Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ridiculed with his novel Russian government and described all its flaws in a satirical form. The novel is written about a city that has changed a large number of bosses, but none of them could do anything good for the city. Saltykov-Shchedrin highlighted in his work reality intertwined with fantasy.
In such a light and satirical form, the writer was able to fully express his thought and intended idea. The novel “The Story of a City” depicts the problem of all of Russia. In a city where bosses are constantly changing and cannot lead the state normally. All bosses are very stupid and each of them pursues their own goals.
Saltykov-Shchedrin writes about the city of Glupov as a capital, or as a provincial small town, or generally calls it a village. The author collected all segments of the population and described different time for the city. Mikhail Evgrafovich writes that the city stands on a swamp, and at other times it stands on seven hills.
In the novel “The History of a City,” the main part is occupied by a description of the mayors who were sent to govern the city. Here Saltykov-Shchedrin also approached with great exaggeration and a satirical note. Each of the mayors did nothing to make the city prosper, but only destroyed it and torn it down into logs. Some bosses had an empty head, and only an organ stood in the corner, while others had a head that smelled like minced meat, so much so that it had even been eaten.
But the novel also describes the inhabitants of this very city who are inactive. They do absolutely nothing to change the situation in their hometown and in their lives. The people simply watched as a myriad of bosses were replaced and how they destroyed the city and, at the same time, their lives. Residents of the city only adapt to each new boss and did not want to get out of this circle of injustice. One might think that the residents themselves do not want a good mayor for themselves, but are content with the ones they have.
Each boss is despotic towards the people in his own way, and the people, in turn, have already resigned themselves to their fate. The last mayor who decides to destroy the city and rebuild it. The gaze of Gloomy-Burcheev terrifies the townspeople, and they follow him unconditionally. Construction began just like that, and the townspeople were left with the ruins of their own city.
In his novel, Saltykov-Shchedrin was able to vividly describe the problems of society and the state.
Option 2
Most writers of one era or another tried to convey their dissatisfaction with a particular situation through their works, trying to convey them as best as possible to the general mass of people. Some tried to identify a problem that was unique to their period of life, while others tried to convey their experiences about a topic that was common not only to their generation, but also to previous ones. One of these writers was Saltykov-Shchedrin.
Many of his works were educational in nature, trying to help people see the problem and suggest ways to solve it. Reading such works, people realized what was happening around them and tried to do at least something, and this is what makes the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin good, they gave reason to think.
The work “The History of a City” told the reader about one city in which lived people who, without exaggeration, could be called the personification of a particular period in the life of our homeland. The city was called Foolov, and its inhabitants called themselves Foolovites; most likely, with this Saltykov-Shchedrin tried to convey their ignorance and limitations as strongly as possible. Further in the course of the story, we see that the city and its inhabitants are the literal personification of everything that a person would like to hide in himself and not let out. All the vices that are in him. The city is full of stupid people who try to obey rather than think for themselves.
The works reveal many problems that were inherent in a particular period. For example, the work clearly shows the problem of excessive corruption in the bureaucracy. Also in the work we see the problem of human rejection from society, the residents of the city don’t care about everyone except themselves, they only care about their loved ones, which makes us think about human indifference in our society.
Also in the work one can see the obvious comical superiority of officials over ordinary people, as was the case in the time of the writer.
One way or another, the work tells us about the most important things in human life, which we need to adhere to and follow. Saltykov-Shchedrin tells us that spiritual things are much more important for a person than material values. The author tells us to stick to ourselves and not be led by surrounding opinions, which can often be wrong. Saltykov-Shchedrin recommends that you be guided by this generalized opinion throughout your life, which is what he, in fact, did.
Also, for his works, he experienced pressure from the authorities for his seemingly revolutionary impulses and oppositional themes.
IN this essay I analyzed the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City” from which I concluded that the work has a number of issues that the author reflected on in the work, and the problems of which are described above. The opinion described in the essay is subjective and does not claim to be truly correct.
Essay on the story The Story of a City
Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote his work over several years, from 1869 to 1870. Initially, the novel was called “The Foolov Chronicler.” Later it was renamed “The History of a City” and published in parts in the journal “Otechestvennye zapiski” and aroused strong emotions among readers.
Most readers compare a written book to a short story, but in reality it is not. The genre of “Stories of a City” is “Satirical Novel”, which describes the life of the fictional city of Foolov, but the chronological events taking place in it take place from the chronicles found by the writer.
The action of the novel takes place in the city of Foolov, whose name speaks for itself. The novel describes the life of the mayors, their “great deeds”: bribery, imposition of tribute, collection of various taxes and much more. Saltykov-Shchedrin in his work raised main problem– the essence of the history of the Russian state. He assessed the past and present of Russia quite critically, since he considered the majority of the country’s inhabitants to be “Fools.” What is translated from the language ancient people means "bigheads." Because of his ignorance and lack of understanding, he renamed them.
The novel begins with small warring tribes. Tired of the constant war among themselves, they decided to choose a person who would manage the affairs of the tribes and command their people. This is how the first prince in Rus' and the city of Foolov appeared.
With this he described the formation Ancient Rus' and the reign of the Rurik dynasty.
At first, the prince called to power entrusted part of the affairs to his landowner. But he turned out to be a thief, the ruler had to take tough measures himself. The writer then lists most of the rulers Russian state, their contribution to history and the deeds in which he distinguished himself. The bosses changed one after another, their worldview and the absurdity of the government, which the author points out in his work, also changed.
Madness and unnecessary reforms created chaos and disorder in the country, people became beggars, and devastation set in. But the monarchs were in a constant state of either drunkenness or war, and they had nothing to do with the ordinary people. A gradual series of mistakes on the part of the authorities led to dire consequences, which the author narrates with sarcasm and satire. Ultimately, the death that overtook the last ruler of Ugryum-Burcheev, due to which the narrative ends, gives hope to the Russian people to change their lives for the better.
In the novel “The History of a City,” the writer touched on many topics important for the history of Russia, such as war, power, ignorance, religion, servility and fanaticism. Each topic is important in its own way and carries great meaning to the way of life of ordinary people.
The main problem described in the work, which Saltykov-Shchedrin wanted to emphasize, is the inaction and humility of the common people in relation to the authorities, their agreement with the fact that monarchs infringe and oppress their rights, infringe on them. The writer is inclined to believe that people are afraid of being without their ruler. The fear of falling into anarchy is so strong that they are driven by force and the desire to obey their boss.
The essence of the novel “The History of a City” is that society does not want to make responsible decisions on its own, placing everything on the shoulders of one person who cannot change the history of the country. The author wants to show that without the will of the people, their awareness and desire for better life nothing will change. The writer does not call for open rebellion or revolution, but he is trying to convince the people that one cannot have blind obedience, only people and their will can influence changes for the better, one cannot be afraid of power, but, on the contrary, turn to it with one’s problems.
Sample 4
Perhaps Saltykov-Shchedrin is one of the few satirical writers in Russia XIX century. Yes, there were many classical authors, but in such a way as to make caustic ridicule, to present reality from the other side, then, of course, this is for Saltykov-Shchedrin. “The History of a City” is the pinnacle of satire for that time. This novel will be discussed now.
At one time it caused a lot of controversy and controversy. Critics sometimes gave completely opposite assessments. Some did not hide their admiration for the author’s skill, others denounced him in every possible way, calling him a Russophobe. Which side should you take?
Rather, the side of the former, since it is known for sure that the writer loved his country. He simply described the current reality “without cuts” in a humorously absurd tone. The censors most often took pro-government positions, and they could not like the emphasis on the corruption and lawlessness that was then raging.
The novel has an interesting structure. It is based on a certain fictional chronicle of the city of Foolov. It is meticulously described how the mayors were replaced, both their mental and external features. The work is replete with allusions to various rulers of Russia. That is, these leaders were presented in the form of one of the emperors.
Some bosses looked like robots. Their stupidity is emphasized. Someone constantly carried out reforms that only worsened life in the city. Someone's head looked like minced meat and one day it was eaten.
The novel contains a general outline of the description in that not a single boss has ever proven himself to be an intelligent official. All their activities boiled down to tyranny and arbitrariness. They dishonestly robbed the people, taking away their last. Corruption and bureaucracy have reached unprecedented proportions.
The worst thing is that the work had a real historical background, and a typical Foolov differed little from a typical Kostroma, for example. That’s why the censorship was so annoying to him: she perfectly understood what the author was trying to convey and who he was laughing at.
In fact, the city of Foolov is a collective image of any Russian provincial city of those years. And the author reminded between the lines that it is high time to take up reforms and destroy the negative consequences of Borocracy.
Probably everyone knows the following sayings: “You can’t even pull a fish out of a pond without work,” “Work and work will grind everything down,” “As much as you do, so come the fruits.”
What a wonderful view the famous artist saw with his extremely unusual eyes and managed to display it using a unique combination of tones!
Known throughout Moscow, Bengalsky serves as an entertainer at the Variety Theater. This plump, childishly cheerful man appears before the public sloppily dressed: in a wrinkled tailcoat and a stale shirt.
By creating the ironic, grotesque “History of a City,” Saltykov-Shchedrin hoped to evoke in the reader not laughter, but a “bitter feeling” of shame. The idea of the work is built on the image of a certain hierarchy: ordinary people who will not resist the instructions of often stupid rulers, and the tyrant rulers themselves. In this story, the common people are represented by the residents of the city of Foolov, and their oppressors are the mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin ironically notes that these people need a boss, one who will give them instructions and keep a tight rein, otherwise the whole people will fall into anarchy.
History of creation
The concept and idea of the novel “The History of a City” was formed gradually. In 1867, the writer wrote a fairytale-fantastic work, “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head,” which later formed the basis for the chapter “The Organ.” In 1868, Saltykov-Shchedrin began working on “The History of a City” and completed it in 1870. Initially, the author wanted to give the work the title “Foolish Chronicler.” The novel was published in the then popular magazine Otechestvennye zapiski.
The plot of the work
(Illustrations by the creative team of Soviet graphic artists "Kukryniksy")
The narration is told on behalf of the chronicler. He talks about the inhabitants of the city who were so stupid that their city was given the name “Fools”. The novel begins with the chapter “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites,” which gives the history of this people. It tells in particular about a tribe of bunglers, who, after defeating the neighboring tribes of bow-eaters, bush-eaters, walrus-eaters, cross-bellied people and others, decided to find a ruler for themselves, because they wanted to restore order in the tribe. Only one prince decided to rule, and even he sent an innovative thief in his place. When he was stealing, the prince sent him a noose, but the thief was able to somehow get out of it and stabbed himself with a cucumber. As you can see, irony and grotesque coexist perfectly in the work.
After several unsuccessful candidates for the role of deputies, the prince came to the city in person. Having become the first ruler, he started the countdown of the “historical time” of the city. It is said that twenty-two rulers with their achievements ruled the city, but the Inventory lists twenty-one. Apparently, the missing one is the founder of the city.
Main characters
Each of the mayors fulfills his task in implementing the writer’s idea through the grotesque to show the absurdity of their rule. Many types show traits of historical figures. For greater recognition, Saltykov-Shchedrin not only described the style of their rule, comically distorted their surnames, but also gave apt characteristics indicating historical prototype. Some personalities of city governors represent images collected from the characteristic features of different persons in the history of the Russian state.
Thus, the third ruler, Ivan Matveevich Velikanov, famous for drowning the director of economic affairs and introducing taxes of three kopecks per person, was exiled to prison for an affair with Avdotya Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I.
Brigadier Ivan Matveyevich Baklan, the sixth mayor, was tall and proud to be a follower of the line of Ivan the Terrible. The reader understands that this refers to the bell tower in Moscow. The ruler found his death in the spirit of the same grotesque image that fills the novel - the foreman was broken in half during a storm.
The personality of Peter III in the image of Guard Sergeant Bogdan Bogdanovich Pfeiffer is indicated by the characteristic given to him - “a Holstein native”, the style of government of the mayor and his outcome - removed from the post of ruler “for ignorance”.
Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty was nicknamed “Organchik” for the presence of a mechanism in his head. He kept the city in fear because he was gloomy and withdrawn. When trying to take the mayor's head to the capital's craftsmen for repairs, it was thrown out of the carriage by a frightened coachman. After Organchik's reign, chaos reigned in the city for 7 days.
A short period of prosperity for the townspeople is associated with the name of the ninth mayor, Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov. A civilian advisor and innovator, he took up appearance city, started honey and brewing. Tried to open an academy.
The longest reign was marked by the twelfth mayor, Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin, who reminds the reader of the style of rule of Peter I. On the connection of the character with historical figure His “glorious deeds” also indicate - he destroyed the Streletskaya and Dung settlements, and his difficult relationship with the eradication of the ignorance of the people - he fought four wars for enlightenment in Foolov and three against them. He resolutely prepared the city for burning, but suddenly died.
By origin, a former peasant Onufriy Ivanovich Negodyaev, who, before serving as mayor, stoked furnaces, destroyed the streets paved by the former ruler and erected monuments on these resources. The image is copied from Paul I, as evidenced by the circumstances of his removal: he was dismissed for disagreeing with the triumvirate regarding the constitutions.
Under State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov, Foolov's elite was busy with balls and nightly meetings with the reading of the works of a certain gentleman. As in the reign of Alexander I, the mayor did not care about the people, who were impoverished and starving.
The scoundrel, idiot and “Satan” Gloomy-Burcheev has a “speaking” surname and is “copied” from Count Arakcheev. He finally destroys Foolov and decides to build the city of Neprekolnsk in a new place. When attempting to implement such a grandiose project, the “end of the world” occurred: the sun went dark, the earth shook, and the mayor disappeared without a trace. This is how the story of “one city” ended.
Analysis of the work
Saltykov-Shchedrin, with the help of satire and grotesque, aims to reach human soul. He wants to convince the reader that human institutions must be based on Christian principles. Otherwise, a person's life can be deformed, disfigured, and in the end can lead to the death of the human soul.
“The History of a City” is an innovative work that has overcome the usual boundaries of artistic satire. Each image in the novel has pronounced grotesque features, but is at the same time recognizable. Which gave rise to a flurry of criticism against the author. He was accused of “slander” against the people and rulers.
Indeed, the story of Foolov is largely copied from Nestor’s chronicle, which tells about the time of the beginning of Rus' - “The Tale of Bygone Years.” The author deliberately emphasized this parallel so that it becomes obvious who he means by the Foolovites, and that all these mayors are by no means a flight of fancy, but real Russian rulers. At the same time, the author makes it clear that he is not describing the entire human race, but specifically Russia, reinterpreting its history in his own satirical way.
However, the purpose of creating the work Saltykov-Shchedrin did not make fun of Russia. The writer’s task was to encourage society to critically rethink its history in order to eradicate existing vices. The grotesque plays a huge role in creating artistic image in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The main goal of the writer is to show the vices of people that are not noticed by society.
The writer ridiculed the ugliness of society and was called a “great scoffer” among such predecessors as Griboyedov and Gogol. Reading the ironic grotesque, the reader wanted to laugh, but there was something sinister in this laughter - the audience “felt like a scourge lashing itself.”
" - a satirical novel by writer M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. It was written in 1870.
Meaning of the name. The title is an indication of the absurdist essence of the novel. This is something historical essay, parodying, in particular, “The History of the Russian State.” However, the “state” in the novel has shrunk to the size of a small city.
Events take place in it that satirically reflect real events Russian history (mainly period XVIII- XIX centuries). The novel is constructed in the form of a historical chronicle - it is the content of a fictional chronicle that the narrator allegedly finds.
Content. “The History of a City” tells the story of the city of Foolov. The “chronicle” tells about the origin of the Foolovites, about the most prominent rulers of the city, and mentions the most important historical events. Here are some descriptions of the rulers: Dementy Brudasty is a mechanical humanoid robot with an “organ” in its head instead of a brain, which each time issues one of several programmed phrases.
After the residents found out who their ruler really was, Brudasty was overthrown. Six female rulers who sought to seize power by all means, including actively bribing soldiers. Pyotr Ferdyshchenko is an unreasonable, frivolous reformer who led his city to mass famine; he himself died from gluttony.
Basilisk Wartkin - reformer-educator, reminiscent of Peter I; at the same time, with wild cruelty he destroyed many villages, thereby obtaining only a few rubles for the treasury. He ruled the city for the longest time. Gloomy-Burcheev is a parody of Arakcheev, a statesman of the times of Paul and Alexander I.
Gloomy-Burcheev is perhaps one of central characters"Stories". This is a despot and tyrant who intends to build an ideal state machine in his city. This led to the creation of a totalitarian system that brought nothing but disasters to the city. In this part of the novel, Saltykov-Shchedrin was one of the heralds of a new literary genre- dystopias. The death of Gloomy-Burcheev makes people breathe a sigh of relief and gives hope for some changes for the better.
Composition. The novel is built from several large fragments, as befits a “chronicle”. However, this does not violate the integrity of the work. Here's the outline of the story:
1. Introduction to the history of the inhabitants of Foolov;
2. Description of the 22 rulers of the city;
3. Ruler Brusty with an organ in his head;
4. Struggle for power;
5. Board of Dvoekurov;
6. A period of calm and the onset of famine;
7. Reign of Basilisk Wartkin;
8. Changes in the lifestyle of city residents;
9. Depravity of the inhabitants;
10. Ugryum-Burcheev’s rise to power;
11. Wartkin’s discussion of obligations;
12. Mikaladze talks about the appearance of the ruler;
13. Benevolsky’s reasoning about kindness.
Issues. The novel by Saltykov-Shchedrin was created with the aim of describing the eternal disorders of the Russian state and society. Despite the satire and grotesquery, it becomes clear that the writer only highlighted and exaggerated those trends that really took place in Russian history. Even the order of events and the reigns of mayors largely corresponds to Russian historical chronology. Sometimes the correspondence of heroes to their real prototypes reaches photographic accuracy; such is Ugryum-Burcheev, the description of whose appearance is completely copied from the figure of Arakcheev, which can be observed by looking at the famous portrait of this figure. It should be noted, however, that Russian history Saltykov-Shchedrin illuminated it one-sidedly. After all, Peter’s reforms were generally reasonable and adequate, and the era of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine was marked by some cultural and economic upsurge. Even Arakcheev, whom Saltykov-Shchedrin apparently hated so fiercely, is assessed largely positively by contemporaries and historians: for example, he never took bribes or abused his position for personal gain, and his fierce persecution of corruption and embezzlement turned out to be effective. However satirical pathos the novel has its own meaning.
Idea. The idea of the novel is that stupidity in the city of the same name is permanent and eternal, and no new “reformer” is able to get rid of it; the new mayor turns out to be no less reckless than the previous ones. This happened in real story Russia: smart, sensible figures did not stay in power for long, and their sound reforms were nullified by subsequent rulers, which is why the country returned to its previous disorder, poverty and savagery. Stupidity is the only source of all the troubles of the city, and certainly not the desire for wealth, acquisitiveness and the thirst for power. Each ruler of Foolov had his own unique form of stupidity, so the nature of the people's disasters was constantly changing. In addition to mayors, ordinary people also live in the city. Their description in the novel is unsightly: they all form a submissive herd that does not want to change, no matter how reasonable the initiatives of some rulers, and does not resist the wild and reckless behavior of the authorities. Time has no effect on ordinary Foolovites. Only a good shake-up, such as the rule of Ugryum-Burcheev, can at least slightly awaken the self-awareness of the population. The ending of the work is in a sense prophetic. The power of Ugryum-Burcheev fell as a result of the revolution, and he himself suffered reprisals; however, there is no certainty that the new ruler elected by the people will be reasonable and respectable. As we know, half a century after the novel was written, this happened in reality.
Gender and genre. “The History of a City” is a novel classified as “literature of the absurd.” In it, the realistic beginning gives way to the grotesque, exaggeration, and fantasy. At the same time, they are actively used folklore elements: Thus, individual episodes (like the story about the origin of the Foolovites) are like fairy tales. At the same time, the author strives to give his narrative the most realistic image possible.
The chronicle structure comes into play - the novel gives the exact dates of all events, the years of life of the mayors, the history of Foolov is correlated with the history of real Russia and the world; the narrator quotes from famous writers. The reader unwittingly begins to believe what is written. It is noteworthy that Saltykov-Shchedrin’s “historical” work is addressed to his contemporary reader. By this he wants to say that well-known problems in society arose a long time ago and have not disappeared over time.
The novel “The History of a City” (1869-1870) is a complex and ambiguous work. Immediately after its publication, Saltykov-Shchedrin was accused of insulting the Russian people and distorting national history. The author himself asserted: “I’m not ridiculing history at all, but the known order of things... I don’t care about history. I only mean the present.”
Philosophical and historical issues have always worried Russian writers. Let us remember A.S. Pushkin with his " Captain's daughter", "Boris Godunov", "Poltava". L.N. In his epic War and Peace, Tolstoy tried to comprehend many issues of history and the human soul. In the 20th century, these traditions were continued by Sholokhov, A.N. Tolstoy, etc. M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin resolved in his own way the issues of Russian statehood and human nature that concerned him.
At the center of the novel “The History of a City” is the history of the city of Foolov, using the example of which the development of the Russian autocracy is examined. The work compares different eras: from Kievan Rus to the beginning of the 19th century.
The historical form of the story was convenient for the writer in that it allowed him to more freely address modern phenomena of life. “The same foundations of life that existed in the 18th century exist now,” wrote Saltykov-Shchedrin. Only under the cover of historical form, as well as with the help of grotesque and Aesopian language, the author was able to express his bold judgments about the existing system in the country. Neither Russian nor world fiction they do not know of another work in which the Russian autocracy would be subjected to such furious denunciation and merciless judgment as in “The History of a City”
Already the first lines of this work are a parody of monuments ancient Russian literature: “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, “The Tale of Bygone Years”. But it is not these cultural monuments that are ridiculed, but the established opinion that history is created not by the masses, but by individuals. Saltykov-Shchedrin points to the views of Foolov’s archivists, who saw in history only biographies of successive mayors with descriptions of their “remarkable” deeds.
The connection between the satirical allegories of the Foolov Chronicle and historical figures most obvious in the chapter “The Tale of the Six Mayors.” The picture of the “Foolovian civil strife” is a parody of the famous palace coups after the death of Peter I. Saltykov-Shchedrin created grotesque figures of Russian empresses, their associates and lovers. With all this, it is impossible to definitely say about any of these figures that one of them is Catherine I, Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna or Catherine II. This is a generalized image of all Russian queens.
In “The History of a City,” the reader encounters, first of all, the images of mayors (Ferdyshchenko, Dvoekurov, Wartkin, Negodyaev, Pryshch, Ugryum-Burcheev). All of them are, in a way, elements of one collective image - Foolov’s power. And this image is terrifying. Thus, during the “enlightenment” of Ferdyshchenko, the city was engulfed in fire and famine. Dvoekurov was involved in the development of brewing, cultivation of mustard and bay leaf. At the end of Negodyaev's reign, Foolov was a collection of blackened huts.
The plots and satirical images of “The Story of a City” are in many ways similar to real events of the past. For example, the story about the fantastic travels of mayor Ferdyshchenko through the lands of Foolov contains hints of the magnificent travels of royalty through the cities and villages of the Russian state. It is enough to recall at least the trip of Catherine II to Crimea arranged by Potemkin.
The string of mayors in the work ends with the image of Gloomy-Burcheev. He surpassed everyone with his idiocy. In the face of this mayor, readers recognized the ominous appearance of Arakcheev and saw a portrait resemblance to Nicholas I.
Gloomy-Burcheev conceived a fantastic project for the reconstruction of the city of Foolov. To do this, he sought to stop the flow of the river. The river here symbolizes life, the indestructible strength of the people. No matter how much Gloomy-Burcheev mocked the people, they still remained alive.
Gradually, the people's fear of mayors begins to disappear. One day the Foolovites realized that in front of them was just a soulless idiot. The Ono, full of anger, has passed, symbolizing a revolution, a spontaneous rebellion. The great satire on the “order of things” of Foolov’s life ends with the death of this hated order and its last ruler, Gloomy-Burcheev: “It has passed. History has stopped flowing."
Populist ideas were completely alien to Saltykov-Shchedrin. He did not believe in the ability of the whole people to rise up in revolution. The darkness and pallor of people's life could, in his opinion, only lead to a spontaneous, terrible, “revolution of the belly.” The writer feared her most of all.
Thus, “The History of a City” is a two-sided satire: on autocracy and on the political passivity of the masses. If in relation to the autocracy satire had the character of a merciless and complete negation, then in relation to the people its goal was the correction of morals and political enlightenment.
The works of Andrei Platonov help the modern reader understand the events that took place in Russia in the 20-30s of the 20th century, during the period of strengthening Soviet power in our country. Among the works that truthfully reflected the events of this time is his famous story“Pit”. Platonov began writing it in December 1929, at the very peak of the “great turning point,” or, as the story itself says, at the “bright moment of the socialization of property.” The writer’s work on “The Pit” was completed in the first half of 1930. This unique story is both a social parable and a philosophical grotesque.
“And finally, Russia, it is Russia that chooses a new path, never tried by anyone, and from the very first steps one can hear its tread throughout the world...” A. Tolstoy. “Walking through torment” No matter what they say about the revolution of 1917, no matter how they speak about it, no matter what opinions exist about it, this revolution in Russia was the greatest event that turned the entire course of human history. Almost none famous writer I didn’t ignore this topic. Isaac Babel and Alexander Fadeev were no exception. The collection of stories “Cavalry” and the novel “Destruction” were written around the same time, in the 20s of our century
We are destined to have good impulses, But we are not given the chance to accomplish anything. N.A. Nekrasov Goncharov began writing the novel “Oblomov” in 1846. At this time, Russia was a feudal-serf country. The oppression of the serfs had reached its limits. The economic and political progress of developing capitalist England and France forced Russia to change its system. Progressive people in Russia sought change, but many were afraid that technological progress would change moral principles and destroy human spirituality. Each era gives birth to its own type of people. Oblomov and the people around him are the heroes of the beginning and middle of the 11th century
Composition
If in “Provincial Sketches” the main arrows of satirical denunciation hit provincial officials, then in “The History of a City” Shchedrin rose to the top of government: at the center of this work is a satirical depiction of the relationship between the people and the authorities, the Foolovites and their mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin is convinced that bureaucratic power is a consequence of “minority,” the civil immaturity of the people.
The book satirically covers the history of the fictional city of Foolov, even indicating its exact dates: from 1731 to 1826. Any reader more or less familiar with Russian history will see in fantastic events and the heroes of Shchedrin’s book have echoes of real historical events the time period named by the author. But at the same time, the satirist constantly distracts the reader’s consciousness from direct historical parallels. In Shchedrin's book we're talking about not about some narrow segment of Russian history, but about its features that resist the passage of time, which remain unchanged at different stages of Russian history. The satirist sets himself a dizzyingly bold goal - to create a holistic image of Russia, which summarizes the centuries-old weaknesses of its history, the fundamental vices of Russian state and social life worthy of satirical coverage.
In an effort to give the characters and events of “The History of a City” a generalized meaning, Shchedrin often resorts to anachronisms - a confusion of times.
The narration comes from the perspective of a fictional archivist from the 18th century - early XIX century. But his story is often woven into facts and events of a later time that he could not have known about. And Shchedrin, in order to draw the reader’s attention to this, deliberately mentions anachronisms in the notes “from the publisher.” And even Foolov’s mayors generalize the features of different statesmen different historical eras. But the image of the city of Foolov is especially strange and bizarre from this point of view.
Even his appearance is paradoxically contradictory. In one place we learn that tribes of blockheads founded it in a swamp, and in another place it is stated that “our native city of Foolov has three rivers and, according to ancient Rome, built on seven mountains, on which a great many crews break down during icy conditions." Its social characteristics are no less paradoxical. Sometimes it appears to readers in the form of a provincial town, sometimes it will take on the appearance of a provincial and even capital city, and sometimes it will suddenly turn into a run-down Russian village or a village that, as usual, has its own pasture for cattle, fenced with a typical village fence, but only the boundaries of Foolov’s pasture are adjacent to the borders... Byzantine Empire! The characteristics of Foolov’s inhabitants are also fantastic: at times they resemble capital or provincial townspeople, but sometimes these “city dwellers” plow and sow, graze cattle and live in village huts covered with thatch. The characteristics of Foolov's authorities are equally incongruous: the mayors combine habits typical of Russian tsars and nobles with actions and deeds characteristic of a district mayor or village headman.
How can these contradictions be explained? Why did Saltykov need “a combination of the incompatible, a combination of the incompatible”? One of the experts on Shchedrin’s satire, D. Nikolaev, answers this question this way: “In “The History of One City,” as can be seen from the title of the book, we meet with one city, one image. But this is an image that has absorbed signs of all cities at once. And not only cities, but also villages and villages. Moreover, they were embodied in it. character traits the entire autocratic state, the entire country."
Working on “The History of a City,” Shchedrin draws on his rich and varied experience civil service, on the works of major Russian historians: from Karamzin and Tatishchev to Kostomarov and Solovyov. The composition “History of a City” is a parody of the official historical monograph such as “History of the Russian State” by Karamzin. The first part of the book gives a general outline of Foolov's history, and the second contains descriptions of the life and deeds of the most prominent mayors. This is exactly how many historians contemporary to Shchedrin structured their works: they wrote history “according to the kings.” Shchedrin's parody has a dramatic meaning: you can't write Foolov's story any other way, it all boils down to a change of tyrant authorities, the masses remain voiceless and passively submissive to the will of any mayors. Foolov's state began with a menacing mayor's cry: "I'll screw it up!" The art of managing Foolovites since then consists only in the variety of forms of this section: some mayors flog Foolovites without any explanation - “absolutely”, others explain the flogging as “the requirements of civilization”, and still others ensure that the inhabitants themselves want to be flogged. In turn, among the Foolov masses only the forms of submission change. In the first case, the inhabitants tremble unconsciously, in the second - with the consciousness of their own benefit, and in the third they rise to awe, filled with trust in the authorities! The inventory of mayors gives brief characteristics Foolov's statesmen, a satirical image of the most stable negative traits Russian history. Basilisk Wartkin planted mustard and Persian chamomile everywhere, which is how he entered Foolov’s history. Onufriy Negodyaev placed the streets paved by his predecessors and built monuments for himself from the quarried stone.
Intercept-Zalikhvatsky burned the gymnasium and abolished the sciences. The statutes and circulars, which the mayors became famous for writing, bureaucratically regulate the lives of ordinary people down to the smallest everyday details - the “Charter on Respectable Baking.”
Brudasty opens the biographies of Foolov's mayors. In the head of this figure, instead of a brain, there is something like a barrel organ, periodically playing two shouts: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” This is how Shchedrin ridicules the bureaucratic brainlessness of the Russian state power. Brudasty is joined by another mayor with an artificial head - Pimple. His head is stuffed, so Pimple is not able to administer, his motto is “Relax, sir.” And although the Foolovites sighed under the new leadership, the essence of their life changed little: in both cases, the fate of the city was in the hands of brainless authorities.
When “The History of a City” was published, critics began to reproach Shchedrin for distorting life, for deviating from realism. But these reproaches were unfounded. Shchedrin's grotesque and satirical fiction do not distort reality, but only bring to the point of paradox the qualities that any bureaucratic regime conceals. Artistic exaggeration acts like a magnifying glass: it makes the secret obvious, reveals the essence of things hidden from the naked eye, and enlarges really existing evil. With the help of fantasy and the grotesque, Shchedrin often makes an accurate diagnosis of social diseases that exist in embryo and have not yet developed all the possibilities and “readiness” contained in them. Bringing these “readinesses” to their logical conclusion, to the extent of a social epidemic, the satirist acts as a seer and enters the realm of foresight and premonitions. It is precisely this prophetic meaning contained in the image of Gloomy-Burcheev, which crowns the biographies of Foolov’s mayors.
What is the despotic regime based on? What features of people's life give rise to and nourish it? “Fools” in the book is a special order of things, an integral element of which is not only the administration, but also the people - the Foolovites. "The History of a City" gives an unprecedented satirical picture of the most weaknesses people's worldview. Shchedrin shows that the masses are fundamentally politically naive, that they are characterized by inexhaustible patience and blind faith in the authorities, in the supreme power.
“We are accustomed people!” say the Foolovites. “We can endure. If we are now all piled up in a heap and set on fire, even then we won’t say the opposite word!” They contrast energy and administration with the energy of inaction, “rebellion” on their knees: “Do what you want with us!” some said, “cut it into pieces, eat it with porridge, but we don’t agree!” “You can’t take anything from us, brother!” others said, “we’re not like the others who have grown over their bodies! There’s nowhere to prick us, brother.” And they stubbornly stood on their knees."
When the Foolovites come to their senses, then, “according to the seditious custom ingrained from time immemorial,” they either send a walker or write a petition addressed to the high authorities. “Look, she trudged along!” the old men said, watching the troika, which carried their request into the unknown distance, “now, well done atamans, we won’t have to endure it for long!” And indeed, the city became quiet again; The Foolovites did not undertake any new riots, but sat on the rubble and waited.
When passers-by asked: how are you? - they answered: “Now our cause is correct! Now, my brother, we have submitted the paper!” The “history of Foolov’s liberalism” (free-thinking) appears in a satirical light from the pages of Shchedrin’s book in the stories about Ionka Kozyrev, Ivashka Farafontyev and Alyoshka Bespyatov. Beautiful dreaminess and complete practical helplessness - these are the characteristic signs of Foolov's freedom lovers, whose fates are tragic. It cannot be said that the Foolovites did not sympathize with their intercessors. But even in their very sympathy, the same political naivety shows through: “I suppose, Evseich, I suppose!” they escort the lover of truth to prison, “with the truth you will live well everywhere!” “From that moment old Yevseich disappeared, as if he had never existed, disappeared without a trace, as only the “miners” of the Russian land can disappear.”
When, upon the publication of “The History of a City,” the critic A. S. Suvorin began to reproach the satirist for mocking the people, for his arrogant attitude towards them, Shchedrin replied: “My reviewer does not distinguish the historical people, that is, those operating in the field of history, from the people as the embodiment of the idea of democracy. The first is assessed and acquires sympathy according to the extent of his deeds. If he produces Wartkins and Gloomy-Burcheevs, then there can be no talk of sympathy... As for the “people” in the sense of the second definition, then this people is not allowed. not to sympathize for the sole reason that it contains the beginning and end of all individual activity.”
Let us note that Shchedrin’s pictures of people’s life are nevertheless illuminated in a different tone than the pictures of mayor’s arbitrariness. The satirist's laughter here becomes bitter, contempt is replaced by secret sympathy. Based on the “folk soil”, Shchedrin strictly respects the boundaries of the satire that the people themselves created on themselves, and makes extensive use of folklore.
“The History of a City” ends with a symbolic picture of the death of Ugryum-Burcheev. It comes at a moment when a feeling of shame began to speak in the Foolovites and something similar to civic consciousness began to awaken.
However, the picture of the riot evokes an ambivalent impression. This is not a thunderous, refreshing element, but “it is full of anger,” rushing from the North and emitting “dull, croaking sounds.” Like a tornado that destroys everything, sweeps away everything, the terrible “it” plunges the Foolovites themselves into horror and awe, falling on their faces. This is a “Russian revolt, senseless and merciless,” and not a conscious revolutionary coup.
This ending convinces us that Saltykov-Shchedrin felt the negative aspects of the spontaneous revolutionary movement in a peasant country and warned against its destructive consequences. Gloomy-Burcheev disappears into thin air without finishing the phrase known to the reader: “Someone will come for me, who will be even more terrible than me.” This “someone,” judging by the “Inventory of Town Governors,” is Intercept-Zalikhvatsky, who rode into Foolov victorious (“on a white horse”!), burned the gymnasium and abolished the sciences! The satirist hints that spontaneous indignation could lead to an even more reactionary and despotic regime, capable of stopping the very “flow of history.”
Nevertheless, Shchedrin's book is optimistic at its core. The course of history can only be stopped for a while: this is evidenced by the symbolic episode of the curbing of the river by Ugryum-Burcheev. It seems that the ruling idiot managed to calm the river, but its flow, spinning in place, still triumphed:
"The remains of the monumental dam floated downstream in disorder, while the river gurgled and moved within its banks." The meaning of this scene is obvious: sooner or later living life will make its way and sweep away from the face of the Russian land the despotic regimes of the gloomy-burcheevs and the interception-rolling ones.
Thanks to its cruelty and mercilessness, Shchedrin’s satirical laughter in “The History of a City” has a great purifying meaning. Far ahead of his time, the satirist exposed the complete failure of the police-bureaucratic regime that existed in Russia. Shortly before the first Russian revolution, another writer, Leo Tolstoy, speaking about his contemporary social system, declared: “I will die, perhaps, while it is not yet destroyed, but it will be destroyed, because it has already been destroyed to the main half in the minds of people.” "