The history of the creation of Gogol's comedy The Inspector General. “Gogol’s “auditor’s situation”

Lesson objectives:

• To acquaint students with the history of comedy.
• consolidate knowledge about the dramatic genre of literature.
• explain the nature of Gogol's laughter.
• cultivate interest in the works of the writer.
• develop presentation creation skills.
• develop expressive reading skills and text analysis.

Equipment: Multimedia projector, theatrical masks, posters, illustrations for the play, textbook, portrait of N.V. Gogol.

Lesson progress

1. The teacher's word about Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". The history of comedy.
2. About the comedy genre.
3. Literary commentary (working with terms).
4. Composition of the play.
5. Commented reading of the poster, “Notes for Gentlemen Actors.”
6. Checking homework.
7. The nature of Gogol's humor. Laughter is “the only honest, noble face in comedy.”
8. Homework (compiling a table).

The progress of the lesson is projected on the screen.

Teacher's word:

1. In the 30s of the 19th century, Gogol seriously thought about the future of Russian comedy.

The writer believes that comedy will fulfill its purpose only when the idea of ​​the work is revealed in the system of images, in the composition, in the plot, and not in direct verbal edifications, with the punishment of vices in front of the audience.

Gogol turned to Pushkin: “Do me a favor, give me some kind of story, at least some kind, funny or unfunny, but a purely Russian joke. My hand is trembling to write a comedy in the meantime.”

In response to Gogol's request, Pushkin told him a story about an imaginary auditor, about a funny mistake that entailed the most unexpected consequences. Based on this story, Gogol wrote his comedy “The Inspector General.” The writer worked on the text of the comedy for 17 years. The story was typical for its time. It is known that in Bessarabia, the publisher of the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, Svinin, was mistaken for an auditor. In the city of Ustyuzhna, at the other end of Russia, a certain gentleman, posing as an auditor, robbed the entire city. There were others similar stories, which Gogol’s contemporaries talk about. The fact that Pushkin's anecdote turned out to be so characteristic of Russian life made it especially attractive to Gogol. He wrote in “Petersburg Notes of 1836”: “For God’s sake, give us Russian characters, give us ourselves, our rogues, our eccentrics on their stage, for everyone’s laughter!” The plot of the comedy is based on the commotion among officials, their desire to hide their “sins” from the auditor. The hero of the comedy was the mass of bureaucrats. Gogol ridiculed dark sides Russian reality: arbitrariness of power, bribery, ignorance, rudeness, embezzlement.

The comedy ridiculed and household side the lives of the inhabitants of the city: insignificance of interests, hypocrisy and lies, vulgarity, arrogance, superstition and gossip. At the center of the comedy is the person who is least capable of leading the intrigue and the game. It is not the hero who leads the action, but the action that leads the hero.

2. Performing creative groups : (students select the material independently).

Comedy genre was conceived by Gogol as a genre of social comedy, touching on the most fundamental issues of folk, public life. From this point of view, Pushkin's anecdote was very suitable for Gogol. After all, the characters in the story about the pseudo-auditor are not private people, but government officials. Events associated with them inevitably involve many people: both those in power and those under power. The anecdote told by Pushkin easily lent itself to such an artistic development, in which it became the basis of a truly social comedy. Gogol wrote in “The Author's Confession”: “In “The Inspector General” I decided to collect in one pile everything bad in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and laugh at everything at once.”

Gogol was accused of distorting reality. But that was not the case. The events depicted in the comedy took place in St. Petersburg, and in Kazan, and in Siberia, and in Saratov, and in Penza. Khlestakov was everywhere, everywhere.

The Inspector General was completed by Gogol on December 4, 1835. Completed in the first edition, then there were more alterations. In April 1936, the comedy was staged. Few true connoisseurs - educated and honest people - were delighted. The majority did not understand the comedy and reacted to it with hostility.

“Everyone is against me...” Gogol complained in a letter to the famous actor Shchepkin. “The police are against me, the merchants are against me, the writers are against me.” And a few days later, in a letter to the historian M.P. After a while, he bitterly notes: “And what would be accepted by enlightened people with loud laughter and sympathy, is what the bile of ignorance outrages; and this is general ignorance..."

After the production of The Inspector General on stage, Gogol is full of gloomy thoughts. He was not completely satisfied with the acting. He is depressed by the general misunderstanding. In these circumstances it is difficult for him to write, it is difficult for him to live. He decides to go abroad, to Italy. Reporting this to Pogodin. He writes with pain: “A modern writer, a comic writer, a writer of morals should be away from his homeland.” The Prophet has no glory in the Fatherland.” But as soon as he leaves his homeland, the thought of her great love to her with new strength and poignancy arises in him: “Now there is a foreign land in front of me, a foreign land around me, but in my heart is Rus', not nasty Rus', but only beautiful Rus'.”

3. Literary commentary.(teacher speaking)

In order to understand the work “The Inspector General,” we will talk about what the features are literary work, intended for the theater, for production on stage (this work is called play).

In the stage directions, explanations for the directors of the play and actors, it is reported which characters are participating in the play, what their age is, appearance, position, what kind of family relationships they are connected with (these author’s remarks are called posters); the location of the action is indicated (a room in the mayor’s house), it is indicated what the hero of the play is doing and how he pronounces the words of the role (“looking around”, “to the side”).

Gogol was very attentive to his reader. With comments on the play, he sought to help perceive the comedy .

4. Composition of the play:

The action in the play develops through the following stages:

Definitions on screen. (write in notebook)

• Exposition- the action of the play, depicting characters and situations characters before the action begins.
• The beginning– an event from which the active development of an action begins.

Development of the play's action.

• Climax– moment highest voltage in the play.
• Denouement– an event that completes an action.

As students analyze the play, they work on these concepts.

In terms of volume, the play cannot be large, since it is designed for stage performance (lasting 2-4 hours). Therefore, the plays depict the most significant events that develop quickly, energetically, pitting characters who are engaged in a struggle, hidden or overt.

5. Reading the poster and notes for actors.

Notes for gentlemen actors give a detailed description of the characters.

After reading the list of characters, we will find that there is no auditor there. Title character turns out to be an off-stage character?

We will answer this question during the comedy analysis.

6. Checking homework.

Students give a presentation ( playbill), submit illustrations for the play.

7. The nature of Gogol's laughter.

Laughter is the only “honest, noble face in comedy.”

Creative group performing.

Gogol ridiculed the dark sides of Russian reality: the arbitrariness of the authorities, bribery, embezzlement. ignorance, rudeness. And the exposure of negative heroes has long been in comedy not through a noble face, but through the actions, actions, and dialogues of themselves. Gogol’s negative heroes expose themselves in the eyes of the viewer.”

But... the heroes of N.V. Gogol is exposed not with the help of morality and teachings, but through ridicule. “Vice is struck here only by laughter.” (Gogol).

The author chose a tall, noble laughter, because he was deeply convinced that “even those who are not afraid of anything are afraid of laughter.” With faith in the healing power of laughter, he created his comedy.

Teacher's final words: What is depicted is a mirror in which Gogol shows society to society.

Fear of exposure is driving force plot.

8. Homework.

1. Prepare a message. Characteristics of one of the heroes.

Table “Image Characteristics”

Appearance
Character
Actions

2. How do you understand the epigraph: “There’s no point in blaming the mirror if your face is crooked”?

Answer the question in writing.

It is traditionally believed that the plot was suggested to him by A.S. Pushkin. This is confirmed by the memoirs of the Russian writer Vladimir Sollogub: “Pushkin met Gogol and told him about an incident that happened in the city of Ustyuzhna, Novgorod province - about some passing gentleman who pretended to be a ministry official and robbed all the city residents.”

There is also an assumption that it goes back to the stories about Pavel Svinin’s business trip to Bessarabia in. A year before the debut of The Inspector General, a book on the same topic was published satirical novel A. F. Veltman “Furious Roland”. Even earlier, the comedy “A Visitor from the Capital, or Turmoil in county town» .

While working on the play, Gogol repeatedly wrote to A.S. Pushkin about the progress of its writing, sometimes wanting to quit it, but Pushkin persistently asked him not to stop working on “The Inspector General.”

Pushkin and Zhukovsky were in complete admiration, but many did not see or did not want to see, behind the classical screen of a typical “comedy of errors” plot, a public farce in which the whole of Russia was designated behind a provincial town.

I. I. Panaev. "Literary Memoirs"

Gogol himself spoke about his work like this:

In “The Inspector General,” I decided to put together everything bad in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are being done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and at once laugh at everything.

The stage fate of the play did not develop immediately. It was possible to obtain permission for the production only after Zhukovsky managed to convince the emperor personally that “there is nothing unreliable in the comedy, that it is only a cheerful mockery of bad provincial officials,” and the play was allowed to be staged.

The second edition of the play dates back to 1842.

Characters

• Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, mayor
• Anna Andreevna, his wife
• Marya Antonovna, his daughter
• Luka Lukich Khlopov, superintendent of schools.
• Wife his.
• Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin, judge.
• Artemy Filippovich Strawberry, trustee of charitable institutions.
• Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, postmaster.
• Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky, Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky- city landowners.
• Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, an official from St. Petersburg.
• Osip, his servant.
• Christian Ivanovich Gibner, district doctor.
• Fedor Ivanovich Lyulyukov, Ivan Lazarevich Rastakovsky, Stepan Ivanovich Korobkin- retired officials, honorary persons in the city.
• Stepan Ilyich Ukhovertov, private bailiff.
• Svistunov, Pugovitsyn, Derzhimorda- police officers.
• Abdulin, merchant.
• Fevronya Petrovna Poshlepkina, locksmith.
• Non-commissioned officer's wife.
• Teddy bear, servant of the mayor.
• Servant tavern
• Guests and guests, merchants, townspeople, petitioners

Plot

Action 1

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, a petty low-ranking official (college registrar, the lowest rank in the Table of Ranks), travels from St. Petersburg to Saratov with his servant Osip. He finds himself passing through a small county town. Khlestakov loses at cards and is left without money.

Just at this time, the entire city government, mired in bribes and embezzlement, starting with the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, from a letter received by the mayor, learns about the arrival of an incognito auditor from St. Petersburg, and awaits his arrival in fear. City landowners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, having accidentally learned about the appearance of the defaulter Khlestakov at the hotel, decide that this is the auditor, and report him to the mayor. A commotion begins. All officials and officials fussily rush to cover up their sins, Anton Antonovich himself is at a loss for some time, but quickly comes to his senses and understands that he himself needs to go to bow to the auditor.

Act 2

Meanwhile, the hungry Khlestakov, settled in the cheapest hotel room, is wondering where to get food. He begs for a lunch of soup and roast from the tavern servant, and having received what he wants, he expresses displeasure with the quantity and quality of the dishes. The appearance of the mayor in Khlestakov’s room is an unpleasant surprise for him. At first, he thinks that the hotel owner denounced him as an insolvent guest. The mayor himself is openly timid, believing that he is talking to an important metropolitan official who has arrived on a secret mission to audit the state of affairs in the city. The mayor, thinking that Khlestakov is an auditor, offers him bribe. Khlestakov, thinking that the mayor is a kind-hearted and decent citizen, accepts from him on loan. “I ended up giving him two hundred and four hundred instead,” the mayor rejoices. Nevertheless, he decides to pretend to be a fool in order to extract more information about Khlestakov. “He wants to be considered incognito,” the mayor thinks to himself. - “Okay, let’s let us Turuses in and pretend that we don’t know what kind of person he is.” But Khlestakov, with his inherent naivety, behaves so directly that the mayor is left with nothing, without losing the conviction, however, that Khlestakov is a “subtle little thing” and “you need to keep your eyes open with him.” Then the mayor comes up with a plan to get Khlestakov drunk, and he offers to inspect the charitable institutions of the city. Khlestakov agrees.

Act 3

Then the action continues in the mayor's house. A fairly tipsy Khlestakov, seeing the ladies - Anna Andreevna and Marya Antonovna - decides to “show off.” Showing off in front of them, he tells tales about his important position in St. Petersburg, and, what is most interesting, he himself believes in them. He ascribes to himself literary and musical works, which, due to the “extraordinary ease of thought,” supposedly “wrote in one evening, it seems, amazed everyone.” And he’s not even embarrassed when Marya Antonovna practically catches him in a lie. But soon the tongue refuses to serve the rather tipsy capital guest, and Khlestakov, with the help of the mayor, goes to “rest.”

Act 4

The next day, Khlestakov does not remember anything; he wakes up not as a “field marshal”, but as a collegiate registrar. Meanwhile, city officials “on a military footing” line up to give a bribe to Khlestakov, and he, thinking that he is borrowing (and being sure that when he reaches his village, he will repay all his debts), accepts money from everyone, including Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, who, it would seem, have no reason to bribe the auditor. Khlestakov even begs for money himself, citing a “strange incident” that “he completely spent money on the road.” Next, petitioners break through to Khlestakov, who “attack the mayor” and want to pay him in kind (wine and sugar). Only then does Khlestakov realize that he was given bribes, and he flatly refuses, but if he had been offered a loan, he would have taken it. However, Khlestakov’s servant Osip, being much smarter than his master, understands that both kind and money are still bribes, and takes everything from the merchants, citing the fact that “even a rope will come in handy on the road.” Having sent the last guest away, he manages to look after Anton Antonovich’s wife and daughter. And, although they have known each other for only one day, he asks for the hand of the mayor’s daughter and receives the consent of his parents. Osip strongly recommends that Khlestakov quickly get out of the city before the deception is revealed. Khlestakov leaves, finally sending his friend Tryapichkin a letter from the local post office.

Action 5

The mayor and his entourage take a breath of relief. First of all, the mayor decides to “give some pepper” to the merchants who went to complain about him to Khlestakov. He swaggers over them and calls them names last words, but as soon as the merchants promised a rich treat for the engagement (and later for the wedding) of Marya Antonovna and Khlestakov, the mayor forgave them all. He collects full house guests to publicly announce Khlestakov’s engagement to Marya Antonovna. Anna Andreevna, convinced that she has become related to the big capital authorities, is completely delighted. But then the unexpected happens. Postmaster of the local branch own initiative opened Khlestakov’s letter and it appears from it that incognito he turned out to be a swindler and a thief. The deceived mayor has not yet had time to recover from such a blow when the next news arrives. An official from St. Petersburg staying at the hotel demands him to come to him. It all ends with a silent scene...

Productions

The first performances were in the first edition of 1836. The profession of a theater director did not yet exist; productions were handled by the directorate of the Imperial Theaters and the author himself, but the interpretation of the role still depended most of all on the performers.

Premieres

• April 19, 1836 - Alexandrinsky Theater: Mayor- Sosnitsky, Anna Andreevna- Sosnitskaya, Marya Antonovna- Asenkova, Lyapkin-Tyapkin - Grigoriev 1st, Strawberry - Tolchenov, Bobchinsky- Martynov, Khlestakov- Dur, Osip- Afanasiev, Poshlyopkina- Guseva.

See picture: N.V. Gogol at the rehearsal of “The Inspector General” at the Alexandrinsky Theater. Drawing by P. A. Karatygin. 1836 (the year 1835 is indicated incorrectly in the figure) - Art. Why are you laughing?...

Nicholas I himself was present at the St. Petersburg premiere. After the premiere of The Inspector General, the emperor said: “What a play! Everyone got it, and I got it more than anyone else!” Khlestakov was played by Nikolai Osipovich Dur. The Emperor really liked the production; moreover, according to critics, the positive perception of the crowned special risky comedy subsequently had a beneficial effect on the censorship fate of Gogol’s work. Gogol's comedy was initially banned, but after an appeal it received the highest permission to be staged on the Russian stage.

From the diary of A. I. Khrapovitsky (inspector of the repertoire of the Russian drama troupe):

For the first time "The Inspector General". An original comedy in 5 acts written by N.V. Gogol. The Emperor and his heir suddenly deigned to be present and were extremely pleased, laughing with all their hearts. The play is very funny, just an intolerable curse on the nobles, officials and merchants. All the actors, especially Sosnitsky, played superbly. Sosnitsky and Dur were called. (“Russian Antiquity”, 1879, No. 2 and “Materials” by Shenrock, III, p. 31.

Gogol was disappointed by public opinion and the unsuccessful St. Petersburg production of the comedy and refused to take part in the preparation of the Moscow premiere. The author was especially dissatisfied with the performer leading role. After the premiere in St. Petersburg, Gogol wrote:

“Dur didn’t understand one bit what Khlestakov was. Khlestakov became something like... a whole line of vaudeville rascals...".

• May 25, 1836 - Maly Theater (In Moscow, the first performance was supposed to take place at the Bolshoi Theater, but under the pretext of repairs, the performance was given the next day in the Maly): Mayor- Shchepkin, Khlestakov- Lensky, Osip- Orlov, Shpekin- Potanchikov, Anna Andreevna- Lvova-Sinetskaya, Marya Antonovna- Samarina, Lyapkin-Tyapkin- P. Stepanov, Strawberries- M. Rumyanov, Dobchinsky- Shumsky and Bobchinsky- Nikiforov.

Before the Moscow premiere, Gogol wrote to Shchepkin:

Petersburg, May 10, 1836 I forgot to tell you, dear Mikhail Semenovich, some preliminary remarks about “The Inspector General.” Firstly, you must certainly, out of friendship for me, take upon yourself the entire task of staging it. I don’t know any of your actors, what kind and what each of them is good at. But you can know this better than anyone else. You yourself, without a doubt, must take on the role of mayor, otherwise it will disappear without you. There is an even more difficult role in the entire play - the role of Khlestakov. I don't know if you will choose an artist for it. God forbid [if] it is played with ordinary farces, as boasters and theatrical hangers play. He is simply stupid, he chatters only because he sees that they are willing to listen to him; he’s lying because he had a hearty breakfast and drank some decent wine. He is fidgety only when he approaches the ladies. The scene in which he cheats should turn heads special attention. Every word of his, that is, a phrase or utterance, is an impromptu completely unexpected and therefore must be expressed abruptly. It should not be overlooked that by the end of this scene it begins to unravel little by little. But he should not at all sway in his chair; he should only blush and express himself even more unexpectedly and, the further, louder and louder. I am very afraid for this role. It was performed poorly here too, because it requires decisive talent.

Despite the absence of the author and the complete indifference of the theater management to the premiere production, the performance was a huge success. According to P. Kovalevsky, M. S. Shchepkin, playing the Mayor, “knew how to find one or two almost tragic notes in his role. Thus, the words: “Don’t destroy, wife, children ...”, he pronounced “with tears and the most an unhappy expression on his face... And this rogue becomes pitiful for a minute.”

However, the magazine "Rumor" described the Moscow premiere as follows:

“The play, showered with applause in places, did not excite either a word or a sound when the curtain fell, in contrast to the St. Petersburg production.”

Gogol wrote to M. S. Shchepkin after both premieres of the comedy: “The action produced by it [the play “The Inspector General”] was large and noisy. Everyone is against me. Elderly and respectable officials shout that nothing is sacred to me when I dared to speak like that about serving people. The police are against me, the merchants are against me, the writers are against me... Now I see what it means to be a comic writer. The slightest sign of truth - and not just one person, but entire classes rebel against you” (Collected Works, vol. 6, 1950, p. 232).

Productions in the Russian Empire

Resumes: until 1870 at the Alexandrinsky Theater and until 1882 at the Maly Theater the play was performed in its original edition, later in the 1842 edition. Among the performers of individual roles in different years:

April 14, 1860 - “The Inspector General” was staged by a circle of writers in St. Petersburg in favor of the “Society for Benefiting Needy Writers and Scientists.” This production is especially interesting because it involved not professional actors, but professional writers. And the interpretation of the images in their performance certainly deserves some kind of interest. The theater encyclopedia partially names the performers: Gorodnichy - Pisemsky, Khlestakov - P. Weinberg, Shpekin - Dostoevsky, Abdulin - F. Koni (Ostrovsky was supposed to play, but due to illness F.A. Koni was urgently brought in), honorary persons of the city and police officers - D. V. Grigorovich, N. A. Nekrasov, I. I. Panaev, I. S. Turgenev, etc.).

Unfortunately, information about this production remains extremely scarce. But we managed to find something. The performer of the role of Khlestakov P. Weinberg recalled:

"... the just beginning writer Snitkin, who gained some fame in the light humorous press under the pseudonym of Ammos Shishkin, agrees to play the quarterly (and alas! he died as a victim of this performance because he caught a cold during it and caught a fever); the role of the mayor is taken by a famous artist, Irina Semyonovna Koni (formerly Sandunova); all other roles are distributed among members of the public.<…>

• People's Theater at the Polytechnic Exhibition in Moscow (1872),
• Korsh Theater (1882, Gorodnichy - Pisarev, Khlestakov - Dalmatov), ​​etc. Among the performers of multiple revivals at the Korsh Theater: Mayor- V. N. Davydov, A. M. Yakovlev, B. S. Borisov, Khlestakov- N.V. Svetlov, L.M. Leonidov, N.M. Radin, A.I. Charin.

There are many productions on the provincial stage.

From the first foreign productions

• Paris - Port Saint-Martin (1853), Evre Theater (1898), Réjean Theater (1907), Champs-Elysees Theater (1925), Atelier Theater (1948); Leipzig Theater (1857)
• Berlin - Court Theater (1895), "Schiller Theater" (1902, 1908), German. theater (1907, 1950. 1952);
• Prague - Temporary Theater (1865), National Theater(1937), Realistic Theater (1951)
• Belgrade - Royal Theater (1870, 1889), Krakow Theater (1870);
• Vienna - Burgtheater (1887, 1894), Josephstadttheater (1904), Free Theater (1907), Scala Theater (1951). "Volksteater" (1957);
• Brussels - “Nouveau Theater” (1897), Royal Theater (1899);
• Dresden - Court Theater (1897), Swedish Theater, Helsingfors (1903);
• London - Stage Theater (1906), Barnes Theater (1926);
• Warsaw Philharmonic (1907)

• Leningrad Academic Drama Theater - 1918 ( Mayor- Uralov, Khlestakov- Gorin-Goryainov and Vivien, Osip- Sudbinin), 1920; 1927 (dir. N. Petrov; Mayor- Malyutin), 1936 (dir. Sushkevich, art director Akimov; Khlestakov- Babochkin, Osip- Cherkasov), 1952 (dir. Vivien; Mayor- Tolubeev, Khlestakov- Freundlich).

• Theater named after MGSPS (1924, directed by V. M. Bebutov; Gorodnichy - I. N. Pevtsov, Khlestakov - St. L. Kuznetsov);

• December 9 GosTiM - production by Meyerhold, Khlestakov- Erast Garin and Sergey Martinson. In other roles: Mayor- P.I. Starkovsky, Anna Andreevna- Z. N. Reich, Marya Antonovna- M.I. Babanova, Judge- M.V. Karabanov, Khlopov- A. V. Loginov, Strawberries- V. F. Zaichikov, Postmaster- M. G. Mukhin, Dobchinsky- N.K. Mologin, Bobchinsky- S. V. Kozikov, Gibner- A. A. Temerin, Osip- S. S. Fadeev, Locksmith- N. I. Tverdinskaya, Non-commissioned officer- M. F. Sukhanova, Khlopova- E. A. Tyapkina.

The performance was staged in an extraordinary way in many ways:

The inserts were borrowed not only from the original editions of the play, but also from other works by Gogol. So in Khlestakov’s first monologue a story about card game from “The Players,” and in the lying scene, his story about the beauty of the countess who fell in love with him (taken from the early editions of the play) was joined by Kochkarev’s remark from “Marriage”: “And the nose! I don't know what kind of nose this is! The whiteness of the face is simply dazzling. Alabaster! And not everyone can compare with alabaster. So she has this... and that... A fair amount of calico! This phrase was interpreted in the play as a bold compliment to the mayor. The image of the Visiting Officer was introduced - a kind of constant companion-double of Khlestakov, who accompanied her throughout the entire performance. The monologues of the characters were translated into stories addressed to listeners not provided for in the text of the play. So, the Visiting Officer listens to Khlestakov’s monologues, and the laughing scrubber in the hotel listens to Osip’s stories about life in St. Petersburg. This scene, as planned by the director, ended with the vocal duet “Young, handsome, busy with love...”. Among the other introductory characters was the “Blue Hussar” - Anna Andreevna’s admirer, a cadet in love with Marya Antonovna, military and civilian admirers of the mayor, a detective, a courier, policeman Knut, borrowed from the early editions of “The Inspector General,” the Pogonyaevs’ spouses and the Matsapur couple. The images of Avdotya and Parashka, servants in the mayor's house, were expanded.

From the article “Why are you laughing? You laugh at yourself,” author A. M. Voronov:

“The Inspector General” by V. E. Meyerhold, which was released in 1926 on the stage of GOSTIM, was completely considered an irrational-mystical spectacle (it is no coincidence that K. S. Stanislavsky, after watching the performance, noted that Meyerhold “made Hoffman out of Gogol”). First of all, this decision was related to the interpretation of the central role. Erast Garin, like Mikhail Chekhov, played Khlestakov, first of all, as a brilliant actor, who changed many masks throughout the performance. However, behind these endless transformations there was neither his face nor the slightest sign of a living human soul - only cold emptiness.<…>The mayor and his retinue were overtaken not just by the news of the arrival of a real auditor, but by the blow of Rock, which flashed for a moment like lightning. So great was this horror in the face of the opening abyss that the heroes of Meyerhold’s performance were petrified in the most literal sense of the word - in the finale it was not the actors who appeared on the stage, but their life-size dolls.”

See photo: Scene from the play “The Inspector General” by GosTIM. Directed by V. E. Meyerhold. Photo by M. S. Nappelbaum. 1926 - Why are you laughing?...

Such an extraordinary production served as a reason for jokes: for example, in the book “Funny Projects” Mikhail Zoshchenko wrote:

“The principle of perpetual motion is close to being resolved. For this noble purpose, we can use Gogol’s rotation in his grave regarding the production of his “The Inspector General” by our brilliant contemporary.”

There is an obvious allusion to Meyerhold's production in the film 12 chairs Leonid Gaidai: the avant-garde “The Inspector General” is being staged at the Columbus Theater, in which critics and spectators are trying to discern the “deep meaning” (in the original novel Twelve chairs The theater staged an avant-garde version of Gogol's play "Marriage").

• Collective and State Farm Theater of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee (1934, directed by P. P. Gaideburov).

• Theater named after Vakhtangov (1939, dir. Zahava, art. Williams; Mayor- A. Goryunov, Khlestakov- R. Simonov, Anna Andreevna- E. G. Alekseeva, Marya Antonovna G. Pashkova.

• 1951 - Central Theater of the Soviet Army (dir. A. D. Popov, art director N. A. Shifrin; Mayor- B. A. Sitko, Khlestakov- A. A. Popov, Osip- N. A. Konstantinov).

• - BDT im. G. A. Tovstonogov - production by Tovstonogov, Khlestakov- Oleg Basilashvili

• - Moscow Theater of Satire - production by Valentin Pluchek, Khlestakov- Andrey Mironov, mayor- Anatoly Papanov

• - Moscow Sovremennik Theater, staged by Valery Fokin, mayor- Valentin Gaft, Khlestakov- Vasily Mishchenko.

• - Studio Theater in the South-West, staged by Valery Belyakovich, Khlestakov- Victor Avilov, mayor- Sergey Belyakovich.

• 1985 - Maly Theatre, production: Vitaly Solomin (also in the role of Khlestakov) and Evgeny Vesnik (also in the role of the mayor).

Productions in the Russian Federation

• - Theater on Pokrovka, director Artsybashev Sergey Nikolaevich
• - “Khlestakov” Moscow Drama Theater named after. K. S. Stanislavsky, director Vladimir Mirzoev, Khlestakov - Maxim Sukhanov.

The “county town” in the scenery of Pavel Kaplevich turns out to be an ordinary prison with bunk beds covered with government-issued quilts. The spirit of extremism and criminality hovers in all the characters of the play, finding its hypertrophied expression precisely in Khlestakov, for whom the entire adventure in the provincial town is exactly the last stop on the way to the underworld. When the time comes to leave the “hospitable barracks,” Khlestakov does not leave himself. He, suddenly limp and exhausted, is placed on a garbage bag and taken away by Osip (Vladimir Korenev), who, thanks to his white robe and oriental headdress, evokes strong associations with the Eternal Jew. The devil has done his job - the devil no longer needs to stay in this gray, dirty and spit-stained world, where nothing sacred has long been left."

• Theater named after Vakhtangov, production by Rimas Tuminas, mayor- Sergey Makovetsky, Khlestakov- Oleg Makarov.
• Alexandrinsky Theater, production by Valery Fokin, Khlestakov- Alexey Devotchenko; Based on Meyerhold's 1926 production.
• Maly Theater - production by Yu. M. Solomin, V. E. Fedorov, Mayor- A. S. Potapov, Khlestakov- D. N. Solodovnik, S. V. Potapov.
• Theater named after Mayakovsky, production by Sergei Artsibashev, mayor- Alexander Lazarev, Khlestakov- Sergey Udovik.
• Omsk State Theater of Puppets, Actors, Masks “Harlequin” staged by Marina Glukhovskaya.

All modern productions of the comedy “The Inspector General” emphasize its relevance to new times. Almost two centuries have passed since the play was written, but everything suggests that it Gogol's work about an ordinary incident that happened in a Russian provincial town will not leave the stage of Russian theaters for a long time, where everything noted by Gogol still flourishes: embezzlement, bribery, veneration of rank, indifference, ruthlessness, dirt, provincial boredom and increasing centralization - the pyramid of power, the vertical, - when any metropolitan scoundrel passing by is perceived as an omnipotent big boss. And the image of Khlestakov itself always corresponds to the spirit of the times.

Film adaptations

Artistic Features

Before Gogol, in the tradition of Russian literature, in those works that could be called the forerunner of Russian satire of the 19th century (for example, “The Minor” by Fonvizin), it was typical to depict both negative and goodies. In the comedy “The Inspector General” there are actually no positive characters. They are not even outside the scene and outside the plot.

The relief depiction of the image of city officials and, above all, the mayor, complements the satirical meaning of the comedy. The tradition of bribery and deception of an official is completely natural and inevitable. Both the lower classes and the top of the city's bureaucratic class cannot imagine any other outcome other than bribing the auditor with a bribe. A nameless district town becomes a generalization of all of Russia, which, under the threat of revision, reveals the true side of the character of the main characters.

Critics also noted the peculiarities of Khlestakov’s image. An upstart and a dummy, the young man easily deceives the highly experienced mayor. Famous writer Merezhkovsky traced the mystical origins in comedy. The auditor, like an otherworldly figure, comes for the mayor’s soul, repaying for sins. " Main strength the devil is the ability to appear to be something other than what he is,” this explains Khlestakov’s ability to mislead about his true origin.

The authorities' struggle with the satirical nature of the play

The play was not officially banned. But Nicholas I decided to fight comedy in his own way. Immediately after the premiere of Gogol’s “The Inspector General,” on the imperial initiative, a play was ordered to be written on the same plot but with a different ending: all government embezzlers should be punished, which would certainly weaken the satirical sound of “The Inspector General.” Who was chosen to author the new “real” “Inspector General” was not advertised for a long time. Already on July 14, 1836 in St. Petersburg and on August 27 in Moscow (already at the opening of the 1836/1837 season!) the premiere performances of the comedy “The Real Inspector General” took place. The author's name did not appear either on the posters or in the printed publication, published in the same 1836. After some time, references appeared that the author was “a certain Prince Tsitsianov.” Only in 1985 was a book published by R. S. Hakhverdyan, in which, based on archival documents the authorship of D.I. Tsitsianov is proven. Apart from those mentioned, no further mentions of the production of Tsitsianov’s play are known.

Cultural influence

Russian postage stamp dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of N.V. Gogol, 2009

Comedy had a significant influence on Russian literature in general and drama in particular. Gogol's contemporaries noted her innovative style, depth of generalization and prominence of images. Gogol's work was immediately admired by Pushkin, Belinsky, Annenkov, Herzen, and Shchepkin after its first readings and publications.

Some of us also saw “The Inspector General” on stage then. Everyone was delighted, like all the young people of that time. We repeated by heart […] whole scenes, long conversations from there. At home or at a party, we often had to enter into heated debates with various elderly (and sometimes, to shame, not even elderly) people who were indignant at the new idol of youth and assured that Gogol had no nature, that these were all his own inventions and caricatures that there are no such people in the world at all, and if there are, then there are much fewer of them in the whole city than here in one comedy. The fights were hot, prolonged, to the point of sweat on the face and palms, to sparkling eyes and dull hatred or contempt, but the old men could not change a single feature in us, and our fanatical adoration of Gogol only grew more and more.

The first classical critical analysis of The Inspector General was written by Vissarion Belinsky and was published in 1840. The critic noted the continuity of Gogol’s satire taking its toll creativity in the works of Fonvizin and Moliere. Mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky and Khlestakov are not carriers of abstract vices, but a living embodiment moral decay Russian society generally.

In The Inspector General there are no better scenes, because there are no worse ones, but all are excellent, as necessary parts, artistically forming a single whole, rounded out by internal content, and not by external form, and therefore representing a special and closed world in itself.

Phrases from the comedy became catchphrases, and the names of the characters became common nouns in the Russian language.

The comedy “The Inspector General” was included in the literary school curriculum back in Soviet times and remains to this day key work Russian classical literature XIX century, compulsory for study in school.

See also

Literature

• D. L. Talnikov. New revision of “The Inspector General”: experience of literary and stage study theatrical production. M.-L., Gosizdat, 1927.
• Yu. V. Mann. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". M.: Artist. lit., 1966
• Nazirov R. G. The plot of “The Inspector General” in a historical context // Belskie prostory. - 2005. - No. 3. - P. 110-117.

Links

• Inspector at the library of Maxim Moshkov

Notes

1. “The Inspector General” in the assessment of contemporaries link from November 1
2. V. V. Gippius, “Literary communication between Gogol and Pushkin.” Scientific notes of Perm state university, Department of Social Sciences, vol. 2, 1931, pp. 63-77 link dated November 1
3. Akutin Yu. M. Alexander Veltman and his novel “The Wanderer” // Veltman A. Novels and stories. - M.: Nauka, 1978. - (Literary monuments).
4. Akutin Yu. M. Prose of Alexander Veltman // Veltman A. Wanderer. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1979.
5. Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
6. Passion for “The Inspector General”
7. “The Inspector General” is a satire on feudal Rus'. link from November 1
8. School program
9. Nikolai I. Gogol. “The Inspector General” Anastasia Kasumova / St. Petersburg Literary Magazine No. 32 2003 link dated November 1
10. Theater encyclopedia
11. Gogol.ru
12. Theater Encyclopedia
13. Weinberg Petr Isaevich. Literary performances. Comments
14. Weinberg Petr Isaevich. Literary performances
15. Moscow Art Theater named after Chekhov
16. Adding news
17. Mikhail Chekhov - Khlestakov (Notes on the margins of “The Inspector General”)
18. "The Inspector General" by Meyerhold
19. Why are you laughing?..., author A. M. Voronov
20. M. Zoshchenko, N. Radlov - Fun projects - Perpetuum Gogol
21. Why are you laughing?...
22. Gli anni ruggenti (1962)
23. Yu. V. Mann “N. V. Gogol. Life and creativity" link from November 1

There's no point in blaming the mirror,
if the face is crooked.

Popular proverb.

Characters

Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, mayor.

Anna Andreevna, his wife.

Marya Antonovna, his daughter.

Luka Lukich Khlopov, superintendent of schools.

His wife.

Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin, judge.

Artemy Filippovich Strawberry, trustee of charitable institutions.

Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, postmaster.

Characters and costumes

Notes for gentlemen actors

The mayor, already old in the service and a very intelligent person in his own way. Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably; quite serious; a few are even resonant; speaks neither loudly nor quietly, neither more nor less. His every word is significant. His facial features are coarse and hard, like those of anyone who began his service from the lower ranks. The transition from fear to joy, from rudeness to arrogance is quite rapid, as in a person with crudely developed inclinations of the soul. He is dressed, as usual, in his uniform with buttonholes and boots with spurs. His hair is cropped and streaked with gray.

Anna Andreevna, his wife, a provincial coquette, not yet quite old, brought up half on novels and albums, half on chores in her pantry and maid's room. She is very curious and shows vanity on occasion. Sometimes she takes power over her husband only because he is unable to answer her; but this power extends only to trifles and consists only of reprimands and ridicule. She changes her clothes four times different dresses in continuation of the play.

Khlestakov, a young man of about twenty-three, thin, thin; somewhat stupid and, as they say, without a king in his head - one of those people whom in the offices they call empty-headed. He speaks and acts without any consideration. He is unable to stop constant attention on any thought. His speech is abrupt, and words fly out of his mouth completely unexpectedly. The more the person playing this role shows sincerity and simplicity, the more he will win. Dressed in fashion.

Osip, the servant, is like servants who are several years old usually are. He speaks seriously, looks somewhat downward, is a reasoner, and loves to read moral teachings to his master. His voice is always almost even, and in conversation with the master it takes on a stern, abrupt and even somewhat rude expression. He is smarter than his master and therefore guesses more quickly, but he does not like to talk much and is silently a rogue. His costume is a gray or blue shabby frock coat.

Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, both short, short, very curious; extremely similar to each other; both with small bellies; Both speak quickly and are extremely helpful with gestures and hands. Dobchinsky is a little taller and more serious than Bobchinsky, but Bobchinsky is more cheeky and lively than Dobchinsky.

Lyapkin-Tyapkin, judge, a man who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat free-thinking. The hunter is big on guesses, and therefore he gives weight to every word. The person representing him must always maintain a significant mien on his face. He speaks in a deep bass voice with an elongated drawl, a wheeze and a gulp - like an ancient clock that first hisses and then strikes.

Strawberry, a trustee of charitable institutions, is a very fat, clumsy and clumsy man, but for all that he is a sneak and a rogue. Very helpful and fussy.

The postmaster is a simple-minded person to the point of naivety.

The other roles don't require much explanation. Their originals are almost always before your eyes.

Gentlemen actors should especially pay attention to last scene. The last spoken word should produce an electric shock on everyone at once, suddenly. The entire group must change position in the blink of an eye. The sound of amazement should escape from all women at once, as if from one breast. If these notes are not observed, the entire effect may disappear.

The people depicted by Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” with amazingly unprincipled views and ignorance of any reader amaze and seem completely fictitious. But in fact, these are not random images. These are faces typical of the Russian province of the thirties XIX century, which can be found even in historical documents.

In his comedy, Gogol touches on several very important issues public. This is the attitude of officials to their duties and the implementation of the law. Oddly enough, the meaning of comedy is also relevant in modern realities.

The history of writing "The Inspector General"

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol describes in his works rather exaggerated images of Russian reality of that time. At the moment the idea of ​​a new comedy appeared, the writer was actively working on the poem “Dead Souls”.

In 1835, he turned to Pushkin regarding an idea for a comedy, expressing a request for help in a letter. The poet responds to requests and tells a story when the publisher of one of the magazines in one of the southern cities was mistaken for a visiting official. A similar situation, oddly enough, happened with Pushkin himself at the time when he was collecting materials to describe the Pugachev rebellion in Nizhny Novgorod. He was also mistaken for the capital's auditor. The idea seemed interesting to Gogol, and the very desire to write a comedy captured him so much that work on the play lasted only 2 months.

During October and November 1835, Gogol wrote the comedy in its entirety and a few months later read it out to other writers. Colleagues were delighted.

Gogol himself wrote that he wanted to collect everything bad that is in Russia into a single pile and laugh at it. He saw his play as a cleansing satire and a weapon in the fight against the injustice that existed in society at that time. By the way, the play based on Gogol’s works was allowed to be staged only after Zhukovsky personally made a request to the emperor.

Analysis of the work

Description of the work

The events described in the comedy “The Inspector General” take place in the first half of the 19th century, in one of the provincial towns, which Gogol simply refers to as “N”.

The mayor informs all city officials that he has received news of the arrival of the capital's auditor. Officials are afraid of inspections because they all take bribes, do poor work, and there is chaos in the institutions under their subordination.

Almost immediately after the news, a second one appears. They realize that a well-dressed man who looks like an auditor is staying at a local hotel. In fact, the unknown person is a minor official, Khlestakov. Young, flighty and stupid. The Mayor personally showed up at his hotel to meet him and offer to move to his home, in much better conditions than the hotel. Khlestakov happily agrees. He likes this kind of hospitality. At this stage, he does not suspect that he has been mistaken for who he is.

Khlestakov is also introduced to other officials, each of whom hands him a large sum money, supposedly borrowed. They do everything so that the check is not so thorough. At this moment, Khlestakov understands who he was mistaken for and, having received a round sum, keeps silent that this is a mistake.

Afterwards, he decides to leave the city of N, having previously proposed to the daughter of the Mayor himself. Joyfully blessing the future marriage, the official rejoices at such a relationship and calmly says goodbye to Khlestakov, who is leaving the city and, naturally, is not going to return to it.

Before this, the main character writes a letter to his friend in St. Petersburg, in which he talks about the embarrassment that occurred. The postmaster, who opens all letters at the post office, also reads Khlestakov’s message. The deception is revealed and everyone who gave bribes learns with horror that the money will not be returned to them, and there has been no verification yet. At the same moment, a real auditor arrives in town. Officials are horrified by the news.

Comedy heroes

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov

Khlestakov's age is 23 - 24 years. A hereditary nobleman and landowner, he is thin, thin and stupid. Acts without thinking about the consequences, has abrupt speech.

Khlestakov works as a registrar. In those days, this was the lowest-ranking official. He is rarely present at work, increasingly plays cards for money and takes walks, so his career is not moving forward. Khlestakov lives in St. Petersburg, in a modest apartment, and his parents, who live in one of the villages in the Saratov province, regularly send him money. Khlestakov does not know how to save money; he spends it on all kinds of pleasures, without denying himself anything.

He is very cowardly, loves to brag and lie. Khlestakov is not averse to hitting on women, especially pretty ones, but only stupid provincial ladies succumb to his charm.

Mayor

Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. An official who has grown old in the service, in his own way, is not stupid, making a completely respectable impression.

He speaks carefully and in moderation. His mood changes quickly, his facial features are hard and rough. He performs his duties poorly and is a swindler with extensive experience. The mayor makes money wherever possible, and is in good standing among the same bribe-takers.

He is greedy and insatiable. He steals money, including from the treasury, and unprincipledly violates all laws. He doesn’t even shun blackmail. A master of promises and an even greater master of keeping them.

The mayor dreams of being a general. Despite the mass of his sins, he attends church weekly. A passionate card player, he loves his wife and treats her very tenderly. He also has a daughter, who at the end of the comedy, with his blessing, becomes the bride of the nosy Khlestakov.

Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin

It is this character, responsible for sending letters, who opens Khlestakov’s letter and discovers the deception. However, he opens letters and parcels on a regular basis. He does this not out of precaution, but solely for the sake of curiosity and his own collection of interesting stories.

Sometimes he doesn’t just read letters that he particularly likes, Shpekin keeps them for himself. In addition to forwarding letters, his duties include managing postal stations, caretakers, horses, etc. But this is not what he does. He does almost nothing at all and therefore the local post office works extremely poorly.

Anna Andreevna Skvoznik-Dmukhanovskaya

Mayor's wife. A provincial coquette whose soul is inspired by novels. She is curious, vain, loves to get the better of her husband, but in reality this only happens in small things.

An appetizing and attractive lady, impatient, stupid and capable of talking only about trifles and the weather. At the same time, he loves to chat incessantly. She is arrogant and dreams of a luxurious life in St. Petersburg. The mother is not important because she competes with her daughter and boasts that Khlestakov paid more attention to her than to Marya. One of the entertainments for the Governor's wife is fortune-telling on cards.

Mayor's daughter is 18 years old. Attractive in appearance, cutesy and flirtatious. She is very flighty. It is she who at the end of the comedy becomes Khlestakov’s abandoned bride.

Composition and plot analysis

The basis of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s play “The Inspector General” is an everyday joke, which was quite common in those days. All the comedy images are exaggerated and, at the same time, believable. The play is interesting because all its characters are interconnected and each of them, in fact, acts as a hero.

The plot of the comedy is the arrival of the inspector expected by the officials and their haste in drawing conclusions, because of which Khlestakov is recognized as the inspector.

What is interesting about the composition of the comedy is the absence of love intrigue and love line, as such. Here vices are simply ridiculed, which, according to the classical literary genre receive punishment. Partly they are already orders for the frivolous Khlestakov, but the reader understands at the end of the play that even greater punishment awaits them ahead, with the arrival of a real inspector from St. Petersburg.

Through simple comedy with exaggerated images, Gogol teaches his reader honesty, kindness and responsibility. The fact that you need to respect your own service and comply with the laws. Through the images of heroes, each reader can see his own shortcomings, if among them are stupidity, greed, hypocrisy and selfishness.

Draft editions of The Inspector General

Gogol the Inspector General comedy drama

As you know, Nikolai Vasilyevich worked painstakingly on the text of “The Inspector General” for approximately 17 years. Approximately a year before own death the writer read the proofs of volume IV Full meeting own compositions, where both preliminary editions of his comedy and printed versions of “The Inspector General” were published, and, having reached one of the very final lines of the fourth act of this work, he made some very significant changes.

Most latest edition“The Inspector General” is considered to be the text printed in the first collection of 1842, which included all the corrections that Gogol made after this publication. The final edition of Volume IV of the Complete Works of N.V. Gogol included corrections that had not been read until that time. It also included corrections made by Gogol for the Second Collected Works, which was prepared in 1851.

In total, Gogol wrote two incomplete versions of the comedy, two editions - the first and second. During N.V. Gogol’s lifetime, three editions of “The Inspector General” were published:

1. First edition. "Inspector". Comedy in five acts, op. N.V. Gogol. St. Petersburg, 1836.

2. Second, corrected, with attachments. "The Inspector General", comedy in five acts, op. N. Gogol. St. Petersburg, 1841.

3. Third edition. Op. Nikolai Gogol, vol. IV. SPb., 1842, pp. 1-216, “Inspector” and applications. .

The foundation of the text of the comedy and its appendices already in the fourth edition, which was published in 1855, was the proofs corrected by the playwright himself in 1851.

As Voitolovskaya notes, Gogol worked especially hard on the auditor at the end of 1835 and at the beginning of 1836. After six months of diligent work on the drafts, the text of the work was written, which was published in the first edition of The Inspector General.

Creating a comedy that has never been seen in Russia, depicting something that was of a topical nature, Nikolai Vasilyevich, without regret, removes from “The Inspector General” everything that, in his opinion, interferes with the implementation of a large and serious plan. The playwright chose to build a comedy without unnecessary and banal love intrigue, without external and carefree comedy. He sought to free comedy from theatrical stereotypes, from the usual tradition of a love plot.

Thus, the following places were excluded from the “Auditor”:

1. The mayor’s dream about dogs “with inhuman muzzles.” .

2. The mayor’s thoughts about the teacher who teaches rhetoric.

3. The place where Khlestakov talks about how, together with the director of the school, he was chasing “a pretty girl.” .

First and second editions of The Inspector General

Gogol had to make several cuts in the stage and printed texts of the comedy. This was dictated by the requirements theater stage: limited time for the performance, as well as the gravity to convey all the tension in the development of the plot.

On July 26, 1841, censorship permission was received for the second edition of the work. Already in the fall, as the author of “The Inspector General” himself wanted, the comedy went on sale. Gogol nevertheless made a number of amendments to the second edition, mainly concerning the beginning of the fourth act of The Inspector General. For example, in the first scene of this action, the scene where Khlestakov is alone was replaced with a scene of officials talking about how best to bribe Khlestakov. Without this lively, comical scene, where the characters of officials are drawn so clearly and truthfully, it is very difficult to imagine a comedy.

After the first performance of The Inspector General, Gogol realized that there was still a lot to change. These same changes were included in the second edition. In “Excerpt from a Letter...” Nikolai Vasilyevich wrote: “Now, it seems, it came out a little stronger, at least more natural and more to the point.” .

If we talk about the “Excerpt from the Letter...” itself, then N. S. Tikhonravov, one of the most prominent historians of Russian literature, questions both the addressee of the letter, Pushkin, and the date of its writing, May 25, 1836. Archaeographer Tikhonravov believes that the drafts of “Excerpt ...” were written by Gogol abroad at the same time when the writer, in 1841, was preparing the second edition of “The Inspector General”. To prove his version, he emphasizes that “Excerpt...” was written on paper marked London. . Tikhonravov also points out that some of the drafts of the letter are similar to Gogol’s letter to Shchepkin, written on May 10, 1836, which means they could have been written earlier than the rest.

V.V. Gippius and V.L. Komarovich believed that Tikhonravov was able to prove the dubiousness of the playwright’s story about the reason and date of writing “Excerpt ...”, and also managed to convince them that this letter was written no other way than at the beginning 1841 in Italy, when Nikolai Vasilyevich wrote additions to the comedy.

A.G. Gukasova, in her work “Excerpt from a letter written by the author shortly after the first presentation of “The Inspector General” to a writer,” expressed disagreement with Tikhonravov’s point of view in 1957. She believes that the historian’s radical and incorrect evidence not only allows calling Gogol a fictionalist, but also indicates a “breakdown in relations” between Gogol and Pushkin. . Gukasova, having analyzed all of Gogol’s letters to Alexander Sergeevich, as well as their statements about each other, came to the conclusion that in the most difficult moments the playwright turned specifically to Pushkin, therefore “Excerpt ...” is addressed specifically to him. The letter was written precisely on May 25, 1836, as Gogol indicated, and in 1841 he only gave it the appearance that was necessary for publication.

Tikhonravov criticizes N. Ya. Pokopovich, the editor of “The Works of Nikolai Gogol,” since, in his opinion, he changed the author’s text, changed the language and style of the playwright. Here Tikhonravov is supported by V.V. Gippius and V.L. Komarovich, who carefully studied all the corrections Gogol made on a copy of the comedy printed edition 1836.

E. I. Prokhorov justifies Prokopovich’s work, citing a number of convincing arguments not in favor of Tikhonravov’s point of view, considering the 1842 edition to be the main source of the text of “The Inspector General”. .