Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (1809-1852) is an outstanding writer of Russian literature, whose role reaches the present time. The writer’s work had an extremely strong influence on the formation of classical realism and on all subsequent development of both Russian and world literature. Summary The poem “Dead Souls” chapter by chapter will help you quickly get acquainted with one of the world masterpieces of Russian literature.
A little about the work
The poem “Dead Souls” (the genre was determined by the author himself) was begun in 1835. The main plot was communicated to Gogol by Pushkin, who told real story about a fraudulent buyer of dead souls (peasants who are no longer alive, but who are still listed as alive according to documents). The first volume was published in 1842 under the title “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls.”
In total Gogol meant to write three volumes of the poem:
- The first volume is a depiction of the shortcomings of Russian life, i.e. “Hell” (by analogy with Dante’s work “The Divine Comedy”).
- The second volume is a reflection of the ways of revival of dishonest landowners and officials, i.e. “Purgatory”. However, in 1845, Gogol partially burned the second volume, explaining that everything written was far from perfect.
- The third volume was never written.
Volume one
In total, the first volume includes 11 chapters. Brief retelling the main events in each of them will help you more accurately understand why this work is so valuable.
Chapter first
To the hotel provincial town NN collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a landowner, arrives.
Not handsome, but not bad-looking either, neither too fat nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young.
There are two servants with him:
- coachman Selifan - a short man in a sheepskin coat;
- the footman Petrushka is a thirty-year-old guy in a loose, worn frock coat, with significant facial features.
Having found out about all the influential officials and landowners and having dined, the councilor went out to inspect the city.
On the second day he went to visit all the city dignitaries. Thanks to his skillful ability to speak flatteringly about everyone, he was invited to a party by the governor, where he won the favor of the most influential officials.
The visitor himself avoided talking much about himself. All they knew about him was that he had experienced a lot in his life, experienced difficulties in the service of truth and had many enemies who even encroached on his life.
In the governor's house, Chichikov makes acquaintance with the landowner Manilov and Sobakevich, with whom he played whist all evening.
The next day, the adviser had lunch with the police chief, where he met the landowner Nozdryov, who used to treat everyone like his own after a few minutes.
In the following days, he visited other important officials, where he showed himself to be a man of high society.
Chapter two
Chichikov has been living in the city for more than a week and is having a good time. Next, his lackey is described. Petrushka wore a wide brown frock coat, had a large nose and lips, was a man of few words and loved to read books, the meaning of which was not of interest to him. It could have been romance novels, even a chemistry textbook, even a diary smart person. He loved to sleep without taking off his clothes, and always carried his unique scent, which evoked a certain residential peace.
Now the main character decides to visit Manilov and Sobakevich. Having left for Manilovka, he has to travel a much greater distance than Manilov reported. Manilov is a significant man with a pleasant appearance, who smiled seductively, had white hair and blue eyes. He was an absolutely unarrogant person, he philosophized a lot, and didn’t bother with housekeeping.
After exchanging pleasantries, the guest met Manilov’s wife and two sons: Themistoclus and Alcides.
After dinner, they retired for a conversation, during which Chichikov asks to sell him dead souls. At first Manilov was puzzled by such a request, but the guest convinced him that it was legal and profitable, since the treasury would also receive legal duties. Having calmed down, Manilov promised to give these souls away without payment and even assumed obligations under the bill of sale. The delighted Chichikov said goodbye to everyone in the house and went to Sobakevich. And Manilov was left to reflect on a prosperous friendly life with Chichikov.
Chapter Three
IN good location spirit, the main character went to Sobakevich. Pondering the business he had just completed, Chichikov did not pay attention to the road until it began to rain heavily. The driver was so carried away by his conversation with the horses that he could not remember whether he was going the right way.
The coachman chose Chichikov new way without thinking about where the chosen path will lead. Dusk had already deepened and the rain was pouring like a wall so that nothing was visible. They turned off the road and drove through the field for some time. Trying to leave, Selifan turned the chaise so that it gave way and the master fell into the mud.
Dogs were heard barking and the heroes, driving the horses, reached the elderly woman's estate. Chichikov asked to spend the night and was allowed in after admitting his title of nobleman.
The owner turned out to be Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna - a collegiate secretary, a small landowner whose husband died and therefore she had to manage the household herself.
Getting up late in the morning of the second day, the guest went out to have tea with the lady and offered to ransom the dead souls. Nastasya Petrovna was surprised by such an offer and was afraid that she might sell it too cheap. Chichikov had to sweat and lie, as if he was conducting government contracts. Hearing this, the lady agreed to sign the papers (she knew the names of her peasants by heart and did not keep any records).
A little girl was sent with the guests to show the way to the main road. Selifan and his master went to the tavern.
Chapter Four
Arriving at the tavern, the adviser ordered a pig and began asking the hostess about the tavern, her husband and sons, and about the landowners around him. Here he encountered Nozdryov, a gambling thirty-five-year-old landowner of average height. Nozdryov and his son-in-law Mizhuev were traveling from the fair, where he lost a lot of things by losing at cards.
Hearing that Chichikov was going to Sobakevich, Nozdryov burst out laughing and offered to stay with him first. The adviser, having thought that Nozdryov had lost at cards and could also do business with him, agreed.
Nozdryov loves to go for walks, his wife died, leaving two sons, who were looked after by a pretty nanny, because Nozdryov did not need them. He's at home more than a day I couldn't possibly be there. He often got into various incidents or liked to tell stories, fibbing completely unnecessarily. “Whoever got close to him was the one who most likely screwed everyone over: he spread lies, upset a wedding, a trade deal.” Nozdryov was a versatile person.
They were not ready for their arrival, therefore, having made arrangements for lunch, Nozdryov decided to show off his possessions. First they looked at the stables, then at the dogs. Nozdryov adored dogs, he had a huge number of them, he even had a wolf. After examining the water mill and the forge, Chichikov was tired.
Returning home, Nozdryov led the guests into his office, where guns and sabers, a barrel organ and pipes were shown. After dinner, the guest noticed that Nozdryov liked different wines, but he himself diligently poured wine for the guests all the time. Left alone, he turned to Nozdryov with a request to donate or sell the dead peasants. He even figured out why he needed to buy souls: for a successful marriage and a significant place in society. However, Nozdryov did not back down, offering a horse or mare, dogs and a barrel organ, insulting the guest with rude words. Chichikov refused as best he could. The owner offered to play cards for souls, but the guest again refused.
The next day, Nozdryov suggested playing checkers, but since he was playing dishonestly, Chichikov decided to stop the game. The owner was clearly angry and called the servants to beat the guest. It is not known how it would have ended when the police captain appeared to inform Nozdryov about the notice to the court for beating the landowner.
Taking advantage of the situation, the main character left his friend's estate.
Chapter Five
Chichikov’s thoughts about how lucky he was to get out of Nozdryov’s estate were interrupted by a road accident: a carriage with six horses ran into their chaise. While the men were unraveling the horses, Chichikov drew attention to the women in the carriage. He liked a young girl of about sixteen with golden hair. He wanted to talk to her all the time, but somehow it didn’t happen.
Arriving at the estate, Chichikov met Sobakevich, who seemed to him like a medium-sized bear. After looking around the room, where every item resembled its owner, Chichikov started a conversation about senior officials. But Sobakevich spoke poorly of everyone. After having a hearty dinner, Chichikov started talking about business. And he was puzzled that Sobakevich made an offer to sell him non-existent souls without surprise.
The landowner began to bargain, raising the price and reporting the value of the already dead peasants. But the deal was still concluded, even though Chichikov was dissatisfied with the owner’s manners. Pavel Ivanovich went to Plyushkin, who had many souls and even more dying. The men called him “patched.”
Chapter Six
Thinking about Plyushkin's nickname, Chichikov did not notice how he arrived in the village. Everything here looked squalid and in complete disrepair.
On the street, Chichikov noticed the housekeeper, who asked him to go into the rooms, since the master was not at home. They were overwhelmed different things and covered dense layer dust. Chichikov compared the premises to a chip yard, where efficient mothers-in-law and mother-in-law came to replenish household supplies.
A thin old man with small eyes, unshaven, and wearing a greasy robe entered the room. The face did not reveal anything unique. Such people are given alms when they meet them on the street.
This is Plyushkin himself. Previously, he was thrifty and thrifty, people came to him to learn housekeeping, and his house was filled with liveliness. Now the old man’s eyes did not express strong feelings. Plyushkin's wife died, the eldest daughter ran away with the captain, the son entered the service, and the youngest daughter died. The house is empty. Visitors rarely visited Plyushkin; his eldest daughter and grandchildren came twice. The landowner himself mentioned the dead peasants because he was glad to be free of them.
Plyushkin considered it necessary to negotiate a price, manipulating his deplorable situation. And he also offered runaway souls, of whom he had accumulated up to seventy peasants.
Chichikov bought about eighty dead souls from him, demanding that he write a receipt. Plyushkin, having received the money in both hands, hid it in the bureau with caution. After the deal, Chichikov hurried to leave the owner. The landowner closed the gate behind the guest, and then thought about how to thank the savior.
Selifana's master, even without gratitude, was happy with such a sudden acquisition that he began to sing, which greatly surprised his coachman. Returning to the city and having dinner, he fell asleep.
Chapter Seven
The adviser slept well and with a brightened face he remembered that he now had almost four hundred peasants, so he wanted to quickly complete his activities in this city. He himself decided to put all the papers in order and write bills of sale so as not to have to pay the clerks.
A strange feeling took possession of the adviser. Each of the recorded men seemed to have their own character.
For example:
- all the peasants of Korobochka had wonderful nicknames that filled most of the sheet;
- Plyushkin's list was written compactly;
- Sobakevich’s list was informative and described in detail all the qualities of a man, all their valuable skills were taken into account.
Chichikov thought about how each peasant lived and how he died, creating assumptions, hypotheses and depicting a whole narrative.
Heading to the civil chamber to certify all the papers, he met Manilov, who was in a hurry to give him lists of men.
In court, the chairman sat with Sobakevich and was glad to see Chichikov. He promised to settle everything quickly and without bribes, but asked Chichikov to stay in the city for a while. The adviser reported that he had acquired peasants without land for removal to the Kherson province. Being a friend of the chairman, Chichikov had to pay very little duty money.
Chapter Eight
Chichikov's steel purchases main theme conversations all over the city. Many seriously discussed the move of the newly purchased peasants and gave advice to Chichikov on how best to arrange everything. All these speeches brought rumors that he was a “millionaire.” Therefore, the inhabitants of the city fell in love with him even more sincerely.
Especially the ladies of the city of NN considered the newcomer “not the first handsome man, but at least what a man should be.” In general, the ladies of the city of N themselves were presentable, knew how to behave, maintain a tone, observe etiquette, had good taste in clothes and a strict disposition, were distinguished by decency in words and expressions, and all their tricks remained hidden.
Chichikov found a heartfelt letter from an unknown author, which intrigued him greatly. Arriving at the governor's ball, the favorite tried to find the writer of the message. His appearance at the ball created a real sensation. Everyone wanted to say hello, hug and kiss him. Chichikov liked the increased attention to his person. He was so carried away by conversations with the ladies that he forgot to approach the hostess first of all. Seeing the governor's wife with her daughter, Chichikov was dumbfounded, since it was the same sixteen-year-old blonde whom he met on the way to Sobakevich.
Chichikov became interested in the governor’s daughter and fell into thought for a long time. The author doubted whether the feeling of love was inherent in Chichikov, since the daughter of the governor’s wife reminded him of a toy, standing out with transparency and lightness among the muddy crowd.
All the ladies did not like this treatment of Chichikov, and they began to talk about him in an unfavorable way.
Another unpleasant surprise occurred: Chichikov met Nozdryov, who, with his scandalous actions and drunken speeches about buying non-existent peasants, put the adviser in an uncomfortable position, which noticeably upset him. He felt out of place and, without waiting for the end of dinner, went to his room.
In his little room, he thought about balls and took offense at Nozdryov, taking out his frustration on his entire family tree.
Meanwhile, the landowner Korobochka arrived in the city on an unknown carriage, who became concerned after the departure of the main character that she would be deceived.
Chapter Nine
The chapter begins with how one very pleasant lady in all respects meets her friend. They talk about many little things, fashion and patterns. The ladies were gossiping about the newcomer. One of the women told the story of the landowner Korobochka about an allegedly dishonest deal with Pavel Ivanovich. It was suggested that the purchase of non-existent peasants was necessary for cover: Chichikov intended to take away the governor’s daughter. The ladies enlisted Nozdryov as an accomplice of Chichikov.
While the ladies were talking, the prosecutor entered the living room, and the women vying with each other began to describe to him all the events and their guesses, which completely confused him.
And in just half an hour, these friends managed to rebel the city with their guesses and assumptions: the question of the protagonist’s case worried everyone.
The city was divided into two halves:
- the female half of society discussed more the case of the theft of a girl, accompanying her with all possible and impossible details;
- male - the economic reason for the subject of discussion.
Rumors reached the governor's wife, and this led to the fact that the new favorite was not allowed or invited to visit again at any time and under any circumstances.
Residents of the city wondered who Chichikov was, where he came from and whether he was a robber. The fear was also added to by the arrival of the new governor-general and two papers about counterfeit money and a robber without a passport. To resolve this issue, it was decided to meet with the police chief.
Chapter Ten
The inhabitants of the city held a meeting with the police chief. The postmaster assumed that Chichikov was none other than Captain Kopeikin and briefly talked about it. Chapter 10 includes "The Tale of Captain Kopeikin."
Captain Kopeikin lost right hand and legs during the hostilities of the twelfth year. He went to St. Petersburg to ask for financial help from the sovereign, because he could no longer work as before. The captain was amazed by the beauty of St. Petersburg; he wanted to rent an apartment, but it was terribly expensive. Kopeikin waited for the reception for many hours, but the general could not resolve the captain’s question and said to wait for the sovereign’s arrival. This happened several times, cash The captain's food supply was running out.
When he had one ruble left in his pocket, Captain Kopeikin decided to sneak into the general’s reception room and stand there until the very end, until the sovereign received him. The general instructed the courier to take the captain to a new place, where he would be completely under the patronage of the monarch. The captain, rejoicing, set off with the courier, but nothing more is known about him.
Having analyzed the situation, everyone present announced that Chichikov could not be Captain Kopeikin, because all his limbs were intact. Therefore, they decided to question Nozdryov, although they knew well that he was a liar. Nozdryov told many different fictitious stories and, carried away, even named the parish church where Chichikov and his bride were to be married.
Everyone realized that Nozdryov was talking nonsense and stopped listening to him. These rumors had the greatest effect on the prosecutor, so much so that he died.
Chichikov had a slight cold and did not know about these conversations. All officials refused to receive him. Nozdryov appeared at the hero’s hotel and told about all the rumors.
The former favorite hastily decided to leave the city.
Chapter Eleven
From the very morning, everything was not in order: Chichikov woke up later than planned, the horses were not shod, the wheel was broken.
Having set out on his journey, he met a funeral procession.
Next, the author introduces the reader to Chichikov’s life before arriving in the city. His parents were nobles, his face was unlike them. One day, his father took little Pasha to the city to visit a relative to send him to school. The father gave instructions to his son to obey his teachers and curry favor with his superiors, not to make friends, and if he does make them, then only rich ones, to save his money, because “you will do everything and you will lose everything in the world with a penny.”
Pavlusha did not have any special talents, but he studied diligently. From a young age, he understood how to increase his income: he sold his friends their own treats, sold pies from the market in class, taught a mouse to perform tricks for a fee.
Chichikov was a favorite of teachers and bosses. When his father died, he sold the yard for a thousand rubles and moved to the city to engage in service. Chichikov could not be called a miser; he was not possessed by stinginess. He was attracted by a life of abundance; he found it difficult to get a job in a government department with a small salary. By pleasing his boss and caring for his daughter, Chichikov rose sharply in his career.
He became a prominent person, even joined the anti-bribery commission, although he himself took bribes. When he failed there, Pavel Ivanovich took up customs business, where short time received a promotion and rank. However, even here he was taken to court and all his possessions were confiscated. This is what he calls “suffering in service for the truth.”
He took the title of attorney and Once again, when he had to mortgage the house, transferring documents for the peasants to the guardianship council, Pavel Ivanovich learned that it was profitable to deal with dead peasants who were still listed according to the audit. This is how Chichikov came up with the idea of selling non-existent souls to the guardianship council.
Volume two
The second volume has been partially preserved. It includes four chapters and "one of the last chapters."
Chapter first
The chapter begins with an image of the nature and lands of some wilderness that belonged to Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, a young unmarried gentleman of thirty-three years old, who lived his life thoughtlessly: he woke up late, took a long time to wash, was not a bad person, but was simply a “smoker of the sky” or like the author calls him, “a lump, a couch potato, a bobcat.” His village looked more like an impregnable fortress.
What follows is the story of Tentetnikov’s upbringing and childhood: at first it seemed that something worthwhile would come of him, but his ambition was not satisfied, and he became a landowner. After a series of failed reforms on the estate, he stopped receiving guests and began writing about Russia.
Next door to the landowner lived a general who spoke unfavorably of Tentetnikov. But the general had a daughter, Ulinka, about whom the young master was crazy.
A slightly older Chichikov comes to Tentetnikov and, using his ability to find an approach to every person, stays with the landowner for a while. Having started a conversation about Andrei Ivanovich’s marriage, the owner told his story of his relationship with the general. Chichikov wanted to pay respects to the general.
Chapter two
Half an hour later, having traveled more than 6-7 miles, Chichikov found himself at the estate of General Betrishchev, who struck him with his majestic appearance, combining many advantages and weaknesses. The general introduces the guest to his daughter and comes to the conclusion that Tentetnikov is not such a stupid person. Chichikov joked a lot, which earned him the general’s favorable attitude. Taking this opportunity, Chichikov comes up with a story about an old uncle who promised to give him an inheritance if he acquired three hundred souls. Chichikov asks the general to sell him the dead. The general fulfills the guest's request, considering it a joke.
There is no end of chapter.
Chapter Three
Pavel Ivanovich goes to Colonel Koshkarev, one of the general’s relatives, to report Ulinka’s engagement to Tentetnikov. But he mistakenly comes to Pyotr Petrovich Rooster, whom he sees completely naked while hunting for sturgeon. Having discovered that the estate was mortgaged, Chichikov intended to leave, but here he met the landowner Platonov, a handsome, light-blond man of slender stature.
Platonov was terribly bored and would like to be a little worried. He talks about ways to exaggerate wealth, which inspires the main character. Pyotr Petrovich arranged an amazing walk along the river, and the next day Platonov and Chichikov set off.
On the way, we decided to stop by Konstantin Fedorovich Konstanzhoglo, the son-in-law of the landowner Platonov.
It was also impossible to gain any benefit from Colonel Koshkarev, since the colonel wanted to resolve the matter only in writing, which was fraught with many difficulties. An angry Chichikov returned to Konstanzhoglo and decides to buy the estate of his neighbor, Khlobuev, who sells it for next to nothing.
Chapter Four
Chichikov gives an advance for the estate, borrowing the amount from Konstanzhglo and Platonov. Inspecting the estate, Khlobuev admitted that he did not sow grain, but the deal to purchase the estate was celebrated with champagne. This surprised the guests. The house was expected to have empty rooms, but they were furnished with some luxury items. Khlobuev planned to move to the city where he had a house.
After leaving the estate, the adviser thought about his acquisition, and the idea flashed through him of resell it if he couldn’t manage the farm, and thus not return the money to the borrowers. They arrived at Platonov’s estate, where they met Platonov’s brother, Vasily.
Here he learns about the landowner Lenitsyn, who captured the Platonov wasteland. Chichikov goes to him to settle this matter.
Chichikov makes a deal on his business with Lenitsyn, captivating him with his ability to tickle a child. The narration is interrupted.
One of the last chapters
It can be assumed that time has passed since the acquisition of the estate. Chichikov comes to the fair to buy cloth for a new suit. There he meets Khlobuev, who is dissatisfied with the deception of the newly-minted landowner, because of which he almost lost his inheritance. The tax farmer Murazov, a recent acquaintance of the protagonist, also enters the shop.
Murazov instructed Khlobuev on how best to live the rest of his life. His words made the old man cry, Khlobuev thought. Murazov invites the former landowner to become a collector for the church, and thus get to know the area and region better.
Denunciations are pouring in on Chichikov for various reasons: forgery of wills, evidence of theft and concealment of amounts. He is arrested.
Murazov finds the convict in the basement. Chichikov admits that he got here because he didn’t know the limits and couldn’t stop in time. He tears out his hair and mourns the deprivation of a box with valuable documents: the landowner was not allowed to dispose of many personal belongings, including the box, which contained all his property, obtained with sweat and blood, years of labor and hardship. Murazov convinces Chichikov to live fairly, not break the law and not deceive people.
It seems that his words prompted in Pavel Ivanovich’s soul the idea of becoming the owner of a small village and saving money to help other people.
Officials who hoped to receive a bribe from Chichikov make it difficult to resolve the case. Main character leaves the city.
The main idea of the poem
Even after reading the abridged version of the novel “Dead Souls,” we can conclude that the author showed a broad and truthful picture of life in Russia at that time. The work is filled with beautiful picturesque descriptions of nature, villages and Russian identity, and also shows greed, stinginess and the desire for easy money, which attracts enormous reader interest.
The main themes of the work:
- lawlessness, tyranny and self-will of the landowners;
- poverty and lack of rights of peasants;
- bureaucracy, bureaucracy, irresponsibility and disregard;
- corrupt practices.
Based on the annotation to the work, it turns out that The author brings many meanings to the title of the poem:
- Peasants who are no longer alive, but are still listed according to documents.
- Landowners who do not care about their souls, guided by base desires and living life. Their soul is dead, because it does not ask for spiritual food.
There is no difference between the living and the dead. Both dead peasants and living landowners are sold.
The ideological concept and construction of the poem.
In his “Author's Confession,” Gogol indicates that Pushkin gave him the idea to write “Dead Souls.” “He had been urging me to begin a large work for a long time, and finally, once, after I had read one small image of a small scene, but which, however, struck him more than anything I had read before, he said to me: “How with with this ability to guess a person and with a few features they suddenly make him appear as if he were alive, with this ability not to begin a large essay.
This is simply a sin!..”, and, in conclusion, he gave me his own plot, from which he wanted to make something like a poem himself and which, according to him, he would not give to anyone else. This was the plot of “Dead Souls”... Pushkin found that the plot of “Dead Souls” was good for me because it gave me complete freedom to travel all over Russia with the hero and bring out many different characters.”
Gogol followed Pushkin’s advice, quickly got to work and in a letter dated October 7, 1835, informed him: “I began to write Dead Souls.” The plot is spread out over a long novel and, it seems, will be very funny... In this novel I want to show at least from one side the whole of Rus'.”
However, in the process of work, Gogol planned to give not one, but three volumes, in which it would be possible to show Rus' not “from one side,” but comprehensively. The second and third volumes of “Dead Souls” were, according to the author, supposed to bring out positive characters along with the negative ones and show the moral revival of the “scoundrel-acquirer” Chichikov.
Such breadth of the plot and the richness of the work with lyrical passages, allowing the writer to reveal in a variety of ways his attitude to the depicted, inspired Gogol with the idea of calling “Dead Souls” not a novel, but a poem.
But Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls, and he did not begin the third.
The reason for the failure was that Gogol was looking for positive heroes in the world of “dead souls” - representatives of the dominant social strata at that time, and not in the popular, democratic camp.
Belinsky, back in 1842, predicted the inevitability of Gogol’s failure in implementing such a plan. “Much, too much has been promised, so much that there is nowhere to get what to fulfill the promise, because it is not yet in the world,” he wrote.
The chapters of the second volume of Dead Souls that have reached us confirm the validity of Belinsky’s thoughts. In these chapters there are brilliantly written images akin to the landowners of the first volume (Petr Petrovich Petukh, Khlobuev, etc.), but goodies(the virtuous governor-general, the ideal landowner Kostanzhoglo and the tax farmer Murazov, who made over forty million “in the most impeccable way”) are clearly not typical, not vitally convincing.
The idea of “travelling all over Rus' with the hero and bringing out many different characters” predetermined the composition of the poem. It is structured as the story of the adventures of the “acquirer” Chichikov, who buys souls that are actually dead, but legally alive, that is, not deleted from the audit lists.
Images of officials
The central place in the first volume is occupied by five “portrait” chapters (from the second to the sixth). These chapters, constructed according to the same plan, show how, on the basis of serfdom, different types serf owners and how serfdom in the 20-30s of the 19th century, due to the growth of capitalist forces, it led the landowner class to economic and moral decline. Gogol gives these chapters in a certain order. The economicless landowner Manilov (Chapter II) is replaced by the petty hoarder Korobochka (Chapter III), the careless waster of life Nozdryov (Chapter IV) is replaced by the tight-fisted Sobakevich (Chapter V). This gallery of landowners is completed by Plyushkin, a miser who brought his estate and peasants to complete ruin.
A picture of the economic collapse of corvée, subsistence farming on the estates of Manilov, Nozdryov and Plyushkin, it is drawn vividly and convincingly. But even the seemingly strong farms of Korobochka and Sobakevich are in fact unviable, since such forms of farming have already become obsolete.
The “portrait” chapters present a picture of the moral decline of the landowner class with even greater expressiveness. From an idle dreamer living in the world of his dreams, Manilov to the “club-headed” Korobochka, from her to the reckless spendthrift, liar and cheater Nozdryov, then to the brutalized fist Sobakevich and, finally, to the one who has lost all moral qualities - “a hole in humanity” - Gogol leads us to Plyushkin, showing the increasing moral decline and corruption of representatives
Thus, the poem turns into a brilliant denunciation of serfdom as a socio-economic system that naturally gives rise to cultural and economic backwardness while being the arbiter of the destinies of the state. This ideological orientation of the poem is revealed primarily in the system of its images.
The gallery of portraits of landowners opens with the image of Manilov. “In appearance he was a distinguished man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes.” Previously, he “served in the army, where he was considered the most modest, most delicate and most educated officer.” Living on the estate, he "sometimes comes to the city... to see educated people."
Compared to the inhabitants of the city and estates, he seems to be “a very courteous and courteous landowner,” who bears some imprint of a “semi-enlightened” environment.
However, revealing Manilov’s inner appearance, his character, talking about his attitude to the household and his pastime, drawing Manilov’s reception of Chichikov, Gogol shows the complete emptiness and worthlessness of this “existent”.
The writer emphasizes two main features in Manilov’s character - his worthlessness and sugary, meaningless daydreaming. Manilov had no living interests.
He did not take care of the housekeeping”, entrusting it entirely to the clerk. He could not even tell Chichikov whether his peasants had died since the last inspection. His house “stood alone on the jura, that is, an elevation open to all the winds that might blow.” Instead of the shady garden that usually surrounded the manor’s house, Manilov had only “five or six birches in small clumps here and there raising their small-leafed thin tops,” and nowhere in his village was there “a growing tree or any greenery.”
Manilov’s mismanagement and impracticality is clearly evidenced by the furnishings of the rooms of his house, where next to beautiful furniture stood two armchairs, “covered simply with matting”; “a dandy candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces” stood on the table, and next to it was placed “some kind of simple copper invalid, lame, curled to one side and covered in fat.”
It is no wonder that such an “owner” has “a rather empty pantry,” the clerk and housekeeper are thieves, the servants are “unclean and drunkards,” and “the whole household sleeps mercilessly and hangs out the rest of the time.”
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol
Lesson 2. Poem by N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls" The concept, history of creation, features of the genre and composition, the meaning of the title of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls".
Goals: To familiarize students with the concept, history of creation, features of the genre and composition,the meaning of the title of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"; develop the ability to construct an answer to a question about a work of art based on theoretical and literary knowledge; improve skills of analytical work with prose text; analytic skills;promote aesthetic and moral education students; cultivate a culture of reading perception.
Equipment : textbook, text of the poem “Dead Souls”, portraits of the writer by F.A. Moller (1840,1841), A.A. Ivanova (1841), exhibition of books, illustrative material on the topic of the lesson.
Lesson type: lesson - analysis work of art
Predicted results: students know theoretical-literary definitions of genre features of the poem, about concept, history of creation, features of the genre and composition, the meaning of the title of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"., participate in the conversation, develop their point of view on the work of art in accordance with author's position And historical era.
During the classes
I. Organizational stage
II. Updating of reference knowledge
Conversation “Remembering what we have learned”
What can you say about the work of N.V. Gogol, based on the works with which you are familiar?
What was the name of the beekeeper on whose behalf the story is told in “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”?
In which theater was the comedy “The Inspector General” first staged?
Who owns the words spoken after the first performance of The Inspector General: “What a play!” Everyone got it, and I got it the most!”
III. Motivation educational activities
Not a single work of Russian literature has given rise to such contradictory interpretations as Dead Souls. And in the whirlwind of guesswork, bewilderment, ridicule and outright mockery that arose immediately after the publication of the book (1842) and resulted in a series of fierce discussions on the pages of the Russian press, in social drawing rooms and literary salons, perhaps the ill-fated the word "poem".
Informing Gogol in the fall of 1842 about the impression that “Dead Souls” made in Moscow society, K. S. Aksakov wrote: “Some say that “Dead Souls” is a poem, that they understand the meaning of this name; others see this as mockery, completely in the spirit of Gogol: here you go, squabble over this word.” “The dignity of a work of art is great when it can elude any one-sided glance,” he wrote regarding “ Dead souls» Herzen.
It must be admitted that clarity on this issue has not been achieved to this day. This work is a feasible contribution to the discussion artistic nature Gogol's work. The word “poem” with which its title begins partly clarifies the angle from which this work will be considered here, but the book was not written, of course, with the goal of proving that “Dead Souls” is a poem and not something else. something else. For this, first of all, the range of meanings that the word
Gogol deliberately structured his work with the expectation of long-term “peering” into it and only gradual comprehension. “...the book took a long time to write: it takes time to look at it for a long time,” he declared in 1843 (XII, 144). And in 1845 he argued that the subject of “Dead Souls” is “still a mystery”, which “not a single soul of the readers has guessed” (XII, 504). Therefore, when starting to read Dead Souls, you need to know how to read them. The school, frontal, so to speak, reading ignores Gogol’s warning; it deals only with what is said “in plain text,” and therefore the full depth of the book’s poetic originality is not fully revealed. On the other hand, the approach to “Dead Souls” as a “book with a secret” opens the way to subjectivity, sometimes leading to anecdotal results. Even such a brilliant study as Andrei Bely’s book “Gogol’s Mastery,” published in 1934 and not free from vulgar sociological simplifications, is guilty of subjectivism. However, it contains a thesis that seems key for the student of Dead Souls:
“Analyzing the plot of “Dead Souls” means: bypassing the fiction of the plot, feeling the little things that have absorbed both the plot and the plot<...>There is no plot outside of the details in “Dead Souls”: it must be squeezed out of them; it is necessary to study the counterpoint of all the strokes that make up the picture of the first volume.” In other words: the main thing in the content of the poem does not coincide with what appears to be the main thing in the plot. The latter only serves as an excuse to express something immeasurably more important. But one must be able to recognize this important thing in the figurative fabric of the work, where it is hidden under the guise of “little things.”
Let's try to understand the uniqueness creative individuality Gogol, let's try to touch one of the most original monuments of Russian and world literature.
IV . Working on the lesson topic
Practical work with portraits of N.V. Gogol (posted on the board)
Teacher: Let's pay attention to the portraits of N.V. Gogol. What special things did you notice, what properties of the human soul can you tell when looking at these portraits? Compare your impressions with the memories of contemporaries about N.V.’s appearance. Gogol. (Handout)
Gogol’s appearance was then completely different and unfavorable for him: the crest on his head, smoothly trimmed temples, shaved mustache and chin, large and tightly starched collars gave a completely different physiognomy to his face: it seemed to us that there was something Ukrainian and roguish about him . Gogol's dress had a noticeable pretension to panache. I remember that he was wearing a motley light vest with a large chain. (S.T. Aksakov. The story of my acquaintance with Gogol)
2. Listening to messages about the concept, history of creation, features of the genre and composition, the meaning of the title of the poem by N.V. Gogol’s “Dead Souls.” (Students write theses)
a) The idea, the history of the creation of the poem “Dead Souls”.
Every artist has a creation that he considers the main work of his life, into which he has invested his most cherished, innermost thoughts, his whole heart.
For Gogol, “Dead Souls” became such a work of life. His biography as a writer lasted 23 years, 17 of them were spent working on the poem. Gogol's development proceeded unusually quickly and intensively: only 3-4 years passed between the first cycle of his stories “Evenings on a Farm...” and “Dead Souls”.
Work on the poem began in mid-1835. On October 7, 1835, the writer informed Pushkin (as is known, Gogol owes the idea of the poem to Pushkin, who had long urged him to write a great epic work) that 3 chapters have already been written. But the thing did not capture Gogol then.
He really took up “Dead Souls” after “The Inspector General,” abroad, in Italy. He rewrites the chapters again, endlessly reworks the pages.
The poem was conceived as a work consisting of 3 parts (similar to “ Divine Comedy"Dante). The heroes, therefore, had to go through hell, purgatory, and heaven. These three hypostases corresponded to the three parts of “Dead Souls”.
The first volume seemed to Gogol “a porch to a palace of unprecedented beauty.” The whole meaning of his work is in the words from the 2nd volume: “Where is the one who, in the native language of our Russian soul, could tell us this almighty word: forward?.., who... could direct us to a higher life ? “With one magical wave” one could destroy a terrible obsession and help Russia “wake up” - these words are often found in Gogol’s letters.
He was inspired by the desire to overcome the evil that filled modern life, to transform his heroes, to give readers a path to ascent to good. He hoped that it was possible to raise Russia without bloody upheavals, without breaking public order, only by the moral improvement of man.
That is why he sought to evoke disgust for vulgarity and worthlessness in the 1st volume, and then to show living virtuous people so that they could become role models. Then a miracle will happen. But the miracle did not happen.The second volume did not work out, Go-gol never got around to the third.
Having started work on the poem, he was convinced that it should play some kind of role. special role in the destinies of Russia and thereby glorify the author. In June 1836, he wrote to Zhukovsky: “If I complete this creation the way it needs to be accomplished, then... what a huge, what an original plot! What a varied bunch! All Rus' will appear in it! This will be my first decent thing that will bear my name.”
Gogol is so passionate about his new work that everything written previously seems like a trifle to him. (And these are “Evenings on a Farm...”, “Mirgorod”, “Petersburg Tales” and “The Inspector General”.)
b) About the genre of “Dead Souls”.
The enormous artistic experience acquired while working on “Evenings...”, “Mirgorod”, “Petersburg Tales” and “The Inspector General” gave him the opportunity to create a brilliant poem.
In a letter to Pushkin from abroad, Gogol said that “the plot stretched out into a very long novel.” At the same time, another word pops up - “poem”; already in November 1836 he tells Zhukovsky: “Every morning... I wrote 3 pages into my poem.” In another letter: “The thing... doesn’t look like a story or a novel, it’s long, long, in several volumes, its name is DEAD SOULS - that’s all you have to find out about it for now.” Later Gogol he says with increasing conviction that this is precisely a POEM, but not in the traditional meaning of the word.
It is known that Gogol developed the theory of new genres in the “Training Book of Literature for Russian Youth.” In it, in addition to the epic and the novel, both the most important species narrative literature, he identified a “lesser kind of epic” (the middle ground between the novel and the epic).
The main features of this SMALL EPIC are the depiction of the spiritual world of a private person, the story of his adventures, which make it possible to reveal a picture of the mores of the time, and the writer’s ability to draw a “statistically captured picture of the shortcomings, abuses, and vices” of the era. This phrase emphasizes the most important feature of the “lesser kind of epic” - its accusatory orientation. Subsequently, Gogol insisted that his work was precisely a POEM.
Leo Tolstoy’s words are well known: “...everyone great artist must create his own forms. If the content of a work of art can be infinitely varied, then so can its form.” And about the “form” of “Dead Souls” Tolstoy said: “What is this? Neither a novel nor a story. Something completely original."
Indeed, “Dead Souls” formed a unique genre structure, previously unknown in either Russian or world literature.
By December 1841, volume 1 of the book was ready for printing and submitted to the Moscow Censorship Committee, where it met with hostility. Gogol took the book and sent it to St. Petersburg, where, thanks to the efforts of friends, after long delays, demands for amendments to 36 places and “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”, in addition, to change the name, the censorship allowed the book to be printed.
The title “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls” was proposed. On May 21, 1842, the poem was published.
c) About the history of the 2nd volume.
Why did Gogol burn volume 2? Moreover, he did this twice: in 1845 and 1852. It is probably impossible to give an exact answer to this question. One thing is clear - this was not the decision of a madman. A convincing and comprehensive prophetic word did not work out, as Gogol believed, positive heroes were not given to him due to personal imperfection.
Therefore, he refused not only to continue working, but also to live (he refused to take food and medicine).
d) About the plot.
The core of the plot of Dead Souls is Chichikov’s adventure. It only seemed incredible, but in fact it was reliable in all the smallest details. Reality itself created the conditions for such adventures. Dead Peasants, for which the landowner had to pay a tax to the treasury, were a burden for him. Naturally, the landowners dreamed of getting rid of dead souls. If these “souls” were a burden to some, others sought to benefit through fraudulent transactions. Pawn them to the Board of Trustees at interest. In this way, it was possible to obtain a cash loan to purchase land and become a landowner. This scam was not invented by Gogol, but taken from life.
e) Composition.
The composition of the poem is unusual. The narrative is structured as the story of Chichikov's adventures. This made it possible to travel with the hero “all the corners and crannies of the Russian province.” Chichikov is at the center of the plot and all events. The images of the landowners are compositionally almost unrelated to each other: they do not communicate with each other, each is revealed mainly in their relationship with Chichikov. Nevertheless, the poem cannot be considered as a cycle of short stories. It is enough to put any chapter out of place, and the composition is shaken.
We get to know city officials more thoroughly after the chapters devoted to landowners. And this process of personality degradation is completed by Chichikov - dexterous, cunning, resourceful; he seemed to Gogol the most terrible. This is the brief meaning of the composition “Dead Souls”.
But “Dead Souls” is not a novel, but a poem or a novel-poem. This is determined both by the composition and the emotional, lyrical tonality of the work. There are no main and minor characters in the ordinary meaning of these words. The character who speaks a few words plays an equally important role in the structure of the work. In Dead Souls, almost every character is a hero who cannot be avoided.
For example, in Chapter 1 we meet two men who begin to talk about whether the wheel of Chichikov’s chaise will reach Moscow or Kazan. They don't care about the newcomer. It won’t make it to Kazan, one reasoned, but perhaps it will make it to Moscow, replies another.
Therefore, the provincial town is located not far from Moscow! But the most important thing is that our hero’s carriage has only just entered the city, and sagacious men are wondering how far it will go from here. The text is filled with similar scenes and characters, and this creates a certain emotional atmosphere.
Let the reader not expect adventurous adventures from the heroes; the stories told will be everyday and ordinary.
Already at the beginning of the poem, we feel Gogol’s ironic smile towards the reader who is waiting for a romantic, mysterious beginning.
The narrative begins without the exposition traditional for Russian prose of the 30s and 40s of the 19th century - businesslike and energetic: we do not know how Chichikov came to the idea of buying dead soul, we also do not know his past life (all this is discussed in the last, 11th chapter).
Such a narrative was important for Gogol - most of the characters in the poem are static, which means it was necessary to strengthen the internal dynamics of the plot. (This is the explanation for why the main character's story is given at the end of Volume 1.)
f) The meaning of the title of the poem
The title of the work “Dead Souls” is ambiguous. Gogol, as you know, conceived a three-part work by analogy with Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. The first volume is Hell, that is, the abode of dead souls.
Secondly, the plot of the work is connected with this. In the 19th century, dead peasants were called “dead souls.” In the poem, Chichikov buys documents for deceased peasants, and then sells them to the guardianship council. Dead souls were listed as alive in the documents, and Chichikov received a considerable sum for this.
Thirdly, the name emphasizes the acute social problem. The fact is that at that time there were a great many sellers and buyers of dead souls; this was not controlled or punished by the authorities. The treasury was emptying, and enterprising swindlers were making a fortune for themselves. The censorship strongly recommended that Gogol change the title of the poem to “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls,” shifting the emphasis to Chichikov’s personality rather than to an acute social problem.
Perhaps Chichikov’s idea will seem strange to some, but it all comes down to the fact that there is no difference between the dead and the living. Both are for sale. Both dead peasants and landowners who agreed to sell documents for a certain reward. A person completely loses his human outline and becomes a commodity, and his entire essence is reduced to a piece of paper that indicates whether you are alive or not. It turns out that the soul turns out to be mortal, which contradicts the main postulate of Christianity. The world is becoming soulless, devoid of religion and any moral and ethical guidelines. Such a world is described epically. The lyrical component lies in the description of nature and the spiritual world.
3. Conversation to identify the primary perception of the read work.
Which pages of Dead Souls made you laugh, and which made you bitter?
Which of the heroes of Dead Souls seems harmless to you and who is the most terrible?
Who did you sympathize with while reading the poem? What questions did you have while reading?
4. Collective work on compiling the table “Composition of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"
“Composition of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"
| First chapter | “Introduction” to the poem, a sketch of everything that will subsequently be developed by the author (Chichikov’s arrival in the provincial town No., meeting with officials, preparing the ground for the adventure) |
| Chapters two to six | Portrayal of the life of Russian landowners |
| Chapters seven to ten | The depiction of the provincial city, within its boundaries the characterization of the owner of the estates is completed, but the central place is given to the depiction of the world of officials. |
| Chapter Eleven | A narrative about the life of the hero of the poem - Chichikov |
V . Reflection. Summing up the lesson
Teacher's summary word
The enormous artistic experience acquired while working on “Evenings...”, “Mirgorod”, “Petersburg Tales” and “The Inspector General” gave N.V. the opportunity. Gogol to create a brilliant poem. In a letter to Pushkin from abroad
VI . Homework.
2. Prepare quotation material for the images of Manilov and Korobochka.
In May 1842, a new work by Gogol appeared in bookstores in both capitals. Let's try to figure out what the intent of the poem "Dead Souls" is. The cover of the book was extremely intricate; when looking at it, readers did not even know that it was made according to a sketch by the author himself. The drawing placed on the cover was obviously important for Gogol, as it was repeated in the second lifetime edition poems in 1846.
Let's get acquainted with the history of the concept of "Dead Souls" and its implementation, let's see how it changed, how the idea of creating a monumental epic canvas that would embrace all the diversity gradually crystallized Russian life. The embodiment of such a grandiose plan presupposed the use of appropriate artistic means, an adequate genre, and a special, symbolic name.
Based on an already established cultural tradition, Gogol bases the plot on the hero’s journey, but before us is a special journey: it is not only and not so much the movement of a person in time and space, it is the journey of the human soul.
Let's try to clarify our thought. Instead of dashingly twisted intrigue and stories about “Chichikov’s adventures,” the reader was presented with one of the Russian provincial cities. The hero's journey boiled down to visiting five landowners who lived nearby, and the author spoke about the main character himself and his true intentions a little before parting with him. As the story progresses, the author seems to forget about the plot and talks about events that seem not even related to the intrigue. But this is not negligence, but a conscious attitude of the writer.
The fact is that, when creating the concept of the poem “Dead Souls,” Gogol followed one more cultural tradition. He intended to write a work that consists of three parts, modeled on Dante's Divine Comedy. In the poem of the great Italian, the journey of a person, or rather his soul, is presented as an ascent from vice to perfection, to an awareness of the true purpose of man and world harmony. Thus, Dante’s “Hell” turned out to be correlated with the first volume of the poem: just like lyrical hero poem, making a pilgrimage to the depths of the earth, Gogol's Chichikov gradually plunges into the abyss of vice, the characters “one more vulgar than the other” appear before the reader. And in the finale, the anthem of Russia, the “three bird,” suddenly sounds. Where? Why? “This is still a secret,” Gogol wrote after finishing work on the first volume, “which should suddenly, to the amazement of everyone...”
In many ways, the implementation of the plan remained a secret, inaccessible to the reader, but the surviving chapters of the second volume and the statements of contemporaries allow us to say that the next two volumes should be correlated with “Purgatory” and “Paradise”.
So, before us is the journey of the soul, but what kind of soul? Dead? But the soul is immortal. This was pointed out to the author by the Moscow censorship committee, when the censor Golokhvastov literally shouted upon seeing only the title of the manuscript: “No, I will never allow this: the soul is immortal...” - and did not give permission to print. On the advice of friends, Gogol goes to St. Petersburg to show the manuscript to the censor there and publish the book there. However, history is repeating itself in some ways. Although censor Nikitenko gave permission to print, he demanded that changes be made to the text: change the title and remove “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” Reluctantly, Gogol made concessions, remaking “The Tale...” and slightly changing the title. Now it sounded different: “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls.” But on the cover of the first edition, it was the old name that immediately caught the eye. At the author’s insistence, it was highlighted in especially large font not only because it was related to the plot: “dead souls” turned out to be a commodity, around the purchase and sale of which Chichikov’s scam revolved. However, in official documents the dead peasants, who were listed as alive according to the revision tales, were called “declined.” His contemporary M.P. Pogodin pointed this out to the writer: “...there are no “dead souls” in the Russian language. There are revision souls, assigned souls, departed souls, and arrived souls.” It’s hard to believe that Gogol didn’t know this, but still put the word “dead” into the mouths of the poem’s heroes in relation to the souls Chichikov acquired. (Let us note in parentheses that when making a deal with Plyushkin, Chichikov buys not only the dead, but also runaway, that is, “declined” peasants, classifying them as “dead.”)
Thus, by using the word “dead,” Gogol wanted to give a special meaning to the entire work. This word helps reveal the general concept of "Dead Souls".
The idea for “Dead Souls” did not immediately appear to Gogol in its entirety, but underwent various changes.
In 1836, while in Switzerland, he rebuilt overall plan works: “I redid everything I started again, thought over the whole plan and now I am writing it calmly, like a chronicle,” Gogol reported in a letter to V. A. Zhukovsky.
Gogol conceived a three-volume poem based on the epic poems of Homer and Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.
Dante's poem contains three parts: “Hell” (populated by sinners), “Purgatory” (those who could cleanse their souls of sins were placed there), and “Paradise” (populated by pure, immaculate souls). Gogol wanted to show in the first volume of his poem the vices of the Russian people, then the heroes had to rise from Hell to Purgatory, purify their souls through suffering and repentance. Then, in Paradise, best qualities the heroes had to come to life and show the world all the best that is in the soul of a Russian person.
Two heroes - Chichikov and Plyushkin - had to go through all the circles and at the end of the poem reveal the ideal of a person. “Dead Souls” should have been a poem about the restoration of the human spirit.
Gogol wrote: “If I complete this creation the way it needs to be accomplished, then... what a huge, what an original plot! What a varied bunch! All Rus' will appear in it!”
Unlike Nozdryov, Sobakevich cannot be considered a person with his head in the clouds. This hero stands firmly on the ground, does not indulge himself with illusions, soberly evaluates people and life, knows how to act and achieve what he wants. Given the character of his life, Gogol is in everything...
Work plan: 1. Introduction 2. Main part 2.1. Plyushkin's estate 2.2. Plyushkin's feelings and emotions, their manifestation 2.3. Plyushkin's path to complete degradation 2.4. The influence of loved ones on the fate of the main character 2.5. Appearance...
In his “Author's Confession,” Gogol indicates that Pushkin gave him the idea to write “Dead Souls.” ( This material will help you write correctly on the topic Review of the poem Dead Souls. The summary does not make it possible to understand the full meaning of the work, so...
Gogol, according to V. G. Belinsky, “was the first to look boldly and directly at Russian reality.” The writer's satire was directed against the “general order of things”, and not against individuals, bad executors of the law. Predatory money-grubber Chichikov, landowners...
"Dead Souls" is a novel called a poem. A permanent resident of all anthologies on Russian literature. A work of classics that is as topical and relevant today as it was a century and a half ago. "Try to remember the plot in detail...