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What does N. Gogol laugh at in the poem “Dead Souls?” A satirical depiction of feudal Rus' in “Dead Souls” N

In those historical conditions, which 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 Griboyedov. 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 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 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. Characteristics various types Almost half of the first volume of the poem (five chapters out of eleven) is devoted to 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.

Opens portrait gallery landowners Manilov. 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 comes from the sale of a wide variety of subsistence products. Korobochka understood the benefits of trading and after much persuasion agrees to sell such unusual product like 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 so as 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 historical person" Not a single meeting he attended was complete without stories! Nozdryov with 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 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 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", depict the state of the noble-serf class in many ways. Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Soba-kevich, Plyushkin - all this various shapes one phenomenon - economic, social, spiritual decline class of landowners-serfs.

Satire is special way images negative phenomena life, vices and shortcomings of people. The negative can be depicted not only in satirical works - it is enough to recall, for example, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by A. N. Radishchev, “Village” by A. S. Pushkin, “Duma” by M. Yu. Lermont and many others. But in a satirical work, vices are not only depicted and condemned, but also angrily and harshly ridiculed. Laughter is the main weapon of satire, a sharp and powerful weapon. “Laughter,” wrote A.V. Lunacharsky, “inflicts painful blows on the enemy, makes him lose confidence in his abilities and, in any case, makes the enemy’s powerlessness obvious in the eyes of witnesses. By sharply ridiculing and scourging evil, the satirist thereby makes the reader feel his positive ideal and awakens a craving for this ideal. “By satire,” wrote V. G. Belinsky, “one should understand not the innocent scoffing of cheerful wits, but the thunder of indignation, the thunderstorm of the spirit, offended by the shame of society.”

But in life there are also such phenomena that cause kind smile, friendly banter. We both laugh and sympathize with the person we joke about. This is humor, a kindly, good-natured smile. It is worth canceling that traditionally, humor is achieved by a calm, objective narration, a certain selection of facts, figurative means- epithet, metaphors, comparisons, etc.

Irony is one of the types of humor. This is a subtle, hidden mockery. The ironic meaning is achieved, for example, by an exaggeratedly enthusiastic definition of such qualities, or phenomena, or actions that in fact are worthy only of censure; There is also irony in praising precisely those qualities that the person being praised does not actually have. One of bright examples irony - the author's description of Uncle Onegin: “The old man, having a lot of things to do, did not look at other books” (and all his affairs - “for about forty years he quarreled with the housekeeper, looked out the window and crushed flies”).

Caustic, caustic mockery, which also contains feelings of anger and hatred, is called sarcasm. “Satire,” wrote Lunacharsky, “can be brought to an extreme degree of malice, which makes laughter poisonous and biting.” Sarcastic laughter can be heard, for example, in Chatsky’s monologues. Poems, stories, poems, novels can be satirical, but there are also special types satirical works - fable, parody, epigram, feuilleton

There are many funny situations in the poem that the heroes find themselves in not because of the author’s production, but because of the properties of their character.

The comic nature of situations, based on the seriousness of life, is a feature satirical work.

Portrait of Manilov accompanied by the author's ironic assessments: “he was a prominent man” - but only “at first glance”; pleasant facial features - but “too much sugar”; smiled “temptingly.” Blonde hair and Blue eyes complete the impression of sickeningly cloying sweetness. The speech of the characters in a satirical work openly comically expresses their character. Belinsky wrote that Gogol’s heroes “are not his invention, they are funny not at his whim; the poet is strictly faithful to reality in them. And to whom every person speaks and acts in the environment of his life, his character and the circumstances under the influence of which he is.”

Funny, when Manilov speaks of city officials as the most wonderful and worthy people, and Sobakevich calls the same people swindlers and sellers of Christ. It’s funny when Chichikov, trying to match Sobakevich’s tone, dodges, wants to please the landowner, but he never succeeds. It’s funny when, as proof of the police chief’s intelligence and erudition, Chichikov suddenly says: “We lost at whist with him, together with the prosecutor and the chairman of the chamber, until the very late roosters. A very, very worthy person!” And at the same time, everything is organic specifically for this character.

It was in satire that hyperbole (exaggeration) became most widespread. Gogol widely uses the technique to make the disgusting features of the “masters of life” appear more clearly and prominently.

So, the techniques for creating a satirical canvas are the same as in a non-satirical work: the vital basis of the plot, portrait, descriptions, dialogues (the speech of the characters); the same figurative and expressive means: epithets, metaphors, comparisons, etc. But there is a significant difference - in the purpose of using these techniques and means, in the pronounced comedy of a satirical work.

While doing your work, pay attention to these features of Gogol’s humor and satire. How do you determine the typicality of landowners - Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich, Plyushkin?

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N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is a brilliant satire on serfdom Rus'

Sample essay text

N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is a satirical work. This funny and cheerful book nevertheless leads the reader to sad thoughts about the fate of Russia and its people. The peculiarity of Gogol's talent was the organic combination of the comic and the tragic. Therefore, in “Dead Souls,” funny scenes and characters only more vividly highlight the overall tragic picture of Russian reality in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century. Gogol was convinced that one of the most effective means transformation of society is the ridicule of the typical vices that hinder it further development. Therefore, the author widely uses satirical visual means in the poem.

With irony, Gogol describes the signs of a typical provincial city, which we see through the eyes of the recently arrived Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. These are houses lost among a street as wide as a field, and ridiculous signs with pretzels and boots almost washed away by the rains, among which the proud inscription stands out: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov.” The humorously depicted cityscape gives an idea not only of appearance city, but also about the life of its inhabitants, their general cultural level. Having visited the city garden, Chichikov saw trees that were no taller than reeds. However, the newspapers said that the city was decorated with a garden “of shady broad-leaved trees.” The pathetic lines of a local journalist especially emphasize the squalor of this poor, poorly organized city, where for two rubles a day a traveler can get in a hotel “a quiet room with cockroaches peeking out like prunes from all corners,” or dine in a tavern on a dish that was two weeks old.

The author also ironically draws portraits of landowners and officials in the poem. Calling Manilov “very courteous and polite,” the author characterizes the hero with words from his own vocabulary. This is exactly how this landowner wants to appear, and this is how those around him perceive him. Gogol compares Manilov's eyes to sugar in the sweetness of their gaze, emphasizing the sugary sweetness. Describing Sobakevich’s appearance, the writer compares him to a medium-sized bear, sharply and ironically bringing the image of the hero closer to an animal. This allows us to identify characteristic features this character: his animal essence, complete absence in him there is an aesthetic feeling, the highest spiritual origin. The likening of Sobakevich’s furniture to the owner himself is also subordinated to this goal. “The table, armchairs, chairs - everything was of the heaviest and most restless quality.” The irony in Nozdryov’s characterization is associated with the contradiction between its first part, which calls people like him good comrades, and the following remark that “for all that, they can be beaten very painfully.”

In addition to the ironic characteristics of the heroes. Gogol saturates the poem with comic situations and situations. For example, I remember the scene between Chichikov and Manilov, who for several minutes have not been able to go into the living room, because they persistently cede this honorable privilege to each other, like cultured, delicate people. One of the best comic scenes of the poem is the episode of Chichikov’s visit to the landowner Korobochka. In this brilliant dialogue between the club-headed Nastasya Petrovna and the enterprising businessman, the whole gamut of the heroine’s feelings is conveyed: bewilderment, confusion, suspicion, economic prudence. It is in this scene that the main character traits of Korobochka are fully and psychologically revealed - greed, perseverance and stupidity.

The comic situations in the poem are associated not only with landowners and officials, but also with people from the people. Such a scene, for example, is the conversation between the coachman Selifan and the courtyard girl Pelageya, who, while showing the way, does not know where the right is and where the left is. This laconic episode speaks volumes: about the extreme ignorance of the people, their underdevelopment and darkness, which was a consequence of centuries of serfdom. The same negative traits people are emphasized by the comic scene between Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyai, who, helpfully rushing to dismantle the horses, became entangled in the lines. Even the literate serf Chichikov Petrushka is perceived as a parody of educated person, because he gets pleasure from the ability to put letters into words, without thinking at all about their meaning.

Sarcastically depicting bureaucracy in the poem. Gogol reveals in him such disgusting traits as bribery, embezzlement, dishonesty, and squalor of interests. If such people are on public service, Means, administrative system Tsarist Russia does not defend law and order, but breeds evil and arbitrariness. And this is clear evidence of the anti-people nature of the state apparatus.

Except for irony and sarcasm. Gogol uses the grotesque in the poem in the depiction of the most disgusting hero - Plyushkin. It represents the last degree of degradation, the complete deadness of the soul. He even outwardly lost his human appearance, because Chichikov, seeing him, did not immediately understand what gender this figure was. In this sinister old man, all attachments and family feelings died long ago. He is indifferent to the fate of his children and grandchildren. He cut himself off from the whole world in gloomy, selfish loneliness. Everything disappeared from his soul except stinginess, which had gone beyond all reasonable limits. Plyushkin's petty money-grubbing turned into its opposite. It is in the image of Plyushkin that Gogol to the fullest reveals the full depth of the landowners' crime against their people.

Drawing in the poem the many-sided evil of Russian life, Gogol convinces the reader that the main disease of Nicholas Russia was serfdom, which caused enormous harm to the country, ruined and maimed the people. No wonder Herzen called “Dead Souls” “a medical history written by the hand of a master.”

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Satire in N. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

A contemporary of Pushkin, Gogol created his works in the historical conditions that developed in Russia after the failure of the first revolutionary uprising of the Decembrists in 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 Griboyedov. 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 theme 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 the landowner class, revealing all its vices and shortcomings. Gogol's satire is tinged with irony and "hits right in the forehead." Irony helped the writer speak directly 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 is one of the essential signs of Gogol's poetics; it gives the narrative greater realism, becoming an artistic means of critical analysis of reality.

In Gogol's largest work, the poem "Dead Souls", the images of landowners are presented 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 volume 1 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 the portrait gallery of landowners (Chapter 1). 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 "English garden with an overgrown pond", sparse bushes and with the 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 did not know life at all; reality was replaced by empty fantasy. He loved to think and dream, sometimes even about things useful to the peasants. But his projecting was far from the demands of life. He did not know and never thought 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 situation in 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 little by little collect money in colorful bags placed in dresser drawers!” This money comes 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, afraid “just so as 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" man. There was something open, direct, and daring in his face. He is characterized by a kind of “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 “pouring 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. In the image of Sobakevich, the author’s satire takes on a more accusatory character (Chapter V of the poem). He bears little resemblance to the previous landowners, he is a “kulak” landowner, a cunning, tight-fisted trader. He is alien to the dreamy complacency of Manilov, the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, the hoarding of Korobochka. He is laconic, has an iron grip, is on his own mind, and there are few people who It would be possible to deceive him. Everything about him is strong 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 to introduce the reader to 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 the once godly landowner’s economy. The reason for this is not the extravagance or 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 the housekeeper. the hero does not cause laughter, but only bitter disappointment.

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

References

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