A satirical depiction of landowners in N. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls". N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is a brilliant satire on serfdom Rus'

25.09.2019

Aug 20 2010

Gogol created his works in the historical conditions that developed in Russia after the failure of the first revolutionary uprising - the Decembrist uprising of 1825. The new socio-political situation confronted the leaders of the Russian social thought and literature new tasks that were deeply reflected in Gogol. Having turned to the most important social problems of his time, he went further along the path of realism, which was opened by Pushkin and Griboyedov. Developing principles critical realism, Gogol became one of greatest representatives this direction in Russian. As Belinsky notes, “Gogol was the first to look boldly and directly at Russian reality.”

One of the main themes in Gogol’s work is the Russian landowner class, the Russian nobility as the ruling class, its fate and role in public life. It is characteristic that Gogol’s main way of depicting landowners is satire. The images of landowners reflect the process of gradual degradation of this class, revealing all its vices and shortcomings. Gogol's satire is tinged with irony and “hits right in the forehead.” Irony helped the writer talk about things that were impossible to talk about under censorship conditions. Gogol's laughter seems good-natured, but he spares no one, every phrase has a deep, hidden meaning, subtext. Irony is a characteristic element of Gogol's satire. It is present not only in the author’s speech, but also in the speech of the characters. Irony - one of the essential signs of Gogol's poetics - gives the narrative greater realism, becoming artistic medium critical analysis reality.

IN largest work Gogol - poem " Dead Souls“The images of landowners are given in the most complete and multifaceted way. The poem is structured as the adventures of Chichikov, an official who buys “dead souls.” The composition of the poem allowed the author to talk about different landowners and their villages. Characteristics various types Almost half of the first volume of the poem is devoted to Russian landowners (five chapters out of eleven). Gogol creates five characters, five portraits that are so different from each other, and at the same time in each of them appear typical features Russian landowner.

Our acquaintance begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. This sequence has its own logic: from one landowner to another the process of impoverishment deepens human personality, is unfolding more and more scary picture disintegration of serf society.

Manilov opens a portrait gallery of landowners. His character is already evident in his surname. The description begins with a picture of the village of Manilovka, which “not many could lure with its location.” He describes the master's courtyard with irony, with the pretense of a "Glitsch garden with an overgrown pond", sparse bushes and with a pale inscription: "Temple of solitary reflection." Speaking about Manilov, the author exclaims: “God alone could say what Manilov’s character was.” He is kind by nature, polite, courteous, but all this took on ugly forms in him. Manilov is beautiful-hearted and sentimental to the point of cloying. Relations between people seem to him idyllic and festive. Manilov does not know life at all; reality is replaced by empty fantasy. He likes to think and dream, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. But his projection is far from the demands of life. He does not know and never thinks about the real needs of the peasants. Manilov considers himself a bearer of spiritual culture. Once in the army he was considered the most educated man. The author speaks ironically about the atmosphere of Manilov’s house, in which “something was always missing,” and about his sugary relationship with his wife. When talking about dead souls, Manilov is compared to an overly smart minister. Here Gogol’s irony, as if accidentally, intrudes into the forbidden area. Comparing Manilov with the minister means that the latter is not so different from this landowner, and “Manilovism” is a typical phenomenon of this vulgar world.

The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of Korobochka, which Gogol classifies as one of those “small landowners who complain about crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile gradually collect money in colorful bags placed in the drawers of the chest of drawers.” This money is obtained from the sale of a wide variety of subsistence products. Korobochka understood the benefits of trade and, after much persuasion, agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls. The author is ironic in his description of the dialogue between Chichikov and Korobochka. The “club-headed” landowner cannot understand for a long time what they want from her, she infuriates Chichikov, and then bargains for a long time, fearing “just not to make a mistake.” Korobochka's horizons and interests do not extend beyond the boundaries of her estate. The household and its entire way of life are patriarchal in nature.

Gogol depicts a completely different form of decomposition of the noble class in the image of Nozdryov (Chapter IV). This is a typical "jack of all trades" approach. There was something open, direct, and daring in his face. He is characterized by a peculiar “breadth of nature.” As the author ironically notes, “Nozdryov was in some respects historical person" Not a single meeting he attended was complete without stories! Nozdryov, with a light heart, loses a lot of money at cards, beats a simpleton at a fair and immediately “squanders” all the money. Nozdryov is a master of “casting bullets”, he is a reckless braggart and an utter liar. Nozdryov behaves defiantly, even aggressively, everywhere. His speech is full of swear words, and he has a passion for “messing up his neighbor.” In the image of Nozdrev, Gogol created a new socio-psychological type of “Nozdrevism” in Russian literature.

When describing Sobakevich, the author’s satire takes on a more accusatory character (Chapter V of the poem). He bears little resemblance to previous landowners: he is a “kulak landowner,” a cunning, tight-fisted huckster. He is alien to the dreamy complacency of Manilov, the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, and the hoarding of Korobochka. He is laconic, has an iron grip, has his own mind, and there are few people who could deceive him. Everything about him is solid and strong. Gogol finds a reflection of a person’s character in all the surrounding things of his life. Everything in Sobakevich’s house was surprisingly reminiscent of himself. Each thing seemed to say: “And I, too, are Sobakevich.” Gogol draws a figure that is striking in its rudeness. To Chichikov he seemed very similar “to average size bear." Sobakevich is a cynic who is not ashamed of moral ugliness either in himself or in others. This is a man far from enlightenment, a die-hard serf owner who cares about the peasants only as labor force. It is characteristic that, except for Sobakevich, no one understood the essence of the “scoundrel” Chichikov, but he perfectly understood the essence of the proposal, which reflects the spirit of the times: everything is subject to purchase and sale, profit should be derived from everything.

Chapter VI of the poem is dedicated to Plyushkin, whose name has become a household name to denote stinginess and moral degradation. This becomes the last step in the degeneration of the landowner class. Gogol begins the reader’s acquaintance with the character, as usual, with a description of the village and the landowner’s estate. “Some kind of special disrepair” was noticeable on all the buildings. The writer paints a picture of the complete ruin of a once rich landowner's economy. The reason for this is not the extravagance and idleness of the landowner, but morbid stinginess. This is an evil satire on the landowner, who has become “a hole in humanity.” The owner himself is a sexless creature, reminiscent of a housekeeper. This hero does not cause laughter, but only bitter regret.

So, the five characters created by Gogol in “ Dead souls", depict the state of the noble-serf class in many ways. Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Soba-kevich, Plyushkin - all this various shapes one phenomenon - the economic, social, spiritual decline of the class of feudal landowners.

Need a cheat sheet? Then save - "SATIRE IN N.V. GOGOL'S POEM "DEAD SOULS". Literary essays!

Satirical techniques images of landowners in N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”. Test work based on the works of Gogol N . V. in 9th grade.

“I was going to create something that no one had created before. “Dead Souls” will become the great work that Pushkin bequeathed to me to write. A work about people without souls and death human souls"- admitted N.V. Gogol.

“My heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other,” wrote Gogol. In critical literature, it has been suggested that the writer arranged the chapters from the poem according to the principle of increasing negative traits heroes. From this point of view, Plyushkin is the completion of the gallery of “dead souls” depicted by Gogol.

Literary critic V. Zenkovsky wrote: “When reading the poem, you saw how through appearance, through things, objects of the surrounding world, Gogol characterizes his heroes, emphasizing their lack of spirituality, primitiveness of feelings and thoughts. But the writer wants to get to the image of the type of person - and on this path Gogol’s work approaches the highest creations of literature.”

1. Which of the characters in the poem correspond to the given characteristics?

a) “The landowner was not yet an old man at all, but had eyes as sweet as sugar.”

b) “They collect a little money into colorful bags placed on the drawers of the chest of drawers. All the tsarkovniks are taken into one bag, fifty dollars into another, and quarters into the third.”

c) “He was of average height, a very well-built fellow, with full rosy cheeks, teeth white as snow, and jet-black sideburns.”

d) “This time he seemed like a medium-sized bear... to complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, the sleeves were long, and the trousers were long. He walked with his feet in a crooked way and constantly stepped on other people’s feet.”

e) “For a long time he could not discern what gender the figure was. The dress she was wearing was completely indefinite, similar to a woman’s hood, and she had a cap on her head...”

2. Identify the landowner based on the interior details.

a) “The manor’s house stood alone on the south, open to all the winds. The slope of the mountain was covered with trimmed turf. Two or three flower beds were scattered on it. A gazebo with blue columns and the inscription: “Temple of Solitary Reflection” was visible.

b) “The room was hung with old striped wallpaper; paintings with some birds, mirrors with dark frames...behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old deck of cards, or a stocking.”

c) “Ahead could be seen a wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof... and wild walls - a house among those that we are building for military settlements and German colonists.”

d) “He stepped into the dark, wide walls, from which a cold air blew in, as if from a cellar. There was even a broken chair on one table, and next to it a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which the spider had already attached a web.”

e) “Only sabers and guns hung in the office.”

3. Which of the landowner heroes is characterized by:

a) Daydreaming, projectism, spinelessness, sentimentality.

b) Club-headedness, petty fussiness, ignorance.

c) Kulaks, misanthropy, obscurantism, rudeness.

d) Disorderliness, boasting, fairground heroism.

e) Unreasonable hoarding, callousness, miserliness.

4. By speech characteristics identify the hero of the work.

a) “Should I rub my back”, “scratch my heels at night”, “my inexperienced business”, “what kind of taunts are you making”.

b) “Blown to dust,” “spent it all,” “squandered it,” “got on a spree,” “provincial misers,” “judemor,” “fityuk.”

c) “A fool such as the world has never produced”, “the first robber in the world”, “a swindler”, “a scoundrel cook”, “a garbage can”.

G) " The most wonderful person", "nice person", "birthday of the heart."

e) “We have started the unpleasant custom of visiting each other,”

"nice liquor."

"Historical Man" "Cudgel-headed" heroine

Satirical techniques for depicting landowners in the poem

N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”

Checklist

"Historical Man"

Nozdryov “Clubheaded” heroine

1 c, 2 a, 3 a, 4 b Box

1 b, 2 b, 3 b, 4 a

Satirical techniques for depicting landowners in N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

Neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan

Manilov

1 a, 2 a, 3 a, 4 g

He who has a fist cannot straighten into a palm. A hole in humanity

Sobakevich

1 g, v, 3 v, 4 v Plyushkin

1 d, 2 d, 3 d, 4 d

1. The meaning of the poem “Dead Souls”.
2. Irony and satire in the work.
3. Image of landowners.
4. Satire in the depiction of officials.
5. Irony in the image common people.

“Dead Souls” is a medical history written by a master.
A. I. Herzen

“Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol is an immortal satirical work of Russian literature. However, this sharp and funny poem does not at all lead to joyful and cheerful thoughts. A special feature of Gogol’s talent is that he easily, harmoniously and subtly combined tragic and comic principles in his works. That is why the comedic and satirical moments of the work only highlight the overall tragedy of the picture of life in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. Satire dominates the text of the poem and for the reason that the author considered it the most in an effective way fight against social vices and shortcomings. How much this satire helped in the framework of perestroika in Russia is not for us to decide.

The general picture of the life of Russians, full of irony and light mockery, begins with a description of the city to which Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives. Here are houses, lost against the backdrop of the vast expanses of the streets, and half-erased, half-washed-out signs with ridiculous boots and bagels, with the only surviving inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov.” The description of the city is detailed and full of subtle but important details. It gives an idea of ​​the life and customs of its inhabitants. For example, it turns out that non-residents are alien to lies. So, after the scene in which Chichikov walks through the garden, where the trees have just been planted and they are no taller than a cane, the hero comes across a note in the local newspaper, where there is a message about the appearance of a garden consisting of “shady broad-leaved trees.” The pathos and pathos of these lines only emphasize the squalor real picture happening in a city where, for just a couple of rubles a day, a traveler can get “a quiet room with cockroaches peeking out like prunes from all corners” or have a snack in the canteen that was two weeks old.

In the same spirit of rather evil irony, landowners and bureaucratic brethren are depicted. So Manilov is called “very courteous and polite, and these are his favorite words, the very characteristics that he so lacks. Judging by the sweetness of his gaze, his eyes are compared to sugar, causing the reader to associate with disgusting sugariness. It is no coincidence that Sobakevich’s appearance is correlated with a bear—through this image, the author brings the character closer to an animal devoid of aesthetic and spiritual principles. And the interior of Sobakevich’s office is described in such a way as to highlight the main characteristics of the owner: “The table, armchairs, chairs - everything was of the heaviest and most restless nature.” Nozdryov becomes ridiculous in the eyes of the reader after the phrase calling people like him good comrades is followed by the following line: “... despite all this, they can be beaten very painfully.”

In addition to irony, which is quite evil and sharp, the text of the work is also full of comedic situations, where laughter becomes softer and less evil. Many readers must have remembered the scene about how Manilov and Chichikov could not enter the room for several minutes, persistently giving each other the right to be the first to cross the threshold of the room. The scene of Chichikov’s visit to Korobochka is also interesting to consider, where in the dialogue between the club-headed Nastasya and the cunning businessman, Korobochka’s confusion, her stupidity and feeble-mindedness, and amazing thriftiness alternately appear.

However, not only landowners and officials are satirically depicted in the work. The image is also connected with satire peasant life. A funny situation is connected with the coachman Selifan and the yard wench Pelageya, who explains the way, but does not distinguish between right and left. This laconic passage will tell the reader a lot - about the general level of illiteracy among the common people, about darkness and underdevelopment - the natural consequences of a long stay in a state of serfdom. The same motives are visible in the episode with Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyai, who, rushing to disassemble the horses, became entangled in the traces. Even Chichikov’s serf Petrushka, a man considered to be educated, looks like a living laughingstock, since all his learning consists only in the ability to put words together from letters, without thinking too much about their meaning.

Through sarcasm, such characteristic features of the landowners of that time as bribery, embezzlement, dishonesty, and squalor of interests are highlighted. Hence the thought for thought: will such people bring benefit to the state by occupying high positions in the bureaucracy?

In the depiction of perhaps the most disgusting character in the work - Plyushkin - the grotesque is widely used. Plyushkin represents the last degree of degradation, consisting in the complete death of the soul. Even appearance The hero begins to succumb to the spiritual crisis, because his belonging to a certain gender becomes more and more difficult. The fate of his children and grandchildren is indifferent to him. And he himself abstracted himself from the world around him behind the high wall of his own egoism. All emotions and feelings disappeared from his soul forever, leaving only boundless, impossible stinginess. And this hero is the most terrible example crimes of an official against his people and the state.

The many-sided evil, picturesquely depicted by Gogol in the poem “Dead Souls” convinces the reader that the main problem and the main disease with which the Russian body was infected was serfdom, which acted equally mercilessly both against those in power and against ordinary peasants.

In the historical conditions that developed in Russia after the failure of the first revolutionary uprising - the Decembrist uprising of 1825. The new socio-political situation posed new tasks for figures in Russian social thought and literature, which were deeply reflected in Gogol’s work. Having turned to the most important social problems of his time, the writer went further along the path of realism, which was opened by Pushkin and Griboedov. Developing the principles of critical realism, Gogol became one of the greatest representatives of this trend in Russian literature. As Belinsky notes, “Gogol was the first to look boldly and directly at Russian reality.”

One of the main themes in Gogol's work is the life of the Russian landowner class, the Russian nobility as the ruling class, its fate and role in public life. It is characteristic that Gogol’s main way of depicting landowners is satire. The images of landowners reflect the process of gradual degradation of this class, revealing all its vices and shortcomings. Gogol's satire is tinged with irony and “hits right in the forehead.” Irony helped the writer talk about things that were impossible to talk about under censorship conditions. Gogol seems good-natured, but he does not spare anyone, every phrase has a deep, hidden meaning, subtext. Irony is a characteristic element of Gogol's satire. It is present not only in the author’s speech, but also in the speech of the characters. Irony, one of the essential features of Gogol's poetics, adds greater realism to the narrative, becoming an artistic means of critical analysis of reality.

In Gogol's largest work - the poem "Dead Souls" - the images of landowners are given most fully and multifacetedly. The poem is structured as the story of the adventures of Chichikov, an official who buys “dead souls.” The composition of the poem allowed the author to talk about different landowners and their villages. Almost half of the first volume of the poem (five chapters out of eleven) is devoted to the characteristics of various types of Russian landowners. Gogol creates five characters, five portraits that are so different from each other, and at the same time, in each of them the typical features of a Russian landowner appear.

Our acquaintance begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. This sequence has its own logic: from one landowner to another, the process of impoverishment of the human personality deepens, an ever more terrible picture of the decomposition of feudal society unfolds.

Manilov opens a portrait gallery of landowners. His character is already evident in his surname. The description begins with a picture of the village of Manilovka, which “not many could lure with its location.” The author ironically describes the master's courtyard, with the pretense of an "Aglitsky garden with an overgrown pond", sparse bushes and with a pale inscription: "Temple of solitary reflection." Speaking about Manilov, the author exclaims: “God alone could say what Manilov’s character was.” He is kind by nature, polite, courteous, but all this took on ugly forms in him. Manilov is beautiful-hearted and sentimental to the point of cloying. Relations between people seem to him idyllic and festive. Manilov does not know life at all; reality is replaced by empty fantasy. He likes to think and dream, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. But his projection is far from the demands of life. He does not know and never thinks about the real needs of the peasants. Manilov considers himself a bearer of spiritual culture. Once in the army he was considered the most educated man. The author speaks ironically about the atmosphere of Manilov’s house, in which “something was always missing,” and about his sugary relationship with his wife. When talking about dead souls, Manilov is compared to an overly smart minister. Here Gogol’s irony, as if accidentally, intrudes into the forbidden area. Comparing Manilov with the minister means that the latter is not so different from this landowner, and “Manilovism” is a typical phenomenon of this vulgar world.

The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of Korobochka, which Gogol classifies as one of those “small landowners who complain about crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile gradually collect money in colorful bags placed in the drawers of the chest of drawers.” This money is obtained from the sale of a wide variety of subsistence products. Korobochka understood the benefits of trade and, after much persuasion, agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls. The author is ironic in his description of the dialogue between Chichikov and Korobochka. The “club-headed” landowner cannot understand for a long time what they want from her, she infuriates Chichikov, and then bargains for a long time, fearing “just not to make a mistake.” Korobochka's horizons and interests do not extend beyond the boundaries of her estate. The household and its entire way of life are patriarchal in nature.

Gogol depicts a completely different form of decomposition of the noble class in the image of Nozdryov (Chapter IV). This is a typical "jack of all trades" person. There was something open, direct, and daring in his face. He is characterized by a peculiar “breadth of nature.” As the author ironically notes, “Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person.” Not a single meeting he attended was complete without stories! Nozdryov, with a light heart, loses a lot of money at cards, beats a simpleton at a fair and immediately “squanders” all the money. Nozdryov is a master of “casting bullets”, he is a reckless braggart and an utter liar. Nozdryov behaves defiantly, even aggressively, everywhere. The hero’s speech is full of swear words, while he has a passion for “messing up his neighbor.” In the image of Nozdrev, Gogol created a new socio-psychological type of “Nozdrevism” in Russian literature.

When describing Sobakevich, the author’s satire takes on a more accusatory character (Chapter V of the poem). He bears little resemblance to previous landowners: he is a “kulak landowner,” a cunning, tight-fisted huckster. He is alien to the dreamy complacency of Manilov, the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, and the hoarding of Korobochka. He is laconic, has an iron grip, has his own mind, and there are few people who could deceive him. Everything about him is solid and strong. Gogol finds a reflection of a person’s character in all the surrounding things of his life. Everything in Sobakevich’s house was surprisingly reminiscent of himself. Each thing seemed to say: “And I, too, are Sobakevich.” Gogol draws a figure that is striking in its rudeness. To Chichikov he seemed very similar “to a medium-sized bear.” Sobakevich is a cynic who is not ashamed of moral ugliness either in himself or in others. This is a man far from enlightenment, a die-hard serf owner who cares about the peasants only as labor force. It is characteristic that, except for Sobakevich, no one understood the essence of the “scoundrel” Chichikov, but he perfectly understood the essence of the proposal, which reflects the spirit of the times: everything is subject to purchase and sale, profit should be derived from everything.

Chapter VI of the poem is dedicated to Plyushkin, whose name has become a household name to denote stinginess and moral degradation. This image becomes the last step in the degeneration of the landowner class. Gogol begins the reader’s acquaintance with the character, as usual, with a description of the village and the landowner’s estate. “Some kind of special disrepair” was noticeable on all the buildings. The writer paints a picture of the complete ruin of a once rich landowner's economy. The reason for this is not the extravagance and idleness of the landowner, but morbid stinginess. This is an evil satire on the landowner, who has become “a hole in humanity.” The owner himself is a sexless creature, reminiscent of a housekeeper. This hero does not cause laughter, but only bitter regret.

So, the five characters created by Gogol in “Dead Souls” diversely depict the state of the noble-serf class. Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Soba-kevich, Plyushkin - all these are different forms of one phenomenon - the economic, social, spiritual decline of the class of landowners-serfs.

The name of N.V. Gogol belongs to the greatest names Russian literature. In his work, he appears both as a lyricist, and as a science fiction writer, and as a storyteller, and as a caustic satirist. Gogol is at the same time a writer creating the world of his “sunny” ideal, and a writer revealing the “vulgarity of a vulgar person” and the “abominations” of the Russian order.

Most significant work, the work on which Gogol considered as his life’s work, became the poem “Dead Souls”, where he revealed the life Russian Federation from all sides. The author’s main desire was to show that the existing serfdom and human trafficking not only bring with them lawlessness, darkness, impoverishment of the people and the decomposition of the landowner economy itself, they disfigure, destroy, dehumanize the human soul itself.

The author achieves even greater plausibility of the picture of spiritual impoverishment and mortification by depicting provincial town and his officials. Here, unlike life on the estates of the landowners, there is a flurry of activity and movement. However, all this activity is only external, “mechanical”, revealing true spiritual emptiness. Gogol creates dazzling, a grotesque image of a city “revolted” by rumors about Chichikov’s strange actions. "...Everything was in a state of unrest, and if only someone could understand anything... There was talk and talk, and the whole city started talking about dead souls and the governor's daughter, about Chichikov and dead souls, about the governor's daughter and Chichikov , and everything that existed rose up. Like a whirlwind, the hitherto dormant city shot up!” At the same time, a heavy expectation of retribution hung over everyone. In the midst of the general turmoil, the postmaster shares with others the “witty” discovery that Chichikov is Captain Kopeikin, and tells the story of the latter.

Creating an image of a gradually degrading Russian Federation, Gogol does not miss a single little detail. On the contrary, he draws the reader’s attention to them, since he is sure that it is from the little things that the essence of the entire surrounding reality consists; It is they who conceal within themselves the source of evil, and therefore acquire a formidable symbolic meaning in the poem.

In his work N.V. Gogol in the best possible way achieved the goal, which he formulated as follows: “...I thought that the lyrical power that I had in stock would help me portray... virtues that a Russian person would be kindled with love for them, and the power of laughter, which I also have there was a reserve that would help me portray my shortcomings so vehemently that the reader would hate them even if he found them in himself.”