The mayor is a busty character. M.E

By creating the ironic, grotesque “History of a City,” Saltykov-Shchedrin hoped to evoke in the reader not laughter, but a “bitter feeling” of shame. The idea of ​​the work is built on the image of a certain hierarchy: ordinary people who will not resist the instructions of often stupid rulers, and the tyrant rulers themselves. In this story, the common people are represented by the residents of the city of Foolov, and their oppressors are the mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin ironically notes that these people need a boss, one who will give them instructions and keep a tight rein, otherwise the whole people will fall into anarchy.

History of creation

The concept and idea of ​​the novel “The History of a City” was formed gradually. In 1867, the writer wrote a fairytale-fantastic work, “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head,” which later formed the basis for the chapter “The Organ.” In 1868, Saltykov-Shchedrin began working on “The History of a City” and completed it in 1870. Initially, the author wanted to give the work the title “Foolish Chronicler.” The novel was published in the then popular magazine Otechestvennye zapiski.

The plot of the work

(Illustrations by the creative team of Soviet graphic artists "Kukryniksy")

The narration is told on behalf of the chronicler. He talks about the inhabitants of the city who were so stupid that their city was given the name “Fools”. The novel begins with the chapter “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites,” which gives the history of this people. It tells in particular about a tribe of bunglers, who, after defeating the neighboring tribes of bow-eaters, bush-eaters, walrus-eaters, cross-bellied people and others, decided to find a ruler for themselves, because they wanted to restore order in the tribe. Only one prince decided to rule, and even he sent an innovative thief in his place. When he was stealing, the prince sent him a noose, but the thief was able to somehow get out of it and stabbed himself with a cucumber. As you can see, irony and grotesque coexist perfectly in the work.

After several unsuccessful candidates for the role of deputies, the prince came to the city in person. Having become the first ruler, he started the countdown of the “historical time” of the city. It is said that twenty-two rulers with their achievements ruled the city, but the Inventory lists twenty-one. Apparently, the missing one is the founder of the city.

Main characters

Each of the mayors fulfills his task in implementing the writer’s idea through the grotesque to show the absurdity of their rule. Many types show traits of historical figures. For greater recognition, Saltykov-Shchedrin not only described the style of their rule, comically distorted their surnames, but also gave apt characteristics pointing to the historical prototype. Some personalities of city governors represent images collected from the characteristic features of different persons in the history of the Russian state.

Thus, the third ruler, Ivan Matveevich Velikanov, famous for drowning the director of economic affairs and introducing taxes of three kopecks per person, was exiled to prison for an affair with Avdotya Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I.

Brigadier Ivan Matveyevich Baklan, the sixth mayor, was tall and proud to be a follower of the line of Ivan the Terrible. The reader understands that this refers to the bell tower in Moscow. The ruler found his death in the spirit of the same grotesque image that fills the novel - the foreman was broken in half during a storm.

The personality of Peter III in the image of Guard Sergeant Bogdan Bogdanovich Pfeiffer is indicated by the characteristic given to him - “a Holstein native”, the style of government of the mayor and his outcome - removed from the post of ruler “for ignorance”.

Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty was nicknamed “Organchik” for the presence of a mechanism in his head. He kept the city in fear because he was gloomy and withdrawn. When trying to take the mayor's head to the capital's craftsmen for repairs, it was thrown out of the carriage by a frightened coachman. After Organchik's reign, chaos reigned in the city for 7 days.

A short period of prosperity for the townspeople is associated with the name of the ninth mayor, Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov. A civilian adviser and innovator, he took up the appearance of the city and started a honey and brewing business. Tried to open an academy.

The longest reign was marked by the twelfth mayor, Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin, who reminds the reader of the style of rule of Peter I. The character’s connection with a historical figure is indicated by his “glorious deeds” - he destroyed the Streletskaya and Dung settlements, and difficult relations with the eradication of the ignorance of the people - he spent four wars for education and three - against. He resolutely prepared the city for burning, but suddenly died.

By origin, a former peasant Onufriy Ivanovich Negodyaev, who, before serving as mayor, stoked furnaces, destroyed the streets paved by the former ruler and erected monuments on these resources. The image is copied from Paul I, as evidenced by the circumstances of his removal: he was dismissed for disagreeing with the triumvirate regarding the constitutions.

Under State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov, Foolov's elite was busy with balls and nightly meetings with the reading of the works of a certain gentleman. As in the reign of Alexander I, the mayor did not care about the people, who were impoverished and starving.

The scoundrel, idiot and “Satan” Gloomy-Burcheev has a “speaking” surname and is “copied” from Count Arakcheev. He finally destroys Foolov and decides to build the city of Neprekolnsk in a new place. When attempting to implement such a grandiose project, the “end of the world” occurred: the sun went dark, the earth shook, and the mayor disappeared without a trace. This is how the story of “one city” ended.

Analysis of the work

Saltykov-Shchedrin, with the help of satire and grotesquery, aims to reach the human soul. He wants to convince the reader that human institutions must be based on Christian principles. Otherwise, a person's life can be deformed, disfigured, and in the end can lead to the death of the human soul.

“The History of a City” is an innovative work that has overcome the usual boundaries of artistic satire. Each image in the novel has pronounced grotesque features, but is at the same time recognizable. Which gave rise to a flurry of criticism against the author. He was accused of “slander” against the people and rulers.

Indeed, the story of Foolov is largely copied from Nestor’s chronicle, which tells about the time of the beginning of Rus' - “The Tale of Bygone Years.” The author deliberately emphasized this parallel so that it becomes obvious who he means by the Foolovites, and that all these mayors are by no means a flight of fancy, but real Russian rulers. At the same time, the author makes it clear that he is not describing the entire human race, but specifically Russia, reinterpreting its history in his own satirical way.

However, the purpose of creating the work Saltykov-Shchedrin did not make fun of Russia. The writer’s task was to encourage society to critically rethink its history in order to eradicate existing vices. The grotesque plays a huge role in creating an artistic image in the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The main goal of the writer is to show the vices of people that are not noticed by society.

The writer ridiculed the ugliness of society and was called a “great scoffer” among such predecessors as Griboyedov and Gogol. Reading the ironic grotesque, the reader wanted to laugh, but there was something sinister in this laughter - the audience “felt like a scourge lashing itself.”

Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty is the eighth mayor appointed to rule the ill-fated city of Foolov. The “Inventory of City Governors” gives a brief but succinct description of him: “He was appointed in a hurry and had some special device in his head... This did not prevent him, however, from putting in order the arrears started by his predecessor.”
These sarcastic words contain both the meaning of the activity of this “great man” and the attitude of the author in this activity.
The silent and gloomy Brudasty knew only one word - “I won’t beat you!” His reign began with the fact that he “crossed a lot of coachmen.” And subsequently, Brudasty created the appearance of the most vigorous activity - for days he locked himself in his office, “scraping something with a pen.” The consequences of this scribbling of paper terrified the entire population of Foolov: “They grab and catch, flog and flog, describe and sell...”
These six verbs contained the essence of Brudasty’s activity, which, however, did not differ from the activities of other mayors. Violence, cruelty, stupidity, inertia, admiration for rank and contempt for the people - these are the features of the rule of all Foolov’s mayors, and Brudasty, in particular.
The image of this character is symbolic. Let us remember that he was nicknamed “Organchik” because instead of a head he had a kind of mechanical device. The head of Brudasty had to be filled with artificial content, otherwise it was simply a shell, devoid of brains: “... the mayor’s body, dressed in a uniform, sat at a desk, and in front of him, on a pile of arrears registers, lay, in the form of a dandy paperweight, completely empty mayor's head..."
Thus, with the help of a capacious image, Shchedrin shows that rulers are just puppets, guided by evil instincts, stupidity, inertia, and prejudices. But even without such leaders the Russian people cannot live. While Brudasty lay headless, waiting for the next organ, anarchy and devastation came to the city. However, soon the Foolovites - “as a reward” for all their suffering - received two rulers at once - with “iron heads”. This ending to Brudasty’s reign once again emphasizes the author’s idea that all Foolov’s rulers are the same - equally insignificant, faceless, and terrible.

One of the main characters of the work “The History of a City” is considered to be the mayor of Glupovo, Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty. Dementy was the eighth mayor of Glupovo. Dementy Brudasty was a gloomy and taciturn person, at the same time the hero was heartless and strict.

Only after becoming the mayor did the hero begin to show his cruelty and beat the coachmen. Sometimes the mayor had fits of rage. Dementiy loved to give orders and make arrangements. Once in Glupovo, he began to give instructions. He did not leave the office, did not drink or eat again. The mayor began to earnestly deal with the accumulated cases regarding unpaid taxes. The big man was busy with paperwork and hardly spoke to the Foolovites. Under the rule of Dementius, the work of the police and bureaucrats actively developed. At the request of the mayor, police and officials attack and beat residents, taking away their property to pay for unpaid taxes.

People began to feel fear and horror of Brudasty. The city residents stopped laughing, playing and having fun. The streets were deserted, people left their houses only when they were in dire need. The stern mayor only said, “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” Officials noticed that the head of the city had an organ instead of a head. They started calling Dementiy Brudasty an organ. The busty one had an organ instead of a real head. One day his head broke, and officials had to order a new organ. Officials purchased the organ from a master in St. Petersburg. The mayor's head had to be filled with a special liquid. Otherwise, the organ was a simple shell with no brain.

At this time, the master from Glupovo began to correct the old head. As a result, 2 mayors under the name Brudasty began working in the town. A little later, the deceivers are removed from office and taken out of Glupovo. The main truth is only that the mayors were deceivers. A messenger came to Glupovo to pick them up. They were placed in containers with alcohol.

Likewise, at the expense of the mayor, the writer showed that the rulers of the town are only pawns, over whom such negative qualities as stupidity, prejudice, inertia, and evil insight dominate. According to the author, the Russian people could also live without such leaders. After the mayor fell ill and lost his head, the town experienced unrest and anarchy. Having included 2 mayors in the work, the author wrote that all the rulers of the town are equally impersonal and insignificant, and also terrible.

Option 2

The work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” in the highest form of irony and sarcasm ridicules bureaucratic vices in the images of mayors. One of these characters is the figure of Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, who ruled the Foolovites for about a year.

Outwardly unremarkable, the eighth chief of the city is dressed in a uniform. No one has ever seen even a hint of a smile on his face, and his angry, gloomy and calculating face is never satisfied. The mayor, instead of caring about the local residents, instills horror and fear in those around him, intimidating them with punishments in the form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. Even the government itself in the city begins with the flogging of the coachmen.

Due to the fact that one of the officials drew attention to a strange mechanism in Brudasty’s head, which externally resembles a small organ, the mayor received the nickname “organ”. Confirming his unofficial designation, Brudasty gave out the same pre-prepared phrases: “I won’t tolerate it!”, “I’ll ruin it!” Saltykov-Shchedrin aggravates the image of the official by telling about a situation in which the head “goes wrong.” Brudasty hands it over for repairs and sends it to St. Petersburg to a mechanic repairman. In addition, the “talking” surname of the official also characterizes his image, because it is known that the big-chested is a breed of dog that is particularly cruel.

In the image of Brudasty, Saltykov-Shchedrin embodied the image of a mechanical government official who does not possess any human qualities. Not only did he not perform any government role. The big-haired man robbed the people, godlessly collected taxes, soullessly punished for disobedience or misconduct, and was at the same time completely satisfied with his public service. The period of his reign doomed the city to fear, exhaustion, panic and cruelty, since everything human is alien to the execution machine. Only the police and the bureaucracy were always in charge: the police - executing punishments, and the officials - echoing the mayor's absurdities.

These are the key features of bureaucratic arbitrariness that the author noted during the times of Tsarist Russia, when tyranny, veneration for rank, diligence without common sense, cruelty and endless bureaucracy were the “pillars” on which the state apparatus was built. Saltykov-Shchedrin, being himself a part of this device, like no one else, could portray it authentically and with the scope of a true master of words.

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The story of one city(summary by chapter)

Chapter Contents: Organ

The year 1762 was marked by the beginning of the reign of mayor Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty. The Foolovites were surprised that their new ruler was gloomy and did not say anything except two phrases: “I will not tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” They didn’t know what to think until Brudasty’s secret was revealed: his head was completely empty. The clerk accidentally saw a terrible thing: the mayor’s body, as usual, was sitting at the table, but his head was lying separately on the table. And there was nothing in it at all. The townspeople did not know what to do now. They remembered Baibakov, a master of watchmaking and organ making, who had recently come to Brudasty. After questioning Baibakov, the Foolovites found out that the mayor’s head was equipped with a musical organ that played only two pieces: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” The organ failed, having become damp on the road. The master was unable to fix it on his own, so he ordered a new head in St. Petersburg, but the order was delayed for some reason.

Anarchy set in, ending with the unexpected appearance of two absolutely identical impostor rulers at the same time. They saw each other, “measured each other with their eyes,” and the residents who watched this scene silently and slowly dispersed. A messenger who arrived from the province took both “mayors” with him, and anarchy began in Foolov, which lasted a whole week.

The history of one city (text in full chapters)

Organ

In August 1762, an unusual movement took place in the city of Fulpovo on the occasion of the arrival of the new mayor, Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty. The residents rejoiced; Even before they had even laid eyes on the newly appointed ruler, they were already telling jokes about him and calling him “handsome” and “clever.” They congratulated each other with joy, kissed, shed tears, entered taverns, left them again, and entered again. In a fit of delight, the old Foolovian liberties were also remembered. The best citizens gathered in front of the cathedral bell tower and, forming a nationwide assembly, shook the air with exclamations: our father! our handsome guy! our clever girl!

Even dangerous dreamers appeared. Guided not so much by reason as by the movements of a grateful heart, they argued that under the new mayor trade would flourish, and that, under the supervision of quarterly overseers*, sciences and arts would emerge. We couldn't resist making comparisons. They remembered the old mayor who had just left the city, and found that although he, too, was handsome and smart, but that, for all that, the new ruler should be given preference for the sole reason that he was new. In a word, in this case, as in other similar ones, both the usual Foolovian enthusiasm and the usual Foolovian frivolity were fully expressed.

Meanwhile, the new mayor turned out to be silent and gloomy. He galloped to Foolov, as they say, at full speed (there was such time that not a single minute could be lost), and barely broke into the city pasture when right there, at the very border, he crossed a lot of coachmen. But even this circumstance did not cool the enthusiasm of the townsfolk, because their minds were still full of memories of the recent victories over the Turks, and everyone hoped that the new mayor would take the Khotyn fortress by storm for the second time.

Soon, however, the townsfolk became convinced that their rejoicings and hopes were, at least, premature and exaggerated. The usual reception took place, and here for the first time in their lives the Foolovites had to experience in practice what bitter tests the most stubborn love of authority could be subjected to. Everything at this reception happened somehow mysteriously. The mayor silently walked around the ranks of the official archistratigs, flashed his eyes, and said: “I will not tolerate it!” - and disappeared into the office. The officials were dumbfounded; Behind them, the townsfolk also stood dumbfounded.

Despite their insurmountable firmness, the Foolovites are pampered and extremely spoiled people. They love for the boss to have a friendly smile on his face, for friendly jokes to come from his mouth from time to time, and they are perplexed when these lips only snort or make mysterious sounds. The boss can carry out all sorts of activities, he may even not carry out any activities, but if he does not scribble at the same time, then his name will never become popular. There were truly wise mayors, those who were not alien even to the thought of establishing an academy in Foolov (such, for example, as civilian adviser Dvoekurov, listed in the “inventory” at No. 9), but since they did not call the Foolovites either “brothers” or "robots", then their names remained in oblivion. On the contrary, there were others, although not that they were very stupid - there were no such things - but those who did average things, that is, flogged and collected arrears, but since they always said something kind, their names were not only listed on tablets, but even served as the subject of a wide variety of oral legends.

This was the case in the present case. No matter how much the hearts of the inhabitants were inflamed on the occasion of the arrival of the new chief, his reception significantly cooled them.

What is this? - he snorted - and showed the back of his head! We haven’t seen the backs of heads! and you can talk to us to your heart’s content! You caress me, touch me with caresses! You threaten, threaten, and then have mercy! “That’s what the Foolovites said, and with tears they recalled what kind of bosses they had before, all friendly, kind, and handsome - and all in uniforms!” They even remembered the fugitive Greek Lamvrokakis (according to the “inventory” under No. 5), they remembered how foreman Baklan arrived in 1756 (according to the “inventory” No. 6), and what a fine fellow he showed himself to the townsfolk at the very first reception.

Onslaught, he said, and, moreover, speed, leniency, and, moreover, severity. And, moreover, prudent firmness. This, dear sirs, is the goal, or, more precisely, the five goals, which, with God's help, I hope to achieve through certain administrative measures that constitute the essence, or, better to say, the core of the campaign plan I have thought out!

And how he then, deftly turning on one heel, turned to the mayor and added:

And on holidays we will eat your pies!

So, sir, how real bosses received you! - sighed the Foolovites, - what about this one! snorted some nonsense, and that was it!

Alas! subsequent events not only justified the public opinion of ordinary people, but even surpassed their wildest fears. The new mayor locked himself in his office, did not eat, did not drink, and kept scratching something with his pen. From time to time he ran out into the hall, threw a pile of scribbled sheets of paper to the clerk, and said: “I won’t stand it!” - and again disappeared into the office. Unheard of activity suddenly began to boil in all parts of the city; private bailiffs galloped off; the policemen galloped; the assessors galloped off; The guards* forgot what it meant to eat by the way, and from then on acquired the pernicious habit of grabbing pieces on the fly. They seize and catch, flog and flog, describe and sell... And the mayor still sits and scrapes out more and more new compulsions... The rumble and crackling rush from one end of the city to the other, and above all this hubbub, above all this confusion, like the cry of a predator birds, an ominous reign reigns: “I will not tolerate it!”

The Foolovites were horrified. They remembered the general section of the coachmen, and suddenly everyone was struck by the thought: well, how can he flog an entire city in this manner!* Then they began to think about what meaning should be given to the word “I will not tolerate!” - finally, they resorted to the history of Foolov, began to look for examples of the city’s saving severity in it, found an amazing variety, but still did not find anything suitable.

And at least he would say in action how much he needs from his heart! - the embarrassed townsfolk were talking among themselves, - otherwise he’s circling, and to hell with it!

Foolov, carefree, good-natured and cheerful Foolov, became depressed. There are no more lively gatherings outside the gates of houses, the clicking of sunflowers has fallen silent, there is no game of grandmothers! The streets were deserted, wild animals appeared in the squares. People only left their houses out of necessity and, showing their frightened and exhausted faces for a moment, were immediately buried. Something similar happened, according to old-timers, during the time of the Tshin Tsar *, and even under Biron, when a prostitute, Tanka Gnarly, almost brought the entire city under execution. But even then it was better; at least then they understood something, but now they felt only fear, ominous and unaccountable fear.

It was especially difficult to look at the city late in the evening. At this time, Foolov, already a little animated, completely froze. Hungry dogs reigned on the street, but even they did not bark, but in the greatest order indulged in effeminacy and licentiousness of morals; thick darkness enveloped the streets and houses, and only in one of the rooms of the mayor’s apartment did an ominous light flicker, long after midnight. The average person who woke up could see how the mayor was sitting, bent over, at his desk, still scratching something with his pen... And suddenly he came up to the window and shouted “I won’t tolerate it!” - and sits down at the table again, and scratches again...

Ugly rumors began to circulate. They said that the new mayor was not even a mayor at all, but a werewolf sent to Foolov out of frivolity; that at night, in the form of an insatiable ghoul, he hovers over the city and sucks blood from sleepy townsfolk. Of course, all this was narrated and passed on to each other in whispers; although there were brave souls who offered to fall on their knees and ask for forgiveness, even those were taken aback. But what if this is exactly how it should be? What if it is considered necessary that Foolov, for his sake, should have just such a mayor and not another? These considerations seemed so reasonable that the brave men not only renounced their proposals, but immediately began to reproach each other for troublemaking and incitement.

And suddenly it became known to everyone that the mayor was secretly visited by the watchmaker and organ maker Baibakov. Reliable witnesses said that once, at three o’clock in the morning, they saw Baibakov, all pale and frightened, leave the mayor’s apartment and carefully carry something wrapped in a napkin. And what is most remarkable is that on this memorable night, not only were none of the townsfolk awakened by the cry of “I will not tolerate it!”, but the mayor himself, apparently, stopped for a while the critical analysis of the arrears registers* and fell into sleep.

The question arose: what need could there have been for the mayor of Baibakovo, who, in addition to drinking without waking up, was also an obvious adulterer?

Tricks and subterfuge began in order to find out the secret, but Baibakov remained dumb as a fish, and in response to all admonitions he limited himself to shaking his whole body. They tried to get him drunk, but he, without refusing vodka, only sweated and did not give away the secret. The boys who were apprenticed to him could report one thing: that a police soldier really came one night, took the owner, who an hour later returned with a bundle, locked himself in the workshop and has been homesick ever since.

They couldn't find out anything more. Meanwhile, the mayor’s mysterious meetings with Baibakov became more frequent. Over time, Baibakov not only stopped grieving, but even became so bold that he promised to give him up to the mayor himself without being considered a soldier if he did not give him a scale every day. He sewed himself a new pair of dresses and boasted that one of these days he would open such a store in Foolov that it would catch Winterhalter’s own nose.

Amid all this talk and gossip, suddenly a summons fell from the sky, inviting the most eminent representatives of Foolov’s intelligentsia, on such and such a day and hour, to come to the mayor for inspiration. The eminent people were embarrassed, but began to prepare.

It was a beautiful spring day. Nature rejoiced; the sparrows chirped; the dogs squealed joyfully and wagged their tails. The townsfolk, holding bags under their arms, crowded into the courtyard of the mayor's apartment and tremblingly awaited a terrible fate. Finally the awaited moment arrived.

He came out, and on his face for the first time the Foolovites saw that friendly smile for which they were yearning. It seemed that the beneficial rays of the sun had an effect on him too (at least, many ordinary people later assured that they saw with their own eyes how his coattails were shaking). He walked around all the townsfolk in turn, and although silently, he graciously accepted everything that was due from them. Having finished with this matter, he retreated a little to the porch and opened his mouth... And suddenly something inside him hissed and buzzed, and the longer this mysterious hissing lasted, the more and more his eyes spun and sparkled. “P...p...spit!” finally escaped from his lips... With this sound, he flashed his eyes for the last time and rushed headlong into the open door of his apartment.

Reading in the Chronicler a description of an incident so unheard of, we, witnesses and participants in other times and other events, of course, have every opportunity to treat it with composure. But let us transport our thoughts a hundred years ago, put ourselves in the place of our illustrious ancestors, and we will easily understand the horror that must have seized them at the sight of these rotating eyes and this open mouth, from which nothing came out except hissing and some kind of a meaningless sound, unlike even the chime of a clock. But this is precisely the goodness of our ancestors: no matter how shocked they were by the spectacle described above, they were not carried away either by the revolutionary ideas fashionable at that time* or by the temptations presented by anarchy, but remained faithful to the love of power, and only slightly allowed themselves to condole and blame their more than strange mayor.

And where did this scoundrel come to us from? - said the townsfolk, asking each other in amazement and not attaching any special meaning to the word “scoundrel”.

Look, brothers! I wish we wouldn’t have to answer for him, for the scoundrel! - others added.

And after all that, they calmly went home and indulged in their usual activities.

And our Brudasty would have remained for many years the shepherd of this helicopter city, and would have pleased the hearts of the leaders with his stewardship, and the townsfolk would not have felt anything extraordinary in their existence, if a completely random circumstance (a simple oversight) had not stopped his activity in its very midst.

A little later after the reception described above, the mayor’s clerk, entering his office with a report in the morning, saw the following sight: the mayor’s body, dressed in a uniform, was sitting at a desk, and in front of him, on a pile of arrears registers, lay, in the form of a dandy paperweight , a completely empty head of the mayor... The clerk ran out in such confusion that his teeth were chattering.

They ran for the assistant mayor and the senior police officer. The former first of all attacked the latter, accusing him of negligence and indulging in brazen violence, but the policeman was justified. He argued, not without reason, that the head could have been emptied only with the consent of the mayor himself, and that a person who undoubtedly belonged to a craft workshop took part in this case, since on the table, among the material evidence, were: a chisel, a gimlet and an English file. They called for the council of the chief city doctor and asked him three questions: 1) could the mayor’s head be separated from the mayor’s body without hemorrhage? 2) is it possible to assume that the mayor removed his own head from his shoulders and emptied it himself? and 3) is it possible to assume that the mayor's head, once abolished, could subsequently grow again through some unknown process? Aesculapius thought for a moment, muttered something about some kind of “governor’s substance”, supposedly emanating from the mayor’s body, but then, seeing that he had made a report, he avoided directly resolving the issues, responding by saying that the mystery of the construction of the mayor’s body has not yet been sufficiently explored by science .

After listening to such an evasive answer, the assistant mayor was at a dead end. He had one of two things to do: either immediately report what had happened to his superiors and meanwhile begin an investigation at hand, or remain silent for a while and wait to see what happens. In view of such difficulties, he chose the middle path, that is, he began an inquiry, and at the same time he ordered everyone to keep the deepest secret on this subject, so as not to worry the people and not give them unrealistic dreams.

But no matter how strictly the guards kept the secret entrusted to them, the unheard of news about the abolition of the mayor's head spread throughout the city in a few minutes. Many of the townsfolk cried because they felt like orphans, and, moreover, they were afraid of being held accountable for obeying such a mayor who had an empty vessel on his shoulders instead of a head. On the contrary, others, although they also cried, insisted that for their obedience they would receive not punishment, but praise*.

In the club, in the evening, all available members were assembled. They worried, interpreted, recalled various circumstances and found facts of a rather suspicious nature. So, for example, assessor Tolkovnikov said that one day he entered the mayor’s office by surprise on a very necessary matter and found the mayor playing with his own head, which he, however, immediately hastened to attach to the proper place. Then he did not pay proper attention to this fact, and even considered it a trick of the imagination, but now it is clear that the mayor, in the form of his own relief, from time to time took off his head and put on a skull cap instead, just like the cathedral archpriest, being in his home circle, takes off his kamilavka and puts on a cap. Another assessor, Mladentsev, remembered that one day, walking past the watchmaker Baibakov’s workshop, he saw in one of its windows the mayor’s head, surrounded by metalwork and carpentry tools. But Mladentsev was not allowed to finish, because at the first mention of Baibakov, everyone was reminded of his strange behavior and his mysterious night trips to the mayor’s apartment...

Nevertheless, no clear result emerged from all these stories. The public even began to lean towards the opinion that this whole story was nothing more than an invention of idle people, but then, recalling the London agitators* and moving from one syllogism to another, they concluded that treason had made its nest in Foolov himself. Then all the members became agitated, made a noise and, inviting the superintendent of the public school, asked him a question: have there been examples in history of people giving orders, waging wars and concluding treaties with an empty vessel on their shoulders? The caretaker thought for a minute and replied that much in history is covered in darkness; but that there was, however, a certain Charles the Simple-minded, who had on his shoulders, although not empty, but still, as it were, an empty vessel, and waged wars and concluded treaties.

While these discussions were going on, the assistant mayor did not sleep. He also remembered Baibakov and immediately pulled him to answer. For some time Baibakov locked himself away and did not answer anything other than “I don’t know, I don’t know,” but when he was shown the material evidence found on the table and, moreover, promised fifty dollars for vodka, he came to his senses and, being literate, gave the following testimony :

“My name is Vasily, Ivanov’s son, nicknamed Baibakov. Gupovsky workshop; I don’t go to confession or holy communion, because I belong to the sect of the Farmazons, and I am a false priest of that sect. I was tried for cohabitation outside of marriage with a suburban wife, Matryonka, and was recognized by the court as an obvious adulterer, which title I still hold to this day. Last year, in the winter - I don’t remember what date or month - having been awakened in the night, I went, accompanied by a policeman, to our mayor, Dementy Varlamovich, and, when I arrived, I found him sitting and with his head in one direction or another. in the other direction, gradually anointing. Unconscious from fear and, moreover, weighed down by alcoholic drinks, I stood silent at the threshold, when suddenly the mayor beckoned me with his hand and handed me a piece of paper. On the piece of paper I read: “Don’t be surprised, but fix what’s damaged.” After that, Mr. Mayor took off his own head and gave it to me. Taking a closer look at the box lying in front of me, I found that it contained in one corner a small organ capable of playing some simple musical pieces. There were two of these plays: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” But since the head became somewhat damp on the road, some of the pegs on the roller became loose, while others completely fell out. Because of this, Mr. Mayor could not speak clearly, or they spoke with missing letters and syllables. Having noticed in myself a desire to correct this error and having received the consent of the mayor, I duly wrapped my head in a napkin and went home. But here I saw that I had relied in vain on my diligence, for no matter how hard I tried to fix the fallen pegs, I succeeded so little in my undertaking that at the slightest carelessness or a cold, the pegs fell out again, and lately the mayor could only say: - I spit! In this extreme, they rashly intended to make me unhappy for the rest of my life, but I rejected that blow, suggesting that the mayor turn for help to St. Petersburg, to watchmaker and organ maker Winterhalter, which they did exactly. Quite a lot of time has passed since then, during which I daily examined the mayor’s head and cleaned the rubbish out of it, which I was doing that morning when your honor, due to my oversight, confiscated an instrument that belonged to me. But why the new head ordered from Mr. Winterhalter still has not arrived is unknown. I believe, however, that due to the flooding of the rivers, in the current spring time, this head is still somewhere inactive. To your honor’s question, firstly, can I, if a new head is sent, approve it, and, secondly, will that approved head function properly? I have the honor to answer this: I can confirm and it will act, but it cannot have real thoughts. The obvious adulterer Vasily Ivanov Baibakov had a hand in this testimony.”

After listening to Baibakov’s testimony, the mayor’s assistant realized that if it was once allowed for there to be a mayor in Foolov who had a simple head instead of a head, then, therefore, it should be so. Therefore, he decided to wait, but at the same time sent a compulsory telegram to Winterhalter* and, having locked the mayor’s body, directed all his activities towards calming public opinion.

But all the tricks turned out to be in vain. Two more days passed after that; Finally, the long-awaited St. Petersburg mail arrived; but she didn’t bring any head.

Anarchy began, that is, anarchy. The public places were deserted; There were so many arrears that the local treasurer, looking into the government box, opened his mouth, and remained so for the rest of his life with his mouth open; The police officers got out of hand and brazenly did nothing; official days have disappeared*. Moreover, murders began, and on the city pasture itself the body of an unknown man was raised, in which, by the coattails, although they recognized the Life Campanian, neither the police captain nor the other members of the temporary department, no matter how they struggled, could not find separated from head torso.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the assistant mayor received news by telegraph that the head had been sent a long time ago. The assistant mayor was completely taken aback.

Another day passes, and the mayor’s body still sits in the office and even begins to deteriorate. Love of Command, temporarily shocked by the strange behavior of Brudasty, steps forward with timid but firm steps. The best people go in a procession to the assistant mayor and urgently demand that he give orders. The assistant mayor, seeing that arrears were accumulating, drunkenness was developing, the truth was being abolished in the courts, and resolutions were not being approved, turned to the assistance of the headquarters officer*. This latter, as an obligatory person, telegraphed about the incident to his superiors, and by telegraph he received the news that he had been dismissed from service for an absurd report.

Hearing about this, the assistant mayor came to the office and began to cry. The assessors came and also began to cry; The solicitor appeared, but even he could not speak from tears.

Meanwhile, Winterhalter spoke the truth, and the head was indeed made and sent on time. But he acted rashly, entrusting its delivery to a postal boy who was completely ignorant of the organ business. Instead of holding the parcel carefully in weight, the inexperienced messenger threw it to the bottom of the cart, and he dozed off. In this position, he rode several stations, when suddenly he felt that someone had bitten him on the calf. Taken by surprise by the pain, he hastily untied the gunny bag in which the mysterious luggage was wrapped, and a strange sight suddenly presented itself to his eyes. The head opened its mouth and moved its eyes; Moreover, she said loudly and quite clearly: “I’ll ruin you!”

The boy was simply mad with horror. His first move was to throw the talking luggage onto the road; the second is to quietly descend from the cart and hide in the bushes.

Perhaps this strange incident would have ended in such a way that the head, having lain for some time on the road, would have been crushed over time by passing carriages and finally taken out to the field in the form of fertilizer, if the matter had not been complicated by the intervention of an element to such a fantastic degree, that the Foolovites themselves were at a dead end. But let’s not preempt events and let’s see what’s happening in Foolov.

Foolov was seething. Having not seen the mayor for several days in a row, the citizens were worried and, without any hesitation, accused the assistant mayor and the senior quarterly of embezzling government property. Holy fools and blessed ones wandered around the city with impunity and predicted all sorts of disasters for the people. Some Mishka Vozgryavyi assured that he had a sleepy vision at night, in which a menacing man appeared to him in a cloud of bright clothes.

Finally, the Foolovites could not bear it; Led by the beloved citizen Puzanov*, they lined up in a square in front of the public places and demanded the assistant mayor to the people's court, threatening otherwise to demolish both him and his house.

Anti-social elements rose to the top with terrifying speed. They were talking about impostors, about some Styopka, who, leading the freemen, just yesterday, in front of everyone, brought together two merchants' wives.

Where did you put our father? - the crowd, angry to the point of fury, screamed when the assistant mayor appeared before him.

Well done atamans! where can I get it for you if it’s locked with a key! - the official, overcome with trepidation, aroused by the events from administrative stupor, persuaded the crowd. At the same time, he secretly blinked at Baibakov, who, seeing this sign, immediately disappeared.

But the excitement did not subside.

You're lying, saddle bag! - answered the crowd, - you deliberately clashed with the policeman in order to get our priest away from you!

And God knows how the general confusion would have been resolved if at that moment the ringing of a bell had not been heard and then a cart had not driven up to the rioters, in which the police captain was sitting, and next to him... the disappeared mayor!

He was wearing a Life Campaign uniform; his head was heavily soiled with mud and beaten in several places. Despite this, he deftly jumped out of the cart and flashed his eyes at the crowd.

I'll ruin you! - he thundered in such a deafening voice that everyone instantly fell silent.

The excitement was suppressed immediately; in this crowd, which had recently hummed so menacingly, there was such silence that one could hear the buzzing of a mosquito that had flown in from a neighboring swamp to marvel at “this absurd and laughable Foolovian confusion.”

Instigators forward! - the mayor commanded, raising his voice more and more.

They began to select instigators from among the tax defaulters, and had already recruited about a dozen people, when a new and completely outlandish circumstance gave the matter a completely different turn.

While the Foolovites were whispering sadly, remembering which of them had accumulated more arrears, the city governor’s droshky, so well known to the townsfolk, quietly drove up to the gathering. Before the townsfolk had time to look around, Baibakov jumped out of the carriage, and after him, in the sight of the entire crowd, appeared exactly the same mayor as the one who, a minute before, had been brought in a cart by the police officer! The Foolovites were dumbfounded.

This other mayor's head was completely new and, moreover, covered with varnish. It seemed strange to some perspicacious citizens that the large birthmark that had been on the mayor’s right cheek a few days ago was now on his left.

The impostors met and measured each other with their eyes. The crowd slowly and silently dispersed

You have read the summary (chapters) and full text of the work: The history of one city: Saltykov-Shchedrin M E (Mikhail Evgrafovich).
You can read the entire work in full and a summary (by chapter) according to the content on the right.

Classics of literature (satires) from the collection of works for reading (stories, novellas) of the best, famous satirical writers: Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin. .................

Valentina SHENKMAN,
Perm

“The eternally indestructible city of Foolov...”

On the use of role-playing games in the study of “The History of a City” by M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrin

In the grotesque, fantastic world of Saltykov-Shchedrin, everything is possible...

One day, the gentlemen mayors who at different times, with varying degrees of success, ruled the notorious city of Foolov, came to life and left the pages of his book. At the end of the 20th century, they intended to meet with representatives of the media, obviously so that they would not hesitate to tell the whole world about the life and deeds of these glorious persons.

So what do you think? To the great delight of the above-mentioned persons, in the blink of an eye, numerous servants of the pen and recorder flocked to meet them.

The press conference took place.

The gentlemen mayors told about the various methods and means of fighting the people... excuse me, the means of controlling the people they used while in office.

Gentlemen, the journalists managed to ask the interviewees a great many questions, often very, very provocative, from which the majors, brigadiers and others former scoundrels they felt uneasy and wanted to quickly return to the pages of the book that were so cozy for them...

This incredible story happened one day. Where and when? In a literature lesson in 10th grade. While studying the book by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City,” a difficult, interesting and surprisingly modern book. The tenth graders themselves acted as mayors and journalists, and the teacher served as a presenter and, if necessary, a commentator.

I think many colleagues will agree that reading this work is difficult for our children. And teachers, unfortunately, do not always choose this book to study, despite the fact that it is one of Shchedrin’s best works and has enduring cultural value. There are explanations for this.

“The History of a City” is perhaps the most demonstrative work of Russian classics of the 19th century in its artistic conventions. Brought up mainly on the life-like nature of classical realism, we are often afraid to plunge into such an unusual artistic world of “History...”. And we miss a great chance for literary research, games, the opportunity to simply get aesthetic pleasure from the amazing creation of a great writer, who knew how to combine the acute pain for many phenomena of social life with a riot of phantasmagoric images, the element of, albeit bitter, but all-conquering laughter.

Yes, of course, “The History of a City” is difficult to read. At first, you literally have to “wade through the fog.” But isn't it interesting? And, since we often approach literature pragmatically, isn’t it useful? Interesting. It is useful in different senses: both in the development of a competent reader, and in the education of a person, a citizen, an individual. In addition, the significance of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work as a truly talented, great artist of the word is not limited to the framework of the writer’s contemporary era, but is characterized by amazing ahistoricism and timelessness. And the teacher’s task is to make sure that young readers do not consider this book hopelessly outdated, exposing some kind of autocratic system, so that they understand and appreciate the brilliant wit, inexhaustible imagination of the satirist, feel the “deepest suffering” (M.A. Bulgakov) hidden under with caustic, sarcastic laughter, so that they themselves experience the “heartache” of love for Russia.

In the recent past, Shchedrin’s satire was firmly associated only with the pre-October period in the history of our country. Maybe that’s why “History...” was not studied at school, because it did not fit into the Procrustean bed of concrete historical interpretation. How recognizable in it are not only the events and persons of the past, the Shchedrin and “pre-Shchedrin” periods, but also the multiple analogies of Soviet and post-Soviet reality!

In 1871, Saltykov-Shchedrin, responding to accusations of “historical satire,” wrote to the editors of the journal “Bulletin of Europe” that he meant “completely ordinary satire,” “directed against those characteristic features of Russian life that make it not quite convenient” and “produce results... very bad, namely: insecurity of life, arbitrariness, improvidence, lack of faith in the future, etc.” The listed “results,” sadly enough, are, to one degree or another, traditionally characteristic of our “Russian life.”

Showing the reality of the second half of the 19th century, the writer revealed eternal Russian problems. The city of Foolov is not just a generalized, allegorical image of the author’s contemporary Russia, it is a universal picture of Russian life under any government system. Igor Severyanin gave a terrible description of this city in a medallion dedicated to the satirist (see in full below): “The eternally indestructible city of Foolov - // Russified, ubiquitous, mischievous...”

Will this decay continue?.. Will we understand the “cacophony of the sonorous troubadour”?..

I believe that we need Saltykov-Shchedrin today more than ever.

Thinking about how to revive the process of studying “History...”, bringing it closer to modern times, wanting to find an original form of a lesson that would be more or less adequate to the content and artistic originality of the book, somehow unexpectedly for myself I came up with the idea of ​​conducting a role-playing game. (I note that this idea did not arise out of nowhere. The form of role-playing game began to be promoted by S.M. Ivanova. See: “Literature”, 2001, No. 40.) A press conference is what can perfectly correspond to the material of the lesson “Images of mayors” in “The History of a City”! Perhaps this was indirectly prompted by numerous press conferences and speeches by our current politicians. But some of their features are easily recognizable in Foolov’s mayors! By the way, our school artists felt this and endowed their heroes with painfully familiar gestures, intonations and other touches of the portraits of modern “city governors” and their predecessors. After the lesson, I realized that I was not mistaken in choosing the form. (This form was later successfully used by some other teachers, who confirmed its effectiveness. And children who graduated from school several years ago still remember the details of studying the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin.)

Let's consider the place of this lesson in the system of lessons for studying “The History of a City” and the features of its preparation and implementation.

The role-playing game can be carried out after a two-hour lesson devoted to the general characteristics of the book, which examines the theme, genre, composition, determines the main conflict, analyzes the system of images and the image of the narrator, identifies means of artistic representation and expressiveness, techniques of satire, and studies the first chapters textually. The chapter “Organchik” begins with an enlarged, detailed image of individual mayors and their relationships with the Foolovites. The material for the lesson is the chapters from “The Organ” to the end of the book.

In general, the system of lessons for the work can be structured as follows (the number of lessons at each stage is determined by specific conditions):

Lessons devoted to the analysis of images of mayors can be structured in different ways. Possible paths:

Monographic chapter-by-chapter analysis (collectively, frontally);

Student reports based on independent analysis of individual chapters;

A combination of the first and second, for example: 1st lesson - collective analysis of the chapter “Organchik”, 2nd lesson - seminar (group reports), 3rd lesson - independent work (analysis of the image of Gloomy-Burcheev).

As one of the lesson options in a strong class, a role-playing game is possible, which requires quite a long preparation (see appendix “The place and significance of role-playing in the lesson”). In weaker classes, it is recommended to conduct it as an extracurricular activity. Part of the game can be used as a fragment of a lesson, including one or two theatrical miniatures.

Let's look at the progress of the work. The story about each of the mayors is relatively complete, independent (sometimes several parts can be distinguished within one chapter, or several chapters are devoted to the history of one mayor): “Organchik” (Brudasty); “The Tale of the Six City Leaders”; “News about Dvoekurov”; “Hungry City”, “Straw City”, “Fantastic Traveler” (Ferdyshchenko); “Wars for Enlightenment” (Wartkin); “The era of dismissal from wars” (Mikaladze, Benevolensky, Pyshch); “Worship of Mammon and Repentance” (Ivanov, du Chariot, Grustilov); “Confirmation of repentance. Conclusion” (Ugryum-Burcheev). For analysis, you can use a general scheme, quite traditional: 1) specific features of a particular mayor, his bright, memorable features (techniques and means of creating an image are considered in parallel), 2) the generalized meaning of the image, its typifying meaning. When characterizing city governors, you can follow approximately the following sequence:

Features of appearance and character;

Speech, expression in speech of views and ideals;

The essence of administrative activities, basic actions;

Relations with the Foolovites (the life of the Foolovites during his reign).

Materials for image analysis and interpretation Organchika.

Saltykov-Shchedrin mainly calls his hero by his nickname, but in addition to the nickname he also gives the full name of his character - Brudasty Dementy Varlamovich. The nickname indicates the mechanical nature of the character's thinking and actions, the surname indicates his extreme cruelty (breasted are a breed of Russian hound dogs, distinguished by their large stature, evil disposition and death grip on the pursued victim). Taken together, the two names of the hero create a terrifying type.

- “Silent and gloomy,” “his eyes flashed,” “he snorted and showed the back of his head.” “He had some special device in his head.” “On the shoulders instead of a head there was an empty vessel.” “The mayor’s body, dressed in a uniform, was sitting at a desk, and in front of him, on a pile of arrears registers, lay, in the form of a smart paperweight, the completely empty mayor’s head.” The image is based on the grotesque and the implementation of the “empty head” metaphor. The meaning of the technique is ironically commented by the author: in history there were examples when those in power had “on their shoulders, although not empty, but still as if empty vessel."

- “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” - the hero’s entire speech consists of these two “plays”, which could be performed by a small organ inserted into the empty head of the mayor. The author exposes the inhuman cruelty of the hero, exposes his inability to delve into the essence of what is happening, his programming to act and control threats, violence, and coercion.

- “I barely broke into the city pasture when right there, at the very border, I crossed a lot of coachmen.” “...He didn’t eat, didn’t drink, and kept scraping something with his pen... Unheard-of activity suddenly began to boil in all parts of the city: private bailiffs galloped; the policemen galloped; the assessors galloped..." The satirist emphasizes that under Organchik the police car became especially active as the main and only means of control, police arbitrariness reigned in the city: "They grab and catch, whip and flog, describe and sell... And the mayor sits and scrapes everything out more and more new compulsions...” The hero’s actions completely follow from the content of the two “plays,” once again confirming his cruel mechanism. Particular poignancy and tension arise at the moment when Organchik orders the punishment of the Foolovites who spoke in his defense. It is clear that such an Organic will stop at nothing in his mayoral zeal.

The Foolovites at first rejoiced for one reason only, “that he was new,” then they were “horrified.” “The streets were deserted, wild animals appeared in the squares. People only left their houses out of necessity and, for a moment showing their frightened and exhausted faces, were immediately buried”; “We felt only fear, ominous and unaccountable fear.” Again the author uses hyperbole, which develops into grotesque. The feeling of pity for the Foolovites is combined with indignation caused by their stupid obedience and “love of authority.” With everything that was happening in the city, they tried to explain the necessity of Brudasty’s cruel arbitrariness: “What if this is exactly how it should be? what if it is considered necessary that Foolov, for his sake, should have just such a mayor and not another?” Left without a mayor, “many of the townsfolk cried because they felt like orphans.” “Where did you put our father?” - the crowd, angry to the point of fury, screamed when the assistant mayor appeared before him.” The slavish consciousness of the Foolovites causes bitterness in readers, as the author probably wanted.

One can come to a similar result when studying the images of Foolov’s mayors during a role-playing game.

In preparation for the “press conference,” students thoroughly study the text of one or several chapters about “their” mayor and dramatize it. It is better if the preparation begins in advance, perhaps a week or two before the lesson, since you will need to tune in, get used to the character, and come up with some highlights for the performance. It seems methodically justified to precede the study of “History” with an analysis of fairy tales, despite the chronological inconsistency. Fairy tales will make it easier for the student to enter the world of Saltykov-Shchedrin, since acquaintance with them began in the 7th grade, they are relatively small in volume and, most importantly, bear specific features of the writer’s artistic world.

The work is carried out in small groups, in which one person will be the mayor, and the rest (2–4) will be journalists. The roles of mayors predominantly go to young men. Special signs are being prepared for the press conference - business cards with the names of the heroes. The following characters provide the most beneficial material:

- Brudasty Dementy Varlamovich(No. 8 according to the “Inventory of City Governors”, chapter “Organchik”);

- Ferdyshchenko Petr Petrovich(No. 11, chapters “Hungry City”, “Straw City”, “Fantastic Traveler”);

- Wartkin Vasilisk Semyonovich(No. 12, chapter “Wars for Enlightenment”, “exculpatory document” No. 1);

- Mikaladze Ksaveri Georgievich No. 14, chapter “The era of dismissal from wars”, “supporting document” No. 2);

- Benevolensky Feofilakt Irinarkhovich(No. 15, chapter “The era of dismissal from wars”, “supporting document” No. 3);

- Pimple Ivan Panteleich(No. 16, chapter “The era of dismissal from wars”);

- Du Chariot Angel Dorofeevich(No. 18, chapter “Worship of Mammon and repentance”);

- Grustilov Erast Andreevich(No. 20, chapter “Worship of Mammon and repentance”);

- Gloomy-Burcheev(No. 21, chapter “Confirmation of repentance. Conclusion”).

At the “press conference” the “mayor” talks about himself, about his life, about his actions and deeds, about his relationship with the Foolovites and about their life during his reign. The “journalists” get the “compromising evidence”, that is, information that cannot be expressed through the character’s lips, since it discredits him. “The mayor” and the “journalists” always prepare together; with their joint efforts they create a holistic artistic impression of the image of Shchedrin’s mayor. In case of fragmented preparation, the required result will not be achieved. The concept of such a lesson is not to test knowledge of the text and the ability of students to answer questions about the text unknown to them in advance, but to jointly identify the features of the images of the characters in the book, but only this goal is achieved in an unconventional way. In the conventional world of the game, the participants in the press conference are, of course, antagonistic, but in real life they are allies and solve common problems.

The result of the preparatory work of each of the creative groups is a script (collective dramatic composition) for a mini-play, which is performed in class. This performance clearly and vividly shows the characteristic features of the hero, watches with interest and is remembered as an extraordinary event. The vividness and volume of perception of the main participants of the “press conference” is facilitated by the mandatory individualization of their speech in accordance with the author’s text. It must be said that some performers evoked enthusiastic applause from the entire class with their performance.

And the scope for invention and creativity is not limited here. Someone saw in their hero a similarity with living figures and showed this, someone portrayed a characteristic accent, used expressive details of the costume, specific attributes, even eccentric techniques (for example, when “Brudasty” knocked on his forehead, the sound of an empty metal containers: the assistant-noisemaker hit the bucket). Some reading this article may be thinking: why did this have to be done? We will answer: in this way there was a very lively acquaintance with the heroes of Saltykov-Shchedrin, the barrier on the way to his book was broken. And the main character in the lesson was laughter. But it is no secret that the paradox of school study of literature is precisely its absence in the study of satirical works of Russian classics: modern children often do not perceive the comic in a satirical text. I think this is exactly the case when the activation of the emotional sphere of schoolchildren helps awaken their minds and prepares deeply meaningful further work on the work.

The next lesson (seminar) is designed to synthesize and deepen information about the work, including the images of the mayors.

As homework, it is advisable to offer questions for reflection individually or in groups. Sample topics:

• “And the glorious Nero, and the Caligula, shining with valor...” (To prove the single essence of all city governors - their hostility to the people.)
• “We are ordinary people! We can endure.” (Show typical features of Foolovites.)
• The problem of the people and power in the depiction of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.
• The role of hyperbole and grotesque in “The History of a City.”
• “Talking” names and surnames of characters as a means of characterizing them.
• “The eternally indestructible city of Foolov...” (Determine which phenomena of our life in the 20th century are allegorically “reflected” in “The History of a City.”)

For those who have not left the image of the hero of a press conference, the following options for written creative work may be provided: an article in a newspaper, an essay, a report, etc. (for journalists) or a speech, a speech on behalf of the mayor on some topic, for example , election program for the post of head of the city. (By the way, another option for a role-playing game.)

You can end the seminar by reflecting on Igor Severyanin’s sonnet (1926):

SALTYKOV-SHCHEDRIN

Isn't it creepy - among the provincial fools
And the fools, the natives of Poshekhonye,
Frozen in the eternal stage of sleeplessness,
Is the undead pompadour tenacious?

The troubadour sounds like a cacophony,
Whose voice, shaking lawlessness,
He broadcast a funeral in the country of infertility,
Whose meaning is heavy, sarcastic and gloomy.

Rotting, stinking from moving corpses
The eternally indestructible city of Foolov -
Russified, everywhere, mischievous.

Judas are crawling out of every crack.
The country is being overcome. Overpowered.
And there is no hope. And where is the other destiny?

Example role play scenarios

Scenarios are offered as illustrations for the content of a lesson or extracurricular activity in the form of a role-playing game. They are compiled on the basis of the text by Saltykov-Shchedrin and include individual turns of both the speech of the characters and the speech of the narrator. The dialogue is preceded, if possible, by a laconic description of the main character, similar to Gogol’s “remarks for gentlemen actors.” I consider it necessary to warn teachers, if they decide to use the described form of work for educational purposes, against distributing the given scenarios for memorization and further acting out; it is recommended to use the proposed materials only as a guide for the teacher. At the same time, they can be the basis for a performance at an evening dedicated to the work of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Brudasty Dementy Varlamovich (Organchik)

(Based on the material from the chapter “Organchik”)

He speaks sharply, abruptly, does not smile, and rolls his eyes angrily. May suddenly jump up and run to the window. Periodically shouts “I won’t tolerate it!” or “I’ll ruin you!” Sometimes it’s as if some joint or speech jams. When you touch your head, you hear the sound of an empty metal container; it is possible that the head is even stained with mud and beaten in several places.

Journalist. Mr. Brudasty, please tell us about your achievements as mayor.

Busty. Firstly. During his reign. I put all the arrears in order. Which were launched by my predecessor. Secondly. The city was calm and quiet when I was there. No drunkenness. No debauchery. No gatherings outside the gates of houses. Not a click of sunflowers. I won't tolerate it. So that people hang out in vain. Played grandmas. People only left their homes out of necessity. There was order all around. I immediately organized an unprecedented activity. The private bailiffs galloped off. The quarterly officers galloped away. The assessors galloped off. The guards have forgotten what it means to eat. So since then they have been grabbing pieces on the fly.

Journalist. But you have instilled such fear in people! The city was deserted, and even wild animals walked through it without fear...

Busty. What's happened?! Be silent! What animals?! I had order and peace. Even the dogs didn't bark.

Journalist. From hunger?

Busty. I won’t tolerate... p...p...spit!

Journalist. Dear Dementy Varlamovich! How did the people treat you? Didn't you rebel?

Busty. People?! The people loved me! I haven't arrived in town yet. And he was already rejoicing. Everyone congratulated each other with joy. They called me “handsome” and “smart.” But this is nonsense. I won't tolerate it! The people should not love their mayor. And to be afraid. That's why. As soon as I appeared in the city. Still at the very border. I crossed a lot of coachmen. In addition, the townsfolk reverently await my every word... Raz-dawn!!! They are ready to stand in my yard from morning to evening. With bags under his arms. They can't live a day without me. One day it happened... When I was out of town on important business. The Foolovites started such a riot. They almost tore my assistant to pieces. “Where did you put our father? Where did you put the priest?” I won’t tolerate it... I spit! But I showed up on time. I put these troublemakers down.

Journalist. How? After all, they are for you!

Busty. I won't tolerate it! I'll ruin you!

Journalist. Mister Brudusty! Everyone knows that you have the nickname “Organchik”. Is it true that your head is a kind of mechanism?

Busty. Who said? I won't tolerate it!

Journalist. The watchmaker Baibakov claims that one night he was woken up and, frightened, was brought to you. You took off your own head and gave it to Baibakov. Next I read out Baibakov’s testimony:

“Having examined the box lying in front of me closer, I found that it contained in one corner a small organ that could play some simple musical pieces. There were two of these plays: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” But since the head became somewhat damp on the road, some of the pegs on the roller became loose, while others completely fell out. Because of this, Mr. Mayor, they could not speak clearly or they spoke with missing letters and syllables.” Subsequently, Baibakov, as he claims, looked at your head every day and cleaned the dirt out of it.

Busty. Thief! Robber! Troublemaker! I'll ruin you!!! I won’t tolerate it... I spit... I spit!!!

Journalist. There are other witnesses. For example, assessor Tolkovnikov once came into your office by surprise and saw you playing with your own head. And assessor Mladentsev once saw your head surrounded by plumbing and carpentry tools when he walked past Baibakov’s workshop and looked out the window.

Busty. P...p...spit! P...p...spit...

Journalist. It looks like Organchik's new head is also faulty. It was delivered so carelessly from St. Petersburg that the mayor was again speechless. Instead of holding it carefully in the air, the inexperienced messenger threw it to the bottom of the cart, and when he was bitten on the calf, he threw it onto the road. And in general, is this the real Brudasty? Do you remember which cheek he had a birthmark on before?

Ferdyshchenko Petr Petrovich

(Based on the chapters “Hungry City”, “City of Straw”, “Fantastic Traveler”)

Dressed in a new uniform. He gives the impression of an affectionate and friendly person, but occasionally shouts in a voice that is not his own. Tongue-tied.

Leading. Gentlemen, journalists, please address your questions to mayor Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko.

Ferdyshchenko. Well, dear brothers, here’s what: I’ll go out for now, but as soon as I come back, hit the pots and start congratulating me. Well, I wish I would have accepted some gifts from you, and more!

Leading. Mr. Ferdyshchenko, don’t forget! You are not in the city of Foolov.

Ferdyshchenko. Well, why are you stupid people angry with me? Ask your questions.

Journalist. What problems did you have to solve during your reign?

Ferdyshchenko. What are the problems? After all, there is no need to argue with God. Fire, you say? It was so. It was burning. What do I have to do with it? These idle people, Foolovites, gathered in my yard and began to torment me and force me to my knees so that I would bring a petition. Oh, dear ones, God gave - God took. I wrote, of course, how not to write. The team came: “Tu-ru! Tu-ru!” Made the people understand. What problems?

Journalist. Have you ever faced a food problem?

Ferdyshchenko. What kind of food do you say? Well, dear brothers, there was a drought. What will I do? The people became haggard, of course, and walked around with drooping heads. But I ordered these people to be taken to the moving-out party. The people need to be encouraged. Well, they had a picnic in a country grove and set off fireworks. But I bought Alyonka a new scarf, a draped one. Beauty!

Journalist. And this at a time when terrible famine reigned in the city?! When the city was almost deserted, because the young people had all fled, because the churches were overflowing with coffins, and the corpses of noble people were lying untidy in the streets?!

Ferdyshchenko. In shackles! To Siberia!

Journalist. Are you afraid to listen to the truth?

Ferdyshchenko. Okay, honey, don't be angry. But here’s what I say to you: it would be better for you to sit at home with the truth than to bring trouble upon yourself. Truth... How could she, your truth, not run into trouble!

Journalist. But still, Pyotr Petrovich, did you feed the people?

Ferdyshchenko. But of course! I had to write. I wrote a lot, wrote everywhere. He reported like this: if there is no bread, then at least let the team arrive. And the Foolovites, sudari brothers, became more and more annoying every day. How am I reasoning? You can't do anything with your convictions with these people! What is required here is not conviction, but one of two things: either bread or... a team! But the team is better! Tu-ru, tu-ru! So she arrived soon.

Journalist. So, Mr. Ferdyshchenko, in any situation you prefer to use forceful methods to resolve important issues?

Ferdyshchenko. Strength is strength, but you, young lady, want to live with me in love?

Journalist. ?!

Ferdyshchenko. What if I order you to be whipped?

Journalist. Mr. Ferdyshchenko! We have information that you are used to getting your way by any means, at any cost. We know that you even ordered the women you liked to be flogged in order to force them to cohabit with you.

Ferdyshchenko. You are in vain, dear brothers. It's not me. What time do we have? Here they talk about the benefits of the elective principle. And I do not control my sole power. I’ll gather together my favorite Foolovites, briefly outline the matter and demand immediate punishment for those who disobeyed. As for how many will be assigned to whom, I agree in advance. Maybe for some there are as many as there are stars in the sky, and for others, maybe even more.

Journalist. Tell me, please, why did you suddenly become active? After all, for the first six years of your reign you did nothing, did not interfere in anything, were content with moderate tributes, went to taverns, played cards, and instead of a uniform you wore an oily robe. At this time, the city did not burn, did not starve, did not experience widespread disease, and the citizens thanked you for this. For the first time they realized that living “without oppression” is better than living “with oppression.”

Ferdyshchenko. Oh, you stupid breed, teach me? I myself know what to do! If I want, I’ll sit on the porch, if I want, I’ll travel! But I, dear brothers, have traveled once. Along the city pasture. The old men showed me the sights...

Journalist. Which ones? According to our information, there is nothing of note there, except for one dung heap.

Ferdyshchenko. Well, yes! Why do you think I went?! The fields will become fat, rivers will flow in abundance, ships will float, cattle breeding will flourish, communication routes will appear!.. I don’t remember whether they became fat or not... Can you tell me? It seems, dear brothers, you know more than me...

Journalist. We know, Pyotr Petrovich, you died.

Ferdyshchenko. How?

Journalist. From overeating! You drank and ate until you felt sick. However, you overcame yourself and ate another goose with cabbage. And after that your mouth twisted. Some administrative vein trembled on your face, trembled and trembled, and suddenly froze...

Ferdyshchenko. !!!

Pimple Ivan Panteleich

(Based on the chapter “The era of dismissal from wars”)

He looks rosy and cheerful. Shoulder Makes quick gestures during a conversation. He is distinguished by his complacency and peacefulness. It emits a specific, very persistent sausage smell, stimulating the appetite of people near it.

Journalist. Ivan Panteleich! They say that under your city government there has been such abundance as has not been seen since the very foundation of the city. What measures did you take to achieve this?

Acne. I am a simple person, sir, and my program is simple, sir. My duty is to make sure that the laws are intact and not lying on the tables.

Journalist. What laws did you pass first?

Acne. I have not issued laws and will not publish them, sir. Let everyone live with God! In difficult cases, I order a search, but I demand one thing: that the law be old. I don’t like new laws, sir. In general, I don’t accept or understand any new ideas. I don’t even understand why they should be understood, sir.

Journalist. Have you never had a single idea?

Acne. Why? Was. And there is. Relax, sir! And I firmly followed the chosen path: I visited guests, hosted dinners and balls, hunted hares, foxes and something else.

Journalist. That is, you pursued a policy of absolute non-interference in ordinary affairs?

Acne. Yes, sir! I told my townsfolk: don’t touch me, and I won’t touch you. Plant and sow, eat and drink, start factories and factories - what, sir! all this is for your benefit, sir! For me, even erect monuments - I won’t interfere with that either!

Journalist. And no restrictions on the freedom of action of subordinates?

Acne. How about without restrictions? You need to handle fire more carefully, because it doesn’t last long before it’s a sin. If you burn your property, you burn yourself - what good?

Journalist. It turns out that it was thanks to your non-interference that the city’s prosperity increased?

Acne. That's right, sir! In a year or two, the Foolovites had not doubled, not tripled, but quadrupled all sorts of good things. The bees swarmed unusually, so that almost the same amount of honey and wax was sent to Byzantium as under the Grand Duke Oleg. And how much leather was sent to Byzantium! And for everything they received pure banknotes. And there was so much bread that everyone ate real bread, and it was not uncommon for even simple hirelings to have cabbage soup with boiled soup.

Journalist. How has your general well-being affected your condition?

Acne. ABOUT! I was extremely happy! My barns were bursting with offerings, my chests could not hold silver and gold, and banknotes were simply lying on the floor, sir.

Journalist. How did the Foolovites treat you? They must have loved and respected you very much?

Acne. Well, we lived peacefully until the local leader of the nobility got wind of...

Journalist. Why didn't you notice?

Acne. Do you know, sir, that this leader was a great gastronome, in other words, a glutton, sir? After all, he had such a sophisticated sense of smell that he could accurately guess the components of the most complex minced meat. And you guessed right, rascal!

Journalist. It's not clear what this has to do with you. Some kind of minced meat, smell. Leader...

Acne. Yes, sir... He walked around, licked his lips and attacked one day...

Journalist. So, is it true that the leader ate your stuffed head? Now it’s clear why there were rumors in the city that you sleep on a glacier, and not in an ordinary bedroom, that even when you go to bed, you surround your body with mousetraps!

Acne. Well, sir?.. But prosperity, sir...

Journalist. But he definitely smells like it! Like in a sausage shop!

Du Chariot Angel Dorofeich

(Based on the chapter “Worship of Mammon and Repentance”)

Cheerful, smiling, hums cheerful melodies from time to time. He speaks with an accent and inserts French words into his speech. Tends to show coquetry, a woman's scarf like a boa is possible on the shoulder, in the hands there is a fan and... a frog (toy). Blows kisses generously.

Du Chariot. Oh, honey and monsieur! Bonjour! Bonjour! Please, ask your question! Oh, organ!

Journalist. Mister du Chariot, how did you end up in the post of mayor of the city of Foolov?

Du Chariot. Sil vu ple, ma sher! These stupid mince pies! ABOUT! I'm really hungry. I'll be hungry. Oh pies, and that one!

Journalist. What have you done for the prosperity of the city?

Du Chariot. I do a lot! I have to explain to these rude people - ugh! - human rights. What fools se man de Glupoff. They didn't know you could eat a frog! Ha ha ha!

Journalist. But what do human rights have to do with it? By the way, historians point out that you actually once began to explain human rights, but only ended up explaining the rights of the Bourbons. Another time you started by convincing the Foolovites to believe in the Goddess of Reason, and ended by asking them to recognize the infallibility of the Pope. You seemed to have no convictions and were willing to defend anything if it gave you an extra quarter.

Du Chariot. ABOUT! Anfan terible. You are a very bad child! How dare you say that! I am a son of the 18th century! O goddess of Reason! And the stupid guy was such a fool at first! But I will arouse their spirit of exploration!

Journalist. Viscount! History testifies: you only corrupted Foolov's inhabitants. They began to cross themselves in a frantic custom and throw bread under the table. They said with impudence: “Let the pigs eat the bread, and we will eat the pigs - there will be the same bread!” And in this you saw the spirit of exploration! After all, because of you, the Foolovites have gone downhill in their development. With your criminal connivance and even support, they stopped working completely: they thought that during their revelry the bread would grow by itself, and therefore they stopped cultivating the fields. Respect for elders has disappeared; The Foolovites raised the question of whether, when people reach a certain age, they should not be eliminated from life, but they decided - just think! - sell old men and women into slavery in order to get some benefit from it! And you don’t feel guilty towards them?

Du Chariot. ABOUT! What did you say? Debauchery? It’s a pleasure not to work, but just to walk, sing, and have fun! Oh la la! V is also stupid, like a stupid guy? And propo, where do you have a place to have fun? I sing a funny song and dance the cancan very well! I want to teach you this too! I'm a very kind person. I want you to have fun and have fun. It's there com il fo! You need to do ku d "this! Why ruin your short life at work? You must be a smart person! Like me! Did I tell you that I am the son of the goddess of Reason?

Journalist. Sorry, Mister du Chariot, it’s difficult to talk to you, so we want to ask you one last question. Name your fundamental life principle.

Du Chariot. Ha ha ha ha! Sharman! Sharman! You finally understand that you should go for a walk as soon as possible. It was I who instilled in you the spirit of freedom and taught you human rights! My motto cannot be translated into your crude language. But you still don’t understand such smart things. One of our kings spoke very good words. You can say this is what I said: après nu le deluge. Do you understand now, you stupid fool? Après nu le deluge!!! O revoir! Cherche la femme! Ha ha ha!!!

Notes:Sil vu ple, ma sher - please darling; and that at - at any cost; enfant terible - terrible child; and propo - By the way; ku d "this - coup d'état; apres well le déluge - after us even a flood (distorted) French).

Application

The place and significance of role-playing games in the classroom

Play has already become a part of school teaching. The range of games used in class and outside of class hours is very wide: from crosswords, puzzles, quizzes to role-playing games (meeting of the academic (editorial) artistic council; discussion of supporters and opponents of any idea, person, phenomenon).

We can talk about playing in the classroom as a method of pedagogical technology and even as the basis of an independent pedagogical technology. But it is imperative to remember that the game remains only a means of learning, development, education, capable of activating and intensifying the educational process; it is unacceptable to turn it into an end in itself, or use it unreasonably. This is especially true for role-playing games. Role-playing game is the highest form of development of gaming activity. It is advisable to use it in exceptional cases when habitual, traditional forms of work do not lead to the desired result.

Using a role-playing game in a lesson becomes an extraordinary and memorable event. Naturally, everyday life cannot consist of a large number of holidays, which, in fact, is what playing a game turns out to be. In addition, such an activity requires serious, thorough preparation. It should be especially emphasized that the success of the game at its main stage is predetermined by the quality of the preparatory work at the pre-game stage. In no case should you conduct a role-playing game if it is not prepared well enough, otherwise the whole event will leave a pitiful impression, will not realize any of the rich potential possibilities of the game, will not achieve the goal, and it is purposefulness that is the main condition for its use in the pedagogical process. If the game is prepared well, then it simultaneously solves several problems. Let's look at some of them.

Didactic task games - to contribute to the assimilation of new knowledge, the development of general academic and specific subject skills, primarily the skills of speech and mental activity, associated with the processes of development of the imagination and intuitive sphere. All researchers of the psychology of play note its undoubted importance for personality development. The teacher as the organizer of the educational process should be especially clearly aware of the didactic function of the game, since he is prospectively focused on the effectiveness of specific gaming activities.

Entertaining same task games are most relevant for children who are involved in the process, receiving pleasure and momentary joy. Entertainment is the main property of a game by definition, therefore the use of a game helps to create a favorable atmosphere, inspire each participant, and relieve emotional stress. The skill and tact of the teacher should help him make play for children not a forced form of work, but a desirable one, capable of awakening interest in the material studied in this way. An authoritarian style when organizing and conducting a game will not lead to a positive result. The teacher himself is also involved in the game process in some role, which helps solve another problem.

The communicative task of the game is associated with the establishment of emotional and business contacts, with the unification of the team in a common process, with the construction of a special structure of relationships between all participants. Role-playing game belongs to the sphere of subject-subject relations, that is, the main thing for it is the communication of the participants, which occurs simultaneously in two planes: real and conditional (acted out, imaginary). When using a role-playing game, cognitive activity is carried out in a collective form, in which each member of the team, performing his task in the presence of a common goal, participates in the training of everyone. This organizational form is modern, productive, developmental, has been spreading in recent years in various modifications and is opposed to the traditional frontal form. Each student's work is collectively meaningful. In this regard, it is necessary to think carefully about the distribution of roles, to take into account many factors: the desire of the children and their psychological characteristics, the nature of their abilities, interpersonal relationships in the team.

The main burden when preparing and conducting a role-playing game falls, as a rule, on gifted children. In the pre-game period, creatively gifted students, who are characterized by originality and flexibility of thinking, an inquisitive mind and meticulousness, can be of particular importance: in order to dramatize the source text and create their own work based on it, research activity and the ability to restructure information are required. At the game stage, it is worth relying on children with artistic and performing abilities, and at the post-game stage - with intellectual ones.