List of lyrical digressions on dead souls. Lyrical digressions –. in the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"

Happy is the traveler who, after a long, boring road with its cold, slush, dirt, sleep-deprived station guards, jangling bells, repairs, squabbles, coachmen, blacksmiths and all sorts of road scoundrels, finally sees a familiar roof with lights rushing towards him, and familiar people appear before him rooms, the joyful cry of people running out to meet them, the noise and running of children and soothing quiet speeches, interrupted by flaming kisses, powerful to destroy everything sad from memory. Happy is the family man who has such a corner, but woe to the bachelor!

Happy is the writer who, past boring, disgusting characters, striking with their sad reality, approaches characters that demonstrate the high dignity of a person who, from the great pool of daily rotating images, has chosen only a few exceptions, who has never changed the sublime structure of his lyre, has not descended from the top to his poor, insignificant brothers, and, without touching the ground, he plunged entirely into his own exalted and far removed images. His wonderful destiny is doubly enviable: he is among them, as in family of origin; and yet his glory spreads far and loudly. He smoked people's eyes with intoxicating smoke; he wonderfully flattered them, hiding the sad things in life, showing them wonderful person. Everyone rushes after him, applauding, and rushes after his solemn chariot. They call him a great world poet, soaring high above all other geniuses of the world, like an eagle soaring above other high-flying ones. At his very name, young, ardent hearts are already filled with trembling, reciprocal tears sparkle in everyone’s eyes... There is no one equal to him in strength - he is a god! But this is not the destiny, and the fate of the writer is different, who dared to call out everything that is every minute before the eyes and what indifferent eyes do not see - all the terrible, stunning mud of little things that entangle our lives, all the depths of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters, with which our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring path is teeming, and with the strong power of an inexorable chisel, who dared to expose them prominently and brightly to the eyes of the people! He cannot gather popular applause, he cannot bear the grateful tears and unanimous delight of the souls excited by him; a sixteen-year-old girl with a dizzy head and heroic enthusiasm will not fly towards him; he will not forget himself in the sweet charm of the sounds he emitted; he cannot, finally, escape from the modern court, the hypocritically insensitive modern court, which will call the creatures he cherished insignificant and base, will assign him a despicable corner among the writers who insult humanity, will give him the qualities of the heroes he depicted, will take away his heart, both the soul and the divine flame of talent. For the modern court does not recognize that glass that looks at the sun and conveys the movements of unnoticed insects is equally wonderful; for the modern court does not recognize that a lot of spiritual depth is needed in order to illuminate a picture taken from a despicable life and elevate it to the pearl of creation; for the modern court does not recognize that high, enthusiastic laughter is worthy to stand next to high lyrical movement and that there is a whole abyss between it and the antics of a buffoon! The modern court does not recognize this and will turn everything into reproach and reproach for the unrecognized writer; without division, without answer, without participation, like a familyless traveler, he will remain alone in the middle of the road. His field is harsh, and he will bitterly feel his loneliness.

And for a long time it is determined for me by the wonderful power to walk hand in hand with my strange heroes, to survey the whole enormously rushing life, to survey it through laughter visible to the world and invisible, unknown to it tears! And the time is still far off when, in another key, a menacing blizzard of inspiration will rise from the head, clothed in holy horror and brilliance, and in confused trepidation they will sense the majestic thunder of other speeches...

MUNICIPAL BUDGETARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OF THE MUNICIPAL FORMATION CITY OF KRASNODAR

SECONDARY SCHOOL No. 66 NAMED AFTER EVGENIY DOROSH

METHODOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT ON LITERATURE

Subject:

« Lyrical digressions in the poem by N.V. Gogol

Stepanyan A.S.,

teacher of Russian language and literature

MBOU secondary school No. 66

I. Introduction.

1. The significance of N.V. Gogol for Russian literature and for Russia.

II. Main part

“Dead Souls” is the pinnacle of Gogol’s creativity.

The idea and history of the creation of the work.

Composition of Gogol's poem

Lyrical digressions and their role in “Dead Souls”

III. Conclusion.

1. The meaning of Gogol’s work for the modern reader.

“...For a long time there has not been a writer in the world who was as important for his people as Gogol was for Russia.” This is what the leader of Russian democracy N.G. Chernyshevsky wrote about Gogol when Gogol was no longer alive. And not only Chernyshevsky, many great Russian critics and writers pointed out the enormous importance of Gogol both in literature and “for Russia” in general.

Why is Gogol so important? Gogol turned literature into a formidable weapon. Gogol's satire was such a weapon. The writer’s truthful satirical works mercilessly ridiculed and exposed the rulers Tsarist Russia. With his works, Gogol awakened the consciousness of the people.

Gogol's works are filled with ardent love for to the common people, to the “little people”. The writer believed in the mighty forces of the people, in the great future of his Motherland. He was proud of its glorious history.

In Russian literature, Gogol finally established critical realism.

The poem “Dead Souls” is the pinnacle of Gogol’s work. They found theirs in her supreme expression all the main features of his talent: deep realism, nationalism, lyrical animation and endless humor, turning into a menacing, punishing laugh.

Reading Dead Souls, we laugh at first. We laugh at the comic animation with which Gogol talks about Mr. mediocre Entering the city of K, we laugh at the reasoning of two men about the wheel of a passing chaise, at a dandy in very narrow and short rosin trousers. And we continue to laugh further, reading the poem, just as Pushkin and all of reading Russia laughed when they first became acquainted with wonderful work Gogol. However, laughter soon gives way to reflection, and it becomes completely clear that there is nothing humorous or funny in the poem, as in all of Gogol’s works, that not a single word in it is intended to make the reader laugh: everything in it is “serious, calm, true and deeply,” as V.G. Belinsky wrote.

First of all, I would like to talk about the history of the creation of the work.

Gogol began writing Dead Souls in 1835. A.S. Pushkin gave him a plot for a comic story about how a rogue official tries to get rich by buying dead serfs from landowners. When Gogol read his travel notes, sketches and sketches from life to A.S. Pushkin in the summer of 1835, he was amazed by Gogol’s powers of observation and the accuracy of his sketches of people and characters. “How,” he exclaimed, “with this ability to guess a person and suddenly make him look like a living person with a few features, with this ability not to start a large essay!” And Gogol, working on the comedy “The Inspector General,” begins to write his poem.

In 1836, The Inspector General was published and shown in the theater. He was a resounding success with the democratic public. A.S. Pushkin, V.G. Belinsky, Herzen and other leading writers enthusiastically welcomed the comedy as historical event V public life Russia. But the idea of ​​comedy was also well understood by the defenders of autocracy, whom the satirist angrily ridiculed. They declared Gogol a dangerous writer. The Tsar banned the production of “The Inspector General” in theaters, and a frenzied persecution of Gogol began. Gogol wrote bitterly: “The police are against me, the merchants are against me, the writers are against me... Now I see what it means to be a comic writer. The slightest ghost of truth - and not just one person, but entire classes rebel against you...” In 1836, the persecuted writer was forced to leave Russia. Gogol lived most of all in Italy. In Rome, Gogol completed work on Dead Souls. The writer devoted 6 years to the first volume. In the fall of 1841, Gogol brought the first volume, ready for printing, to Moscow, but censorship difficulties arose. “The blow was completely unexpected for me: the entire manuscript is banned,” Gogol told Pletnev.

The chairman of the Moscow censorship committee rebelled against the title of the poem: “No, I will never allow this: the soul can be immortal!” It was explained to the narrow-minded official that we were talking about audit dead souls. The chairman sternly replied that “this certainly cannot be allowed, it means against serfdom.”

Gogol sent the manuscript of the poem to St. Petersburg. The writer's friends, including Belinsky, helped the author overcome censorship resistance. Gogol had to make significant changes. In May 1842, Dead Souls was published.

Under serfdom, the landowners owned the peasants. They could sell peasants, exchange them, give them as collateral, i.e. deposit it in the bank and receive money for it. But for their peasants, landowners were obliged to pay taxes or taxes to the state treasury. For this purpose, the government periodically conducted audits and compiled lists of serfs (these lists were called “revision tales”), according to which landowners paid taxes until the next audit. Landowners also had to pay taxes for those peasants who died between revisions. The landowners, therefore, were interested in getting rid of the “dead souls” and not paying taxes for them.

The plot of Gogol's poem is connected with these circumstances of the era of serfdom. Its hero, retired official Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, decided to take advantage of the existing order to make capital and get rich. He travels around the estates of landowners and buys “dead souls” from them. The landowners give them to him almost for nothing. Chichikov then hopes to either pawn the “dead souls” in the bank, receiving money for them as if they were alive, or to become known as a rich man and marry a really rich landowner.

Although Chichikov actively participates in all the events that take place, the plot of the work goes beyond the story of his life, his personal fate. “Dead Souls” is a book about Russia, not about Chichikov. This is how the author understood his great plan. This is how Gogol shared his plan with Zhukovsky: “If I complete this creation the way it needs to be accomplished, then what a huge, what an original plot! What a varied bunch! All Rus' will appear in it!”

“Dead Souls” is a large prose work, which in its content and structure is close to a novel. But it differs from the novel in some ways. An epic narrative, that is, a description of events, the actions and actions of the heroes of the work, pictures of life - which is also typical for the novel - is combined in “Dead Souls” with numerous authorial or lyrical digressions and reflections. Such lyrical digressions are characteristic of the poem genre. In Dead Souls they play the same important role ideological role, as does epic storytelling. The author expresses his thoughts and feelings about what is happening in lyrical digressions, expresses his attitude towards those depicted life phenomena. Gogol turns to lyrical digressions in those cases when the description of external events and actions of characters turns out to be insufficient to fully reveal author's intention. The epic narrative in “Dead Souls” is mainly associated with the exposure of the ruling classes, satirically depicting their contemporaries, the philistine world of landowners and officials. Lyrical digressions, in their solemn and pathetic tone, seem to contradict the general satirical nature of the narrative, in fact they are of enormous importance. Pictures of what is happening in the feudal world leave us with gloomy moods and feelings.

Herzen, in his article “On the Development of Revolutionary Forces in Russia,” described Gogol’s poem as a “cry” of horror and shame emitted by a person humiliated by vulgar life, when he suddenly notices his castrated face in the mirror, he adds: “But for such a cry to come from someone’s chest, there must be healthy parts and a great desire for rehabilitation.”

Gogol had a passionate desire for the “rehabilitation” of Russia. He understood that everything was bleak and gloomy in the life of his homeland. It is not Russia and its people that are doomed to destruction, but the serf system. In lyrical digressions, the writer expressed faith in his people, in the future of his country. That is why the author defines the work as a poem that goes back to its classical images. IN Ancient Greece folk poems were called epic works, which depicted the life and struggle of the entire people. This literary genre gave Gogol the opportunity to “look around at the whole enormous rushing life,” his homeland “in all its enormity.”

Lyrical digressions give " Dead souls"and a special poetic emotion, which is usually characteristic of poetic works. All this gave Gogol the basis to call his work a poem.

The themes of lyrical digressions in the poem are very diverse:

Gogol's reflections on the fate of the representatives he depicts dead world human vulgarity;

reflections on the fate of the satirical writer;

reflections on the fate of the Russian people, the conditions of serfdom;

reflections on the sweeping and lively Russian word;

short story about Kif Mokievich and Mokiye Kifovich;

final lyrical reflection about Rus' - the bird-three.

Lyrical digressions differ from each other in content. In some, the author, as if something in the course of the poem accidentally gives the reader an idea, begins to talk about life in Russia in general, and the reader, meanwhile, draws parallels between the cities of NN and the whole Russian Empire. Sometimes it’s not even clear whose reasoning these are: the author’s voice is intertwined with Chichikov’s voice, the author himself seems to go into the shadows. Such lyrical digressions include, for example, discussions about “fat” and “thin” people who appear in the scene of the governor’s ball.

The men here, as everywhere else, were of two kinds: some thin, who kept hovering around the ladies; some of them were of such a type that it was difficult to distinguish them from those from St. Petersburg, they also had very deliberately and tastefully combed sideburns or simply beautiful, very smoothly shaven oval faces, they also casually sat down to the ladies, they also spoke French and they made the ladies laugh just like in St. Petersburg. Another class of men were fat or the same as Chichikov, that is, not too fat, but not thin either. These, on the contrary, looked sideways and backed away from the ladies and only looked around to see if the governor’s servant was setting up a green whist table somewhere. Their faces were full and round, some even had warts, some were pockmarked, they did not wear their hair on their heads in crests or curls, or in a “damn me” manner, as the French say - their hair They were either cut low or sleek, and their facial features were more rounded and strong. These were honorary officials in the city. Alas! fat people know how to manage their affairs in this world better than thin people.

Gogol speaks here about officials with undisguised mockery:

Subtle officials hover around the ladies, wiggle here and there, and sell off the property acquired by their fathers on courier.

Fat officials are also depicted in a funny way: their faces are plump, round, and some even had warts. They make money for themselves and, in order to hide the loot, they buy villages.

Gogol devotes several lyrical digressions to women, although he admits that he is very afraid to talk about ladies. With regret, he notes that the abyss separating Korobochka from the lady is not so great high society.

Maybe you will even begin to think: come on, is Korobochka really standing so low on the endless ladder of human improvement? Is the abyss really that great that separates her from her sister, inaccessibly fenced by the walls of an aristocratic house with fragrant cast-iron staircases, shining copper, mahogany and carpets, yawning over an unread book in anticipation of a witty social visit, where she will have the opportunity to show off her mind and express her expressed thoughts? thoughts, thoughts that, according to the laws of fashion, occupy the city for a whole week, thoughts not about what is happening in her house and on her estates, confused and upset thanks to ignorance of economic affairs, but about what political revolution is being prepared in France, what direction it has taken fashionable catholicism

The author accuses a lady of high society of lacking sincerity; she talks about fashionable nonsense, and not about what is going on in her estate. This makes the writer sad and he hurries: “...past! Past!” - further along the road, your life path and the path of plot development.

The image of the road becomes the compositional core of the poem. With the righteous right life In Russian culture, a straight road is always associated. Symbolic meaning in the poem he accepts that Chichikov constantly “loses his way,” turns, and chooses roundabout paths to achieve his goal. As the work progresses, the road becomes a symbol of the fluidity of time, the path of life and the path of a person’s spiritual quest. Several author’s digressions, imbued with special lyricism, are dedicated to her, the road.

Before, long ago, in the years of my youth, in the years of my irrevocably flashed childhood, it was fun for me to drive up for the first time to an unfamiliar place: it didn’t matter whether it was a village, a poor provincial town, a village, a settlement - I discovered a lot of curious things in it childish curious look. Every building, everything that bore the imprint of some noticeable feature - everything stopped me and amazed me...

Now I indifferently approach any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; It’s unpleasant to my chilled gaze, it’s not funny to me, and what would have awakened in previous years a lively movement in the face, laughter and silent speech, now slides past, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! oh my freshness!

In this lyrical digression, the author, based on impressions on the road, judges the degree of decline of a person, the passing of his youth. It seems that life moves as quickly as the mileposts flash past the window of the post coach. As a child, the author looks at everything with a curious gaze, everything seems joyful and tempting to him. However, as he grows older, he becomes more and more indifferent to the wonders of life. The writer regrets his irrevocably past youth and freshness. With this lyrical digression, he makes readers think and feel the difference between the road of life and the high road: along the first one you can never return to where you are coming from.

Describing the commotion caused in the city by rumors about dead souls that Chichikov was buying up for no apparent reason, Gogol devotes several lines to reflections on the misconceptions of mankind. And in this lyrical digression, the image of the road grows to a symbol of the path of the entire human race:

Many mistakes have been made in the world that, it would seem, even a child would not do now. What crooked, deaf, narrow, impassable roads that lead far to the side have been chosen by mankind, striving to achieve eternal truth, while the straight path was open to them, like the path leading to the magnificent temple assigned to the palace! Wider and more luxurious than all other paths, it was illuminated by the sun and illuminated by lights all night, but people flowed past it in the deep darkness. And how many times already induced by the meaning descending from heaven, they knew how to recoil and stray to the side, they knew how to find themselves again in impenetrable backwaters in broad daylight, they knew how to again cast a blind fog into each other’s eyes and, trailing after the swamp lights, they knew how to get to the abyss, and then ask each other in horror: where is the exit, where is the road? The current generation now sees everything clearly, marvels at the errors, laughs at the foolishness of its ancestors, it is not in vain that this chronicle is inscribed with heavenly fire, that every letter in it screams, that a piercing finger is directed from everywhere at it, at it, at the current generation; but the current generation laughs and arrogantly, proudly begins a series of new errors, which posterity will also laugh at later.

But the author devotes the most heartfelt lyrical digression, covered in real poetry, to the road - his companion and muse. Real life Gogol can only live on the road, only there can he feel “strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful.” Only while on the road can a person see life in all its diversity, feel harmony and unity with the sky. In addition, in this lyrical digression, the author admits that without the road his poem would not have existed.

Not only in this place does Gogol reflect on the hard work of a writer as a traveler. With a happy traveler, a family man, whom after long journey the family is waiting, he compares the writer who describes outstanding characters. And a writer who, like him, exposes to the reader scary picture life, he compares it with a familyless traveler who has only a “bitter, boring road” ahead.

Despite the bitterness of this author's digression, it defends the power of the moral influence of laughter, Gogol's main weapon. How much more magnificent do they seem to the writer who are ready, despising fame and honor, to make a person like Chichikov the main character of the poem. Thus, they give the “scoundrels” hope for correction, and they also look for grains of human greatness in them. And Gogol ends his lyrical digression with words that perfectly characterize Gogol’s satire as a whole: the satirical writer looks at life “through laughter visible to the world and invisible tears unknown to him.”

In every word of Gogol one can feel both laughter and some kind of sadness. Gogol sees all the shortcomings of Russian reality, he ridicules them, but all this deeply touches him and touches him as a person, for real loving Russia. The writer perceived all the wounds of the fatherland as his own. But there were even those who reproached Gogol for his lack of patriotism, and it was to them that the author dedicated a lyrical digression about Kifei Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich. In it, the author says that these same patriots do not think about that. To avoid doing bad things, they just talk about it. Gogol feels the obligation to tell the whole truth.

This is how two inhabitants of a peaceful corner spent their lives, who unexpectedly, as if from a window, looked out at the end of our poem, looked out in order to respond modestly to the accusation from some ardent patriots, until time calmly engaged in some philosophy or increments on the account of sums tenderly their beloved fatherland, thinking not about not doing bad, but about not saying that they are doing bad. But no, it is not patriotism or the first feeling that are the reasons for the accusations; another is hidden under them. Why hide the word? Who, if not the author, should tell the holy truth?

In addition to reflecting on creativity and the purpose of the writer, Gogol devotes one lyrical digression to the main “instrument” of his work - the Russian word. He admires the “aptly spoken Russian word,” and seems to see in it the main dignity of the Russian people. The speech of no other nation can compete with the Russian word.

Just as a countless number of churches, monasteries with domes, domes, and crosses are scattered throughout holy, pious Rus', so a countless number of tribes, generations, and peoples crowd, motley, and rush about the face of the earth. And every nation, bearing within itself a guarantee of strength, full of the creative abilities of the soul, its bright features and other gifts of God, each in its own way distinguished itself with its own word, with which, expressing any object, it reflects part of its own character in its expression. The word of a Briton will echo with heart knowledge and wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and spread like a light dandy; the German will intricately come up with his own, not accessible to everyone, clever and thin word; but there is no word that would be so sweeping, that would burst out so smartly from under the very heart, that would seethe and vibrate as well as an aptly spoken Russian word.

In his lyrical digressions, Gogol is able to very subtly notice all the features of the Russian character. The main thing in them is that the writer very objectively perceives and sees the Russian people. The author also notices a certain dreaminess of the man, who is capable of philosophizing over the most empty objects; The Russian peasant is characterized by superstitiousness, which often only prevents him from working; and at the same time, how wonderfully Gogol describes the men-craftsmen, gifted, wonderful workers-heroes.

Sobakevich’s register was striking in its extraordinary completeness and thoroughness; not a single one of the man’s qualities was omitted; about one it was said: “a good carpenter”, to the other it was added: “he understands the business and does not get drunk.” It was also indicated in detail who the father and who the mother were, and what behavior both had; only one Fedotov had it written: “the father is unknown, but was born from a courtyard girl, Capitolina, but good character and not a thief." All these details gave a special kind of freshness: it seemed as if the men were alive just yesterday.

Gogol believes in the high destiny of Russia, since the Russian people have a lively and lively mind. “... the lively and lively Russian mind, which does not reach into its pocket for a word, does not hatch it like a hen, but sticks it right away, like a passport on an eternal sock...”

The closer the first volume of the poem “Dead Souls” moves towards its completion, the longer and more penetrating the lyrical digressions become. In them, like in a huge mosaic, the image of Rus' is assembled more and more fully. The last lyrical digressions are dedicated to her, each of which looks like a small prose poem. The author addresses Rus' from “beautiful distance.” From Gogol’s biography it follows that by “beautiful distant” he means Italy, the country that he considered his spiritual homeland and where he wrote most poems. However, from the text it seems that it is located somewhere very high: the author seems to be looking at Rus' from the sky, seeing its vast fields, open spaces, voids. Rus' lies before him, like open book. Gogol admires the Russian land, the beauty of which lies in the simplicity and extraordinary harmony of nature and the spirit of the people themselves. This beauty fascinates the author, just as it fascinates every truly Russian person. And Gogol literally screams: “Rus! But what an incomprehensible, secret power attracts you! Why is your melancholy song, rushing along your entire length and breadth, from sea to sea, heard and resounded incessantly in your souls! What's in it, in this song? What calls and cries and grabs you by the heart? Rus! What do you want from me? Why are you looking like that, and why did everything in you turn your eyes full of expectation to me?..."

And it seems that this song of Rus', perceived by Gogol the artist, is embodied in his immortal poem. Rus' itself forces him to write, turning her gaze to him, full of expectation.

Gogol admires the vast expanses of Russia: “What does this immense expanse prophesy! Isn’t it here, isn’t limitless thoughts born within you, when you yourself are endless! Shouldn’t a hero be here when there is a place where he can turn around and walk?” And really, what lies in these vast expanses of Russia!

Russia is a land beloved by God, but it also faces the most severe trials. But Rus' is reckless about its destiny, how many times has Russia stood on the edge of the abyss!

Finally, the poem ends with the author’s speech, extraordinary in strength and lyricism, about Rus', its historical path and future fate. This lyrical digression combines all the themes that worried the author throughout the poem: the themes of movement, the road, the Russian soul and Russian ingenuity, the role of Russia in the fate of humanity. He compares Rus' to a troika bird.

Ek, three! bird three, who invented you? to know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes. And not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily equipped and assembled alive by an efficient Yaroslavl man with only an ax and a chisel. The driver is not wearing German boots: he has a beard and mittens, and sits on God knows what; but he stood up, swung, and began to sing - the horses like a whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed into one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and a pedestrian who stopped screamed in fear - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed!.. And there you can already see in the distance, like something is gathering dust and drilling into the air.

Miraculously lyrical and epic stories poems. It seems that Chichikov’s chaise has imperceptibly turned into a “brisk, irresistible troika” and is galloping through the air. There is something frightening and beautiful at the same time in this vision: she rushes “all inspired by God,” but, at the same time, does not give an answer to where she is rushing.

The poem ends on an optimistic note. At the end, the image of the road appears again, but this road is no longer the life of one person, but the fate of the entire Russian state.

Is it not so for you, Rus', that you are rushing along like a brisk, unstoppable troika? The road beneath you smokes, the bridges rattle, everything falls behind and is left behind. The contemplator, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: was this lightning thrown from the sky? What does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power is contained in these horses, unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what kind of horses! Are there whirlwinds in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear burning in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once tensed their copper chests and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into just elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes!.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing;

The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give way to it.

And although to the question: “Rus, where are you rushing?” - the author does not find an answer, he is confident in Russia, because “other peoples and states, looking askance, step aside and give her way.”

There are few lyrical digressions in Gogol’s poem; they make up a smaller part of it. However, it is precisely due to these beautiful, inspiredly written lines that the poem becomes a poem, the lyrical principle begins to sound in it. The lyrical digressions reflect the author’s dreams and thoughts about life, the change of generations, an ideal Russia, where heroes are born and spiritually rich people live. Gogol believed that someday this beloved “wonderful, unfamiliar distance to the earth” would become like this. One can only marvel at the perspicacity of the author, who was able to see in his distant past what would happen. Only a fiery patriot, like Gogol, was able to see and show the whole world what awaits Russia. And we, reading his works, admiring his humor, purity and depth of thoughts and language, learn from the writer to love his homeland, to be useful to it.

So, we see that the author’s digressions help Gogol create full picture reality of Russia, turning the book into a real “encyclopedia of Russian life” of the mid-19th century. It is the digressions, where the writer not only paints scenes of everyday life of various strata of the Russian population, but also expresses his thoughts, thoughts and hopes, that make it possible to realize the author's plan. “All Rus' has appeared” is abundant in this work.

References

N.V.Gogol. Collected works. T 5 “Dead Souls” - M. “ Fiction", 1978;

Gogol in the memoirs of his contemporaries. - M., 1962;

Gukovsky G.A. Gogol's realism. - M.; L., 1959;

Mashinsky S.P. Art world Gogol. - M., 1971;

Zapadov A.S. In the depth of the line. - M., 1975;

Zolotussky I.P. Gogol. - M., 1979;

Zolnikova V.I. Independent work students over literary works. - M., 1978.

The author's thoughts and feelings about ideal Russia are expressed in lyrical digressions filled with a feeling of deep patriotism and love for the Motherland and a feeling of hatred of injustice. In lyrical digressions, the writer’s thought goes far from the events in the life of the main character and covers the entire subject of the image, “all of Rus',” and even reaches a universal level. The author's thoughts about the high purpose of man, about the fate of the Motherland and the people are contrasted with gloomy pictures of Russian life.

Lyrical digressions scattered throughout the poem are organically woven into the narrative and sound like a cry of pain, indignation and delight. They touch on issues that are relevant for all times and enhance the impression of the pictures depicted. In digressions, the reader becomes acquainted with persons who do not act directly in the poem. These are gentlemen “fat” and “thin”, gentlemen of the “big hand” and “middle hand”, the ruler of the chancellery Ivan Petrovich, broken fellows, drunkards and brawlers and others. These episodic faces are drawn by the author with two or three strokes, but they play a big role. They never meet the main character, Chichikov, but help the author in creating the image of a united Rus'.

The narrative of the poem is more than once interrupted by upbeat, lyrical travel sketches and sincere conversations with the reader. In one of the most poetic places in the work, which precedes the story about the life and formation of the personality of the protagonist, the theme of the road and the future of Russia merge. In this lyrical digression, colloquial speech is intertwined with a sublime tone of speech, and the reader, along with the author, is imbued with the charm and music of the word “road” itself and a feeling of delight in nature: “What a strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful thing in the word: road ! and how wonderful it is, this road: a clear day, autumn leaves, cold air..."

The author speaks of “churches with ancient domes and blackened buildings”, “dark log and stone houses”, “fields and steppes”, “huts scattered on the slope”, soulfully conveys the feelings of a man racing in a troika: “God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!..”

Extra-plot elements are organically included in the poem, insert episodes, scenes, paintings, author's thoughts. For example, Gogol casually sketches portraits of “thin” and “fat” officials. "Alas! Fat people know how to manage their affairs in this world better than thin people,” writes Gogol. Or a satirical portrait of a certain chancellery ruler. Among his subordinates, the ruler is “Prometheus, decisive Prometheus!.. and a little higher than him, with Prometheus, such a transformation will take place, which even Ovid would not invent: a fly, even smaller than a fly, is destroyed into a grain of sand!”

IN last chapter, which tells about the development of Chichikov’s character, the reader is again plunged into the world of vulgarity and evil. Using the example of the life of his hero, the author very accurately formulates the principles that dominate in his contemporary world: “most of all, take care and save a penny,” “hang around with those who are richer,” “please your superiors.” With undisguised irony, the writer speaks of a system of education in which abilities and talents have no value, and eternal truths are driven into the heads of young men through flogging and other punishments. The spirit of commerce and profit, which reigned in the world of the feudal nobility, penetrated into educational establishments and destroyed everything pure and poetic in the souls of young people.

However, once again plunging us into the world of self-interest and profit, Gogol again returns us to the positive principles of the Russian character, instilling confidence in the bright future of his people. In a lyrical digression that concludes the story, he talks about the talent of the Yaroslavl peasant, who built a road wagon with a chisel and a hammer, about a bird or three, which originated among the lively people “in that land that does not like to joke, but was scattered evenly across half the world,” about courage and daring of a simple Russian person. The poem ends with a grandiose in its expressiveness image of the rushing Rus' - a trio of birds. In the last lyrical digression, the author emphasizes the doom of the world of officials and landowners and the belief in the limitless possibilities of the Russian people.

Throughout the entire narrative, the author draws our attention to Chichikov’s troika, more than once even indicating the names of the horses harnessed to it. Chichikov's troika is one of the main and expressive characters works. At the end of the poem, we again see Chichikov’s troika: Selifan slaps Chubari on the back, after which he breaks into a trot. The movement of the troika gradually accelerates, and the image of the troika changes its internal meaning. Instead of Chichikov's troika, a Russian troika appears, and at the same time the intonation of the narrative changes. An image appears before us native land, and the horses rush in a whirlwind, separate from the ground and turn into lines flying through the air, and instead of the troika, Rus' appears in all its rapid movement. The author’s speech is melodious, filled with emotional epithets and synonyms, metaphors and exclamations: “Rus, where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer." This digression contains the result of many years of Gogol’s thoughts about the fate of Russia, about the present and future of its people. After all, it is the people who oppose the world of officials, landowners, businessmen, as alive soul- dead.

All topics in the book “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol. Summary. Features of the poem. Essays":

Summary of the poem “Dead Souls”: Volume one. Chapter first

Features of the poem “Dead Souls”

Lyrical digression is an extra-plot element of the work; compositional and stylistic device, which consists in the author’s retreat from the direct plot narrative; author's reasoning, reflection, statement expressing an attitude towards the depicted or having an indirect relation to it. Lyrically, the digressions in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” introduce a life-giving, refreshing beginning, highlight the content of the pictures of life that appear before the reader, and reveal the idea.

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Analysis of lyrical digressions in the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"

Lyrical digression is an extra-plot element of the work; compositional and stylistic device, which consists in the author’s retreat from the direct plot narrative; author's reasoning, reflection, statement expressing an attitude towards the depicted or having an indirect relation to it. Lyrically, the digressions in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” introduce a life-giving, refreshing beginning, highlight the content of the pictures of life that appear before the reader, and reveal the idea. The topics of lyrical digressions are varied.
“About fat and thin officials” (1 chapter); the author resorts to generalizing the images of civil servants. Self-interest, bribery, veneration for rank are their characteristic features. The contrast between thick and thin, which seems at first glance, actually reveals common negative traits both of them.
“On the shades and subtleties of our treatment” (chap. 3); speaks of ingratiation to the rich, respect for rank, self-humiliation of officials in front of their superiors and an arrogant attitude towards subordinates.
“About the Russian people and their language” (chap. 5); the author notes that the language and speech of a people reflects its national character; A feature of the Russian word and Russian speech is amazing accuracy.
“About two types of writers, about their destiny and destinies” (chap. 7); the author contrasts a realist writer and a romantic writer, points out character traits creativity of a romantic writer, speaks of the wonderful destiny of this writer. Gogol writes with bitterness about the lot of a realist writer who dared to portray the truth. Reflecting on the realist writer, Gogol determined the meaning of his work.
“Much has happened in the world of error” (chap. 10); a lyrical digression about the world chronicle of mankind, about its errors is a manifestation of the writer’s Christian views. All of humanity has wandered away from the straight path and is standing on the edge of an abyss. Gogol points out to everyone that the straight and bright path of humanity consists in following the moral values ​​​​founded in Christian teaching.
“About the expanses of Rus', national character and the bird troika”; the final lines of “Dead Souls” are connected with the theme of Russia, with the author’s thoughts about the Russian national character, about Russia as a state. IN symbolic image The three birds expressed Gogol's faith in Russia as a state destined for a great historical mission from above. At the same time, there is an idea about the uniqueness of Russia’s path, as well as the idea about the difficulty of foreseeing specific forms of Russia’s long-term development.

“Dead Souls” is a lyric-epic work - a prose poem that combines two principles: epic and lyrical. The first principle is embodied in the author’s plan to paint “all of Rus'”, and the second - in the author’s lyrical digressions related to his plan, which constitute integral part works. The epic narrative in “Dead Souls” is continually interrupted by lyrical monologues of the author, assessing the character’s behavior or reflecting on life, art, Russia and its people, as well as touching on topics such as youth and old age, the purpose of the writer, which help to learn more about the spiritual world of the writer, about his ideals. Highest value have lyrical digressions about Russia and the Russian people. Throughout the poem, the author's idea of positive image of the Russian people, which merges with the glorification and celebration of the homeland, which expresses the author’s civil-patriotic position.

Thus, in the fifth chapter, the writer praises “the lively and lively Russian mind”, his extraordinary ability for verbal expressiveness, that “if he rewards a slant with a word, then it will go to his family and posterity, he will take it with him both to the service and to retirement , and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world." Chichikov was led to such reasoning by his conversation with the peasants, who called Plyushkin “patched” and knew him only because he did not feed his peasants well.

Gogol felt the living soul of the Russian people, their prowess, courage, hard work and love for free life. In this regard, the author’s reasoning, put into Chichikov’s mouth, about serfs in the seventh chapter is of deep significance. What appears here is not a generalized image of Russian men, but specific people with real features, described in detail. This is the carpenter Stepan Probka - “a hero who would be fit for the guard,” who, according to Chichikov, walked all over Rus' with an ax in his belt and boots on his shoulders. This is the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov, who studied with a German and decided to get rich instantly by making boots from rotten leather, which fell apart in two weeks. At this point, he abandoned his work, started drinking, blaming everything on the Germans, who did not allow Russian people to live.

Next, Chichikov reflects on the fate of many peasants bought from Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Manilov and Korobochka. But the idea of ​​“the revelry of people’s life” did not coincide so much with the image of Chichikov that the author himself takes the floor and, on his own behalf, continues the story, the story of how Abakum Fyrov walks on the grain pier with barge haulers and merchants, having worked “under one, like Rus', a song." The image of Abakum Fyrov indicates the love of the Russian people for a free, wild life, festivities and fun, despite the hard life of serfdom, the oppression of landowners and officials.

In lyrical digressions appears tragic fate enslaved people, downtrodden and socially humiliated, which was reflected in the images of Uncle Mitya and Uncle Minya, the girl Pelageya, who could not distinguish between right and left, Plyushkin’s Proshka and Mavra. Behind these images and pictures of folk life lies the deep and broad soul of the Russian people. The love for the Russian people, for the homeland, the patriotic and sublime feelings of the writer were expressed in the image of the troika created by Gogol, rushing forward, personifying the mighty and inexhaustible forces of Russia. Here the author thinks about the future of the country: “Rus, where are you rushing to? “He looks into the future and does not see it, but as a true patriot he believes that in the future there will be no Manilovs, Sobakeviches, Nozdrevs, Plyushkins, that Russia will rise to greatness and glory.

The image of the road in the lyrical digressions is symbolic. This is the road from the past to the future, the road along which the development of each person and Russia as a whole takes place. The work ends with a hymn to the Russian people: “Eh! troika! Bird-three, who invented you? You could have been born among a lively people.... "Here, lyrical digressions perform a generalizing function: they serve to expand the artistic space and to create complete image Rus'. They reveal the positive ideal of the author - people's Russia, which is opposed to landowner-bureaucratic Rus'.

But, in addition to lyrical digressions glorifying Russia and its people, the poem also contains reflections of the lyrical hero on philosophical themes, for example, about youth and old age, the vocation and purpose of a true writer, about his fate, which are somehow connected with the image of the road in the work. So, in the sixth chapter, Gogol exclaims: “Take with you on the journey, emerging from the soft youthful years into stern, embittering courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, you will not pick them up later! ..” Thus, the author wanted to say that all the best things in life are connected precisely with youth and one should not forget about it, as the landowners described in the novel did, stasis “ dead souls" They do not live, but exist. Gogol calls for preserving a living soul, freshness and fullness of feelings and remaining like that for as long as possible.

Sometimes, reflecting on the transience of life, on changing ideals, the author himself appears as a traveler: “Before, long ago, in the summer of my youth... it was fun for me to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time... Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and look indifferently at her vulgar appearance; It’s unpleasant to my chilled gaze, it’s not funny to me... and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! Oh my freshness! “To recreate the completeness of the author’s image, it is necessary to talk about lyrical digressions in which Gogol talks about two types of writers. One of them “never once changed the sublime structure of his lyre, did not descend from its top to his poor, insignificant brothers, and the other dared to call out everything that is every minute before the eyes and which indifferent eyes do not see.” The lot of a real writer, who dared to truthfully recreate a reality hidden from the eyes of the people, is such that, unlike a romantic writer, absorbed in his unearthly and sublime images, he is not destined to achieve fame and experience the joyful feelings of being recognized and sung. Gogol comes to the conclusion that the unrecognized realist writer, satirist writer will remain without participation, that “his field is harsh, and he bitterly feels his loneliness.” The author also talks about “connoisseurs of literature” who have their own idea of ​​the purpose of a writer (“It’s better to present to us the beautiful and fascinating”), which confirms his conclusion about the fate of two types of writers.

It all recreates lyrical image author, who will long go hand in hand with “ strange hero, to look around at the whole enormous rushing life, look at it through laughter visible to the world and invisible, unknown to him tears! »

So, lyrical digressions occupy a significant place in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”. They are remarkable from a poetic point of view. They reveal new beginnings literary style, which will later acquire bright life in the prose of Turgenev and especially in the works of Chekhov.

The author's thoughts and feelings about ideal Russia are expressed in lyrical digressions filled with a feeling of deep patriotism and love for the Motherland and a feeling of hatred of injustice. In lyrical digressions, the writer’s thought goes far from the events in the life of the main character and covers the entire subject of the image, “all of Rus',” and even reaches a universal level. The author's thoughts about the high purpose of man, about the fate of the Motherland and the people are contrasted with gloomy pictures of Russian life.

Lyrical digressions scattered throughout the poem are organically woven into the narrative and sound like a cry of pain, indignation and delight. They touch on issues that are relevant for all times and enhance the impression of the pictures depicted. In digressions, the reader becomes acquainted with persons who do not act directly in the poem. These are gentlemen “fat” and “thin”, gentlemen of the “big hand” and “middle hand”, the ruler of the chancellery Ivan Petrovich, broken fellows, drunkards and brawlers and others. These episodic faces are drawn by the author with two or three strokes, but they play a big role. They never meet the main character, Chichikov, but help the author in creating the image of a united Rus'.

The narrative of the poem is more than once interrupted by upbeat, lyrical travel sketches and sincere conversations with the reader. In one of the most poetic places in the work, which precedes the story about the life and formation of the personality of the protagonist, the theme of the road and the future of Russia merge. In this lyrical digression, colloquial speech is intertwined with a sublime tone of speech, and the reader, along with the author, is imbued with the charm and music of the word “road” itself and a feeling of delight in nature: “What a strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful thing in the word: road ! and how wonderful it is, this road: a clear day, autumn leaves, cold air...”

The author speaks of “churches with ancient domes and blackened buildings”, “dark log and stone houses”, “fields and steppes”, “huts scattered on the slope”, soulfully conveys the feelings of a man racing in a troika: “God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!..”

Extra-plot, inserted episodes, scenes, paintings, and the author’s reasoning are organically included in the poem. For example, Gogol casually sketches portraits of “thin” and “fat” officials. "Alas! Fat people know how to manage their affairs in this world better than thin people,” writes Gogol. Or a satirical portrait of a certain chancellery ruler. Among his subordinates, the ruler is “Prometheus, decisive Prometheus!.. and a little higher than him, with Prometheus, such a transformation will take place, which even Ovid would not invent: a fly, even smaller than a fly, is destroyed into a grain of sand!”

In the last chapter, which tells about the development of Chichikov's character, the reader again plunges into the world of vulgarity and evil. Using the example of the life of his hero, the author very accurately formulates the principles that dominate in his contemporary world: “most of all, take care and save a penny,” “hang around with those who are richer,” “please your superiors.” With undisguised irony, the writer speaks of a system of education in which abilities and talents have no value, and eternal truths are driven into the heads of young men through flogging and other punishments. The spirit of commerce and profit, which reigned in the world of the feudal nobility, penetrated educational institutions and destroyed everything pure and poetic in the souls of young people.

However, once again plunging us into the world of self-interest and profit, Gogol again returns us to the positive principles of the Russian character, instilling confidence in the bright future of his people. In a lyrical digression that concludes the story, he talks about the talent of the Yaroslavl peasant, who built a road wagon with a chisel and a hammer, about a bird or three, which originated among the lively people “in that land that does not like to joke, but was scattered evenly across half the world,” about courage and daring of a simple Russian person. The poem ends with a grandiose in its expressiveness image of the rushing Rus' - a trio of birds. In the last lyrical digression, the author emphasizes the doom of the world of officials and landowners and the belief in the limitless possibilities of the Russian people.

Throughout the entire narrative, the author draws our attention to Chichikov’s troika, more than once even indicating the names of the horses harnessed to it. Chichikov's troika is one of the main and expressive characters of the work. At the end of the poem, we again see Chichikov’s troika: Selifan slaps Chubari on the back, after which he breaks into a trot. The movement of the troika gradually accelerates, and the image of the troika changes its internal meaning. Instead of Chichikov's troika, a Russian troika appears, and at the same time the intonation of the narrative changes. The image of our native land appears before us, and the horses rush in a whirlwind, separate from the ground and turn into lines flying through the air, and instead of the troika, Rus' appears in all its rapid movement. The author’s speech is melodious, filled with emotional epithets and synonyms, metaphors and exclamations: “Rus, where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer." This digression contains the result of many years of Gogol’s thoughts about the fate of Russia, about the present and future of its people. After all, it is the people who oppose the world of officials, landowners, and businessmen, like a living soul against a dead one.

All topics in the book “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol. Summary. Features of the poem. Essays":

Summary of the poem “Dead Souls”: Volume one. Chapter first

Features of the poem “Dead Souls”