How many good people we have
but how much there is and tares, from which
there is no life for the good...
To their stage! Let him see all
people! Let them laugh!
Oh, laughter is a great thing!
N.V. Gogol
It is known that the only time Gogol had the opportunity to observe a Russian provincial town was in Kursk, where he had to stay for a week due to a breakdown in the carriage. Through the power of the writer's talent, these impressions turned into images that were mysterious for all of Russia during the time of Nicholas I. It is curious that Nicholas himself confirmed this. On the way from Penza to Tambov, the tsar was injured and was treated in Chembar for two weeks. After recovering, he wished to see local officials. They say that the emperor closely examined those who came and said to the provincial marshal of the nobility: “I know them ...” And then he added in French that he had seen them at the performance of Gogol’s “Inspector General”. Indeed, Gogol made officials of the county town the heroes of the comedy. Thanks to a simple, at first glance, plot move, a passing petty official is mistaken for an auditor - the author reveals the life and customs not only of a provincial state town, but of all of Russia.
What is Russia in miniature - a city from which “even if you ride for three years, you won’t reach any state”? “There is a tavern on the streets, uncleanness!” Near the old fence, "which is near the shoemaker, ... heaped on forty carts of all sorts of rubbish." The church at a charitable institution, “for which five years ago an amount was allocated, began to be built, but burned down ...” A depressing picture.
And how does the “merchants” and “citizenship” live? Who is robbed, who is flogged, who has bruises on his cheekbones from the zeal of Derzhimorda; prisoners are not fed, in hospitals there is a stench, uncleanliness and the sick "everyone recovers like flies."
And everything is to blame for the extreme cynicism of actions and the arbitrariness of the “pillars of the city” - those who, by virtue of their public duty, are called upon to resist lawlessness and take care of the welfare of the townspeople. However, the conical effect in the play is precisely based on the discrepancy between the actions of the characters and their social vocation. The mayor, for example, proudly announces: “I have been living in the service for thirty years! He deceived three governors!” The judge echoes him: “I tell you frankly that I take bribes, but why bribes? Greyhound puppies. It's a completely different matter." The postmaster, after listening to the instruction: “to print every letter a little bit,” naively admits: “I know, I know, don’t teach this, I do this not so much out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: “I love death to find out what is new in the world” .
So, completely unscrupulousness, selfish calculation, abuse of official position - this is what forms the basis of the consciousness and activity of the “masters of life”. But most importantly, Gogol will remove the veil of secrecy from bribery - the most dangerous and widespread vice of the huge bureaucratic apparatus of Russia. No wonder during the monologue of the Governor “What are you laughing at? Laugh at yourself!” the actor Shchepkin came close to the ramp and threw these words into the prim stalls, where many prototypes of Gogol's heroes sat, among which, according to Mikhail Semenovich himself, were half the "takers" and half the "giver".
And yet embezzlement, bribery, robbery of the population - all these inherently terrible phenomena - are shown by Gogol as everyday and quite natural. According to Anton Antonovich's deep conviction, "there is no person who would not have some sins behind him," who would miss that "that floats in his hands."
And now, in the city, the auditor "incognito" is an unexpectedly looming danger for all officials, but especially for the Governor. After all, the first demand is from the father of the city, and his sins are more impressive: “not only fur coats and shawls, but coolies of goods from merchants, but also the state treasury, funds allocated for the improvement of the city, social needs float into the hands. And you can’t fix this with a quick order: “you won’t take out the mountains of garbage, you won’t cover voids and ruins with a straw milestone, you won’t build a church, and most importantly, you won’t silence all the offended.”
But the whole point is that it is not the inspector who lives in the hotel, but a miserable “Elistratishka” who squandered money in St. Petersburg. According to the laws of the conical, Gogol endows his hero with a frightening surname, formed from the word whip - to beat backhand. And officials tremble. The Governor himself did not recognize the “wick”, “dummy”. Each remark of the frightened Khlestakov is perceived by the even more frightened Anton Antonovich in a completely different sense. However, everything was decided by a repeatedly tested remedy - a bribe. She confirmed the idea that the game went according to all the rules. Now to get the guest drunk and explore everything completely. Which of the auditors refused a delicious treat!
In the end, events turn out in such a way that the auditor "field marshal" is already Anton Antonovich's son-in-law and the patron of the family. The viewer is convinced that unusual lightness in thoughts is characteristic of more than one Khlestakov. She takes the Governor and his wife to St. Petersburg, where Anton Antonovich is going to "knock out" the rank of general, eat vendace and smelt. And Anna Andreevna should have in her room “such an amber that it was impossible to enter.” And the new general is already triumphant, before whom everyone trembles and trembles: titular, mayor ... Despite the fact that the Governor has just experienced panic fear, having learned that the merchants complained about him, he is immensely happy. After all, now this fear will pierce others in front of his special. It is tempting to see those trembling and trembling! Contempt for the lower and servility to the higher ranks - this is what is the basis of relationships in the bureaucratic world. Therefore, the scene of congratulations to the Gorodnichiy family on their happiness is drawn by Gogol as a parade of hypocrisy, envy and swagger.
Gogol promised Pushkin that the comedy would be “funnier than the devil”, laughter permeates every episode, every scene of the comedy. However, by showing not private, but officials in whose hands power over people is, Gogol takes the stage action beyond the framework of an anecdotal incident. His cheerful, but sharp and stern word fights for the high vocation of a person, a smart, noble life. Chernyshevsky's words come to mind: Gogol "was the first to introduce us to us in our present form... The first taught us to know our shortcomings and to abhor them."
The work of one of the most outstanding literary talents - Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - fell on the dark era of Nicholas I. These were the 30s of the 19th century, when reaction reigned in Russia after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissidents were persecuted, the best people were persecuted. Describing the reality of his day, N.V. Gogol creates literary works that are brilliant in their depth of reflection of life. Not only provincial officials and landowners fall into the field of view of the writer. The whole of Russia becomes the theme of his work - on the example of the customs and life of a small county town.
Gogol wrote about the idea of his wonderful comedy The Inspector General: “In The Inspector General I decided to put together everything that was bad in Russia, which I then knew ... and laugh at everything at once.” Gogol made officials of the county town the heroes of the comedy. Thanks to a seemingly simple plot move (a passing petty official is mistaken for an auditor), the author fully reveals the characters of the characters, their manners and habits.
What is Russia in miniature - a city from which “if you ride for three years, you won’t reach any state”? “There is a tavern on the streets, uncleanness! "Near the old fence," which is near the shoemaker, ..heaped on forty carts of all sorts of rubbish. A church at a charitable institution, “for which five years ago an amount was allocated, ..began to be built, but burned down” ... And how do “merchants” and “citizenship” live? Who is robbed, who is flogged, who has bruises on his cheekbones from the zeal of Derzhimorda; the prisoners are not fed, there is a stench in the hospitals, and the sick "are getting better like flies."
Having learned about the upcoming visit of the state inspector, city officials immediately try to restore order in their city. But what are their efforts? To the observance of external decorum (removal of a hunting rapnik hanging in the presence, cleaning the street along which the auditor will go). “As for the internal order and what Andrei Ivanovich calls sins in the letter, I can’t say anything. Yes, and it is strange to say: there is no person who would not have some sins behind him. This is how it is arranged by God himself, ”says the mayor.
Thus, Gogol shows that the life of a provincial town is determined by the attitude of officials to their service. We see that those who, by virtue of their public duty, are called to resist lawlessness and look after the welfare of the citizens, are mired in bribery, drinking, card games and gossip. The mayor, for example, proudly announces: “I have been living in the service for thirty years! Three governors deceived! ” The judge echoes him: “I tell you frankly that I take bribes, but why bribes? Greyhound puppies. It's a completely different matter." The postmaster, having listened to the instruction (“to print every letter a little bit”), naively admits: “I know, I know, don’t teach this, I do it not only out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: I like to know death, what is new in the world” .
All the images of officials created by Gogol in the comedy "The Inspector General" embody the typical features characteristic of civil servants in Nikolaev Russia.
The period of creativity of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol coincided with the dark era of Nicholas I. After the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissidents were severely persecuted by the authorities. Describing reality, N.V. Gogol creates literary works of genius, full of life's realities. The theme of his work is all layers of Russian society - on the example of the customs and everyday life of a small county town. Gogol wrote that in The Inspector General he finally decided to put together everything that was bad in Russian society that he saw and laugh at everything at once. Gogol made the officials of an ordinary county town the heroes of the comedy. Thanks to a seemingly simple plot move (a petty official passing by is mistaken for an auditor), the author vividly and colorfully describes the types and heroes, their habits - in general, a description of Russia in miniature - a city from which you can ride for three years, but so no state to reach. "On the streets of a tavern, uncleanness!". Near the ancient fence, which is located near the shoemaker, "heaped on forty carts of all sorts of rubbish." Even the church, which is located at a charitable institution, for the construction of which money was allocated five years ago, began to be built, but then burned down, but it still stands. How does the “merchants” and “citizenship” live? Here who is robbed, who is flogged by an official, who is beaten from Derzhimorda's hard work. In prisons, prisoners are not fed, hospitals are filthy, and the sick "recover like flies." Having learned that the arrival of the auditor is coming, officials immediately try to restore at least some order in the city.
Their actions are reduced to showing off, to observing only external decorum (removing a hunting rapnik that hung in the presence, cleaning and cleaning only the street along which the arriving auditor will drive). “As for the internal order ... I can’t say anything ... There is no person who would not have some sins behind him. This is how it is arranged by God himself, ”the mayor says so. Gogol shows the reader that life in a single city directly depends on the attitude of officials to their service. Those who, by virtue of their duty, are called to resist the violation of the law and look after the welfare of the citizens, are mired in bribery, drunkenness, gambling and gossip. The mayor proudly declares: “I have been living in the service for thirty years! Three governors deceived! The judge does not lag behind him: “I tell you frankly that I take bribes ... With greyhound puppies. This is… different.” Even the postmaster is ridiculed by Gogol.
When he is instructed to open all letters lightly, he naively admits: “I do this not only out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: I love death to know what is new in the world.” All the images created by Gogol in the comedy "The Inspector General" embody the typical features characteristic of officials from Nikolaev Russia. Vulgar, two-faced, poorly educated - the most "educated" of the comedy characters is Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin. In his entire life, he read as many as five or six books, therefore he is considered the most "well-read" and "somewhat free-thinking." Unscrupulousness, self-interest, various abuses of official position - these are the mores of the county officials. It is interesting that embezzlement, bribery, robbery of the population - all these terrible social vices - are shown by Gogol as everyday and even natural phenomena.
The image of the manners of the county town in the comedy by N.V. Gogol's "Inspector"
I. Introduction
In the comedy The Inspector General, Gogol strove for very broad generalizations (“I decided to put together everything bad in Russia that I knew then ... and laugh at everything at once”). Therefore, the city in comedy is a generalized, typical image, it is no coincidence that it does not have any, even a conventional name. This is any of the thousands of similar cities in Russia.
II. main part
1. The city in the comedy is a county one, that is, the smallest of all in Russia at that time. This is a wilderness, from it, according to the City - nothing, "even if you ride for three years, you will not reach any state." The inhabitants of the city have a very poor idea of \u200b\u200blife in the capital (this is partly why Khlestakov manages to pass for an important person). In general, enlightenment almost did not touch even the highest officials: as a rare and remarkable phenomenon, the author notes that the judge read five or six books; strange rules and wild logic reign in the county school (if the teacher “tailored a face to the student”, this means that he inspires youth
free-thinking thoughts), etc.
2. The most striking feature of county morals is the complete arbitrariness of officials. It is practically uncontrollable (an auditor from St. Petersburg is an out of the ordinary phenomenon for them, and Gorodnichiy, apparently, easily copes with the governor and his officials). Gogol did not bring out a single honest person in his comedy, with the possible exception of Khlopov, but he is so downtrodden and intimidated that he does not change the overall picture. Covetousness, embezzlement and arbitrariness have become my life as a county town, and many officials, and other townspeople, consider them in the order of things: the Governor is convinced that “this is already arranged by God himself,” the judge sincerely believes that taking bribes with greyhound puppies is quite Admittedly, it does not occur to the postmaster that, opening and even holding letters, he is acting illegally, the mayor reprimands the quarterly not for taking a piece of matter from the merchant, but for taking too much: “Not you take according to your rank!”, etc.
III. Conclusion
Gogol was the first writer in Russian literature who began to study and depict the average Russian county or provincial city. ‘Before him, the scene was either the capital or the village. Thus, Gogol initiated a very important tradition, which was inherited by such writers as Leskov, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gorky and others.
Glossary:
- manners of the county town inspector
- an essay on the theme of the auditor the finest description of morals
- the image of the county town in the comedy n in Gogol's auditor
Other works on this topic:
- Satirical depiction of bureaucracy in N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is considered one of the best examples of dramaturgy in Russian literature. With his work...
- Forgotten by everyone, very far from the magnificent capital and cultural centers, the gray provincial town, whose lethargy was stirred up by the visit of the so-called incognito from St. Petersburg, is presented in a comedy...
- The era reflected by N.V. Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” is the 30s. XIX century, during the reign of Nicholas I. The writer later recalled: “In the Inspector General, I decided ...
- It is known that the only time Gogol had the opportunity to observe a Russian provincial town was in Kursk, where he had to stay for a week due to a breakdown in the carriage. By force...
Plan
Introduction
The comedy depicts the county town:
a) life in the city is calm;
b) the city is dirty;
c) the customs prevailing in the city.
Main part
Why did such a situation arise?
a) officials care only about their own well-being;
b) gossip flourishes in the city;
c) complaints from residents to Khlestakov about the order in the city.
Conclusion
If there is an unjust and selfish government in the city, then what order can there be in it?
The play reflected the life of the entire state.
The county town depicted by N.V. Gogol in the comedy The Inspector General is a town in the wilderness of provincial Russia. “From here, even if you ride for three years, you won’t reach any state.” Life in the town is calm and is disturbed only by some local troubles: the women fought in the bazaar, there was a fight outside the city, and the policeman who went there “for order” returned dead drunk. The city is dirty, as soon as a monument or just a fence is erected somewhere, they will immediately pile around “on forty carts of all sorts of rubbish”. It is not being improved, because the officials plunder the money that is allocated for this. The mayor warns that the church, for which the money was allocated five years ago, "began to be built, but burned down." He is afraid that someone, "having forgotten, will foolishly say that it never even started." The garrison soldiers wander around dressed out of uniform, the police indiscriminately "put lanterns under their eyes: both the right and the guilty."
Why such a situation has developed in the city? Local authorities - officials - only care about their well-being. Hence theft, and bribes, and unjust judgment. Between themselves, they are outwardly friends, but in fact they envy each other and slander slowly. Gossiping is not only done by ladies who try to outdo others with outfits and "delicacy of treatment." The main gossipers of the city are the landowners Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky. They tirelessly spread new gossip around the city. Everyone knows everything about everyone: who goes to someone else's wife, who lost how much in cards, who sent what to the Governor as a gift. And many complain of insults to Khlestakov, seeing him as an auditor and defender, and Strawberry is ready to write a denunciation about the free-thinking of the superintendent of schools and about the sins of his colleagues. From the complaints of the inhabitants, it is clear to Khlestakov that those who do not have power and money in this city must endure both requisitions and humiliation. The locksmith's husband was not legally taken into the army, because others paid off. The non-commissioned officer was not flogged according to the law. Merchants are put under arrest, dragged by the beard, if they gave little money and gifts to the Governor.
If there is an unjust and mercenary government in the city, then what order can there be in it? Arbitrariness and lawlessness reign in it, and so it was throughout Russia. Understanding this, Nicholas I was outraged by Gogol's play. After all, the life of the entire state was reflected in the life of the county town in the comedy "The Inspector General".
