"The History of a City" as a satirical work. Analysis of the “history of one city” by Saltykov-Shchedrin, the main idea and theme of the work

Essays on literature: “The History of a City” as a socio-political satire The story by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” is a cycle of stories that are not related to each other by plot or by the same characters, but are combined into one work due to a common goal - satirical image political structure of Russia contemporary to Saltykov-Shchedrin. "The History of a City" is defined as a satirical chronicle. Indeed, stories from the life of the city of Foolov make us laugh too, now, more than a century after the death of the writer. However, this laughter is laughter at ourselves, since “The History of a City” is, in essence, a satirical history of Russian society and state, presented in the form of a comic description. “The History of a City” clearly expresses the genre features of a political pamphlet.

This is noticeable already in the “Inventory of City Governors,” especially in the description of the causes of their death. So, one was eaten by bedbugs, another was torn to pieces by dogs, the third died from gluttony, the fourth - from damage to the head instrument, the fifth - from strain, trying to comprehend the commanding decree, the sixth - from efforts to increase the population of Foolov. In this row stands the mayor Pyshch, whose stuffed head was bitten off by the leader of the nobility. The techniques of political pamphlet are enhanced by such means artistic image like fantasy and grotesque. Almost main feature of this work, which certainly deserves attention, is a gallery of images of city governors who do not care about the fate of the city they have given to their power, who think only about their own good and benefit, or who do not think about anything at all, since some are simply not capable of thought process. Showing images of the mayors of Foolov, Saltykov-Shchedrin often describes the real rulers of Russia, with all their shortcomings.

In Foolov's mayors one can easily recognize A. Menshikov, Peter I, Alexander I, Peter III, and Arakcheev, whose unsightly essence was shown by the writer in the image of Gloomy-Burcheev, who ruled during the most tragic time of Foolov's existence. But Shchedrin’s satire is unique in that it does not spare not only the ruling circles, right up to the emperors, but also the ordinary, ordinary, gray man, subordinate to tyrant rulers. In this dullness and ignorance, a simple citizen of Foolov is ready to blindly obey any, the most ridiculous and absurd orders, recklessly believing in the Tsar-Father. And nowhere does Saltykov-Shchedrin condemn love of bosses and veneration of rank as much as in “The History of a City.” In one of the first chapters of the work, the Foolovites, also called blockheads, are knocked off their feet in search of slave shackles, in search of a prince who will rule them. Moreover, they are not looking for just anyone, but for the most stupid person. But even the most stupid prince cannot fail to notice the even greater stupidity of the people who came to worship him.

He simply refuses to govern such a people, only by graciously accepting the tribute and installing an “innovative thief” in his place as mayor. Thus, Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the inactivity of Russian rulers, their unwillingness to do anything useful for the state. Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire exposes the henchmen of the sovereign, the flatterers who plunder the country and the treasury. The writer's satirical talent manifested itself with particular force in the chapter dedicated to Brudasty-Organchik. This mayor day and night wrote “more and more new compulsions”, according to which “they grabbed and caught, flogged and flogged, described and sold.” He explained himself to the Foolovites only with the help of two remarks: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!

". It was for this that an empty vessel was needed instead of a head. But the apotheosis of managerial idiocy is in “The History of a City” by Gloomy-Burcheev. This is the most sinister figure in the entire gallery of Foolov’s mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin calls him both a “gloomy idiot” and “a gloomy scoundrel” and “a slow-witted person to the core.” He does not recognize either schools or literacy, but only the science of numbers taught on the fingers. Main goal of all his “works” - to turn the city into a barracks, to force everyone to march, to unquestioningly carry out absurd orders. According to his plan, even brides and grooms should be of the same height and build.

A tornado strikes and carries away Ugryum-Burcheev. Such an end to the idiot mayor was perceived by Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporaries as a cleansing force, as a symbol of popular anger. This gallery of all kinds of scoundrels causes not just homeric laughter, but also anxiety for the country, in which a headless mannequin can rule a huge country. Certainly, literary work cannot resolve the political issues raised in it. But the fact that these questions were asked means that someone thought about them and tried to correct something. Saltykov-Shchedrin's merciless satire is like a bitter medicine necessary for healing.

The writer’s goal is to make the reader think about the ill-being of the world, about the wrong state structure Russia. One can only hope that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s works achieved their goal, helped to at least partially understand the mistakes, and at least some of them not to be repeated.

Saltykov-Shchedrin is called one of the most famous and great Russian satirists of the 19th century.

And the key work with which the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin is associated is “The History of a City,” filled with symbolism and subtle satire.

Saltykov-Shchedrin began writing the masterpiece of social satire in 1868, and in 1870 “The History of a City” was completed.

Naturally, the idea and main theme of this satirical work caused a certain resonance not only in literary circles, but also in much wider, completely different circles of society.

The art of satire in “The Story of a City”

The focus of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work is the history of the city of Foolov and its people, who are called Foolovites. Initially, by critics and many readers, the general concept of history and its satirical motives were perceived as a depiction of Russia's past - the 18th century.

But the writer intended to depict common system national autocracy, which applies both to the past and to the pitiful present. The life of the city of Foolov and the consciousness of its population is an extensive caricature of the life and government structure of all of Russia, as well as the behavior and meaning of existence of Russians.

The central character of the story is the people themselves, whose image the writer reveals wider and wider with new chapters. A more detailed picture of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s critical attitude towards society can be seen with the help of the mayors, who constantly change throughout the narrative.

Images of mayors

The images of mayors are different, but similar in their limitations and absurdity. The stupid Brudusty is despotic, limited in his mind and awareness of reality, he is an accurate example of an autocratic system that absorbs human feelings and souls on its way.

And the mayor Pyshch, whose name speaks for itself, is represented by the image of “a head living separately from the body.” Saltykov-Shchedrin symbolically showed how his head was once eaten by an official.

The author grotesquely ridicules the activities of another mayor - Ugryum-Burcheev - in the “military populations” he organized and in the way of thinking, which represented “what I want, I do.”

Grotesque, pathos, Aesopian language as a means of depicting reality

The power of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s creativity can be called the power of satirical exposure of that reality, which to many people, out of habit and spinelessness, seems to be the norm.

The most paradoxical thing is that what he described turns out to be the most the real truth, despite all the grotesque and pathos used by the writer as a means of depicting the past and present.

The parody that the writer creates in “The History of a City” is so accurate and skillfully played that it has nothing to do with absurdity and simple humor.

The story of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” is a cycle of stories that are not related to each other by plot or by the same characters, but are combined into one work due to a common goal - a satirical depiction of the political structure of Russia contemporary to Saltykov-Shchedrin. “The History of a City” is defined as a satirical chronicle. Indeed, stories from the life of the city of Foolov make us laugh too, now, more than a century after the death of the writer. However, this laughter is laughter at ourselves, since “The History of a City” is, in essence, a satirical history of Russian society and the state, presented in the form of a comic description. “The History of a City” clearly expresses the genre features of a political pamphlet. This is noticeable already in the “Inventory of City Governors,” especially in the description of the causes of their death. So, one was eaten by bedbugs, another was torn to pieces by dogs, the third died from gluttony, the fourth - from damage to the head instrument, the fifth - from strain, trying to comprehend the commanding decree, the sixth - from efforts to increase the population of Foolov. In this row stands the mayor Pyshch, whose stuffed head was bitten off by the leader of the nobility.
The techniques of political pamphlet are enhanced by such means of artistic representation as fantasy and grotesque.
Almost the main feature of this work, which certainly deserves attention, is the gallery of images of mayors who do not care about the fate of the city given to them, thinking only about their own good and benefit, or not thinking about anything at all, since some are simply not capable of thought process. Showing images of the mayors of Foolov, Saltykov-Shchedrin often describes the real rulers of Russia, with all their shortcomings. In Foolov's mayors one can easily recognize A. Menshikov, and Peter I, and Alexander I, and Peter III, and Arakcheev, whose unsightly essence was shown by the writer in the image of Gloomy-Burcheev, who ruled during the most tragic time of Foolov's existence.
But Shchedrin’s satire is unique in that it does not spare not only the ruling circles, right up to the emperors, but also the ordinary, ordinary, gray person who submits to tyrant rulers. In this dullness and ignorance, a simple citizen of Foolov is ready to blindly obey any, the most ridiculous and absurd orders, recklessly believing in the Tsar-Father. And nowhere does Saltykov-Shchedrin condemn love of bosses and veneration of rank as much as in “The History of a City.” In one of the first chapters of the work, the Foolovites, also called blockheads, are knocked off their feet in search of slave shackles, in search of a prince who will rule them. Moreover, they are not looking for just anyone, but for the most stupid person. But even the stupidest prince cannot fail to notice the even greater stupidity of the people who came to worship him. He simply refuses to govern such a people, only by graciously accepting the tribute and installing an “innovative thief” in his place as mayor. Thus, Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the inactivity of Russian rulers, their unwillingness to do anything useful for the state. Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire exposes the henchmen of the sovereign, the flatterers who plunder the country and the treasury. The writer’s satirical talent manifested itself with particular force in the chapter dedicated to Brudasty-Organchik. This mayor day and night wrote “more and more new compulsions”, according to which “they grabbed and caught, caught and flogged, described and sold.” He explained himself to the Foolovites using only two remarks: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” This is precisely why an empty vessel was needed instead of a head. But the apotheosis of managerial idiocy is in the “History of a City” by Gloomy-Burcheev. This is the most sinister figure in the entire gallery of Foolov's mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin calls him a “gloomy idiot”, and a “gloomy scoundrel”, and “a slow-witted person to the core.” He recognizes neither schools nor literacy, but only the science of numbers taught on the fingers. The main goal of all his “works” is to turn the city into a barracks, force everyone to march, unquestioningly carry out absurd orders. According to his plan, even brides and grooms should be of the same height and build. A tornado strikes and carries away Ugryum-Burcheev. Such an end to the idiot mayor was perceived by Saltykov-Shchedrin's contemporaries as a cleansing force, as a symbol of popular anger.
This gallery of all kinds of scoundrels causes not just homeric laughter, but also anxiety for the country, in which a headless mannequin can rule a huge country.
Of course, a literary work cannot resolve the political issues raised in it. But the fact that these questions were asked means that someone thought about them and tried to correct something. Saltykov-Shchedrin's merciless satire is like a bitter medicine necessary for healing. The writer’s goal is to make the reader think about the world’s troubles, about the incorrect state structure of Russia. One can only hope that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s works achieved their goal, helped to at least partially understand the mistakes, and at least some of them not to be repeated.

Composition

The story of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” is a cycle of stories that are not related to each other by plot or by the same characters, but are combined into one work due to a common goal - a satirical depiction of the political structure of Russia contemporary to Saltykov-Shchedrin. “The History of a City” is defined as a satirical chronicle. Indeed, stories from the life of the city of Foolov make us laugh too, now, more than a century after the death of the writer. However, this laughter is laughter at ourselves, since “The History of a City” is, in essence, a satirical history of Russian society and the state, presented in the form of a comic description. “The History of a City” clearly expresses the genre features of a political pamphlet. This is noticeable already in the “Inventory of City Governors,” especially in the description of the causes of their death. So, one was eaten by bedbugs, another was torn to pieces by dogs, the third died from gluttony, the fourth - from damage to the head instrument, the fifth - from strain, trying to comprehend the commanding decree, the sixth - from efforts to increase the population of Foolov. In this row stands the mayor Pyshch, whose stuffed head was bitten off by the leader of the nobility.
The techniques of political pamphlet are enhanced by such means of artistic representation as fantasy and grotesque.
Almost the main feature of this work, which certainly deserves attention, is the gallery of images of mayors who do not care about the fate of the city given to them, thinking only about their own good and benefit, or not thinking about anything at all, since some simply do not capable of the thought process. Showing images of the mayors of Foolov, Saltykov-Shchedrin often describes the real rulers of Russia, with all their shortcomings. In Foolov's mayors one can easily recognize A. Menshikov, Peter I, Alexander I, Peter III, and Arakcheev, whose unsightly essence was shown by the writer in the image of Gloomy-Burcheev, who ruled during the most tragic time of Foolov's existence.
But Shchedrin’s satire is unique in that it does not spare not only the ruling circles, right up to the emperors, but also the ordinary, ordinary, gray person who submits to tyrant rulers. In this dullness and ignorance, a simple citizen of Foolov is ready to blindly obey any, the most ridiculous and absurd orders, recklessly believing in the Tsar-Father. And nowhere does Saltykov-Shchedrin condemn love of bosses and veneration of rank as much as in “The History of a City.” In one of the first chapters of the work, the Foolovites, also called blockheads, are knocked off their feet in search of slave shackles, in search of a prince who will rule them. Moreover, they are not looking for just anyone, but for the most stupid person. But even the most stupid prince cannot fail to notice the even greater stupidity of the people who came to worship him. He simply refuses to govern such a people, only by graciously accepting the tribute and installing an “innovative thief” in his place as mayor. Thus, Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the inactivity of Russian rulers, their unwillingness to do anything useful for the state. Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire exposes the henchmen of the sovereign, the flatterers who plunder the country and the treasury. The writer's satirical talent manifested itself with particular force in the chapter dedicated to Brudasty-Organchik. This mayor day and night wrote “more and more new compulsions”, according to which “they grabbed and caught, caught and flogged, described and sold.” He explained himself to the Foolovites using only two remarks: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” This is precisely why an empty vessel was needed instead of a head. But the apotheosis of managerial idiocy is in the “History of a City” by Ug-ryum-Burcheev. This is the most sinister figure in the entire gallery of Fooloz mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin calls him a “gloomy idiot”, and a “gloomy scoundrel”, and “a slow-witted person to the core.” He recognizes neither schools nor literacy, but only the science of numbers taught on the fingers. The main goal of all his “works” is to turn the city into a barracks, force everyone to march, unquestioningly carry out absurd orders. According to his plan, even brides and grooms should be of the same height and build. A tornado strikes and carries away Ugryum-Burcheev. Such an end to the idiot mayor was perceived by Saltykov-Shchedrin's contemporaries as a cleansing force, as a symbol of popular anger.
This gallery of all kinds of scoundrels causes not just homeric laughter, but also anxiety for the country, in which a headless mannequin can rule a huge country.
Of course, a literary work cannot resolve the political issues raised in it. But the fact that these questions were asked means that someone thought about them and tried to correct something. Saltykov-edrin's merciless satire is like a bitter medicine necessary for healing. The writer’s goal is to make the reader think about the world’s troubles, about the incorrect state structure of Russia. One can only hope that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s works achieved their goal, helped to at least partially understand the mistakes, and at least some of them not to be repeated.

Other works on this work

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The story of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” is a cycle of stories that are not related to each other by plot or the same characters, but are combined into one work due to a common goal - a satirical depiction of the political structure of Russia contemporary to Saltykov-Shchedrin. “The History of a City” is defined as a satirical chronicle. Indeed, stories from the life of the city of Foolov make us laugh too, now, more than a century after the death of the writer. However, this laughter is laughter at ourselves, since “The History of a City” is, in essence, a satirical history of Russian society and the state, presented in the form of a comic description. “The History of a City” clearly expresses the genre features of a political pamphlet. This is noticeable already in the “Inventory of City Governors,” especially in the description of the causes of their death. So, one was eaten by bedbugs, another was torn to pieces by dogs, the third died from gluttony, the fourth - from damage to the head instrument, the fifth - from strain, trying to comprehend the commanding decree, the sixth - from efforts to increase the population of Foolov. In this row stands the mayor Pyshch, whose stuffed head was bitten off by the leader of the nobility.
The techniques of political pamphlet are enhanced by such means of artistic representation as fantasy and grotesque.
Almost the main feature of this work, which certainly deserves attention, is the gallery of images of mayors who do not care about the fate of the city they have given to their power, thinking only about their own good and benefit, or not thinking about anything at all, since some are simply not capable to the thought process. Showing images of the mayors of Foolov, Saltykov-Shchedrin often describes the real rulers of Russia, with all their shortcomings. In Foolov's mayors one can easily recognize A. Menshikov, Peter I, Alexander I, Peter III, and Arakcheev, whose unsightly essence was shown by the writer in the image of Gloomy-Burcheev, who ruled during the most tragic time of Foolov's existence.
But Shchedrin’s satire is unique in that it does not spare not only the ruling circles, right up to the emperors, but also the ordinary, ordinary, gray person who submits to tyrant rulers. In this dullness and ignorance, a simple citizen of Foolov is ready to blindly obey any, the most ridiculous and absurd orders, recklessly believing in the Tsar-Father. And nowhere does Saltykov-Shchedrin condemn love of bosses and veneration of rank as much as in “The History of a City.” In one of the first chapters of the work, the Foolovites, also called blockheads, are knocked off their feet in search of slave shackles, in search of a prince who will rule them. Moreover, they are not looking for just anyone, but for the most stupid person. But even the stupidest prince cannot fail to notice the even greater stupidity of the people who came to worship him. He simply refuses to govern such a people, only by graciously accepting the tribute and installing an “innovative thief” in his place as mayor. Thus, Saltykov-Shchedrin shows the inactivity of Russian rulers, their unwillingness to do anything useful for the state. Saltykov-Shchedrin's satire exposes the henchmen of the sovereign, the flatterers who plunder the country and the treasury. The writer’s satirical talent manifested itself with particular force in the chapter dedicated to Brudasty-Organchik. This mayor day and night wrote “more and more new compulsions”, according to which “they grabbed and caught, flogged and flogged, described and sold.” He explained himself to the Foolovites using only two remarks: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” This is precisely why an empty vessel was needed instead of a head. But the apotheosis of managerial idiocy is in the “History of a City” by Gloomy-Burcheev. This is the most sinister figure in the entire gallery of Fooloz mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin calls him a “gloomy idiot”, and a “gloomy scoundrel”, and “a slow-witted person to the core.” He recognizes neither schools nor literacy, but only the science of numbers taught on the fingers. The main goal of all his “works” is to turn the city into a barracks, force everyone to march, unquestioningly carry out absurd orders. According to his plan, even brides and grooms should be of the same height and build. A tornado strikes and carries away Ugryum-Burcheev. Such an end to the idiot mayor was perceived by Saltykov-Shchedrin's contemporaries as a cleansing force, as a symbol of popular anger.
This gallery of all kinds of scoundrels causes not just homeric laughter, but also anxiety for the country, in which a headless mannequin can rule a huge country.
Of course, a literary work cannot resolve the political issues raised in it. But the fact that these questions were asked means that someone thought about them and tried to correct something. Saltykov-Shchedrin's merciless satire is like a bitter medicine necessary for healing. The writer’s goal is to make the reader think about the ill-being, about the incorrect state structure of Russia. One can only hope that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s works achieved their goal, helped to at least partially understand the mistakes, and at least some of them not to be repeated.