City n in dead souls. Essay on the topic: The image of the city in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls. What city are we talking about?

The provincial town in the poem “Dead Souls” is named NN. This indicates to us that this could be any city in Russia. Everything in the city is “of a certain kind”, “the same” as everywhere else, completely ordinary and familiar - the “eternal mezzanine”, the common room in a hotel that everyone knows, yellow paint on every house. All this speaks of the unremarkableness of the city, its similarity with other cities in the country. The description of the city is permeated with irony, there is a hotel with a quiet room and cockroaches “peeping out like prunes from all corners,” and a store with the inscription “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov,” and a wretched alley lined with trees “no taller than reeds,” which is praised in newspapers - all this is Gogol’s mockery of the pomp and false culture of the city and its inhabitants.
As for these very inhabitants - officials, Gogol also mercilessly uses irony in their description: “The others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some Moskovskie Vedomosti, some even read nothing at all.”
When Chichikov enters the presence, “a large three-story stone house, all white as chalk, probably to depict the purity of the souls of the positions located in it,” cannot be done without mentioning Themis, the goddess of justice. Thus, Gogol emphasizes the moral uncleanliness of officials, the complete lack of honesty and decency among precisely those from whom these qualities are required in the first place. In addition, officials do not have the most important thing - a soul, Gogol shows us this by depicting employees as “backs of heads, tailcoats, frock coats” who rewrite documents and put signatures.
Officials in NN are divided into thick and thin, which Gogol talks about in his first lyrical digression. Fat people, such as, for example, the chairman and the prosecutor, stand firmly on their feet, have enormous power and use it limitlessly. The subtle ones do not have a specific goal in life, “their existence is somehow too easy, airy and completely unreliable,” they “let go of all their father’s goods” and the only thing they strive for is entertainment.
The most striking characterization is given to the police chief. He went to merchants’ shops as if it were his home, collecting taxes from the population, but at the same time he knew how to arrange it in such a way that they said about him “even though it will take it, it will not give you away.”
Everything that Gogol says about ladies concerns exclusively external manifestations: “their characters, apparently, should be left to be told to those who have livelier colors and more of them on the palette, and we will only have to say two words about appearance and about what is more superficial.” . The ladies dressed with great taste, rode around the city in strollers, “as the latest fashion prescribed,” and a business card was considered a sacred thing for them. “They never said: “I blew my nose,” “I sweated,” “I spat,” but they said, “I relieved my nose,” “I managed with a handkerchief.” Not a single word is dedicated to their inner world. Gogol writes ironically about their morality, pointing out carefully hidden betrayals, calling them “another or third.” The ladies are only interested in fashion and rich grooms; they, of course, are infinitely happy about the unspoken gains of their fat husbands (it is much more difficult for thin men to start a family!), because with this money they can buy fabrics for themselves, so that later they can sew tacky dresses decorated “all with scallops.”
In general, the city of NN is filled with fake, soulless dummies, for whom the main thing is money and power. Officials are “dead souls,” but they, like all people, have hope for revival, because Gogol wrote about the death of the prosecutor: “They sent for a doctor to draw blood, but they saw that the prosecutor was already one soulless body. Only then did they learn with condolences that the deceased definitely had a soul, although out of his modesty he never showed it.”

>Essays on the work Dead Souls

Image of the city

The work of N.V. Gogol is an amazing book glorifying Rus' and its folk foundations. This is partly a satirical poem exposing reality. The main character of the poem, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, wanders through the cities of Russia with the aim of ransoming the “dead souls” of peasants. In depicting the city, the author used the technique of typification. Chichikov arrives in the ordinary provincial town of NN, which serves as a collective image. It is the same as all other cities. Thus, it is easy to reproduce a picture of the morals of the entire country.

In the first chapter, the hero, walking through the streets, notices that there are typical houses with a mezzanine, the usual signs washed out by the rain, and only the sign “Pub House” is found more often than usual. At first glance, this city seems to Chichikov to be a little more lively than others. Balls, receptions, joint dinners, trips to public places, etc. are often held here. But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that here there is still the same sleepy, frozen spirit of landowner life, and the representatives of the elite are faceless and spiritually dead. They eke out an aimless existence from day to day and are “non-smokers”.

The author pays special attention to the description of officials, the so-called arbiters of the destinies of city residents. These people are so useless and faceless that he gives them very brief characteristics. So, for example, the governor was neither fat nor thin, but kind-hearted. The prosecutor had very black thick eyebrows. The postmaster was short, but witty and philosophical. It is noteworthy that all the officials in the city of NN were poorly educated. Gogol specifically emphasizes that one read Karamzin, another Moskovskie Vedomosti, and many did not read anything at all. Not a single case was considered without bribes. All people with administrative power necessarily robbed the population, engaged in embezzlement and bribery.

Describing the life of the provincial city, the author pays special attention to the female half, that is, the wives of officials. Despite the fact that they put on luxurious dresses and all kinds of ribbons, at heart they are empty and worthless. Gogol pays tribute to their taste, noting that the ladies of the city are in no way inferior to the capital and even Paris. However, he immediately notes their imitative details like peacock feathers and unprecedented caps. By nature, the ladies of the city are active. They not only spread gossip with lightning speed, but also have a strong influence on their husbands. They make them believe incredible rumors and even turn them against each other. The author notes that all provincial residents have certain ideals associated with metropolitan life. Perhaps for this reason, St. Petersburg is mentioned in almost every chapter.

N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls,” according to Herzen, is “an amazing book, a bitter reproach to modern Rus', but not hopeless.” Being a poem, it was intended to glorify Rus' in its deep folk foundations. But it is still dominated by satirical accusatory pictures of the author’s contemporary reality.

As in the comedy “The Inspector General,” in “Dead Souls” Gogol uses the technique of typification. The action of the poem takes place in the provincial town of NN. which is a collective image. The author notes that “it was in no way inferior to other provincial cities.” This makes it possible to reproduce a complete picture of the morals of the entire country. The main character of the poem, Chichikov, draws attention to the typical “houses of one, two and one and a half floors, with an eternal mezzanine,” to “signs almost washed away by the rain,” to the inscription “Drinking House” that appears most often.

At first glance, it seems that the atmosphere of city life is somewhat different from the sleepy, serene and frozen spirit of landowner life. Constant balls, dinners, breakfasts, snacks and even trips to public places create an image full of energy and passion, vanity and trouble. But a closer look reveals that all this is illusory, meaningless, unnecessary, that the representatives of the top of urban society are faceless, spiritually dead, and their existence is aimless. The “calling card” of the city becomes the vulgar dandy who met Chichikov at the entrance to the city: “... I met a young man in white rosin trousers, very narrow and short, in a tailcoat with attempts at fashion, from under which a shirtfront buttoned with a Tula shirt was visible a pin with a bronze pistol.” This random character personifies the tastes of provincial society.

The life of the city depends entirely on numerous officials. The author paints an expressive portrait of administrative power in Russia. As if emphasizing the uselessness and facelessness of city officials, he gives them very brief characteristics. It is said about the governor that he “was neither fat nor thin, had Anna around his neck...; however, he was a great good-natured man and even embroidered on tulle himself.” It is known about the prosecutor that he had “very black thick eyebrows and a somewhat winking left eye.” It was noted about the postmaster that he was a “short” man, but “a wit and a philosopher.”

All officials have a low level of education. Gogol ironically calls them “more or less enlightened people,” because “some have read Karamzin, some have read Moskovskie Vedomosti, some have not even read anything at all...” Such are the provincial landowners. Both are almost related to each other. The author shows in his reflection on “thick and thin” how gradually state people, “having earned universal respect, leave the service... and become glorious landowners, glorious Russian bars, hospitable people, and live and live well.” This digression is an evil satire on robber officials and on the “hospitable” Russian bar, leading an idle existence, aimlessly smoking the sky.

Officials are a kind of arbiters of the destinies of the inhabitants of the provincial city. The solution to any, even small, issue depends on them. Not a single case was considered without bribes. Bribery, embezzlement and robbery of the population are constant and widespread phenomena. The police chief had only to blink, passing by the fish row, as “beluga, sturgeon, salmon, pressed caviar, freshly salted caviar, herrings, stellate sturgeon, cheeses, smoked tongues and balyks appeared on his table - this was all from the side of the fish row.”

The “servants of the people” are truly unanimous in their desire to live widely at the expense of the sums of their “tenderly beloved Fatherland.” They are equally irresponsible in their direct responsibilities. This is especially clearly shown when Chichikov executed deeds of sale for serfs. Sobakevich proposes to invite as witnesses the prosecutor, who “is probably sitting at home, since the lawyer Zolotukha, the greatest grabber in the world, does everything for him,” and the inspector of the medical board, as well as Trukhachevsky and Belushkin. According to Sobakevich’s apt remark, “they are all burdening the earth for nothing!” In addition, the author’s remark is characteristic that the chairman, at Chichikov’s request, “could extend and shorten ... his presence, like the ancient Zeus.”

The central place in the characterization of the bureaucratic world is occupied by the episode of the death of the prosecutor. In just a few lines, Gogol managed to express the entire emptiness of the lives of these people. No one knows why the prosecutor lived and why he died, since he does not understand why he himself lives, what his purpose is.

When describing the life of the provincial city, the author pays special attention to the women's party. First of all, these are the wives of officials. They are just as impersonal as their husbands. Chichikov notices not people at the ball, but a huge number of luxurious dresses, ribbons, and feathers. The author pays tribute to the taste of the provincial ladies: “This is not a province, this is the capital, this is Paris itself!”, but at the same time he exposes their imitative essence, noticing in places “a cap never seen on earth” or “almost a peacock feather.” “But it’s impossible without this, this is the property of a provincial city: somewhere it will certainly end.” A noble feature of provincial ladies is their ability to express themselves with “extraordinary caution and decency.” Their speech is elegant and ornate. As Gogol notes, “in order to further refine the Russian language, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation.”

The life of bureaucratic wives is idle, but they themselves are active, so gossip throughout the city spreads with amazing speed and takes on a terrifying appearance. Because of the ladies' gossip, Chichikov was recognized as a millionaire. But as soon as he stopped paying attention to the female society, absorbed in the sight of the governor’s daughter, the hero was credited with the idea of ​​stealing the object of contemplation and many other terrible crimes.

The ladies of the city have enormous influence on their official husbands and not only make them believe incredible gossip, but are also able to turn them against each other. “Duels, of course, did not occur between them, because they were all civil officials, but one tried to harm the other wherever possible...”

All Gogol's heroes dream of achieving a certain ideal of life, which for most representatives of provincial society is seen in the image of the capital, brilliant St. Petersburg. Creating a collective image of a Russian city of the 30-40s of the 19th century, the author combines the features of the province and the characteristic features of metropolitan life. Thus, mention of St. Petersburg occurs in every chapter of the poem. This image was outlined very clearly, without embellishment, in “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” Gogol notes with amazing frankness that in this city, decorous, prim, drowning in luxury, it is absolutely impossible for a little person like Captain Kopeikin to live. The writer speaks in “The Tale...” about the cold indifference of the powers that be to the troubles of an unfortunate disabled person, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. This is how the theme of contrasting state interests and the interests of the common man arises in the poem.

Gogol is sincerely indignant against the social injustice reigning in Russia, putting his indignation into satirical forms. In the poem he uses a “situation of delusion.” This helps him reveal certain aspects of the life of the provincial city. The author confronts all officials with one fact and reveals all the “sins” and crimes of each: arbitrariness in the service, lawlessness of the police, idle pastime and much more. All this is organically woven into the general characteristics of the city of NN. and also emphasizes his collectivity. After all, all these vices were characteristic of modern Gogol's Russia. In “Dead Souls,” the writer recreated a real picture of Russian life in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century, and this is his greatest merit.

N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls,” according to Herzen, is “an amazing book, a bitter reproach to modern Rus', but not hopeless.” Being a poem, it was intended to glorify Rus' in its deep folk foundations. But it is still dominated by satirical accusatory pictures of the author’s contemporary reality.

As in the comedy “The Inspector General,” in “Dead Souls” Gogol uses the technique of typification. The action of the poem takes place in the provincial town of NN. which is a collective image. The author notes that “it was in no way inferior to other provincial cities.” This makes it possible to reproduce a complete picture of the morals of the entire country. The main character of the poem, Chichikov, draws attention to the typical “houses of one, two and one and a half floors, with an eternal mezzanine,” to “signs almost washed away by the rain,” to the inscription “Drinking House” that appears most often.

At first glance, it seems that the atmosphere of city life is somewhat different from the sleepy, serene and frozen spirit of landowner life. Constant balls, dinners, breakfasts, snacks and even trips to public places create an image full of energy and passion, vanity and trouble. But a closer look reveals that all this is illusory, meaningless, unnecessary, that the representatives of the top of urban society are faceless, spiritually dead, and their existence is aimless. The “calling card” of the city becomes the vulgar dandy who met Chichikov at the entrance to the city: “... I met a young man in white rosin trousers, very narrow and short, in a tailcoat with attempts at fashion, from under which a shirtfront buttoned with a Tula shirt was visible a pin with a bronze pistol.” This random character personifies the tastes of provincial society.

The life of the city depends entirely on numerous officials. The author paints an expressive portrait of administrative power in Russia. As if emphasizing the uselessness and facelessness of city officials, he gives them very brief characteristics. It is said about the governor that he “was neither fat nor thin, had Anna around his neck...; however, he was a great good-natured man and even embroidered on tulle himself.” It is known about the prosecutor that he had “very black thick eyebrows and a somewhat winking left eye.” It was noted about the postmaster that he was a “short” man, but “a wit and a philosopher.”

All officials have a low level of education. Gogol ironically calls them “more or less enlightened people,” because “some have read Karamzin, some have read Moskovskie Vedomosti, some have not even read anything at all...” Such are the provincial landowners. Both are almost related to each other. The author shows in his reflection on “thick and thin” how gradually state people, “having earned universal respect, leave the service... and become glorious landowners, glorious Russian bars, hospitable people, and live and live well.” This digression is an evil satire on robber officials and on the “hospitable” Russian bar, leading an idle existence, aimlessly smoking the sky.

Officials are a kind of arbiters of the destinies of the inhabitants of the provincial city. The solution to any, even small, issue depends on them. Not a single case was considered without bribes. Bribery, embezzlement and robbery of the population are constant and widespread phenomena. The police chief had only to blink, passing by the fish row, as “beluga, sturgeon, salmon, pressed caviar, freshly salted caviar, herrings, stellate sturgeon, cheeses, smoked tongues and balyks appeared on his table - this was all from the side of the fish row.”

The “servants of the people” are truly unanimous in their desire to live widely at the expense of the sums of their “tenderly beloved Fatherland.” They are equally irresponsible in their direct responsibilities. This is especially clearly shown when Chichikov executed deeds of sale for serfs. Sobakevich proposes to invite as witnesses the prosecutor, who “is probably sitting at home, since the lawyer Zolotukha, the greatest grabber in the world, does everything for him,” and the inspector of the medical board, as well as Trukhachevsky and Belushkin. According to Sobakevich’s apt remark, “they are all burdening the earth for nothing!” In addition, the author’s remark is characteristic that the chairman, at Chichikov’s request, “could extend and shorten ... his presence, like the ancient Zeus.”

The central place in the characterization of the bureaucratic world is occupied by the episode of the death of the prosecutor. In just a few lines, Gogol managed to express the entire emptiness of the lives of these people. No one knows why the prosecutor lived and why he died, since he does not understand why he himself lives, what his purpose is.

When describing the life of the provincial city, the author pays special attention to the women's party. First of all, these are the wives of officials. They are just as impersonal as their husbands. Chichikov notices not people at the ball, but a huge number of luxurious dresses, ribbons, and feathers. The author pays tribute to the taste of the provincial ladies: “This is not a province, this is the capital, this is Paris itself!”, but at the same time he exposes their imitative essence, noticing in places “a cap never seen on earth” or “almost a peacock feather.” “But it’s impossible without this, this is the property of a provincial city: somewhere it will certainly end.” A noble feature of provincial ladies is their ability to express themselves with “extraordinary caution and decency.” Their speech is elegant and ornate. As Gogol notes, “in order to further refine the Russian language, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation.”

The life of bureaucratic wives is idle, but they themselves are active, so gossip throughout the city spreads with amazing speed and takes on a terrifying appearance. Because of the ladies' gossip, Chichikov was recognized as a millionaire. But as soon as he stopped paying attention to the female society, absorbed in the sight of the governor’s daughter, the hero was credited with the idea of ​​stealing the object of contemplation and many other terrible crimes.

The ladies of the city have enormous influence on their official husbands and not only make them believe incredible gossip, but are also able to turn them against each other. “Duels, of course, did not occur between them, because they were all civil officials, but one tried to harm the other wherever possible...”

All Gogol's heroes dream of achieving a certain ideal of life, which for most representatives of provincial society is seen in the image of the capital, brilliant St. Petersburg. Creating a collective image of a Russian city of the 30-40s of the 19th century, the author combines the features of the province and the characteristic features of metropolitan life. Thus, mention of St. Petersburg occurs in every chapter of the poem. This image was outlined very clearly, without embellishment, in “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” Gogol notes with amazing frankness that in this city, decorous, prim, drowning in luxury, it is absolutely impossible for a little person like Captain Kopeikin to live. The writer speaks in “The Tale...” about the cold indifference of the powers that be to the troubles of an unfortunate disabled person, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. This is how the theme of contrasting state interests and the interests of the common man arises in the poem.

Gogol is sincerely indignant against the social injustice reigning in Russia, putting his indignation into satirical forms. In the poem he uses a “situation of delusion.” This helps him reveal certain aspects of the life of the provincial city. The author confronts all officials with one fact and reveals all the “sins” and crimes of each: arbitrariness in the service, lawlessness of the police, idle pastime and much more. All this is organically woven into the general characteristics of the city of NN. and also emphasizes his collectivity. After all, all these vices were characteristic of modern Gogol's Russia. In “Dead Souls,” the writer recreated a real picture of Russian life in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century, and this is his greatest merit.

The image of the city NN in N. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls,” according to Herzen, is “an amazing book, a bitter reproach to modern Rus', but not hopeless.” Being a poem, it was intended to glorify Rus' in its deep folk foundations. But it is still dominated by satirical accusatory pictures of the author’s contemporary reality.

As in the comedy “The Inspector General,” in “Dead Souls” Gogol uses the technique of typification. The action of the poem takes place in the provincial town of NN. which is a collective image. The author notes that “it was in no way inferior to other provincial cities.” This makes it possible to reproduce a complete picture of the morals of the entire country. The main character of the poem, Chichikov, draws attention to the typical “houses of one, two and one and a half floors, with an eternal mezzanine,” to “signs almost washed away by the rain,” to the inscription “Drinking House” that appears most often.

At first glance, it seems that the atmosphere of city life is somewhat different from the sleepy, serene and frozen spirit of landowner life. Constant balls, dinners, breakfasts, snacks and even trips to public places create an image full of energy and passion, vanity and trouble. But a closer look reveals that all this is illusory, meaningless, unnecessary, that the representatives of the top of urban society are faceless, spiritually dead, and their existence is aimless. The “calling card” of the city becomes the vulgar dandy who met Chichikov at the entrance to the city: “... I met a young man in white rosin trousers, very narrow and short, in a tailcoat with attempts at fashion, from under which a shirtfront buttoned with a Tula shirt was visible a pin with a bronze pistol.” This random character personifies the tastes of provincial society.

The life of the city depends entirely on numerous officials. The author paints an expressive portrait of administrative power in Russia. As if emphasizing the uselessness and facelessness of city officials, he gives them very brief characteristics. It is said about the governor that he “was neither fat nor thin, had Anna around his neck...; however, he was a great good-natured man and even embroidered on tulle himself.” It is known about the prosecutor that he had “very black thick eyebrows and a somewhat winking left eye.” It was noted about the postmaster that he was a “short” man, but “a wit and a philosopher.”

All officials have a low level of education. Gogol ironically calls them “more or less enlightened people,” because “some have read Karamzin, some have read Moskovskie Vedomosti, some have not even read anything at all...” Such are the provincial landowners. Both are almost related to each other. The author shows in his reflection on “thick and thin” how gradually state people, “having earned universal respect, leave the service... and become glorious landowners, glorious Russian bars, hospitable people, and live and live well.” This digression is an evil satire on robber officials and on the “hospitable” Russian bar, leading an idle existence, aimlessly smoking the sky.

Officials are a kind of arbiters of the destinies of the inhabitants of the provincial city. The solution to any, even small, issue depends on them. Not a single case was considered without bribes. Bribery, embezzlement and robbery of the population are constant and widespread phenomena. The police chief had only to blink, passing by the fish row, as “beluga, sturgeon, salmon, pressed caviar, freshly salted caviar, herrings, stellate sturgeon, cheeses, smoked tongues and balyks appeared on his table - this was all from the side of the fish row.”

“Servants of the People” are truly unanimous in their desire to live widely at the expense of the sums of “their dearly beloved Fatherland.” They are equally irresponsible in their direct responsibilities. This is especially clearly shown when Chichikov executed deeds of sale for serfs. Sobakevich proposes to invite as witnesses the prosecutor, who “is probably sitting at home, since the lawyer Zolotukha, the greatest grabber in the world, does everything for him,” and the inspector of the medical board, as well as Trukhachevsky and Belushkin. According to Sobakevich’s apt remark, “they are all burdening the earth for nothing!” In addition, the author’s remark is characteristic that the chairman, at Chichikov’s request, “could extend and shorten ... his presence, like the ancient Zeus.”

The central place in the characterization of the bureaucratic world is occupied by the episode of the death of the prosecutor. In just a few lines, Gogol managed to express the entire emptiness of the lives of these people. No one knows why the prosecutor lived and why he died, since he does not understand why he himself lives, what his purpose is.

When describing the life of the provincial city, the author pays special attention to the women's party. First of all, these are the wives of officials. They are just as impersonal as their husbands. Chichikov notices not people at the ball, but a huge number of luxurious dresses, ribbons, and feathers. The author pays tribute to the taste of the provincial ladies: “This is not a province, this is the capital, this is Paris itself!”, but at the same time he exposes their imitative essence, noticing in places “a cap never seen on earth” or “almost a peacock feather.” “But it’s impossible without this, this is the property of a provincial city: somewhere it will certainly end.” A noble feature of provincial ladies is their ability to express themselves with “extraordinary caution and decency.” Their speech is elegant and ornate. As Gogol notes, “in order to further refine the Russian language, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation.”

The life of bureaucratic wives is idle, but they themselves are active, so gossip throughout the city spreads with amazing speed and takes on a terrifying appearance. Because of the ladies' gossip, Chichikov was recognized as a millionaire. But as soon as he stopped paying attention to the female society, absorbed in the sight of the governor’s daughter, the hero was credited with the idea of ​​stealing the object of contemplation and many other terrible crimes.

The ladies of the city have enormous influence on their official husbands and not only make them believe incredible gossip, but are also able to turn them against each other. “Duels, of course, did not occur between them, because they were all civil officials, but one tried to harm the other wherever possible...”

All Gogol's heroes dream of achieving a certain ideal of life, which for most representatives of provincial society is seen in the image of the capital, brilliant St. Petersburg. Creating a collective image of a Russian city of the 30-40s of the 19th century, the author combines the features of the province and the characteristic features of metropolitan life. Thus, mention of St. Petersburg occurs in every chapter of the poem. This image was outlined very clearly, without embellishment, in “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” Gogol notes with amazing frankness that in this city, decorous, prim, drowning in luxury, it is absolutely impossible for a little person like Captain Kopeikin to live. The writer speaks in “The Tale...” about the cold indifference of the powers that be to the troubles of an unfortunate disabled person, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. This is how the theme of contrasting state interests and the interests of the common man arises in the poem.

Gogol is sincerely indignant against the social injustice reigning in Russia, putting his indignation into satirical forms. In the poem he uses a “situation of delusion.” This helps him reveal certain aspects of the life of the provincial city. The author confronts all officials with one fact and reveals all the “sins” and crimes of each: arbitrariness in the service, lawlessness of the police, idle pastime and much more. All this is organically woven into the general characteristics of the city of NN. and also emphasizes his collectivity. After all, all these vices were characteristic of modern Gogol's Russia. In “Dead Souls,” the writer recreated a real picture of Russian life in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century, and this is his greatest merit.