The City of En in the comedy The Examiner. County town N (Gogol). See what "City N" is in other dictionaries
Gentlemen tourists! Today, an interesting excursion awaits you, during which we will find out how a typical county town of the 19th century lived in Russia. For that, we'll fast forward to N.V. Gogol's "Inspector".
I remind you that the county town is a small provincial town, located "in the middle of nowhere." No wonder Gogol's mayor says about him: "Yes, from here, even if you ride for three years, you will not reach any state."
However, people live here too, there are institutions that “ensure” this life. The city has a court, charitable and educational institutions, a post office, a police station, hotels, and so on. Let's look at all these institutions in order.
Let's start with the county court. Be careful, please, do not stumble - in the front of the watchman "they brought geese with small caterpillars that dart under their feet." Go straight into the presence, but do not pay attention to the arp and all the rubbish laid out here. Now we will talk with the assessor, who will tell us about the work of the court. Although ... no, it seems that today he is not able to do this - “there is such a smell from him, as if he had just left the distillery.” Well... well, the work of the court fully illustrates the name of the judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin - everything here is done "bluff".
And let's better turn to charitable institutions. Now we are entering the hospital of this glorious city and on the threshold we meet the district doctor Christian Ivanovich Gibner arm in arm with Mr. Strawberry, the trustee of the charitable institutions of the city. Does the name of the doctor really symbolize the work of the hospital here too: patients mercilessly “die”, and the “sweet” and “naive” Strawberry does not want to notice anything?
Let's ask some of the simple patients. I'm sorry, what? Almost no treatment - "patients are dying like flies"?! Natural ways of healing - “a simple man: if he dies, then he will die anyway; if he recovers, then he will recover as well”?! The doctor "doesn't know a word of Russian"?!
Hmm ... let's visit educational institutions - quietly sneak into one of the classes. Oh, we were lucky, we got to the history lesson! But what is it - God, is it really a fire? Oh, no, don't worry, please, - it was the teacher who went so far as to talk about the exploits of Alexander the Great. Oh, and what kind of face does he have - “he cut such a face as I have never seen before”! It is not for nothing that the superintendent of educational institutions Khlopov (whose surname is derived from the word "khlop" - "serf", slave) is afraid that here "free-thinking thoughts are inspired by youth."
Phew, so many shocks in one day! And let's go to the post office - there should be "peace and quiet, God's grace" here. The postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin is also sitting at the table. But… what does he do? Opens letters and reads them?! And here’s one he put on his table! What is it - is not going to send it to its destination? Well ... it’s not for nothing that the name of this official comes from the word “shpen” - “an obstinate person, across everyone, in the hindrance, an evil mocker.” And if you remember what role this hero played in the finale of The Inspector General, then his speaking surname will sound even louder.
Well, no less telling are the names of the "servants of order" - policemen Derzhimorda, Uvertov, Svistunov, who do not disdain to unfairly detain, beat the inhabitants of the city, give false testimony, and so on. The work of the police station in this city once again indicates the "style" of work of all officials and institutions - illegal, unfair, based on theft, fraud, corruption, injustice.
Confirmation of this is the fate of ordinary residents of the city: the unfortunate non-commissioned officer, publicly flogged for nothing, the locksmith, whose husband was unfairly "taken" into the army, merchants, mercilessly robbed by the mayor and other officials.
Confirmation of this is the condition of the city streets (you can see for yourself what kind of dirt and devastation reigns here: the buildings have not been repaired for a long time, there is not a single new building in the city, and so on). I no longer risk inviting you to a hotel where, believe me, they will offer you such rooms and such a menu that "even the saints can stand."
Well, gentlemen tourists, I think our opinion is unanimous: life in a county town of the 19th century is like hell for ordinary residents and heaven for officials. After all, they live according to the principle of maximum benefit for their personal pocket, not at all thinking about fulfilling their true duties - caring for the improvement of the city and citizens. It is especially important that there were a great many such cities in Russia, which is why Gogol did not give the name to "his" county town. And it is also important that the laws of the existence of Gogol's officials have been preserved in our time, you yourself have noticed this, haven't you?
City N
There were so many barbershops and funeral procession bureaus in the county town of N that it seemed that the inhabitants of the city were born only to shave, cut their hair, freshen their heads with a vetetal and immediately die.
The official part of the city of N, writes Shevyryov, is represented by the governor, the old man, embroidering on tulle, the prosecutor, serious and silent, the postmaster, wit and philosopher, the chairman of the chamber - a judicious, amiable and good-natured person, the police chief - father and benefactor, as well as other officials divided into thick and thin. The unofficial part consists, “firstly, of enlightened people who read Moskovskiye Vedomosti, Karamzin, and so on, then tyuryukov, bobakov and ladies, who call their husbands the affectionate names of“ little egg ”,“ fat man ”,“ puzanchik ”,“ blackies”, “kiki” and “buzz”. Of these latter, two especially distinguished themselves: the lady is simply pleasant and the lady is pleasant in all respects.
There is a garden in the city, in which the trees are "no taller than reeds", but the newspapers said on the occasion of the illumination that it "consists of shady, broad-branched trees, giving coolness on a hot day." Special carriages drive around the city, of which rattles and wheel whistles are wonderful. “The character of the city is kind, hospitable and most ingenuous,” writes Shevyryov, “his conversations bear the stamp of some special shortness, everything is familial, everything is familiar and so, among themselves. Whether the city plays cards, it has its own special sayings and expressions for every suit and every card. Whether he talks among himself, he has his own proverb for every name, with which no one is offended. The critic notes that if the reader wants to get an idea about the special language of this city, then the reader should listen "to the famous story of the postmaster, the first orator of the city, about Captain Kopeikin".
Official affairs in such a city are presented as taking place in family life: “bribes, some kind of domestic, anciently accepted custom, which no one is amazed at ... Despite the fact that this city is not one of our well-known provincial cities and was created by a mocking, the playful imagination of the poet, - for all that, the city is so alive and natural that we understand that as soon as in it, and not in any other city, Chichikov could fulfill part of his extraordinary courageous plan.
Researcher V. L. Alekseeva writes that in Russia, which saw the image of St. Petersburg through the eyes of Pushkin, and the image of the city N through the eyes of Gogol, it becomes impossible to perceive the image of the city without taking into account the perception of poets and writers.
Researcher N. A. Belova notes that the concept of "provincial town" in the works of Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin (Vyatka, "History of a City"), Odoevsky, Lermontov ("Tambov Treasurer"), Griboedov, (Saratov, mentioned as a place of exile Sophia in "Woe from Wit") acquires ironic connotations in the texts. The concept of "provincial/county town" is most developed in Gogol's prose. “The semiotics of a provincial town,” writes the researcher, “is endowed with the following features: the absence of the movement of time, which seems to have stopped, the savagery of morals and the anecdotal nature of events, the consciousness of the inferiority, vulnerability of county life ... The concept of “county town” in N.V. Gogol performs a very important function, concentrating in itself not only the mirage of Russian life, but also the earthly world, which has forgotten its purpose - to be a reflection of the City of Heaven.
Notes
Links
- Makhaev V. B. Uyezdny Horror: The Image of a Russian Provincial Town in the Fiction of the 1860s-1930s // Construction, architecture, design. - 2009. - V. 1 (5).
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
See what "City N" is in other dictionaries:
Capital, fortress. See resident, place .. neither to the village nor to the city, to go to the Kharkov province in the city of Mordasov ... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M .: Russian dictionaries, 1999. city of gorodets, ancient settlement, ... ... Synonym dictionary
State * Army * War * Elections * Democracy * Conquest * Law * Politics * Crime * Command * Revolution * Liberty * Navy Power * Administration * Aristocracy ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms
CITY, a, pl. oh, oh, husband. 1. Large settlement, administrative, commercial, industrial and cultural center. Port city. To live outside the city (in a suburban area). To go out of town (to a suburban area). Out of town (out of town). 2.… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov
A settlement that has the status of a city is characterized, as a rule, by a significant population, the bulk of which are workers, employees and members of their families employed outside of agricultural production. Dictionary of financial ... ... Financial vocabulary
CITY, a locality whose inhabitants are usually employed outside of agriculture. The assignment of a settlement to the category of a city is formalized by law; at the same time, the criterion for the population of the city differs from 250 people ... Modern Encyclopedia
A locality whose inhabitants are usually employed outside of agriculture. The assignment of a settlement to the category of a city is formalized by law; while the criterion for the population of the city differs from 250 people in ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
city- city, family cities; pl. cities. In combination with the preposition "for": outside the city, outside the city (meaning "to the suburbs, in the suburbs"); outside the city, outside the city (meaning "beyond the line, on the other side of the city") ... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian
1. CITY1, cities, pl. city, husband A large settlement, governed by a special position, an administrative, industrial and commercial center. The most important cities of the RSFSR are Moscow and Leningrad. ❖ Green city see green. 2. CITY2, cities, pl. cities … Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
The Inspector General was conceived as a social comedy (and not a family comedy), so the events depicted are considered on the scale of the city (and not one house).
The city is always a multi-dimensional, multi-valued symbol. This is a kind of closed space, fenced off from the surrounding space, a small world that can reflect the big world and be its symbol. Gogol has Dikanka (in this case, not a city, but a village, but the symbolic functions are the same), Mirgorod (a speaking name), phantasmagoric Petersburg, and now - a county town without a name. So, the city is a closed mythologized space with its clear internal structure, internal laws. The social structure of the city in Gogol is the simplest scheme, a pyramid with a top - the mayor, then - his family, then - officials, landowners, merchants, bourgeois, artisans and other residents of the city. A city is a symbol of any large social hierarchical structure (a state, the whole world). In accordance with this, we can talk about the following meanings of the image of the “combined” (Gogol) city.
1. A collective image of a provincial Russian city. Feature of the image: Gogol did not strive to convey the facts as accurately as possible, he rather conveys “not the facts, but the very spirit of reality” (V. G. Belinsky). Example: in the nomenclature of officials there is no such necessary character as the mayor, because the figure of the mayor is enough, embodying the abstract idea - the highest power in the city. So, this is a mythologized image of a provincial Russian city. There are memories of how in one provincial town the mayor took the image of Gogol's Governor at his own expense and was very offended.
2. Phantasmagoric city. There is something phantasmagoric in the city, starting with the uncertainty of its location on the map of Russia (“Yes, you can jump from here for at least three years, you won’t reach any state”). Obviously, such characters could not meet in real life. We can say that this is a provincial Russian city, but in a distorted mirror of grotesque and satire. (How is the meaning of the epigraph to the play related to this?) It can also be said that this is a ghost town, the embodiment of “our ghostly reality” (V. G. Belinsky), a city that is not on the map and at the same time a purely Russian city.
3. The Russian state in miniature. One can consider the city in The Inspector General at the same time as a grotesque caricature of a bureaucratic state. Many understood the meaning of comedy in this way. Emperor Nicholas I commented on the play: “Well, what a play! Everyone got it, but I got it the most.” However, from the text of a separate play "Theatrical journey ..." (you need to reread it) It follows that such an interpretation is rather groundless. In the play, the audience discuss among themselves Gogol's comedy The Government Inspector just watched in the theatre. Those who claimed that this is a dangerous, unreliable comedy are, in fact, narrow-minded people.
4. Interpretation in the spirit of a religious and philosophical parable. Such an interpretation is proposed by Gogol himself in another, separate play - “Decoupling of the Inspector General”, written for M. Shchepkin's benefit performance. This time the characters are actors, the main one being the First Comic Actor, he delivers a long didactic monologue addressed to the audience. The monologue says that the city is our soul, officials are fatal passions, the auditor is conscience, and Khlestakov is an imaginary, "windy, secular" conscience. Thus, the plot is understood in an allegorical sense, in the spirit of a parable. The city as a symbol of the inner world of man - is in the Christian tradition.
It is known that this interpretation did not please Shchepkin, who wrote to Gogol that he wanted to see satirical images of officials on stage, and not “some kind of passions” (“After me, remake at least into goats,” he adds).
5. Characters personifying the city. First of all, this is the Governor, and then - the officials. To a large extent, they are the "face of the city", i.e. the city in the play is shown as the result of the activities of the mayor and other officials. In contrast to the Governor, officials are more primitive. Gogol, when depicting them, uses simpler techniques (one is connected with the other). The mayor and Khlestakov are, as it were, voluminous figures, and the officials are flat, they can also be likened to masks or dolls. Each of them has its own characteristic comic detail in the portrait, demeanor, habits, etc. (for example, Lyapkin-Tyapkin is distinguished by the fact that he likes to take bribes with greyhound puppies, the “distinguishing feature” of Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky is that they are almost the same ). In principle, character is reduced to these small dashes (“sinners”, in the words of Gorodnichiy). The funny names of officials play a certain role, mostly they sound simply absurd, but some are also talking - for example, Dr. Gibner, a policeman of Derzhimord. It is noteworthy that officials, as a rule, appear on stage all together and act together, speaking in turn. This applies to the first scene (waiting for the auditor), to the scene of bribes and to the scene of reading the letter.
Auditor waiting. In this scene, pay attention to the grotesque-comic messages of officials about what is happening in the institutions under their jurisdiction. Quote in essays that you find especially funny. This is the general exposition of the plot, or the “general situation,” as Yu. V. Mann calls it.
Bribe scene. Pay attention to the rudely comic move: all officials slip bribes to Khlestakov, but the first official is embarrassed to do this, the next one does it more boldly, then Khlestakov himself asks to borrow money (“I spent more money on the way ...”), and they are waiting. One more thing: Strawberry, before saying goodbye to Khlestakov, denounces the rest of the officials.
The scene of reading a letter. Gross comic move. The letter contains "biting" characteristics given by Khlestakov to each of the officials. Officials (starting with the Postmaster) read this letter aloud in turn. Each of them passes this letter to the other when it comes to himself: no one wants to read about himself, but everyone enjoys reading about others.
The events described in the poem take place in a city without a name. N.V. Gogol surprisingly encrypted it with two letters of obscurity: NN. The prototype of the city NN in the poem "Dead Souls" worried scientists. They looked for similarities with real places in Russia, unraveled the notes of the great classic, but did not find exact data.
Characteristics of the location of the city of NN
Little is said about the location of the city visited by Chichikov: "the city was not in the wilderness, but on the contrary, not far from both capitals." That is, somewhere near Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the first lines of the poem about Moscow there is an unobtrusive mention. The men, examining the guest's britzka, are wondering if the wheel will reach Moscow. It can be assumed that she is somewhere within the range of a possible journey. The second city that the men call is Kazan. If the wheel could still reach the capital, then Kazan could not. The britchka traveled many miles around the outskirts of the city of NN, the defect came to light at the moment Pavel Ivanovich decided to leave. Literary critics suggest that Tver may be the prototype. By location, it is close to the capital and far from the second specified city. Another proof is the Volga River. It arises in Chichikov's thoughts when he reflects on the fate of the peasants that he managed to acquire. The river flows in the middle of the city and divides it into 2 parts. The Volga flowed through Tver, this, of course, is only a distant sign of similarity. There are many cities located along the banks of rivers in Rus'.
Other similarities with Tver
In addition to the river, scientists find similarities in the occupations of the peasants. Chichikov at Korobochka sees a huge amount of living creatures, among them turkeys. This bird was more common in the southern and central regions of the country. The same can be said about plants. Apple trees and fruit trees, watermelons are hard to imagine in cold regions. The city of NN is located among the grain fields. Plyushkin's grain is rotting, the luggage and barns are covered with flour. "Dead souls" had different specialties during their lifetime: blacksmiths, weavers, carriage workers, carpenters, shoemakers.
Linguists studied the speech of the characters. Part of the dialects helped them identify the area. In the Tver region, the words of the city NN were common: beetroot, kurnik, mykalnik, lagoon, spindly.
The dialects of the Russian people are close to each other, so it is difficult to recognize the conclusions of scientists as accurate. These same words were used in other parts of Rus'.
Description of the city NN
In the city where Pavel Ivanovich entered, there were many buildings. There is a hotel, a cathedral, an almshouse.
Chichikov visits the governor's house, meets with officials in government offices. At the entrance, the reader sees a guardhouse. There is a Church of St. Nicholas in the city. Such a description can be given to any provincial town. All common buildings:
- a hotel with an abundance of cockroaches;
- brick gray houses;
- taverns in the form of large Russian huts.
Chichikov examines the decoration of the hotel. He is not surprised that there are “gilded porcelain eggs” on the shelves, the mirror has lost its quality (it shows not 2, but 4 eyes). The hotel is two-storeyed: on the first floor there are benches and chests of drawers, and the second one is painted yellow. The guest goes for a walk and is not struck by the wretchedness and gloom of urban landscapes. Wide streets and randomly scattered houses. Most of all in NN drinking establishments - this is the main place of rest for the townspeople and the hobby of the residents. In the newspapers, Chichikov read about the city garden. It was possible to relax in the shade of trees. In fact, there was no garden, pathetic twigs grew here, evoking sadness. The press in the city, as elsewhere in Russia, lied, and the officials stole.
Typicality of the city
NN is not very remarkable. More precisely, there are no special buildings, unusual buildings or monuments in it. The author wanted to make it easy to see any city in Russia in his image. Life flows measuredly and calmly. As if someone from above launched his rhythm and does not allow him to be distracted. There are no events that change the course of life. Even funerals are held as usual, without mourning, rallies and outbursts of emotions. Every day begins with the usual events: visits to officials. Also, the day goes slowly towards evening. The author does not distinguish residents by description:
- cabbies;
- soldiers;
- workers;
- ladies in red hats.
Almost all residents do not have names. Here, as in all provinces, the rank is important, not the person.
Rumors spread quickly in the city. Not only women love to gossip, but also men. Gossip scatter with instant speed, acquiring new information. No one is surprised at the stories, on the contrary, they make their own corrections, not embarrassed by lies and slander against a stranger or little known person.
The great classic managed to show Russian cities under the image of one settlement. You can look for allusions to one city, but it makes no sense. The purpose of the author was different. But it is clear that it is interesting who became the prototype of the place visited by Chichikov. Most scientists tend to Tver, but every reader can think and look for new data.
Characteristics of the county town in N.V. Gogol's comedy "The Government Inspector".
Mayor and county officials as bribe takers, careerists, persons violating official duty, low people.
Place and time of action in Gogol's comedy.
b. Grabber and bribe-taker mayor - a model for all lower ranks.
V. Measures taken by officials to hide abuses from the auditor.
d. Laughter is the only honest and noble face of comedy.
3. The typicality of the paintings depicted by Gogol.
Everyone got here, but most of all me.
Nicholas 1.
The pinnacle of Gogol's dramatic work is the comedy The Inspector General, written in 1836. This is an example of Russian social comedy, exposing the vices of the state system in Russia. The action in it takes place in one of the county towns, located on the way between the provincial cities of Penza and Saratov, from which "at least three years of galloping, you will not reach any state." The action takes place in the 30s of the last century, during the reign of Nicholas 1. During his reign, abuses among officials were monstrous. Nothing was done without a bribe. It got to the point that the Minister of Justice himself gave bribes to officials when he had litigation.
The officials of the county town, headed by the mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, personify the power and law in the city where the action of the comedy is played out. What is going on in the city, on the eve of the arrival of the auditor? City streets do not rush about, on the sidewalks there is "tavern, uncleanness." Citizens take out the garbage to the fences. The church, for the construction of which funds were allocated, did not begin to be built: the mayor appropriated the money for himself. There is confusion in court. Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin believes that the biblical sage Solomon himself could not have figured out the judicial papers. In the courthouse, the guards started a goose farm. And the judge, an avid hunter, uses the room to dry animal skins. The symbol of judicial justice is the arapnik, which hangs in the most prominent place. The court assessor, apparently, is a lover of alcohol, because he smells from him, as from a distillery. The judge himself considers himself an intelligent person, because he has read three books. The judge takes bribes with greyhound puppies, not even considering it an official crime. And everyone in the city gives and takes bribes. This is the norm of relations between officials and petitioners.
The trustee of charitable establishments, sweetheart, glutton Strawberry, abuses his official position. In hospitals, patients are fed only cabbage, although they need dietary food. The German doctor Gibner does not understand a word of Russian. He does not prescribe medicines to patients, relying entirely on nature: if the patient is destined to recover, he will recover even without expensive medicines. Patients in the hospital look like blacksmiths in greasy aprons than they do like patients in clean hospital gowns with white caps.
Schools care little about the upbringing of youth. And who should bring up worthy young citizens, when Khlopov, the superintendent of schools, is a timid man who does not have his own opinion?
The exhibition of officials is completed by the postmaster Shpekin, an empty man and a passionate lover of news. Shpekin prints out other people's letters out of curiosity and reads them like free interesting novels. However, when reading the letters, he checks "whether it contains any report or correspondence."
The mayor, by the nature of his service, should stop all abuses. He, on the contrary, is a swindler among all swindlers. A notorious bribe-taker, embezzler, impudent swindler and ignoramus, he appears as an example for lower-ranking officials. The mayor, of course, knows that his behavior is criminal. But he justifies himself: "Everyone does it." Indeed, an honest person in this environment is rare. The mayor is born of this environment, brought up by it. He takes large bribes: for himself - a fur coat, for his wife - a shawl. Merchants are required to bring the best provisions to his kitchen. Using the power, the mayor subjects the non-commissioned officer's wife to corporal punishment. The prisoners are not given provisions for two weeks. There is no order in the city, half-drunk policemen themselves administer justice with their fists. The mayor is not only ridiculous, but also terrible. After all, he dreams of intermarrying with the false auditor Khlestakov and becoming a general in St. Petersburg. In a general's uniform, he would have become even more terrible. Mistaking Khlestakov's "dummy" for an auditor, officials seek to hide their sins and
Pay off a city official with bribes. They are convinced that St. Petersburg officials also take bribes. The habits of auditors from St. Petersburg - imaginary and true - are known. The almighty bribe will do its job.
Officials of the county town mistook the rogue "wick" for an important person. They gave him bribes and rejoiced at the fact that they themselves would be deceived. The arrival of a real auditor strikes them like a thunderclap. Frozen in silent poses, they cause laughter. A gang of thieves and embezzlers of public funds Gogol laughingly carried out a public execution.
The ugliness depicted by Gogol were typical of Russian life. This is evidenced by the documents and statements of Gogol's contemporaries.
