Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most mysterious writers of the 19th century. His life and work are full of mysticism and secrets. Our article will help you prepare qualitatively for a literature lesson, for the Unified State Exam, test assignments, and creative work on the poem. When analyzing Gogol’s work “Dead Souls” in grade 9, it is important to rely on additional material to get acquainted with the history of creation, issues, understand what artistic media used by the author. In “Dead Souls” the analysis is specific due to its substantive scope and compositional features works.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing– 1835 -1842 The first volume was published in 1842.
History of creation– the idea for the plot was suggested to Gogol by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The author worked on the poem for about 17 years.
Subject- the morals and life of landowners in Rus' in the 30s of the 19th century, a gallery of human vices.
Composition– 11 chapters of the first volume, united by the image of the main character – Chichikov. Several chapters of the second volume that survived and were found and published.
Direction– realism. The poem also has romantic features, but they are secondary.
History of creation
Nikolai Vasilyevich wrote his immortal brainchild for about 17 years. He considered this work the most important mission in his life. The history of the creation of “Dead Souls” is full of gaps and mysteries, as well as mystical coincidences. While working on the work, the author became seriously ill, being on the verge of death, but he was suddenly miraculously healed. Gogol took this fact as a sign from above, which gave him a chance to complete his main work.
The idea of “Dead Souls” and the very fact of their existence as a social phenomenon was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin. It was Alexander Sergeevich, according to the author, who gave him the idea to write a large-scale work capable of revealing the entire essence of the Russian soul. The poem was conceived as a work in three volumes. The first volume (published in 1842) was conceived as a collection of human vices, the second gave the characters the opportunity to realize their mistakes, and in the third volume they change and find the path to the right life.
While in work, the work was edited by the author many times, its main idea, characters, plot changed, but only the essence was preserved: the problems and plan of the work. Gogol finished the second volume of “Dead Souls” shortly before his death, but according to some information, he himself destroyed this book. According to other sources, it was given by the author to Tolstoy or one of his close friends, and then lost. There is an opinion that this manuscript is still kept by the descendants of high society around Gogol and will someday be found. The author did not have time to write the third volume, but there is information about its intended content from reliable sources, the future book, its idea and general characteristics, were discussed in literary circles.
Subject
Meaning of the name“Dead Souls” is twofold: this phenomenon itself - the sale of dead serf souls, rewriting them and transferring them to another owner and the image of people like Plyushkin, Manilov, Sobakevich - their souls are dead, the heroes are deeply unspiritual, vulgar and immoral.
Main topic“Dead Souls” - the vices and morals of society, the life of a Russian person in the 1830s of the 19th century. The problems that the author raises in the poem are as old as the world, but they are shown and revealed in the way that is characteristic of a researcher of human characters and souls: subtly and on a large scale.
Main character– Chichikov buys from landowners long-dead, but still registered serfs, whom he needs only on paper. Thus, he plans to get rich by receiving payment for them from the board of guardians. Chichikov's interaction and collaboration with scammers and charlatans like himself becomes the central theme of the poem. The desire to get rich by everyone possible ways characteristic not only of Chichikov, but also of many of the heroes of the poem - this is the disease of the century. What Gogol’s poem teaches is between the lines of the book - Russian people are characterized by adventurism and a craving for “easy bread.”
The conclusion is clear: the most correct way is to live according to the laws, in harmony with conscience and heart.
Composition
The poem consists of the complete first volume and several surviving chapters of the second volume. The composition is subordinated to the main goal - to reveal a picture of Russian life, contemporary to the author, to create a gallery of typical characters. The poem consists of 11 chapters, full of lyrical digressions, philosophical discussions and wonderful descriptions of nature.
All this breaks through the main plot from time to time and gives the work a unique lyricism. The work ends with a colorful lyrical reflection on the future of Russia, its strength and power.
The book was originally conceived as a satirical work, this influenced the overall composition. In the first chapter, the author introduces the reader to the residents of the city, to the main character - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. From the second to the sixth chapters the author gives portrait characteristic landowners, their unique way of life, a kaleidoscope of quirks and morals. The next four chapters describe the life of bureaucrats: bribery, arbitrariness and tyranny, gossip, the way of life of a typical Russian city.
Main characters
Genre
To determine the genre of “Dead Souls”, it is necessary to turn to history. Gogol himself defined it as a “poem,” although the structure and scale of the narrative are close to the story and novel. The prose work is called a poem due to its lyricism: large quantity lyrical digressions, remarks and comments of the author. It is also worth considering that Gogol drew a parallel between his brainchild and Pushkin’s poem “Eugene Onegin”: the latter is considered a novel in verse, and “Dead Souls” is, on the contrary, a poem in prose.
The author emphasizes the equivalence of the epic and the lyrical in his work. Criticism has a different opinion about genre features poems. For example, V. G. Belinsky called the work a novel, and this opinion is usually taken into account, since it is completely justified. But according to tradition, Gogol’s work is called a poem.
Work test
Rating analysis
Average rating: 4.7. Total ratings received: 3599.
Gogol. " Dead Souls" Which main problem works. What is the main theme of the work? And what was the relationship and got the best answer
Answer from GALINA[guru]
According to Gogol, the essence of the first volume of Dead Souls
is to show the shortcomings,
vices and weaknesses of the Russian person:
"...The book...depicts a man taken from our own
state... It was taken more to show
the shortcomings and vices of the Russian person, not his
dignity and virtue, and all people who
surround him, also taken to show
our weaknesses and shortcomings; best people And
the characters will be in other parts..."
(N.V. Gogol, “To the Reader from the Author”,
preface to the second edition of the first volume of "Dead Souls")
The main problem of the poem is spiritual death and
spiritual rebirth of man.
The author explores the causes of moral degradation
landowners, officials, Chichikov, reveals depressing
consequences of this process.
At the same time, Gogol, a writer with a Christian worldview,
does not lose hope for the spiritual awakening of his heroes.
About the spiritual resurrection of Chichikov and Plyushkin Gogol
was going to write in the second and third volumes of his
works, but this plan was not destined
was to come true.
Source: in detail
Reply from Vladimir Pobol[guru]
at Chichikov's with the landowners - did I understand you correctly?
Reply from Ira Kuzmenko[active]
Topics and problems. In accordance with the main idea of the work - to show the path to achieving a spiritual ideal, on the basis of which the writer imagines the possibility of transforming both the state system of Russia, its social structure, and all social strata and each individual person - the main themes and problems posed in the poem are determined. Dead souls." Being an opponent of any political and social upheavals, especially revolutionary ones, the Christian writer believes that the negative phenomena that characterize the state of contemporary Russia can be overcome through moral self-improvement not only of the Russian person himself, but also of the entire structure of society and the state. Moreover, such changes, from Gogol’s point of view, should not be external, but internal, that is, we are talking about the fact that all state and social structures, and especially their leaders, in their activities should be guided by moral laws, postulates of Christian ethics. Thus, the eternal Russian problem - bad roads - can be overcome, according to Gogol, not by changing bosses or tightening laws and control over their implementation. To do this, it is necessary that each of the participants in this matter, first of all the leader, remember that he is responsible not to a higher official, but to God. Gogol called on every Russian person in his place, in his position, to do things as the highest - Heavenly - law commands.
That is why the themes and problems of Gogol’s poem turned out to be so broad and comprehensive. In its first volume, the emphasis is placed on all those negative phenomena in the life of the country that need to be corrected. But the main evil for the writer lies not in social problems as such, but in the reason for which they arise: the spiritual impoverishment of contemporary man. That is why the problem of the death of the soul becomes central in the 1st volume of the poem. All other themes and problems of the work are grouped around it. “Be not dead, but living souls!” - the writer calls, convincingly demonstrating the abyss into which one who has lost his living soul falls. But what is meant by this strange oxymoron - “dead soul”, which gives the title to the whole work? Of course, not only a purely bureaucratic term used in Russia in the 19th century. Often " dead soul“They call a person mired in worries about vanity. The gallery of landowners and officials, shown in the 1st volume of the poem, reveals such “dead souls” to the reader, since they are all characterized by lack of spirituality, selfish interests, empty extravagance or soul-consuming stinginess. From this point of view " dead souls", shown in the 1st volume, can only be resisted by the "living soul" of the people, presented in the author's lyrical digressions. But, of course, the oxymoron “dead soul” is interpreted by the Christian writer in a religious and philosophical sense. The very word “soul” indicates the immortality of the individual in his Christian understanding. From this point of view, the symbolism of the definition “dead souls” contains the opposition of the dead (inert, frozen, spiritless) principle and the living (spiritualized, high, light). The uniqueness of Gogol's position lies in the fact that he not only contrasts these two principles, but points out the possibility of awakening the living in the dead. So the poem includes the theme of the resurrection of the soul, the theme of the path to its revival. It is known that Gogol intended to show the path of revival of two heroes from the 1st volume - Chichikov and Plyushkin. The author dreams that the “dead souls” of Russian reality will be reborn, turning into truly “living” souls.
But in the contemporary world, the death of the soul affected literally everyone and was reflected in the most diverse aspects of life.
Lesson objectives: 1. remind students about the most important events in
the period of creation of “Dead Souls”.
2. introduce to creative history poems
"Dead Souls"; arouse interest in this
work;
3. get to know the main character - Chichikov
while working on the first chapter.
4. help students see the provincial town of NN
Download:
Preview:
Open lesson on literature
10th grade (2 hours)
Topic: Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol.
Creative history of "Dead Souls". Composition. Genre. The role of chapter 1 in revealing the writer’s ideological intent.
“Chichikov... found that the city was nothing
was not inferior to other provincial cities.
(All cities were then approximately
the same).
N.V.Gogol.
Teacher of Russian language and literature
Sushkova Nelya Alexandrovna.
Lesson objectives: 1. remind students about the most important events in
The period of creation of “Dead Souls”.
2. introduce the creative history of the poem
"Dead Souls"; arouse interest in this
work;
3. get acquainted with the main character - Chichikov in
In the process of working on the first chapter.
4. help students see the provincial town NN/
Preliminary preparation for the lesson (questions for independent work):
- What events public life Did Russia in the 30s of the 19th century influence the life of N.V. Gogol and his contemporaries?
- Tell about the relationship between N.V. Gogol and A.S. Pushkin.
- What works did N. Gogol create on the advice of A. Pushkin?
Search and creative work with text:Throughout the lesson, work is carried out with figurative and expressive means of language.
Working with punched cards: a control section of knowledge on the topic of the lesson.
Lesson progress:
1. Conversation on homework issues:
Guys, today we are starting to study N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.
We will get acquainted with the history of the creation of the poem, as well as with the main character Chichikov. Let us determine the role of Chapter 1 in revealing the writer’s ideological plan.
So, let's turn to homework questions.
1. What events in the public life of Russia in the 30s of the 19th century influenced the life of N. Gogol?
The 30s of the 19th century were a time of reaction and social stagnation after the defeat of the Decembrist uprising, the tsarist reprisal against the rebels, and the collapse of all hopes for freedom.
M. Lermontov, in his poem “Duma,” addressing his contemporaries, gave a socio-political characterization of the era of the 30s: spiritual stagnation, indifference to the evil reigning in life.
N. Gogol’s contemporary A. Herzen wrote: “The first years that followed 1825 were terrible. It took at least ten years for man to come to his senses in his sad position as an enslaved and persecuted being. People were seized by deep despair and general despondency...” A. Herzen asked6 “Will future people understand, will they appreciate all the horror, all the tragic side of our existence...?”
V. Belinsky, in his article about M. Lermontov’s poem “Duma,” conveys all the horror of his era. He wrote: “This is a cry, this is a groan of a person for whom the absence of inner life is an evil, a thousand times more terrible than physical death!...And who among the people of the new generation will not find in it the solution to their own despondency, mental apathy, inner emptiness will not respond to him with a cry or a groan?”
In such a situation, N. Gogol decided to write “Dead Souls,” which “shocked all of Russia."
2. What was the relationship between Pushkin and Gogol. What works were written by Gogol on the advice of A. Pushkin?
In 1831, Gogol met Pushkin’s friends - A. Delvig, V. Zhukovsky, P. Pletnev, and then A. Pushkin himself.
Gogol read all the works of his idol; Pushkin’s friendly attention and approval meant a lot to him. Pushkin helped Gogol find the idea for both The Inspector General and Dead Souls.
In 1837, Gogol was abroad in Paris, where he was caught by the news of Pushkin’s murder, which was a severe shock for him.
2. A word from the teacher about the history of the creation of “Dead Souls”.
Yes, guys, indeed, Pushkin highly appreciated Gogol’s talent, and he advised him to take up literature.
Write down the topic of the lesson and the epigraph.
Gogol began writing Dead Souls in 1835. “In this novel I want to show at least one side of all of Rus',” he wrote. And in order to show all of Rus', you need to know it well.
He observes life, collects various materials, studies Russian reality, sees in it many scoundrels, embezzlers, and bribe-takers.
In "Dead Souls" there is a huge amount characters. All social strata of serf Russia: officials, landowners, serfs. And the author himself acts as a character.
“Dead Souls” was conceived as a three-part work on taxes from Dante’s “Divine Comedy”: hell, purgatory, paradise..
- In your cultural studies lessons you studied “ Divine Comedy"Dante, remember what its plot is?
If we are talking about an analogy, can you imagine which of the heroes of the poem Gogol intended to lead through purgatory to moral and spiritual rebirth?
Of course you are right. The author wanted to lead only Chichikov and Plyushkin through purgatory to spiritual and moral rebirth. After all, only these heroes have a biography. If there is a past, then there is a future. The rest of the characters are static, there is no movement in them, and if there is no movement, there is no life. Gogol, as it were, embodies the Christian covenant: “...and the last will be first.”
Gogol worked on 1 volume for 6 years. In volumes 2 and 3, Gogol wanted to show positive heroes, as well as the moral revival of Chichikov. The writer failed to do this. Gogol burned volume 2, but never started volume 3. From the drafts that have reached us, it is clear that he was not successful with the positive heroes.
Gogol loved Russia very much and firmly believed in its worthy future, but he did not see the path of transformation.
“Rus, where are you rushing to? Give me the answer. “He doesn’t give an answer.”
Initially, Dead Souls was conceived as a novel, but later Gogol defines the genre of his work asepic poem.
Why a poem? What are the features of this genre?
The poem contains many lyrical digressions and inserted structures in which the author conveys his feelings and experiences, which is typical for this genre.
What is the composition of this work?
The idea of traveling all over Rus' with Chichikov also determined the nature of the composition. It is structured as the story of the adventures of the acquirer Chichikov, who buys “dead” souls.
Chapter 1 - provincial town
2-6 ch. – dedicated to landowners, “masters of life”:
Chapter 2 -Manilov
Chapter 3 - Box
Chapter 4 – Nozdryov
5 ch. – Sobakevich
Chapter 6 Plyushkin
7-10 ch. - provincial society
Chapter 11 - biography of Chichikov.
Speaking about Gogol, we cannot help but dwell on artistic feature his creativity. Gogol is a brilliant Russian satirist. Gogol's strength lies in his humor. This is “laughter through tears.” And from the first pages of the poem we hear this bitter irony, turning into satire.
3. Analytical work with the text of the work.
So, we start working on chapter 1. It can be considered
exposition poems and at the same time tie , since here we meet the main character, who arrived in the provincial town of N.
For what purpose did the hero come to the city? Confirm with text.
(He has some kind of plan. This is the beginning of the action.)
Now we will need tables, put them in front of you and we will work with the dough and the table at the same time.
Analysis of chapter 1. "Getting to know the city of N."
Who came to city N?(some gentleman).
Why is he so wonderful? What can you say about him?(...nothing definite can be said about him, he is nothing: “neither fat nor thin, neither old nor young, not bad-looking, but not handsome either”).
Has anyone noticed the new person in town?(no one, they only paid attention to his chaise),
Why on a chaise?(because men judge a person by their crew).
Next we follow our hero and find ourselves in a hotel. What impression does the hotel description leave?There was a feeling of neglect, abandonment, devastation... But it was like hotels in any provincial town: neither better nor worse.)
- Here our hero is looking around his room, maybe now we’ll get to know him better, find out what kind of person he is?(no, instead of the hero, we again see only his things: a suitcase, a small chest, pads, fried chicken, which say a lot about their owner).
- Every hotel has a common room where our hero goes. What impression did this description make on you?(Again, neglect, dirt all around, and most importantly, such a hall can be found in any provincial town. The text contains many words that emphasize the typicality of the phenomenon: the same, the same, everything is the same as everywhere else.)
What can you say about this episode?(Gogol again emphasizes the typicality of the phenomenon, but the most important thing that is striking is that there are no people anywhere, but only the names of the dishes are listed).
We continue to follow Chichikov. Where does he go after lunch?
(see city).
Was Chichikov satisfied with his tour of the city?(yes, the city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities).
Next Chichikov looked into the city garden. What can you say about this episode? (The presence of the author is especially felt here. Only here it is no longer good humor, but caustic irony. After all, the garden looks very pitiful, but as described in the newspapers. Gogol exposes both the hypocrisy and veneration of citizens.)
And then the next day came! Where did Chichikov go?(pay visits to city dignitaries).
Who did he visit first?(governor).
What can we say about the governor?(he was neither fat nor thin, he was a big good-natured man, he embroidered on tulle himself)
Is this enough to characterize the head of the city?(No, the governor must take care of the welfare of his citizens, but the city is in a state of disrepair and we don’t see any residents at all.)
Who else did he visit?(prosecutor, vice-governor...)
How do these visits characterize Chichikov?(Chichikov knows people well, he knows how to flatter someone, how to create a favorable impression of himself. As a result, everyone invited him to visit. And so they received an invitation to a ball at the governor’s house).
Chichikov, like a clay vessel, takes on the appearance that they want to see in him. He, like a mirror, reflects everything he sees.
Let's watch the hero as he prepares for the party. What is the reason for such attentiveness to one’s appearance? (To properly handle his affairs, he had to make a good impression on everyone. And he knew how to do it.)
Following Chichikov, we find ourselves at the governor's house. And what do we see?(Just now Chichikov was driving through dark, deserted streets, and the governor’s house was lit as if for a ball, in a word, everything was as it should be. Again, a typical phenomenon: the governor’s house in any city should stand out for its wealth.)
And here we are with Chichikov at the ball. How does Gogol characterize the guests at the party? What are these people who look like flies? What are they doing?(Nothing. They run around stupidly, separately and in groups. They want to be noticed. Maybe they will be able to take some position, at least a little, but higher than the one they have. An extended metaphor characterizes their life goals. And it doesn’t matter who is in these tailcoats. They are all impersonal, the main thing is the clothing, the uniform, the tailcoat is an indicator of social affiliation).
What kind of men are here? What is the essence of the comparison between “Thick” and “Thin”?
(Again, men here, as elsewhere, are impersonal, they are divided only by size. Some are fat, others are thin. Fat ones are honorary officials of the city, they care about their well-being. And thin ones, on the contrary, happily squander the fortune left behind their inheritance. These are those who govern the city and who have not for a minute thought about the well-being of the city and its inhabitants.
Who else does Chichikov meet at the party?(With landowners Manilov and Sobakevich).
Guys, we have finished the analysis of chapter 1. Let's summarize.
What was the purpose of our lesson? Have we achieved it?(Student comments.)
So, we got acquainted with the history of the creation of “Dead Souls”, determined the genre of the work, got acquainted with the composition, with the main character Chichikov and the provincial town.
It remains for us to determine the role of chapter 1 in revealing the writer’s ideological plan. You will do this yourself.
But before you startcreative work, we will hold a small test to identify knowledge about the history of the creation of the poem.
- Consolidation. Control section based on the studied material.
(Working with punched cards).
- Name the era reflected in the poem “Dead Souls”.
A) late 20s - early 30s. 19th century;
B) 30s – 40s. 19th century,
IN) Patriotic War 1812
- The plot of “Dead Souls” was suggested by:
A) V.A. Zhukovsky;
B) A.S. Pushkin;
B) V.G. Belinsky.
- The plot of “Dead Souls” is based on:
A) conflict between landowners and city officials;
B) the dramatic fate of Captain Kopeikin;
C) Chichikov’s adventure with the purchase of “Dead Souls”.
4. It is known that Gogol’s plan - “to travel all over Rus' with the hero and bring out many different characters” - predetermined the composition of the poem. It was built:
A) like the love affairs of Chichikov, busy looking for a rich bride;
B) as the story of the adventures of the “entrepreneur” Chmchmkov, who buys “dead souls”;
C) as the main character’s attempts to find his own path of activity and the meaning of life.
5. What impression did Chichikov initially make on the residents of the provincial town:
A) a person with whom “you cannot speak in any way as if you were a close person... no straightforwardness, no sincerity! Perfect Sobakevich, such a scoundrel!”;
B) an experienced socialite who knows how to maintain a conversation on any topic, speaking “neither loudly nor quietly, but absolutely as it should”;
C) mannequin man, “neither this nor that.”
6. Indicate the essence of Chichikov’s scam:
A) Chichikov needs “dead souls” to gain weight in society;
B) Chichikov needs “dead souls” for a successful marriage;
C) Chichikov wanted to pledge the dead peasants to the Council of Guardians under the guise of living ones, and then, having received a loan as collateral, escape.
7.What is the fate of the second and third volumes of “Dead Souls”:
b) were not written by Gogol;
C) the second volume was written, the white manuscript of which Gogol burned nine days before his death; The writer did not begin the third.
8. Which of the writers can be compared with N.V. Gogol (in style, the nature of accusatory laughter, the way of reflecting reality);
A) A.P. Chekhov;
B) M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrin;
B) F.M. Dostoevsky.
9. N.V. Gogol died on February 21, 1852. The tsarist government forbade writing about his death. And yet a small obituary appeared: “Gogol has died! What Russian soul would not be shocked by these two words?!..”
A) V.G. Belinsky;
B) N.G. Chernyshevsky;
B) I.S. Turgenev.
Check the tests during the creative task and announce at the end of the lesson.)
5. Creative work. Observing the writer's style.
The time has come for creative work. You need to once again turn to the text of Chapter 1 and write down words, phrases, syntactic figures and tropes that indicate the typicality of the phenomena described in Chapter 1 and draw conclusions.
6. Lesson summary:
Announce grades for the control section;
Listen to 1-2 creative works;
Conclusion: Gogol's world is an objective, material world. Things loudly declare themselves, they are independent, self-sufficient. And Gogol’s material world is empty. What is it filled with? How do officials live? Nothing. Gossip, gossip, deception, desire for self-enrichment.
Comment on and announce the grades received during the lesson.
7. Homework:Re-read chapter 2-3, make a comparative description of 2 landowners: Manilov and Korobochka, guided by the plan comparative characteristics heroes.
“Dead Souls” is a poem for the ages. The plasticity of the depicted reality, the comic nature of situations and the artistic skill of N.V. Gogol paints an image of Russia not only of the past, but also of the future. Grotesque satirical reality in harmony with patriotic notes create an unforgettable melody of life that sounds through the centuries.
Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov goes to distant provinces to buy serfs. However, he is not interested in people, but only in the names of the dead. This is necessary to submit the list to the board of trustees, which “promises” a lot of money. For a nobleman with so many peasants, all doors were open. To implement his plans, he pays visits to landowners and officials of the city of NN. They all reveal their selfish nature, so the hero manages to get what he wants. He is also planning a profitable marriage. However, the result is disastrous: the hero is forced to flee, as his plans become publicly known thanks to the landowner Korobochka.
History of creation
N.V. Gogol believed A.S. Pushkin as his teacher, who “gave” the grateful student a story about Chichikov’s adventures. The poet was sure that only Nikolai Vasilyevich, who has a unique talent from God, could realize this “idea”.
The writer loved Italy and Rome. In the land of the great Dante, he began work on a book suggesting a three-part composition in 1835. The poem was supposed to be similar to Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting the hero's descent into hell, his wanderings in purgatory and the resurrection of his soul in heaven.
The creative process continued for six years. The idea of a grandiose painting, depicting not only “all Rus'” present, but also the future, revealed “the untold riches of the Russian spirit.” In February 1837, Pushkin died, whose “sacred testament” for Gogol became “Dead Souls”: “Not a single line was written without me imagining him before me.” The first volume was completed in the summer of 1841, but did not immediately find its reader. The censorship was outraged by “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”, and the title led to bewilderment. I had to make concessions by starting the title with the intriguing phrase “The Adventures of Chichikov.” Therefore, the book was published only in 1842.
After some time, Gogol writes the second volume, but, dissatisfied with the result, burns it.
Meaning of the name
The title of the work causes conflicting interpretations. The oxymoron technique used gives rise to numerous questions to which you want to get answers as quickly as possible. The title is symbolic and ambiguous, so the “secret” is not revealed to everyone.
In the literal sense, “dead souls” are representatives of the common people who have passed into another world, but are still listed as their masters. The concept is gradually being rethought. The “form” seems to “come to life”: real serfs, with their habits and shortcomings, appear before the reader’s gaze.
Characteristics of the main characters
- Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is a “mediocre gentleman.” Somewhat cloying manners in dealing with people are not without sophistication. Well-mannered, neat and delicate. “Not handsome, but not bad-looking, not... fat, nor.... thin..." Calculating and careful. He collects unnecessary trinkets in his little chest: maybe it will come in handy! Seeks profit in everything. The generation of the worst sides of an enterprising and energetic person of a new type, opposed to landowners and officials. We wrote about him in more detail in the essay "".
- Manilov - “knight of the void”. Blond "sweet" talker "with blue eyes" He covers up the poverty of thought and avoidance of real difficulties with a beautiful phrase. He lacks living aspirations and any interests. His faithful companions are fruitless fantasy and thoughtless chatter.
- The box is “club-headed”. A vulgar, stupid, stingy and tight-fisted nature. She cut herself off from everything around her, shutting herself up in her estate - the “box”. She turned into a stupid and greedy woman. Limited, stubborn and unspiritual.
- Nozdryov is a “historical person”. He can easily lie whatever he wants and deceive anyone. Empty, absurd. He thinks of himself as broad-minded. However, his actions expose a careless, chaotic, weak-willed and at the same time arrogant, shameless “tyrant.” Record holder for getting into tricky and ridiculous situations.
- Sobakevich is “a patriot of the Russian stomach.” Outwardly it resembles a bear: clumsy and irrepressible. Completely incapable of understanding the most basic things. A special type of “storage device” that can quickly adapt to the new requirements of our time. He is not interested in anything except running a household. we described in the essay of the same name.
- Plyushkin - “a hole in humanity.” A creature of unknown gender. A striking example of moral decline, which has completely lost its natural appearance. The only character (except Chichikov) who has a biography that “reflects” the gradual process of personality degradation. A complete nonentity. Plyushkin’s manic hoarding “pours out” into “cosmic” proportions. And the more this passion takes possession of him, the less of a person remains in him. We analyzed his image in detail in the essay .
- Thorns on the path of development of the Motherland are the main problem in the poem “Dead Souls” that the author was worried about. These include bribery and embezzlement of officials, infantilism and inactivity of the nobility, ignorance and poverty of the peasants. The writer sought to make his contribution to the prosperity of Russia, condemning and ridiculing vices, educating new generations of people. For example, Gogol despised doxology as a cover for the emptiness and idleness of existence. The life of a citizen should be useful to society, but most of the characters in the poem are downright harmful.
- Moral problems. He views the lack of moral standards among representatives of the ruling class as the result of their ugly passion for hoarding. The landowners are ready to shake the soul out of the peasant for the sake of profit. Also, the problem of selfishness comes to the fore: the nobles, like officials, think only about their own interests, the homeland for them is an empty weightless word. High society does not care about the common people, they simply use them for their own purposes.
- The crisis of humanism. People are sold like animals, lost at cards like things, pawned like jewelry. Slavery is legal and is not considered immoral or unnatural. Gogol illuminated the problem of serfdom in Russia globally, showing both sides of the coin: the slave mentality inherent in the serf, and the tyranny of the owner, confident in his superiority. All these are the consequences of tyranny that permeates relationships in all levels of society. It corrupts people and ruins the country.
- The author’s humanism is manifested in his attention to “ little man”, a critical exposure of the evils of the state system. Gogol did not even try to avoid political problems. He described a bureaucracy that functioned only on the basis of bribery, nepotism, embezzlement and hypocrisy.
- Gogol's characters are characterized by the problem of ignorance and moral blindness. Because of it, they do not see their moral squalor and are not able to independently get out of the quagmire of vulgarity that drags them down.
Genre and composition
Initially, the work began as an adventurous picaresque novel. But the breadth of the events described and the historical truthfulness, as if “compressed” together, gave rise to “talking” about the realistic method. Making precise remarks, inserting philosophical arguments, addressing different generations, Gogol imbued “his brainchild” with lyrical digressions. One cannot but agree with the opinion that Nikolai Vasilyevich’s creation is a comedy, since it actively uses the techniques of irony, humor and satire, which most fully reflect the absurdity and arbitrariness of the “squadron of flies that dominates Rus'.”
The composition is circular: the chaise, which entered the city of NN at the beginning of the story, leaves it after all the vicissitudes that happened to the hero. Episodes are woven into this “ring”, without which the integrity of the poem is violated. The first chapter provides a description of the provincial city of NN and local officials. From the second to the sixth chapters, the author introduces readers to the landowner estates of Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin. The seventh - tenth chapters are a satirical depiction of officials, the execution of completed transactions. The string of events listed above ends with a ball, where Nozdryov “narrates” about Chichikov’s scam. The reaction of society to his statement is unambiguous - gossip, which, like a snowball, is overgrown with fables that have found refraction, including in the short story (“The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”) and the parable (about Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich). The introduction of these episodes allows us to emphasize that the fate of the fatherland directly depends on the people living in it. You cannot look indifferently at the disgrace happening around you. Certain forms of protest are maturing in the country. The eleventh chapter is a biography of the hero who forms the plot, explaining what motivated him when committing this or that act.
The connecting compositional thread is the image of the road (you can learn more about this by reading the essay “ » ), symbolizing the path that the state takes in its development “under the modest name of Rus'.”
Why does Chichikov need dead souls?
Chichikov is not just cunning, but also pragmatic. His sophisticated mind is ready to “make candy” out of nothing. Not having sufficient capital, he, being a good psychologist, having gone through a good life school, mastering the art of “flattering everyone” and fulfilling his father’s behest to “save a penny,” starts a great speculation. It consists of a simple deception of “those in power” in order to “warm up their hands”, in other words, to gain a huge amount of money, thereby providing for themselves and their future family, which Pavel Ivanovich dreamed of.
Names of those bought for next to nothing dead peasants were entered into a document that Chichikov could take to the treasury chamber under the guise of collateral in order to obtain a loan. He would have pawned the serfs like a brooch in a pawnshop, and could have re-mortgaged them all his life, since none of the officials checked the physical condition of the people. For this money, the businessman would buy real workers and an estate, and would live in a big way, enjoying the favor of the nobles, because the nobles measured the wealth of the landowner in the number of souls (peasants were then called “souls” in noble slang). In addition, Gogol's hero hoped to gain trust in society and profitably marry a rich heiress.
main idea
A hymn to the homeland and people, the distinguishing feature of which is hard work, sounds on the pages of the poem. The masters of golden hands became famous for their inventions and their creativity. The Russian man is always “rich in invention.” But there are also those citizens who hinder the development of the country. These are vicious officials, ignorant and inactive landowners and swindlers like Chichikov. For their own good, the good of Russia and the world, they must take the path of correction, realizing the ugliness of their inner world. To do this, Gogol mercilessly ridicules them throughout the entire first volume, but in subsequent parts of the work the author intended to show the resurrection of the spirit of these people using the example of the main character. Perhaps he felt the falseness of the subsequent chapters, lost faith that his dream was feasible, so he burned it along with the second part of “Dead Souls.”
Nevertheless, the author showed that the main wealth of the country is the broad soul of the people. It is no coincidence that this word is included in the title. The writer believed that the revival of Russia would begin with the revival of human souls, pure, untainted by any sins, selfless. Not just those who believe in the free future of the country, but those who make a lot of effort on this fast road to happiness. “Rus, where are you going?” This question runs like a refrain throughout the book and emphasizes the main thing: the country must live in constant movement towards the better, advanced, progressive. Only on this path “do other peoples and states give her the way.” We wrote a separate essay about Russia’s path: ?
Why did Gogol burn the second volume of Dead Souls?
At some point, the thought of the messiah begins to dominate in the writer’s mind, allowing him to “foresee” the revival of Chichikov and even Plyushkin. Gogol hopes to reverse the progressive “transformation” of a person into a “dead man”. But, faced with reality, the author experiences deep disappointment: the heroes and their destinies emerge from the pen as far-fetched and lifeless. It didn't work out. The impending crisis in worldview was the reason for the destruction of the second book.
In the surviving excerpts from the second volume, it is clearly visible that the writer portrays Chichikov not in the process of repentance, but in flight towards the abyss. He still succeeds in adventures, dresses in a devilish red tailcoat and breaks the law. His revelation does not bode well, because in his reaction the reader will not see a sudden insight or a hint of shame. He doesn’t even believe in the possibility of such fragments ever existing. Gogol did not want to sacrifice artistic truth even for the sake of realizing his own plan.
Issues
What is unique about the work?
Adventurism, realistic reality, a sense of the presence of the irrational, philosophical reasoning about earthly good - all this is closely intertwined, creating an “encyclopedic” picture of the first half of the 19th century centuries.
Gogol achieves this by using various techniques of satire, humor, visual means, numerous details, a wealth of vocabulary, and compositional features.
- Symbolism plays an important role. Falling into the mud “predicts” the future exposure of the main character. The spider weaves its webs to capture its next victim. Like an “unpleasant” insect, Chichikov skillfully runs his “business”, “entwining” landowners and officials with noble lies. “sounds” like the pathos of Rus'’s forward movement and affirms human self-improvement.
- We observe the heroes through the prism of “comic” situations, apt author’s expressions and characteristics given by other characters, sometimes built on the antithesis: “he was a prominent man” - but only “at first glance”.
- The vices of the heroes of Dead Souls become a continuation of the positive character traits. For example, Plyushkin’s monstrous stinginess is a distortion of his former thrift and thriftiness.
- In small lyrical “inserts” there are the writer’s thoughts, difficult thoughts, and an anxious “I.” In them we feel the highest creative message: to help humanity change for the better.
- The fate of people who create works for the people or not to please “those in power” does not leave Gogol indifferent, because in literature he saw a force capable of “re-educating” society and promoting its civilized development. Social strata of society, their position in relation to everything national: culture, language, traditions - occupy a serious place in the author’s digressions. When it comes to Rus' and its future, through the centuries we hear the confident voice of the “prophet”, predicting the difficult, but aimed at a bright dream, future of the Fatherland.
- Philosophical reflections on the frailty of existence, lost youth and impending old age evoke sadness. Therefore, it is so natural for a tender “fatherly” appeal to youth, on whose energy, hard work and education depends on which “path” the development of Russia will take.
- The language is truly folk. The forms of colloquial, literary and written business speech are harmoniously woven into the fabric of the poem. Rhetorical questions and exclamations, the rhythmic construction of individual phrases, the use of Slavicisms, archaisms, sonorous epithets create a certain structure of speech that sounds solemn, excited and sincere, without a shadow of irony. When describing landowners' estates and their owners, vocabulary characteristic of everyday speech is used. The image of the bureaucratic world is saturated with the vocabulary of the depicted environment. we described in the essay of the same name.
- The solemnity of comparisons, high style, combined with original speech, create a sublimely ironic manner of narration, serving to debunk the base, vulgar world of the owners.
Prompted by Pushkin plot of "Dead Souls" was attractive to Gogol, as it gave him the opportunity, together with their hero, the future Chichikov, to “travel” throughout Russia and show “all of Rus'.” The social issues of “Dead Souls” are integrated with the problem of the spiritual state, or rather, the lack of spirituality of the “modern” and, above all, “Russian man”. In his letters, Gogol explains that it is not the province, and not a few ugly landowners, and not what is attributed to them, that is the subject of “Dead Souls”, that the real and only subject of the “art” of their author is “man and the soul of man”, and " modern man" and the "current state" of his "soul".
Poem "Dead Souls"- a realistic work. The principles of artistic realism were formulated by Gogol in a digression on two types of writers. The writer attributes his work to the critical direction. Its historical limitations are obvious, which is expressed in the fact that for Gogol the “fertile grain” of Russian life was hidden not in the social, democratic trends in the development of “reality,” but in the national specificity of the spiritual “nature” of the Russian person. Gogol wrote during the crisis of serfdom in Russia. Depicting landowners and officials, Gogol used satirical description, social typification, as well as a general critical focus. The author pays great attention to descriptions of nature, the estate, the house, the interior, and the details of the portrait. Through satirical descriptions, the author characterizes the characters, paying attention to details. Various plans are correlated: a lyrical digression about a bird-troika and a description of a trip along bad Russian roads.
The poem goes back to the traditions of the ancient epic, where a holistic existence was recreated in all contradictions. By “poem” the writer meant “a lesser kind of epic... Prospectus for a textbook of literature for Russian youth. The hero of epics is a private and invisible person, but significant in many respects for observing the human soul.” Lyrical digressions, which are elements of the poem, in “Dead Souls” reflect the author’s perception of reality. Gogol himself called the work not only a poem, but also a novel, but for this the work lacks a love affair. The poem contains elements of a picaresque, adventure and social novel.
The plot and composition of the poem
Three compositional links are clearly distinguished: a display of estates (chapters 2-6), a depiction of the life of the provincial city, provincial officials (chapters 7-10), a narration about the life fate of the protagonist of the poem.
The road in all its meanings is the compositional core of the narrative, combining its spatial coordinates (Russian provincial city) with temporal ones (the movement of the chaise) into a symbol of “all Rus'” and its path from serf-dominated deadness to the great future.
Image of Chichikov and its ideological and compositional role influence the plot of the poem. The poem is stylized as a description of a journey; individual fragments of the life of Rus' are combined into a whole. If we consider the role of the image, it lies in the characteristics of the entrepreneur-adventurer. As follows from the hero’s biography, he uses for his own purposes either the position of an official or the mythical position of a landowner. The composition of the poem is built on the principle of “closed spaces”: landowners’ estates, the city.
The self-title of the poem is also symbolic - “Dead Souls”. Its literal meaning, related to the plot, is not only the dead peasants crossed out from the audit lists, called “souls” in the language of official documents. In addition, these are the dead souls of the owners of living and dead peasant souls, concealing the possibility of their awakening.
The theme of the homeland and people in the poem
Gogol says that the peasants for the most part are ignorant, downtrodden and narrow-minded: the yard girl Korobochka has no idea where is right and where is left; Petrushka and Selifan are stupid and lazy; Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minai are only capable of speculating whether Chichikov’s chaise will reach Moscow and Kazan. However, Gogol puts forward the idea that the Russian people have talents and creative abilities: in a lyrical digression about the Russian language, in a digression about the three-bird, in the characterization of the “Yaroslavl efficient man.”
“A Lesson for Tsars” was taught by the author of “Dead Souls” with “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” The time of its action is precisely indicated: “six years after the French.” This is the time of the height of the Alexander reaction, the time of Arakcheev and the birth of the Decembrist movement. Captain Kopeikin is one of the participants in the War of 1812, whom the subsequent reaction turned from a defender of the Fatherland into a robber chieftain. “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” reminds us of the threat of a revolutionary “revolt” in Russia. In lyrical digressions about Rus' and the bird-troika, Gogol expresses his attitude to the future of Russia. “Rus, where are you rushing?” This question is addressed not to the “proud horse” - a symbol of Russian statehood, but to the “three bird” - a symbol of the national element of Russian life, its future and world-historical self-determination.
