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The history of one city, the history of its creation briefly. Concept, history of creation, genre and composition. The main characters and their characteristics

In order to make a correct analysis of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “History of a City,” you need not only to read this work, but also to study it thoroughly. Try to reveal the essence and meaning of what Mikhail Evgrafovich tried to convey to the reader. To do this, you will need to analyze the plot and idea of ​​the story. In addition, attention should be paid to the images of mayors. As in many other works of the author, he pays special attention to them, comparing them with an ordinary commoner.

Author's published work

“The History of a City” is one of the famous works of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. It was published in Otechestvennye zapiski, which aroused great interest in the novel. To have a clear understanding of the work, you need to analyze it. So, an analysis of “The History of a City” by Saltykov-Shchedrin. The genre is a novel, the writing style is a historical chronicle.

The reader immediately gets acquainted with the unusual image of the author. This is the “last archivist-chronicler.” From the very beginning, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin made a small note, which indicated that everything was published on the basis of authentic documents. Why was this done by the writer? To give credibility to everything that will be narrated. All additions and author's notes contribute to creating historical truth in the work.

The authenticity of the novel

The analysis of “The History of a City” by Saltykov-Shchedrin is intended to indicate the history of writing and the use of means of expression. As well as the writer’s skill in ways of revealing the characters of literary images.

The preface reveals the author's intention for creating the novel “The History of a City.” Which city deserved to be immortalized in a literary work? The archives of the city of Foolov contained descriptions of all the important affairs of city residents, biographies of changing mayors. The novel contains the exact dates of the period described in the work: from 1731 to 1826. The quote is from a poem known at the time of writing by G.R. Derzhavina. And the reader believes it. How could it be otherwise!

The author uses a specific name and talks about the events that took place in any city. M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin traces the life of city leaders in connection with the changes in various historical eras. Every era changes the people in power. They were reckless, they skillfully managed the city’s treasury, and were knightly brave. But no matter how time changes them, they control and command ordinary people.

What is written in the analysis

The analysis of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “History of a City” will be written, like anything written in prose, according to a certain plan. The plan examines the following characteristic features: the history of the creation of the novel and plot lines, composition and images, style, direction, genre. Sometimes the analyzing critic or observer from the reading circle can add his own attitude to the work.

Now it’s worth turning to a specific work.

History of creation and main idea of ​​the work

Saltykov-Shchedrin conceived his novel long ago and nurtured it for many years. His observations of the autocratic system have long been sought for embodiment in literary works. The writer worked on the novel for more than ten years. Saltykov-Shchedrin corrected and rewrote entire chapters more than once.

The main idea of ​​the work is the satirist's view of the history of Russian society. The main thing in the city is not gold and money-grubbing, but actions. Thus, the entire novel “The History of a City” contains the theme of a satirical history of society. The writer seemed to predict the death of the autocracy. This is felt in the decisions of the Foolovites, who do not want to live in a regime of despotism and humiliation.

Plot

Novel « The History of a City” has a special content, unlike and not previously described in any classical work. This is for the society that is contemporary to the author, and in this state structure there is a power hostile to the people. To describe the city of Foolov and its daily life, the author takes a time period of one hundred years. The history of the city changes when the next government changes. Very briefly and schematically, you can present the entire plot of the work in a few sentences.

The first thing the author talks about is the origin of the people inhabiting the city. A long time ago, a tribe of bunglers managed to defeat all their neighbors. They are looking for a prince-ruler, instead of whom a thief-deputy turns out to be in power, for which he paid. This went on for a very long time, until the prince decided to appear in Foolov himself. The following is a story about all the significant people of the city. When it comes to the mayor Ugryum-Burcheev, the reader sees that popular anger is growing. The work ends with the expected explosion. Gloomy-Burcheev has disappeared, a new period begins. It's time for change.

Compositional structure

The composition has a fragmented appearance, but its integrity is not violated. The plan of the work is simple and at the same time extremely complex. It's easy to imagine it like this:

  • Introducing the reader to the history of the inhabitants of the city of Foolov.
  • 22 rulers and their characteristics.
  • Mayor Brudasty and his little organ in his head.
  • The struggle for power in the city.
  • Dvoekurov is in power.
  • Years of calm and famine under Ferdyshchenko.
  • The activities of Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin.
  • Changes in the way of life of the city.
  • Depravity of morals.
  • Gloomy-Burcheev.
  • Wartkin about obligations.
  • Mikaladze about the appearance of the ruler.
  • Benevolsky about kindness.

Individual episodes

The “History of a City”, chapter by chapter, is interesting. The first chapter, “From the Publisher,” contains a story about the city and its history. The author himself admits that the plot is somewhat monotonous and contains the history of the government of the city. There are four narrators, and the story is told in turn by each of them.

The second chapter, “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites,” tells the story of the prehistoric period of the existence of the tribes. Who was there at that time: bush-eaters and onion-eaters, frogs and bunglers.

In the chapter “Organchik” there is a conversation about the reign of a mayor named Brudasty. He is laconic, his head is completely empty. Master Baibakov, at the request of the people, revealed the secret of Brudasty: he had a small musical instrument in his head. A period of anarchy begins in Foolov.

The next chapter is full of events and dynamism. It's called "The Tale of the Six City Leaders." From this moment on, there came moments of change of rulers one after another: Dvoekurov, who ruled for eight years, with the ruler Ferdyshchenko, the people lived joyfully and in abundance for six years. The activity and activity of the next mayor, Wartkin, made it possible for the people of Foolov to learn what abundance is. But all good things have to come to an end. This is what happened with Foolov when Captain Negodyaev came to power.

The people of the city now see little good; no one is taking care of it, although some rulers are trying to engage in legislation. What the Foolovites did not survive: hunger, poverty, devastation. “The History of a City,” chapter by chapter, gives a complete picture of the changes that took place in Foolov.

Images of heroes

Mayors occupy a lot of space in the novel “The History of a City.” Each of them has their own principles of government in the city. Each is given a separate chapter in the work. To maintain the chronicle narrative style, the author uses a number of satirical artistic means: anachronism and fantasy, limited space and symbolic details. The novel exposes the entire modern reality. To do this, the author uses grotesque and hyperbole. Each of the mayors is vividly drawn by the author. The images turned out to be colorful, regardless of how their rule influenced the life of the city. Brudasty's categorical attitude, Dvoekurov's reformism, Wartkin's struggle for enlightenment, Ferdyshchenko's greed and love of love, Pyshch's non-interference in any affairs and the Ugyum-Burcheevs with their idiocy.

Direction

Satirical novel. It is a chronological overview. It looks like some kind of original parody of the chronicle. A complete analysis of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “History of a City” is ready. All that remains is to read the work again. Readers will have a new look at the novel by Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference

In the work “The History of a City,” every passage is so good and bright, every little thing is in its place. Take, for example, the chapter “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites.” The passage is reminiscent of a fairy tale. The chapter contains many fictional characters, invented funny names of tribes, which formed the basis of the city of Foolov. Elements of folklore will sound more than once from the lips of the heroes of the work; one of the bunglers sings the song “Don’t make noise, mother green oak tree.” The virtues of the Foolovites look ridiculous: skillful pasta-stripping, trading, singing obscene songs.

“The History of a City” is the pinnacle of the work of the great Russian classic Saltykov-Shchedrin. This masterpiece brought the author fame as a satirical writer. This novel contains the hidden history of all of Russia. Saltykov-Shchedrin saw an unfair attitude towards the common people. He very subtly felt and saw the shortcomings of the Russian political system. Just as in the history of Russia, in the novel the harmless ruler is replaced by a tyrant and dictator.

Epilogue of the story

The ending of the work is symbolic, in which the despotic mayor Gloomy-Burcheev dies in the funnel of a tornado of popular anger, but there is no confidence that a respectable ruler will come to power. Thus, there is no certainty and constancy in matters of power.

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ridiculed the Russian government with his novel and described all its flaws in a satirical form. The novel is written about a city that has changed a large number of bosses, but none of them could do anything good for the city. Saltykov-Shchedrin highlighted in his work reality intertwined with fantasy.

In such a light and satirical form, the writer was able to fully express his thought and intended idea. The novel “The Story of a City” depicts the problem of all of Russia. In a city where bosses are constantly changing and cannot lead the state normally. All bosses are very stupid and each of them pursues their own goals.

Saltykov-Shchedrin writes about the city of Glupov as a capital, sometimes as a provincial small town, or generally calls it a village. The author collected all segments of the population and described different times for the city. Mikhail Evgrafovich writes that the city stands on a swamp, and at other times it stands on seven hills.

In the novel “The History of a City,” the main part is occupied by a description of the mayors who were sent to govern the city. Here Saltykov-Shchedrin also approached with great exaggeration and a satirical note. Each of the mayors did nothing to make the city prosper, but only destroyed it and torn it down into logs. Some bosses had an empty head, and only an organ stood in the corner, while others had a head that smelled like minced meat, so much so that it had even been eaten.

But the novel also describes the inhabitants of this very city who are inactive. They do absolutely nothing to change the situation in their hometown and in their lives. The people simply watched as a myriad of bosses were replaced and how they destroyed the city and, at the same time, their lives. Residents of the city only adapt to each new boss and did not want to get out of this circle of injustice. One might think that the residents themselves do not want a good mayor for themselves, but are content with the ones they have.

Each leader is despotic towards the people in his own way, and the people, in turn, have already resigned themselves to their fate. The last mayor who decides to destroy the city and rebuild it. Gloomy-Burcheev's gaze terrifies the townspeople, and they follow him unconditionally. Construction began just like that, and the townspeople were left with the ruins of their own city.

In his novel, Saltykov-Shchedrin was able to vividly describe the problems of society and the state.

Option 2

Most writers of one era or another tried to convey their dissatisfaction with a particular situation through their works, trying to convey them as best as possible to the general mass of people. Some tried to identify a problem that was inherent only to the period of their life, while others tried to convey their experiences about a topic that was characteristic not only of their generation, but also of previous ones. One of these writers was Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Many of his works were educational in nature, trying to help people see the problem and suggest ways to solve it. Reading such works, people realized what was happening around them and tried to do at least something, and this is what makes the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin good, they gave reason to think.

The work “The History of a City” told the reader about one city in which lived people who, without exaggeration, could be called the personification of a particular period in the life of our homeland. The city was called Foolov, and its inhabitants called themselves Foolovites; most likely, with this Saltykov-Shchedrin tried to convey their ignorance and limitations as strongly as possible. Further in the course of the story, we see that the city and its inhabitants are the literal personification of everything that a person would like to hide in himself and not let out. All the vices that are in him. The city is full of stupid people who try to obey rather than think for themselves.

The works reveal many problems that were inherent in a particular period. For example, the work clearly shows the problem of excessive corruption in the bureaucracy. Also in the work we see the problem of human rejection from society, the residents of the city don’t care about everyone except themselves, they only care about their loved ones, which makes us think about human indifference in our society.

Also in the work one can see the obvious comic superiority of officials over ordinary people, as it was in the time of the writer.

One way or another, the work tells us about the most important things in human life that we need to adhere to and follow. Saltykov-Shchedrin tells us that spiritual things are much more important for a person than material values. The author tells us to stick to ourselves and not be led by surrounding opinions, which can often be wrong. Saltykov-Shchedrin recommends that you be guided by this generalized opinion throughout your life, which is what he, in fact, did.

Also, for his works, he experienced pressure from the authorities for his seemingly revolutionary impulses and oppositional themes.

In this essay, I analyzed Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work “The History of a City,” from which I concluded that the work has a number of issues that the author reflected on in the work, and the problems of which are described above. The opinion described in the essay is subjective and does not claim to be truly correct.

Essay on the story The Story of a City

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote his work over several years, from 1869 to 1870. Initially, the novel was called “The Foolov Chronicler.” Later it was renamed “The History of a City” and published in parts in the journal “Otechestvennye zapiski” and aroused strong emotions among readers.

Most readers compare a written book to a short story, but in reality it is not. The genre of “Stories of a City” is “Satirical Novel”, which describes the life of the fictional city of Foolov, but the chronological events taking place in it take place from the chronicles found by the writer.

The action of the novel takes place in the city of Foolov, whose name speaks for itself. The novel describes the life of the mayors, their “great deeds”: bribery, imposition of tribute, collection of various taxes and much more. Saltykov-Shchedrin in his work raised the main problem - the essence of the history of the Russian state. He assessed the past and present of Russia quite critically, since he considered the majority of the country’s inhabitants to be “Fools.” Which, translated from the language of the ancient people, means “head-scratchers.” Because of his ignorance and lack of understanding, he renamed them.

The novel begins with small warring tribes. Tired of the constant war among themselves, they decided to choose a person who would manage the affairs of the tribes and command their people. This is how the first prince in Rus' and the city of Foolov appeared.
With this he described the formation of Ancient Rus' and the reign of the Rurik dynasty.

At first, the prince, called to power, entrusted part of the affairs to his landowner. But he turned out to be a thief, the ruler had to take tough measures himself. Then the writer lists most of the rulers of the Russian state, their contributions to history and the deeds in which they distinguished themselves. The bosses changed one after another, their worldview and the absurdity of the government, which the author points out in his work, also changed.

Madness and unnecessary reforms created chaos and disorder in the country, people became beggars, and devastation set in. But the monarchs were in a constant state of either drunkenness or war, and they had nothing to do with the ordinary people. A gradual series of mistakes on the part of the authorities led to dire consequences, which the author narrates with sarcasm and satire. Ultimately, the death that overtook the last ruler of Ugryum-Burcheev, due to which the narrative ends, gives hope to the Russian people to change their lives for the better.

In the novel “The History of a City,” the writer touched on many topics important for the history of Russia, such as war, power, ignorance, religion, servility and fanaticism. Each topic is important in its own way and carries great meaning to the way of life of ordinary people.

The main problem described in the work, which Saltykov-Shchedrin wanted to emphasize, is the inaction and humility of the common people in relation to the authorities, their agreement with the fact that monarchs infringe and oppress their rights, infringe on them. The writer is inclined to believe that people are afraid of being without their ruler. The fear of falling into anarchy is so strong that they are driven by force and the desire to obey their boss.

The essence of the novel “The History of a City” is that society does not want to make responsible decisions on its own, placing everything on the shoulders of one person who cannot change the history of the country. The author wants to show that without the will of the people, their awareness and desire for a better life, nothing will change. The writer does not call for open rebellion or revolution, but he is trying to convince the people that one cannot have blind obedience, only people and their will can influence changes for the better, one cannot be afraid of power, but, on the contrary, turn to it with one’s problems.

Sample 4

Perhaps Saltykov-Shchedrin is one of the few satirical writers in Russia in the 19th century. Yes, there were many classical authors, but in such a way as to make caustic ridicule, to present reality from the other side, then, of course, this is for Saltykov-Shchedrin. “The History of a City” is the pinnacle of satire for that time. This novel will be discussed now.

At one time it caused a lot of controversy and controversy. Critics sometimes gave completely opposite assessments. Some did not hide their admiration for the author’s skill, others denounced him in every possible way, calling him a Russophobe. Which side should you take?

Rather, the side of the former, since it is known for sure that the writer loved his country. He simply described the current reality “without cuts” in a humorously absurd tone. The censors most often took pro-government positions, and they could not like the emphasis on the corruption and lawlessness that was then raging.

The novel has an interesting structure. It is based on a certain fictional chronicle of the city of Foolov. It carefully describes how the mayors and their mental and external characteristics were replaced. The work is replete with allusions to various rulers of Russia. That is, these leaders were presented in the form of one of the emperors.

Some bosses looked like robots. Their stupidity is emphasized. Someone constantly carried out reforms that only worsened life in the city. Someone's head looked like minced meat and one day it was eaten.

The novel contains a general outline of the description in that not a single boss has ever proven himself to be an intelligent official. All their activities boiled down to tyranny and arbitrariness. They dishonestly robbed the people, taking away their last. Corruption and bureaucracy have reached unprecedented proportions.

The worst thing is that the work had a real historical background, and a typical Foolov differed little from a typical Kostroma, for example. That’s why the censorship was so annoying to him: she perfectly understood what the author was trying to convey and who he was laughing at.

In fact, the city of Foolov is a collective image of any Russian provincial city of those years. And the author reminded between the lines that it is high time to take up reforms and destroy the negative consequences of Borocracy.

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Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel “The History of a City” was written during 1869-1870, but the writer worked not only on it, so the novel was written intermittently. The first chapters were published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski No. 1, where Saltykov-Shchedrin was the editor-in-chief. But until the end of the year, work on the novel stopped, as Saltykov-Shchedrin took up writing fairy tales, completed several unfinished works and continued to write literary criticism.

The continuation of “The History of a City” was published in 5 issues of “Notes of the Fatherland” for 1870. In the same year, the book was published as a separate edition.

Literary direction and genre

Saltykov-Shchedrin is a writer of a realistic direction. Immediately after the book was published, critics defined the genre variety of the novel as a historical satire, and treated the novel differently.

From an objective point of view, Saltykov-Shchedrin is as great a historian as he is a wonderful satirist. His novel is a parody of chronicle sources, primarily “The Tale of Bygone Years” and “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”

Saltykov-Shchedrin offers his own version of history, which differs from the versions of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporaries (mentioned by the first chronicler Kostomarov, Solovyov, Pypin).

In the chapter “From the Publisher,” Mr. M. Shchedrin himself notes the fantastic nature of some episodes (the mayor with music, the mayor flying through the air, the mayor’s feet facing backwards). At the same time, he stipulates that “the fantastic nature of the stories does not in the least eliminate their administrative and educational significance.” This satirical phrase means that “The History of a City” cannot be considered as a fantastic text, but as a mythological one that explains the mentality of the people.

The fantastic nature of the novel is associated with the grotesque, which allows one to depict the typical through extreme exaggeration and deformation of the image.

Some researchers find dystopian features in “The History of a City.”

Topics and problems

The theme of the novel is the hundred-year history of the city of Foolov - an allegory of the Russian state. The history of the city is the biographies of mayors and descriptions of their great deeds: collection of arrears, imposition of tribute, campaigns against ordinary people, construction and destruction of pavements, fast travel on postal roads...

Thus, Saltykov-Shchedrin raises the problem of the essence of history, which is beneficial for the state to consider as the history of power, and not the history of compatriots.

Contemporaries accused the writer of revealing the supposedly false essence of reformism, which led to the deterioration and complication of the people's life.

The democrat Saltykov-Shchedrin was concerned about the problem of the relationship between man and the state. Mayors, for example, Borodavkin, believe that the meaning of life for “ordinary people” living in the state (not on earth!) is in pensions (that is, in state benefits). Saltykov-Shchedrin understands that the state and ordinary people live on their own. The writer knew this first-hand, having himself for some time played the role of “mayor” (he was vice-governor in Ryazan and Tver).

One of the problems that worried the writer was the study of the mentality of his compatriots, their national character traits that influence their position in life and cause “insecurity in life, arbitrariness, improvidence, and lack of faith in the future.”

Plot and composition

The composition of the novel from the moment of its first publication in the magazine was changed by the author himself, for example, the chapter “On the root of the origin of the Foolovites” was placed third, following the introductory chapters, which corresponded to the logic of the ancient Russian chronicle, starting with mythology. And the supporting documents (the writings of the three mayors) were moved to the end, as historical documents are often placed in relation to the author’s text.

The last chapter, appendix “Letter to the Editor,” is Shchedrin’s indignant response to a review in which he was accused of “mockery of the people.” In this letter, the author explains the idea of ​​his work, in particular, that his satire is directed against “those features of Russian life that make it not entirely comfortable.”

“Address to the Reader” was written by the last of the four chroniclers, archivist Pavlushka Masloboinikov. Here Saltykov-Shchedrin imitates real chronicles that had several authors.

The chapter “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites” talks about the myths and prehistoric era of the Foolovites. The reader learns about tribes warring among themselves, about the renaming of blockheads into Foolovites, about the search for a ruler and the enslavement of the Foolovites, who found for themselves a prince who was not only stupid, but also cruel, whose principle of rule was embodied in the word “I’ll screw up,” which begins the historical period of Foolov. The historical period considered in the novel occupies a whole century, from 1731 to 1825.

“Inventory of mayors” is a brief description of 22 mayors, which emphasizes the absurdity of history by the concentration of the described madmen, of whom the least, “having done nothing,... was removed for ignorance.”

The next 10 chapters are devoted to describing the most prominent mayors in chronological order.

Heroes and images

“The Most Remarkable Mayors” deserved closer attention from the publisher.

Dementiy Varlamovich Brudasty is “more than strange.” He is silent and gloomy, also cruel (the first thing he did was whip all the coachmen), and is prone to fits of rage. Brudasty also has a positive quality - he is managerial, puts in order the arrears left behind by his predecessors. True, he does this in one way - officials catch citizens, flog them and flog them, and seize their property.

The Foolovites are horrified by such rule. They are saved by the breakdown of the mechanism that is located in Brudasty’s head. This is an organ that repeats only two phrases: “I will ruin” and “I will not tolerate.” The appearance of the second Brudasty with a new head relieves the Foolovites from a couple of organs, declared impostors.

Many of the characters are satires on real rulers. For example, the six mayors are empresses of the 18th century. Their internecine warfare lasted 6 days, and on the seventh day Dvoekurov arrived in the city.

Dvoekurov is a “man of the forefront,” an innovator who was engaged in fruitful activities in Foolov: he paved two streets, opened brewing and mead making, forced everyone to use mustard and bay leaves, and flogged the disobedient, but “with consideration,” that is, for the cause.

Three whole chapters are dedicated to Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko, the foreman. Ferdyshchenko is Prince Potemkin’s former orderly, a simple man, “good-natured and somewhat lazy.” The Foolovites consider the mayor stupid, a fool, they laugh at his tongue-tiedness, and call him a foolish old man.

During the 6 years of Ferdyshchenko’s reign, the Foolovites forgot about the oppression, but in the seventh year Ferdyshchenko went berserk and stole his husband’s wife Alyonka, after which a drought began. The Foolovites, in a fit of rage, threw Alyonka from the bell tower, but Ferdyshchenko was inflamed with love for the archer Domashka. For this, the Foolovites suffered a terrible fire.

Ferdyshchenko repented before the people on his knees, but his tears were hypocritical. At the end of his life, Ferdyshchenko traveled around the pasture, where he died of gluttony.

Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin (satire on Peter 1) is a brilliant city ruler, under him Foolov experiences a golden age. Wartkin was small in stature and not stately in appearance, but he was loud. He was a writer and a brave utopian, a political dreamer. Before conquering Byzantium, Wartkin conquers the Foolovites with “wars for enlightenment”: he reintroduces mustard, forgotten after Dvoekurov, into use (for which he undertakes an entire military campaign with sacrifices), demands to build houses on a stone foundation, plant Persian chamomile and establish an academy in Foolov. The obstinacy of the Foolovites was defeated along with contentment. The French Revolution showed that the education instilled by Wartkin was harmful.

Onufriy Ivanovich Negodyaev, a captain and former stoker, began the era of retirement from wars. The mayor tests the Foolovites for their toughness. As a result of the tests, the Foolovites became wild: they grew hair and sucked their paws, because there was no food or clothing.

Ksaviry Georgievich Mikaladze is a descendant of Queen Tamara, who has a seductive appearance. He shook hands with his subordinates, smiled affectionately, and won hearts “solely through graceful manners.” Mikaladze stops education and executions and does not issue laws.

Mikaladze's reign was peaceful, punishments were mild. The mayor's only drawback is his love for women. He doubled the population of Foolov, but died from exhaustion.

Feofilakt Irinarkhovich Benevolinsky - state councilor, assistant to Speransky. This is a satire on Speransky himself. Benevolinsky loved to engage in lawmaking. The laws he came up with are as meaningless as the “Charter on the Respectable Baking of Pies.” The mayor's laws are so stupid that they do not interfere with the prosperity of the Foolovites, so they become fatter than ever. Benevolinsky was exiled for his connection with Napoleon and called a scoundrel.

Ivan Panteleevich Pryshch does not make laws and governs simply, in the spirit of “limitless liberalism.” He rests himself and persuades the Foolovites to do so. Both the townspeople and the mayor are getting richer.

The leader of the nobility finally realizes that Pimple has a stuffed head, and eats it without a trace.

Mayor Nikodim Osipovich Ivanov is also stupid, because his height does not allow him to “accommodate anything extensive,” but this quality of the mayor benefits the Foolovites. Ivanov either died of fright, having received a “too extensive” decree, or was fired due to his brain drying out from their inaction and became the founder of microcephaly.

Erast Andreevich Grustilov is a satire on Alexander 1, a sensitive person. The subtlety of Grustilov's feelings is deceptive. He is voluptuous, in the past he hid government money, he is debauched, “in a hurry to live and enjoy,” so that he inclines the Foolovites towards paganism. Grustilov is arrested and dies of melancholy. During his reign, the Foolovites lost the habit of working.

Gloomy-Burcheev is a satire on Arakcheev. He is a scoundrel, a terrible person, “the purest type of idiot.” This mayor exhausts, scolds and destroys the Foolovites, for which he is nicknamed Satan. He has a wooden face, his gaze is free from thought and shameless. Gloomy-Burcheev is impassive, limited, but full of determination. He is like the force of nature, going ahead in a straight line, not recognizing reason.

Gloomy-Burcheev destroys the city and builds Nepreklonsk in a new place, but he fails to control the river. It seems that nature itself is ridding the Foolovites of him, carrying him away in a tornado.

The arrival of Gloomy-Burcheev, as well as the phenomenon that follows him, called “it”, is a picture of an apocalypse that ceases the existence of history.

Artistic originality

Saltykov-Shchedrin skillfully changes the speech of different narrators in the novel. The publisher M.E. Saltykov stipulates that he corrected only the “heavy and outdated style” of the Chronicler. In the address to the reader of the last archivist chronicler, whose work was published 45 years after it was written, there are outdated words of high style: if, this, such. But the publisher allegedly did not correct this particular appeal to readers.

The entire address of the last chronicler is written in the best traditions of the oratory art of antiquity, contains a series of rhetorical questions, and is replete with metaphors and comparisons, mainly from the ancient world. At the end of the introduction, the chronicler, following the biblical tradition widespread in Rus', humiliates himself, calling him a “meager vessel,” and compares Foolov with Rome, and Foolov benefits from the comparison.

The idea for the book was formed by Saltykov-Shchedrin gradually, over several years. In 1867, the writer composed and presented to the public a new fairy-tale-fiction “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head” (it forms the basis of the chapter known to us called “The Organ”). In 1868, the author began work on a full-length novel. This process took a little over a year (1869-1870). The work was originally entitled “Foolish Chronicler”. The title “The History of a City,” which became the final version, appeared later. The literary work was published in parts in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

Due to inexperience, some people consider Saltykov-Shchedrin’s book to be a story or a fairy tale, but this is not so. Such voluminous literature cannot claim the title of short prose. The genre of the work “The History of a City” is larger and is called a “satirical novel.” It represents a kind of chronological review of the fictional town of Foolov. His fate is recorded in chronicles, which the author finds and publishes, accompanying them with his own comments.

Also, terms such as “political pamphlet” and “satirical chronicle” can be applied to this book, but it only absorbed some features of these genres, and is not their “purebred” literary embodiment.

What is the work about?

The writer allegorically conveyed the history of Russia, which he assessed critically. He called the inhabitants of the Russian Empire “Foolovites.” They are residents of the city of the same name, whose life is described in the Foolov Chronicle. This ethnic group originated from an ancient people called “bunglers”. For their ignorance they were renamed accordingly.

The Headbangers were at enmity with neighboring tribes, as well as with each other. And so, tired of quarrels and unrest, they decided to find themselves a ruler who would establish order. After three years they found a suitable prince who agreed to rule over them. Together with the acquired power, people founded the city of Foolov. This is how the writer outlined the formation of Ancient Rus' and Rurik’s calling to reign.

At first, the ruler sent them a governor, but he stole, and then he arrived in person and imposed strict order. This is how Saltykov-Shchedrin imagined the period of feudal fragmentation in medieval Russia.

Next, the writer interrupts the narrative and lists the biographies of famous mayors, each of which is a separate and complete story. The first was Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, in whose head there was an organ that played only two compositions: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” Then his head broke, and anarchy set in - the turmoil that came after the death of Ivan the Terrible. It was his author who portrayed him in the image of Brudasty. Next, identical twin impostors appeared, but they were soon removed - this is the appearance of False Dmitry and his followers.

Anarchy reigned for a week, during which six mayors replaced each other. This is the era of palace coups, when the Russian Empire was ruled only by women and intrigue.

Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov, who established mead making and brewing, is most likely a prototype of Peter the Great, although this assumption runs counter to historical chronology. But the reformist activities and iron hand of the ruler are very similar to the characteristics of the emperor.

The bosses changed, their conceit grew in proportion to the degree of absurdity in the work. Frankly insane reforms or hopeless stagnation were ruining the country, the people were sliding into poverty and ignorance, and the elite either feasted, then fought, or hunted for the female sex. The alternation of continuous mistakes and defeats led to horrific consequences, satirically described by the author. In the end, the last ruler of the Gloomy-Burcheev dies, and after his death the narrative ends, and because of the open ending, there is a glimmer of hope for changes for the better.

Nestor also described the history of the emergence of Rus' in The Tale of Bygone Years. The author draws this parallel specifically to hint who he means by the Foolovites, and who are all these mayors: a flight of fancy or real Russian rulers? The writer makes it clear that he is not describing the entire human race, but rather Russia and its depravity, reshaping its fate in his own way.

The composition is arranged in chronological sequence, the work has a classic linear narrative, but each chapter is a container for a full-fledged plot, which has its own heroes, events and results.

Description of the city

Foolov is in a distant province, we learn about this when Brudasty’s head deteriorates on the road. This is a small settlement, a county, because they come to take away two impostors from the province, that is, the town is only a small part of it. It doesn’t even have an academy, but thanks to the efforts of Dvoekurov, mead making and brewing are thriving. It is divided into “settlements”: “Pushkarskaya settlement, followed by the settlements Bolotnaya and Negodnitsa.” Agriculture is developed there, since the drought, which occurred due to the sins of the next boss, greatly affects the interests of the residents, they are even ready to rebel. With Pimple, harvests increase, which pleases the Foolovites immensely. “The History of a City” is replete with dramatic events, the cause of which is the agrarian crisis.

Gloomy-Burcheev fought with the river, from which we conclude that the district is located on the shore, in a hilly area, since the mayor is leading the people in search of a plain. The main place in this region is the bell tower: unwanted citizens are thrown from it.

Main characters

  1. The prince is a foreign ruler who agreed to take power over the Foolovites. He is cruel and narrow-minded, because he sent thieving and worthless governors, and then led with only one phrase: “I’ll screw it up.” The history of one city and the characteristics of the heroes began with it.
  2. Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty is a withdrawn, gloomy, silent owner of a head with an organ that plays two phrases: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” His apparatus for making decisions became damp on the road, they could not repair it, so they sent for a new one to St. Petersburg, but the working head was delayed and never arrived. Prototype of Ivan the Terrible.
  3. Iraida Lukinichna Paleologova is the wife of the mayor, who ruled the city for a day. An allusion to Sophia Paleolog, the second wife of Ivan IIII, grandmother of Ivan the Terrible.
  4. Clémentine de Bourbon is the mother of the mayor, she also happened to rule for one day.
  5. Amalia Karlovna Shtokfish is a pompadour who also wanted to stay in power. German names and surnames of women - the author’s humorous look at the era of German favoritism, as well as a number of crowned persons of foreign origin: Anna Ioanovna, Catherine the Second, etc.
  6. Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov is a reformer and educator: “He introduced mead making and brewing and made it mandatory to use mustard and bay leaves. He also wanted to open the Academy of Sciences, but did not have time to complete the reforms he had begun.
  7. Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko (a parody of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov) is a cowardly, weak-willed, loving politician, under whom there was order in Foolov for 6 years, but then he fell in love with a married woman Alena and exiled her husband to Siberia so that she would succumb to his onslaught. The woman succumbed, but fate struck a drought on the people, and people began to die of hunger. There was a riot (referring to the salt riot of 1648), as a result of which the ruler’s mistress died and was thrown from the bell tower. Then the mayor complained to the capital, and they sent him soldiers. The uprising was suppressed, and he found himself a new passion, because of which disasters occurred again - fires. But they also dealt with them, and he, having gone on a trip to Foolov, died from overeating. It is obvious that the hero did not know how to restrain his desires and fell into their weak-willed victim.
  8. Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin, an imitator of Dvoekurov, imposed reforms with fire and sword. Decisive, likes to plan and organize. Unlike my colleagues, I studied the history of Foolov. However, he himself was not far off: he instituted a military campaign against his own people, in the darkness “friends fought with their own.” Then he carried out an unsuccessful transformation in the army, replacing the soldiers with tin copies. With his battles he brought the city to complete exhaustion. After him, Negodyaev completed the plunder and destruction.
  9. Cherkeshenin Mikeladze, a passionate hunter of the female sex, was only concerned with arranging his rich personal life at the expense of his official position.
  10. Feofilakt Irinarkhovich Benevolensky (a parody of Alexander the First) is a university friend of Speransky (the famous reformer), who composed laws at night and scattered them around the city. He liked to be clever and show off, but did nothing useful. Dismissed for high treason (relations with Napoleon).
  11. Lieutenant Colonel Pimple is the owner of a head stuffed with truffles, which the leader of the nobility ate in a hungry fit. Under him, agriculture flourished, since he did not interfere in the lives of his charges and did not interfere with their work.
  12. State Councilor Ivanov is an official who arrived from St. Petersburg, who “turned out to be so small in stature that he could not contain anything spacious” and burst from the strain of comprehending the next thought.
  13. The emigrant Viscount de Chariot is a foreigner who, instead of working, just had fun and threw balls. Soon he was sent abroad for idleness and embezzlement. It was later discovered that he was female.
  14. Erast Andreevich Grustilov is a lover of carousing at public expense. Under him, the population stopped working in the fields and became interested in paganism. But the wife of the pharmacist Pfeiffer came to the mayor and imposed new religious views on him, he began to organize readings and confessional gatherings instead of feasts, and, having learned about this, the higher authorities deprived him of his post.
  15. Gloomy-Burcheev (a parody of Arakcheev, a military official) is a martinet who planned to give the whole city a barracks-like appearance and order. He despised education and culture, but wanted all citizens to have the same homes and families on the same streets. The official destroyed the entire Foolov, moved it to a lowland, but then a natural disaster occurred, and the official was carried away by a storm.

    16. This is where the list of heroes ends. The mayors in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel are people who, by adequate standards, are in no way capable of managing any populated area and being the personification of power. All their actions are completely fantastic, meaningless and often contradict one another. One ruler builds, the other destroys everything. One comes to replace the other, but nothing changes in people's life. There are no significant changes or improvements. The politicians in “The Story of a City” have common features - tyranny, pronounced depravity, bribery, greed, stupidity and despotism. Outwardly, the characters retain an ordinary human appearance, while the inner content of the personality is fraught with a thirst for suppression and oppression of the people for the purpose of profit.

    Topics

  • Power. This is the main theme of the work “The History of a City,” which is revealed in a new way in each chapter. Mainly, it is seen through the prism of a satirical image of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporary political structure in Russia. The satire here is aimed at two aspects of life - to show how destructive autocracy is and to reveal the passivity of the masses. In relation to autocracy, it is a complete and merciless denial, but in relation to ordinary people, its goal was to correct morals and enlighten minds.
  • War. The author focused on the destructiveness of bloodshed, which only ruins the city and kills people.
  • Religion and fanaticism. The writer is ironic about the readiness of the people to believe in any impostor and in any idols, just to shift responsibility for their lives onto them.
  • Ignorance. The people are not educated and not developed, so the rulers manipulate them as they want. Foolov's life is not getting better not only due to the fault of political figures, but also because of the reluctance of people to develop and learn to master new skills. For example, none of Dvoekurov’s reforms took root, although many of them had a positive result for enriching the city.
  • Servility. The Foolovites are ready to endure any arbitrariness, as long as there is no hunger.

Issues

  • Of course, the author touches on issues related to government. The main problem in the novel is the imperfection of power and its political techniques. In Foolov, rulers, also known as mayors, are replaced one after another. But at the same time, they do not bring anything new into the life of the people and into the structure of the city. Their responsibilities include caring only about their well-being; the mayors do not care about the interests of the residents of the county.
  • Personnel issue. There is no one to appoint to the position of manager: all candidates are vicious and not fit for selfless service in the name of an idea, and not for the sake of profit. Responsibility and the desire to eliminate pressing problems are completely alien to them. This happens because society is initially unfairly divided into castes, and none of the ordinary people can occupy an important position. The ruling elite, feeling the lack of competition, lives in idleness of mind and body and does not work conscientiously, but simply squeezes out of the rank everything that it can give.
  • Ignorance. Politicians do not understand the problems of mere mortals, and even if they want to help, they cannot do it right. There are no people in power; there is a blank wall between classes, so even the most humane officials are powerless. “The History of a City” is only a reflection of the real problems of the Russian Empire, where there were talented rulers, but due to their isolation from their subjects, they were unable to improve their lives.
  • Inequality. The people are defenseless against the arbitrariness of managers. For example, the mayor sends Alena’s husband into exile without guilt, abusing his position. And the woman gives up because she doesn’t even expect justice.
  • Responsibility. Officials are not punished for their destructive acts, and their successors feel safe: no matter what you do, nothing serious will happen for it. They will only remove you from office, and then only as a last resort.
  • Reverence. The people are a great force; there is no point in it if they agree to blindly obey their superiors in everything. He does not defend his rights, does not protect his people, in fact, he turns into an inert mass and, by his own will, deprives himself and his children of a happy and fair future.
  • Fanaticism. In the novel, the author focuses on the theme of excessive religious zeal, which does not enlighten, but blinds people, dooming them to idle talk.
  • Embezzlement. All the prince’s governors turned out to be thieves, that is, the system is so rotten that it allows its elements to carry out any fraud with impunity.

Main idea

The author's intention is to depict a political system in which society comes to terms with its eternally oppressed position and believes that this is in the order of things. The society in the story is represented by the people (the Foolovites), while the “oppressor” is the mayors, who replace each other at an enviable speed, while managing to ruin and destroy their possessions. Saltykov-Shchedrin ironically notes that the residents are driven by the force of “love of authority,” and without a ruler they immediately fall into anarchy. Thus, the idea of ​​the work “The History of a City” is the desire to show the history of Russian society from the outside, how people for many years transferred all responsibility for organizing their well-being onto the shoulders of the revered monarch and were invariably deceived, because one person cannot change the whole country. Change cannot come from outside as long as the people are ruled by the consciousness that autocracy is the highest order. People must realize their personal responsibility to their homeland and forge their own happiness, but tyranny does not allow them to express themselves, and they ardently support it, because as long as it exists, nothing needs to be done.

Despite the satirical and ironic basis of the story, it contains a very important essence. The point of the work “The History of a City” is to show that only if there is a free and critical vision of power and its imperfections, changes for the better are possible. If a society lives by the rules of blind obedience, then oppression is inevitable. The author does not call for uprisings and revolution, there are no ardent rebellious lamentations in the text, but the essence is the same - without popular awareness of their role and responsibility, there is no path to change.

The writer not only criticizes the monarchical system, he offers an alternative, speaking out against censorship and risking his public office, because the publication of “History ...” could lead to not only his resignation, but also imprisonment. He not only speaks, but through his actions calls on society not to be afraid of the authorities and to speak openly to them about painful issues. The main idea of ​​Saltykov-Shchedrin is to instill in people freedom of thought and speech, so that they can improve their lives themselves, without waiting for the mercy of mayors. It fosters an active citizenship in the reader.

Artistic media

What makes the story special is the peculiar interweaving of the world of the fantastic and the real, where fantastic grotesquery and journalistic intensity of current and real problems coexist. Unusual and incredible incidents and events emphasize the absurdity of the depicted reality. The author skillfully uses such artistic techniques as grotesque and hyperbole. In the life of the Foolovites, everything is incredible, exaggerated, funny. For example, the vices of city governors have grown to colossal proportions; they are deliberately taken beyond the scope of reality. The writer exaggerates in order to eradicate real-life problems through ridicule and public disgrace. Irony is also one of the means of expressing the author's position and his attitude to what is happening in the country. People love to laugh, and it is better to present serious topics in a humorous style, otherwise the work will not find its reader. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel “The History of a City” is, first of all, funny, which is why it was and is popular. At the same time, he is ruthlessly truthful, he hits hard on topical issues, but the reader has already taken the bait in the form of humor and cannot tear himself away from the book.

What does the book teach?

The Foolovites, who personify the people, are in a state of unconscious worship of power. They unquestioningly obey the whims of the autocracy, the absurd orders and tyranny of the ruler. At the same time, they experience fear and reverence for the patron. The authorities, represented by the mayors, use their instrument of suppression to the fullest extent, regardless of the opinions and interests of the townspeople. Therefore, Saltykov-Shchedrin points out that the common people and their leader are worth each other, because until society “grows up” to higher standards and learns to defend its rights, the state will not change: it will respond to primitive demand with a cruel and unfair supply.

The symbolic ending of “The Story of a City,” in which the despotic mayor Gloomy-Burcheev dies, is intended to leave a message that the Russian autocracy has no future. But there is also no certainty or constancy in matters of power. All that remains is the tart taste of tyranny, which may be followed by something new.

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History of creation

Leaving work on the “Pompadours and Pompadours” series for a while, Saltykov got excited about the idea of ​​​​creating the novel “The History of a City,” thematically related to “Pompadours and Pompadours.”

In January 1869, the satirist appeared with the first chapters of “Inventory for City Governors” and “Organchik” in the magazine “Domestic Notes” (No. 1), but until the end of the year he suspended work in order to implement the idea of ​​​​creating fairy tales (“The Tale of How One Man Two fed the generals”, “Conscience is gone”, “Wild landowner”). In addition, the work “Gentlemen of Tashkent” was outlined; it was necessary to bring “Signs of the Times” and “Letters about the Province” to their logical conclusion. Saltykov does not leave work in the magazine: a series of journalistic and literary-critical articles and reviews appears. Over the course of ten literary and literary-critical articles and reviews.

Returning to work on the novel, already in No. 1-4, 9 (“Notes of the Fatherland”) in 1870, he published a continuation of “The History of a City.” In 1870, the book was published as a separate edition entitled “The History of a City.” Based on original documents, it was published by M. E. Saltykov (Shchedrin).

“The History of a City” caused a lot of interpretation and indignation, which forced Saltykov to respond to an article by the famous publicist A. Suvorin. The author of the critical article “Historical Satire,” which appeared in the April issue of the magazine “Bulletin of Europe” for 1871, accused the writer of mocking the Russian people and distorting the facts of Russian history, without penetrating the depth of the plan and the essence of the artistic originality of the work. I. S. Turgenev called the book wonderful and believed that it reflected “the satirical history of Russian society in the second half of the last and the beginning of this century.”

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin knew that “a writer whose heart has not suffered from all the pains of the society in which he operates can hardly claim in literature a significance above the mediocre and very fleeting.” Nevertheless, the previous interest of the reading public in Saltykov’s work faded somewhat after the publication of the novel.

Plot

The story begins with the words of the author, who introduces himself exclusively as a publisher who allegedly found a real chronicle with a story about the fictional city of Foolov. After a short introduction on behalf of a fictional chronicler, there is a story about “the roots of the origin of the Foolovites,” in which the author gives the first sketches of a satire on historical facts. But the main part itself tells about the most prominent mayors of the city of Foolov.

Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, the eighth mayor of Foolov ruled for a very short period of time, but left a noticeable mark on the history of the city. He stood out from the others in that he was not an ordinary person, and in his head, instead of a brain, he had a strange device that produced one of several phrases programmed into it. After this became known, civil strife began, leading to the overthrow of the mayor and the beginning of anarchy. In a short period of time, there were six rulers in Foolov, who, under various pretexts, bribed soldiers to seize power. Afterwards he reigned in Foolov for many years Dvoekurov, whose image was reminiscent of Alexander I, because he, scared, did not complete some assignment, because of which he was sad all his life.

Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko, the former orderly of Prince Potemkin, the mayor “enterprising, frivolous and carried away,” subjected the city to famine, fire, and died of gluttony during his reign when he went on a journey through the lands under his control in order to feel like the emperors who traveled around the country.

But Foolov ruled the longest Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin, during his power he subjected the Streletskaya and Dung settlements to destruction.

Satirical focus

In its focus, the story is a satire on many historical figures of the Russian Empire and on some events indicated in Inventory of Mayors era.

Shchedrin himself said:

“If I were really writing a satire on the 18th century, then, of course, I would limit myself to “The Tale of the Six City Leaders””

But besides the obvious parallels in Tales of the Six City Leaders, which contains allusions to the 18th century empresses Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II and their rise to power through palace coups, the story contains a large number of parodies of other historical figures of that era - Paul I, Alexander I, Speransky, Arakcheev and others. In the cartoon based on the work, the real city of Kostroma appears as the city of Foolov: buildings that exist and existed in the described era (for example, a fire tower) are shown.

Film adaptations

  • Film "It" by Sergei Ovcharov.
  • Cartoon “The History of a City. Organic"

Theater productions

  • Performance “The History of a City”. Director - Boris Pavlovich, play - Maria Boteva. Staged at the Theater on Spasskaya (Kirov State Youth Theater). The premiere took place on July 6, 2012.
  • The play “The History of the City of Foolov” - director Egorov, Dmitry Vladimirovich. Staged in the theater: Novosibirsk Drama Theater "Red Torch". The premiere took place on December 17, 2011 in Novosibirsk.
  • Photo gallery of the play “The History of the City of Foolov” on the theater website
  • Photo report with comments from the dress rehearsal before the premiere of the play “The History of the City of Foolov” on December 17, 2011.

Illustrations

  • Illustrations for the story “The History of a City,” made by the artist A. N. Samokhvalov, were awarded the Grand Prix at the international exhibition in Paris in 1937.

See also

Notes