters and soulless people are guarding the law

• What is the ending of this story...

Now there are no landowners, but the features of Gogol’s heroes remain to this day. They are scattered throughout the countless vices of a huge section of society. This work shows a picture of the disunity of the human collective, where a person has lost his face. And this is not funny, but scary. Gogol's passionate desire to awaken the sleepy consciousness of people is in tune with any era.

• Meaning: the release of the poem caused a large number of opinions.

• The serf-owning nobles, who recognized themselves in the poem, hastened to condemn the author. They accused him of not loving Russia, of being a mockery of Russian society. But progressive writers understood that this was a satire on the system that had long since become obsolete in Russia.

• Gogol had no doubt about the great future of Russia; he understood that enormous opportunities and forces were hidden among the people that could change the face of the country.

• Gogol wrote: “There is a time when it is impossible to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.”

WHY HEROES N.V. DO GOGOL SEEM “FAMILIAR STRANGERS” TO US?
My God, how sad our Russia is! A. S. Pushkin.
There is no doubt that Gogol’s laughter originated long before Gogol: in Fonvizin’s comedy, in Krylov’s fables, in Pushkin’s epigrams, in representatives Famusov society at Griboedov's. What did Gogol laugh at? He laughed not at the monarchy, not at the church, and not even at serfdom. Gogol laughed at human lack of spirituality, at spiritual deadness, at the absurdity and stupidity of people who have deprived themselves of spiritual interests, values ​​and ideals. We know that in Gogol's works there is no goodies. The writer sincerely tried to create such characters, but he failed. For Gogol, the most important thing was the merciless denunciation of the vulgarity of Russian life. “If I had depicted monsters in pictures, they would have forgiven me, but they did not forgive me for the vulgarity. The Russian man was frightened by his insignificance..,” wrote Gogol.. Many years have passed since Gogol’s death, but the name of this wonderful writer is remembered and known by everyone. Why? Yes, because the heroes of his works exist in our times. The Chichikovs, Manilovs, Korobochki, Nozdrevs, and Khlestakovs did not fully survive. But still there are fewer of them.
The heroes of the poem “Dead Souls,” created under the direct influence of Pushkin, truly seem to us “familiar strangers.” Portrait gallery Manilov opens this work. He is courteous, kind, and polite by nature, but all this took on funny, ugly forms with him. He brought no benefit to anyone or anything. Neither great nor small deeds can be expected from Manilov and others like him. Gogol exposed the phenomenon of Manilovism that characterizes Russian bureaucracy. The words “Manilovism” have become a common noun. Manilov is terrible for Gogol. While this landowner is prospering and dreaming, his estate is being destroyed, the peasants have forgotten how to work - they get drunk and become sloppy. The landowner's duty is to organize the life of his serfs, to give them the opportunity to live and work profitably. "Manilovism" is greater than Manilov himself. “Manilovism,” if it is considered not only as a universal human phenomenon, but as a phenomenon of a certain era and a certain environment, was highly characteristic of the highest bureaucratic and bureaucratic system of Russia. The provincial landowner Manilov imitated the “first landowner of Russia” - Nicholas 1 and his entourage. Gogol depicted the “Manilovism” of the upper classes through its reflection in the provincial environment. The “Manilovism” of Nicholas 1 and his entourage appeared before the reader as a caricature not so much by Gogol as by herself provincial life“,” wrote Likhachev. And how often in our lives do we meet people like Manilov, which is why, reading “Dead Souls,” this hero seems to us a “familiar stranger.”
Following Manilov, Gogol shows Korobochka, one of “those mothers, small landowners who cry about crop failures and losses, and meanwhile collect little money in bags placed in dresser drawers.” The box has no claims high culture Like Manilov, she does not indulge in empty fantasies; all her thoughts and desires revolve around the household. Chichikov calls Korobochka “club-headed.” This apt definition fully illuminates the psychology of the landowner. Agree that such Boxes are very common in our lives. Only in our time have these people turned into hard-hearted and greedy, striving to hoard and regret donating a few pennies to a beggar. The image of Nozdryov is also typical in our time. He is carried away by drunken revelry, riotous fun, and card games. In the presence of Nozdryov, not a single society could do without scandalous stories, so the author ironically calls Nozdryov a “historical man.” Chatting, boasting, lying are the most typical features Nozdreva. According to Chichikov, Nozdryov is a “trashy person.” He behaves cheekily, insolently and has a “passion to spoil his neighbor.”
Sobakevich, unlike Manilov and Nozdrev, is associated with economic activity. He's a cunning rascal. Gogol mercilessly exposes the greedy hoarder, who was “harassed” by the system of serfdom. Sobakevich's interests are limited. The goal of his life is material enrichment and tasty food. How many people living according to the same principle are there in our reality?
Another hero of “Dead Souls” is Plyushkin, who, as it were, crowns the gallery of provincial landowners. “A hole in humanity,” that’s what Gogol calls it. It is in this person that pettiness, insignificance and vulgarity reach their utmost expression. Stinginess and passion for hoarding deprived Plyushkin human feelings and brought him to monstrous ugliness. In people he saw only thieves of his property. Plyushkin himself did not go anywhere and did not invite anyone to visit him. He kicked out his daughter and cursed his son. His people were dying like flies, many of his serfs were on the run. In Plyushkin himself and in his house one can feel movement - but this is the movement of decay, decay. How scary this man is! And how scary it is that in modern reality there are such people, only, no doubt, appearing before us in slightly different guises. Thus, Plyushkin also seems to us a “familiar stranger.”
“Dead Souls” shocked all of Russia,” noted Herzen. The serf-nobles, who recognized themselves in the various faces of Gogol’s new work, reactionary criticism angrily condemned both the author and the poem, accusing Gogol of not loving Russia, of being a mockery over Russian society. Gogol knew how representatives of the ruling classes would react to his work, but he considered it his duty to Russia and the people “to show, at least from one side, all of Rus'.” He wrote: “There is a time when it is impossible to direct society or even the whole generation towards the beautiful, until you show the full depth of its true abomination." This thought did not leave the citizen writer during all his work on the poem "Dead Souls."
The central character of the poem is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov.
First of all, Chichikov stands out from the general background with activity and activity. This figure of the entrepreneur is new in Russian literature. Gogol shows how Chichikov’s ability to adapt to any environment and navigate in any situation developed. The father gave young Chichikov advice: “You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.” Chichikov's whole life became a chain of fraudulent schemes and crimes. Pavel Ivanovich shows enormous efforts and inexhaustible ingenuity, he indulges in any scams if they promise success, they promise the coveted penny. Chichikov quickly navigates any situation, charms everywhere, and even inspires admiration from some. In my opinion, Chichikov seems to us more than others as a “familiar stranger”, because even now the life philosophy of many of our “entrepreneurs” has become the slogan: “Hooked _ dragged, lost _ don’t ask.” Many people believe that if “you can’t take the straight road,” then “the oblique road is more straight forward.” And in general, Gogol’s work appears to us as a gallery of “familiar strangers.” Let's remember Khlestakov from the comedy "The Inspector General". Can't we say that its traits are inherent in every person to one degree or another? “Let everyone find a part of himself in this role and at the same time look around, without fear or fear, lest someone point a finger at him and call him by name. Everyone, at least for a minute, if not for several minutes, became or is done by Khlestakov, but, naturally, he just doesn’t want to admit it,” wrote Gogol himself.
So all the heroes Gogol's works seem like “familiar strangers” to us. This happens because in our real life We often meet people in whom we notice the vices of certain Gogol characters. That is why his works are alive, they are loved, they are brought up according to them. Now our country is undergoing big changes, rethinking human values, but the ideas of Gogol the Prophet are still contemporary. Gogol is dear to us, because he, like no other of his predecessors, depicted the moral essence and moral qualities of people, which, undoubtedly, are inherent in us all to this day.

The poem “Dead Souls” embodies the image of Russia of the past and future. Satirical grotesque reality with a hint of patriotism allows you to create a plot whose relevance does not lose over the years.

Nozdryov is an empty and absurd person, prone to deception and often lies, while considering his nature to be broad. Thanks to this type of character, the hero quite often becomes a participant in ridiculous situations, and his behavior indicates that he is shameless and combines arrogance with weak-willedness.

Characteristics of the hero

("Nozdryov", artist Alexander Agin, 1846-47)

Nozdryov becomes the third person who is offered to sell dead souls; he is a dashing landowner of 35 years old. A reckless person, a carouser, a talker - all this is about Nozdryov, he is ready to bully everyone indiscriminately, constantly lies, and is also prone to excitement. This person can play dirty tricks, even on his close friends, and at the same time no personal goals are pursued.

All the features of this strategy of behavior are explained by the character’s personality: he combines agility, agility, one might say that his uncontrollability is adjacent to unconsciousness. Nozdryov is not worth plans and strategies, so all his actions are improvisation, and Nozdryov has no sense of proportion at all.

The author portrayed Nozdryov as a broken guy, and this is precisely what his behavior indicates. Life goes on for Nozdryov today, but he doesn’t think about the next days. This is clearly seen in the example of his game: he often exchanged everything he won for unimportant things, and could immediately lose what he had acquired. It was his energy that made him this way and drove his behavior. You can learn little about Nozdryov in the work; he was a card sharper, and first appeared to the reader in paragraph NN. In general, the hero can be called ridiculous, he is simply ridiculous, is not attentive to statements and does not care about their consequences.

Nozdryov is a bad master; we do not learn about the life of his peasants, since the main interests of the hero are dogs and smoking pipes. It can be played to its full potential, and if it wins, it spends everything on entertainment and revelry. Ego energy pushes to exploits and leads to illogical purchases; the contrast to this behavior is the consistency during agreements with Chichikov, who was able to see the trickery. The image of Nozdryov is formed and constant, he has emotional speech and speaks loudly. The author did not tell the character's backstory and left him unchanged for the entire duration of the poem.

The image of the hero in the work

Nozdryov intercepts Chichikov at the tavern and quarrels with him on the estate: Chichikov does not agree to play for dead souls and buy a stallion with souls as a bonus. By morning, Nozdryov has already forgotten about the differences and proposes a game of souls, this time in checkers, but he gets caught cheating. The heated N. can be calmed down only thanks to the appearance of the police captain, since Nozdryov gave the order to beat Chichikov.

The role of Nozdryov is important for the plot, since he almost killed Chichikov when he shouted loudly “he sells dead souls.” This gave rise to a lot of incredible rumors, and after calling the authorities, Nozdryov confirmed all the rumors. The hero himself goes to Chichikov, talks about the rumors, and makes a proposal regarding the transportation of the governor’s daughter.

The character's confusion is also reflected in his home environment; there are no books or papers in his office, and there are trestles in the middle part of the dining room. The author showed his boundless lies as the other side of prowess young man. This is not to say that the hero is completely empty; his enormous energy is simply not directed in the right direction.

What should the image of Nozdryov show?

Nozdryov always takes part in wild fun, drunken revelry and playing cards. He brings entertainment into society and creates scandals. The author called him a historical man, since boasting, inventions and empty chatter are his favorite thing and an integral part of his personality. Chichikov considers Nozdryov a crappy person, because he is arrogant, cheeky and does nasty things to his neighbors. The character shows that a person with a noble appearance and a “star in his chest” can do nasty things like a “simple college registrar.”