"Dead Souls" is a complex work with multi-level text, where even experienced readers can get lost. So it won't hurt anyone brief retelling Gogol's poem chapter by chapter, as well as her, which will help students to penetrate the author's large-scale ideas.
Comments on the entire text or image of a particular class, he asks to be sent to him personally, for which he will be grateful.
Chapter one
The chaise of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (here is his) - a collegiate adviser - accompanied by the servants of Selifan and Petrushka, calls into the city of NN. Chichikov's description is quite typical: he is not handsome, but not bad-looking, not thin, but not fat, not young, but not old either.
Chichikov, showing masterful hypocrisy and the ability to find an approach to everyone, gets acquainted with all the important officials and makes a good impression on them. At the governor's, he meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, and at the police chief, Nozdryov. All he undertakes to pay a visit.
Chapter Two
The author writes about Chichikov's servants: Petrushka and the drinking coachman Selifan. Pavel Ivanovich goes to Manilov (here is him), to the village of Manilovka. In the manners and portrait of the landowner, everything was too sugary, he thinks only about abstract things, he can’t finish reading one book and dreams of building a stone bridge, but only in words.
Manilov lives here with his wife and two children, whose names are Alkid and Themistoclus. Chichikov says that he wants to buy "dead souls" from him - dead peasants who are still on the revision lists. He refers to the desire to save the newfound friend from paying taxes. The landowner, after a short fright, gladly agrees to give them to the guest for free. Pavel Ivanovich hurriedly leaves him and goes to Sobakevich, satisfied with the successful start of his enterprise.
Chapter Three
On the way to Sobakevich's house, due to the inattention of the coachman Selifan, the britzka drives far from the right road and gets into an accident. Chichikov is forced to ask for a lodging for the night with the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (here is her).
The old woman is too frugal, incredibly stupid, but very successful. Order reigns on her estate, she conducts business with many merchants. The widow keeps all her old things and receives the guest with suspicion. In the morning Chichikov tried to talk about "dead souls," but for a long time Nastasya Petrovna could not understand how the dead could be traded. Finally, after a small scandal, an irritated official makes a deal and sets off on a repaired chaise.
Chapter Four
Chichikov enters a tavern, where he meets the landowner Nozdrev (here he is). He is an avid gambler, a fan of inventing tall tales, a reveler and a talker.
Nozdryov calls Chichikov to his estate. Pavel Ivanovich asks him about "dead souls", but the landowner inquires about the purpose of such an unusual purchase. He offers the hero to buy other expensive goods along with the souls, but everything ends in a quarrel.
The next morning, the gambling Nozdryov invites the guest to play checkers: the prize is “dead souls”. Chichikov notices the landowner's fraud, after which he runs away from the danger of a fight, thanks to the police captain who has entered.
Chapter Five
Chichikov's chaise runs over the carriage, causing a slight delay. A pretty girl, noticed by Pavel Ivanovich, will later turn out to be the governor's daughter. The hero drives up to the huge village of Sobakevich (here is his), everything in his house is of impressive size, like the owner himself, whom the author compares with a clumsy bear. The detail is especially characteristic: a massive, roughly knocked together table, which reflects the disposition of the owner.
The landowner speaks rudely of everyone whom Chichikov speaks of, recalling Plyushkin, whose serfs endlessly die because of the stinginess of the owner. Sobakevich calmly sets a high price for the dead peasants, he himself begins to talk about the sale. After much bargaining, Chichikov manages to buy a few souls. The chaise goes to the landowner Plyushkin.
Chapter six
The village of Plyushkina has a miserable appearance: the windows are without glass, the gardens are abandoned, the houses are overgrown with mold. Chichikov takes the owner for an old housekeeper. Plyushkin (here he is), looking like a beggar, escorts the guest to a dusty house.
This is the only landowner whose past the author tells about. The master's wife and youngest daughter died, the rest of the children left him. The house was empty, and Plyushkin gradually sank to such a miserable state. He is glad to get rid of the dead peasants so as not to pay taxes for them, and happily sells them to Chichikov at a low price. Pavel Ivanovich goes back to NN.
Chapter Seven
Chichikov, on the way, examines the collected records and notices the variety of names of the dead peasants. He meets Manilov and Sobakevich.
The chairman of the chamber quickly draws up documents. Chichikov reports that he bought serfs for withdrawal to the Kherson province. Officials celebrate the success of Pavel Ivanovich.
Chapter Eight
Chichikov's huge acquisitions become known throughout the city. Various rumors are spreading. Pavel Ivanovich finds an anonymous letter of love content.
At the ball at the governor's, he meets a girl whom he saw on the way to Sobakevich. He is fond of the governor's daughter, forgetting about other ladies.
The sudden appearance of a drunken Nozdryov almost disrupts Chichikov's plan: the landowner begins to tell everyone how the traveler bought dead peasants from him. He is taken out of the hall, after which Chichikov leaves the ball. At the same time, Korobochka goes to find out from her friends whether her guest has set the right price for "dead souls".
Chapter Nine
Friends Anna Grigoryevna and Sofya Ivanovna gossip about a visiting official: they think that Chichikov is acquiring "dead souls" in order to please the governor's daughter or kidnap her, in which Nozdryov can become his accomplice.
The landlords are afraid of punishment for the scam, so they keep the deal a secret. Chichikov is not invited to dinners. Everyone in the city is busy with the news that a counterfeiter and a robber are hiding somewhere in the province. Suspicion immediately falls on the buyer of dead souls.
Chapter Ten
The police chief is debating who Pavel Ivanovich is. Some people think he is Napoleon. The postmaster is sure that this is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and tells his story.
When Captain Kopeikin fought in 1812, he lost his leg and arm. He came to St. Petersburg to ask for help from the governor, but the meeting was postponed several times. The soldier soon ran out of money. As a result, he is advised to return home and wait for the help of the sovereign. Shortly after his departure, robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, whose chieftain, by all indications, is Captain Kopeikin.
But Chichikov has all the arms and legs, so everyone understands that this version is wrong. Because of the excitement, the prosecutor dies, Chichikov has a cold for the third day and does not leave the house. When he recovers, he is denied admission to the governor, and others treat him the same way. Nozdryov tells him about the rumors, praises him for the idea of kidnapping the governor's daughter and offers his help. The hero understands that he must urgently run away from the city.
Chapter Eleven
In the morning, after some delays in preparations, Chichikov sets off. He sees the prosecutor being buried. Pavel Ivanovich leaves the city.
The author tells about Chichikov's past. He was born into a noble family. His father often reminded his son of the need to please everyone and take care of every penny. At the school, Pavlush already knew how to earn money, for example, by selling pies and showing performances of a trained mouse for a fee.
Then he began to serve in the Treasury. Pavel Ivanovich made his way to a high position by announcing to the old official that he was going to marry his daughter. In all positions, Chichikov used his official position, which is why he once got on trial for a smuggling case.
One day, Pavel Ivanovich got excited about the idea of buying "dead souls" in order to ask Kherson province for their placement. Then he could get a lot of money on the security of non-existent people and make himself a big fortune.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!The heroes of the eighth chapter are residents of the provincial city. Despite the fact that the names of some are indicated and the narrator mentions them in such a way as if they are familiar to everyone, including readers, these are episodic characters and their individualization was not part of the author's task. Stepan Dmitrievich, Alexey Ivanovich, Ivan Grigorievich - one of many. Discussing the question of how the new landowner will take out the acquired peasants, what is “chichikov’s peasant” (VI, 154), whether he will work well or turn out to be a drunkard, these characters express opinions typical of officials and townspeople in general. The chapter recreates the special atmosphere of "talk, opinions, reasoning" (ibid.). They are generated by a specific fact (“purchase” by Chichikov), but at the same time they express widespread ideas about the Russian peasant, containing a polemical charge and raising questions: is “a Russian person really capable of everything and gets used to any climate”. “Send him even to Kamchatka, but give him only warm mittens, he will clap his hands, an ax in his hands, and go to cut himself a new hut” (ibid.) - or “the habit of a vagrant life” will prevail (VI, 155); whether it is necessary for the landowner to keep the peasants "with a tight rein" himself, or can he be transferred into the hands of a "good steward". Similar questions became the subject of discussion in Russian society, and different answers were offered by spokesmen for various areas of Russian social thought. Gogol's knowledge of the realities of Russian life of that time and his readiness to include certain names in the text referring to specific phenomena are evidenced, for example, by the mention of the Lancaster school of mutual learning. The English teacher J. Lancaster (1771–1838) founded a new system of education, in which the teacher teaches best students and they in turn teach other students. The Lancaster school gained some popularity in Russia, in particular, the Decembrists were its supporters, they contributed to the introduction of this system into the soldier's environment.
However, references to real phenomena or theories may also carry a comic coloring in the text. Ideas are brought into contact with the absurdity of life, and in the light of Chichikov's scam, both the promising system of education and any theories (both idealizing the peasant and compromising him) become a kind of abstraction that does not imply implementation. The reality in the eighth chapter is located precisely in the plane of rumors and rumors, and therefore inevitably acquires illogical, inexplicable features. For the time being, rumors are favorable for Chichikov (he was promoted to "millionaires"), but it turns out that they can just as easily turn against him. Hearing is volatile, mobile, therefore, it can be operated on as you like and even manipulated.
The city, agitated by rumors, is in a special state when some secret, sometimes unknown desires and abilities come to the surface. It turns out that the chairman of the chamber knows Zhukovsky's "Lyudmila" by heart and reads it skillfully. The postmaster "deepened more into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung's Nights and Eckartshausen's Key to the Mysteries of Nature" (VI, 156–157). These books refer to mystical literature, which gained fame in early XIX century, when the ideas of a "universal" Christianity, common to all European peoples, spread. Jung-Stilling and Eckartshausen (in the chapter "The World of Literature ..." they are described in more detail) belonged to the most difficult authors to read, and it is difficult to imagine what the postmaster could extract from these works. But thanks to this mention, he turns from an ordinary provincial "wit" into a somewhat mysterious figure, and the reader is already a little prepared for the fact that it is the postmaster who will tell the story of Captain Kopeikin, trying to unravel the mystery of Chichikov.
The reality depicted in Dead Souls is becoming more and more phantasmagorical. The fantastic in Gogol, as a rule, grows out of empiricism. household life often as a result of hypertrophy of some of the most familiar, unassuming forms. The ladies of the provincial town seem to be quite ordinary. Gogol only slightly exaggerated the habits and manners of the ladies, as well as the “timidity” of the author in front of them (“it’s even strange, the pen does not rise at all, as if some kind of lead is sitting in it” - VI, 158). Unusually, perhaps, the “roll” at the bottom of the dress of one of the ladies, “which spread it to half the church, so that the private bailiff, who was right there, gave the order to move the people further away” (VI, 160), but this is nothing more than an expression of the desire to attract the attention of the "millionaire", which Chichikov was declared to be. As if everything can be explained, but the feeling of the strangeness of the city, the habits of its inhabitants does not disappear.
In the eighth chapter, the unrestricted materiality of life triumphs. It replaces, devalues everything in which spiritual content can manifest itself. Chichikov receives a letter from an unknown lady, and this text looks like a magnificent example of popular literature, shamelessly using classical literature and unwittingly vulgarizing and even parodying it. The lady clearly read Pushkin - the author is ready to admit or imagine how Pushkin's text could be replicated if it fell into the hands of the new "Tatyana": ""No, I must write to you!" Then it was said that there is a secret sympathy between souls ... "(ibid.). The author interrupts the lines of Chichikov's correspondent, interspersing further "quotes" and his own retelling. "The captivity of stuffy cities" from Pushkin's "Gypsies" ("There are people, in heaps, behind the fence, / Do not breathe the morning coolness ...") is transformed into "a city where people in stuffy fences do not use the air" (ibid.). A mixture of romantic and sentimental style gives rise to a vulgar, reduced version of the classic literary text. in the vicinity of some kind of poster and a wedding invitation card, which had been preserved for seven years in the same position and in the same place ”(VI, 161).
The bodily, the material clearly emerges in Chichikov and seems to determine his entire being. “A whole hour was dedicated to just looking at the face in the mirror” (ibid.). Pavel Ivanovich seems to be trying on various expressions to his face that may be useful to him at the ball; he also rehearsed bowing and scraping, and again, not for the first time in the poem, made a jump that maximally expressed the state of triumph and joy of life; this time it was "antrash", from which "the chest of drawers trembled and the brush fell from the chair" (VI, 162). Remaining himself, Chichikov, at the same time, is likened to other characters in the poem. The “wedding ticket”, kept in a box for seven years, reminds me of Plyushkin. Chichikov's exclamation, addressed to himself at the end of the toilet - "Oh, you, such a face" (VI, 161) - is stylistically close to Nozdryov. Arriving at the ball, "our hero ... felt some kind of extraordinary dexterity" (VI, 162).
The atmosphere, the whirlwind of the ball subjugates everyone, and one can notice how reality loses its balance and plausibility. The outfits of the ladies amaze the imagination and create the impression that “this is not a province, this is the capital, this is Paris itself! Only in places some kind of cap, unknown to the earth, or even some kind of peacock feather, contrary to all fashions, protruded out according to one’s own taste ”(VI, 163-164). Whether this is the result of the tricks of some fashionista or the recalcitrance of nature, which does not want to submit to the violence of decency and fashion, it is difficult to say. But the phantasmagoria of life soon completely subdues all space. “Galopad flew all the way…” Galopad is a ballroom dance at a fast pace (first appeared in Russia in 1825), but the description of this dance in Gogol's poem creates a feeling of life rushing to no one knows where, having lost a reliable foothold; “A postmaster, a police captain, a lady with a blue feather, a lady with a white feather, the Georgian prince Chipkhaikhilidzev, an official from St. Petersburg, an official from Moscow, the Frenchman Kuku, Perkhunovsky, Berebendovsky - everything rose and away…” (VI, 164).
Chichikov, at first glance, is the same as he was, he is still characterized through his external manifestations, and this allows us to assume that the hero can be fully reduced to his visible, external features: movements, gestures, in exceptional moments , as we remember, to jumping. “Shortly, with rather deft turns to the right and left, he immediately shuffled his foot in the form of a short tail or like a comma” (VI, 165). The cheerful disposition of the hero's spirit is named, but internal state, Chichikov's thoughts are not disclosed. However, the hero, most likely, did not indulge in any reflections at these moments, except for his attempt (quite soon abandoned) to guess which of the ladies sent him a letter. Chichikov himself perceives this moment of his life as an apotheosis, the achievement of a given goal - why then think, indulge in abstract thoughts ?!
However, the author, who knows more about the hero than he knows about himself, puts him through a kind of test. Chichikov, already ready to utter the usual kind words to the governor who approached him, “no worse than those that the Zvonskys, Linskys, Lidins, Gremins release in fashionable stories ...” (Lidin is mentioned in Pushkin’s Count Nulin, Gremin is the hero of A. Bestuzhev’s story -Marlinsky "Test"), "stopped suddenly, as if stunned by a blow" (VI, 166). He sees the governor's daughter in front of him, "the same blonde whom he met on the road, driving from Nozdryov" (ibid.), and is speechless. Gogol resorts to the situation of petrification of the hero. It can be said that he again, as in the finale of The Inspector General, builds a silent scene, only in this case only Chichikov is struck by dumbness and immobility. He "stood motionless in the same place" and "suddenly became a stranger to everything that happened around him" (VI, 167). Chichikov's "scam" will soon be revealed by Nozdryov and Korobochka, but the first impetus to discontent and bewilderment of the city is given by Chichikov himself, who suddenly lost his ability to be dexterous and amiable with everyone who is useful to him. “Pleasant phrases sank like water” (ibid.), and this “decisive inattention” to everyone played its fatal role - the ladies eventually took offense at Pavel Ivanovich.
Chichikov, on the other hand, behaves like a romantic hero who forgets about everything in the world, rushing to the object of his love. True, the author does not exaggerate the chivalrous impulses of his hero, allowing himself in the commentary to doubt the truth, the depth of his feelings: so that the fat ones, but not exactly the thin ones, are capable of love; but with all that, there was something so strange here, something of a kind that he himself could not explain to himself ”(VI, 169). Strange most often referred to as the heroes of romantic stories. The author of Eugene Onegin, not a romantic novel at all, but a novel in verse, called his “strange companion” the hero and the author, indicating that it was an “inimitable strangeness”, that is, not literary, not borrowed, but meaning the hero’s true dissimilarity to others.
The strangeness of Chichikov's behavior is a sign of the unmanifested, unembodied properties of his soul, which he himself is not able to understand. But as soon as the reader is carried away by such an assumption and begins to expect actions from the hero that correspond to the romantic logic of character, the author will remind him that Chichikov is the hero of "middle-aged and prudently cool character" (VI, 92–93). True, this was said when describing the first meeting of Chichikov with the governor's daughter, therefore, prudence and coolness did not prevent the hero from again surrendering to dreams, so the author notes that, of course, “the Chichikovs, for a few minutes in their lives, turn into poets; but the word poet will be too much” (VI, 169). The speeches with which Chichikov is trying to captivate the sixteen-year-old blonde confirm that he is definitely not a poet. Between the impulses of the soul and the word, the state of mind and action, there is an abyss, or at least a distance that is insurmountable for Chichikov.
So, the minutes of the highest triumph, success turn into a defeat for Chichikov. The “indignation” of the ladies, offended by inattention, was already making an invisible turn in public opinion, but the decisive role was nevertheless played by the appearance of Nozdryov with his exclamation: “Ah, Kherson landowner! .. What? Did you trade a lot for the dead?” (VI, 171-172). At first, it seemed so inexplicable that everyone was "confused", and the peace of the city is irreparably disturbed.
The poem reappears heroes already familiar to the reader from the first chapters, but now they reveal themselves from a new side. Gogol does not radically change the characters, does not reveal some hitherto invisible psychological traits of the heroes-landowners. As before, Nozdryov is indefatigable, tight-fisted Sobakevich, wary (would not sell too cheap) Korobochka. But reality - by the will of the author - seemed to have lost some points of support, moved from its stable place, rushed (“the province went to write,” Chichikov says to himself, looking around the hall with couples flickering in the dance), and this whirlwind of life picked up everyone, without exception, everyday actions and words giving a shade of absurdity, illogicality.
What does Nozdryov want? Catch Chichikov? Unlikely. Get everyone's attention? It is too arbitrary and impractical for that. Or maybe he really is haunted by the question, why did Chichikov buy dead souls? Perhaps he is annoyed that he himself did not come up with such an unusual idea?
And again we have a silent scene before us: “This news seemed so strange that everyone stopped with some kind of wooden, stupidly questioning expression” (VI, 172). The senseless, seemingly endless movement stopped on the fly, froze in an unnatural way. The provincial city is trying to overcome this inexplicable and annoying stop, hastening to return life to its former course. Pavel Ivanovich sits down to play whist (however, he makes amazing mistakes), Nozdryov is taken out of the hall (after “in the middle of the cotillion he sat down on the floor and began to grab the dancers by the floors” - VI, 174). The restored movement, however, gives life completely illogical, even absurd features: “Officers, ladies, tailcoats - everything was done kindly, even to the point of cloying. Men jumped up from their chairs and ran to take dishes from the servants in order to offer them to the ladies with extraordinary dexterity. One colonel gave the lady a plate with sauce on the end of a naked sword ”(ibid.).
The hotel room in which Chichikov is hiding, having failed and becoming like “some kind of person tired or broken by a long journey” (ibid.), is a “room,” the author recalls, trying to evoke a smile familiar to the reader, “with a door, cluttered with a chest of drawers and cockroaches sometimes peeking out of the corners ”(ibid.), now she does not prompt the hero to make an antrash:“ The state of his thoughts and spirit was as restless as those chairs in which he sat ”(ibid.). The reader, knowing the further development of the plot, may experience some bewilderment. The final chapter will present Chichikov's biography, and it leaves no doubt that this "neither fat nor thin" gentleman knew how to find a way out of any situation. He did not succeed in everything, but he did not lose heart, did not lose self-confidence, except that he did not complain for a long time about the rotation of life. Now, however, “it was unpleasant, vaguely felt in his heart, some kind of painful emptiness remained there” (ibid.). The author notes the spiritual confusion, the inner emptiness of the hero, and we can understand why in the next volume he intended to lead Chichikov to the need for spiritual purification. However, the author separates his own knowledge of the hero from his self-esteem. No matter how "vague" his heart was, Chichikov complains only about external circumstances. ““Damn you all who invented these balls!” he said in his hearts” (VI, 174). In his mouth, the reproach for the thoughtlessness of life sounds comical: “In the province there are crop failures, high prices, so here they are for the balls!” (ibid.) But it can be noted that without abandoning the comic effect, the author conveys to the hero those judgments that he himself will soon express in “Selected passages from correspondence with friends”: about officials taking bribes in order to satisfy the whims of wives (as it is said in “Dead Souls”, “to get a wife for a shawl or for various robrons”); “Governor” in “Selected Places ...” he advises: “Drive luxury ... Do not miss a single meeting and ball, come just then to appear in one and the same dress, wear the same dress three, four, five, six times. Praise everyone only what is cheap and simple "(VIII, 309).
Chichikov is annoyed that such a successful deal was under threat, but, being in an unusual “restless state” for him, he involuntarily begins to feel discomfort from those forms of life, the artificiality of which he had not previously paid attention to: “They shout:“ ball , ball, gaiety!". Simply, a rubbish ball, not in the Russian spirit, not in Russian nature; the devil knows what it is: an adult, an adult, suddenly jumps out all in black, plucked, covered like a devil, and let's knead with his feet ... What a Frenchman at forty is the same child as he was at fifteen, so come on and we! No, really ... after every ball, it’s as if he committed some kind of sin; and you don’t even want to remember it "(VI, 174-175). Continuation text and does give the impression that Chichikov’s thoughts were picked up and developed by the author himself: “In my head, it’s just nothing, as after a conversation with socialite: he will say everything, he will touch everything slightly, he will say everything that he plucked from books, motley, red, but in his head at least he took out something from it, and then you see how even a conversation with a simple merchant who knows one business, but those who know him firmly and experiencedly are better than all these trinkets” (VI, 175). The author will once again note that Chichikov, of course, complained not about the balls, but about what happened to him, but the word strange will appear twice more in this context. Chichikov is annoyed that he "played some strange, ambiguous role"; “A strange man,” the author comments, “he was greatly upset by the disposition of those very people whom he did not respect” (ibid.). Chichikov talks about subjects that interested him little. But the author knows: a “strange”, unpredictable, mysterious, complex person, and a lot can happen to him on life path not only by the will of external circumstances, but also because he himself is unaware of his own needs and abilities hidden deep inside.
Having outlined new look Chichikov, saying in conclusion that he “sat all night in his hard chairs, disturbed by thoughts and insomnia” (while “treating Nozdryov and all his relatives diligently” - VI, 176), the author moves on to another character, also tormented by insomnia. In the back streets of the city "a strange carriage rattled." Truly strangeness becomes a defining feature of the life of the provincial city. The crew of Korobochka, who "looked more like a fat-cheeked, bulging watermelon set on wheels", overflowing with "calico pillows", "sacks of bread, rolls, kokurki, quick thinkers and pretzels made of custard dough" (ibid.), enters the city and reinforces an atmosphere of absurdity generated by an inexplicable combination of the material and the transcendent. Worried about whether she made a cheap deal by making a deal with Chichikov, Korobochka arrives in town with an intriguing question: how much do dead souls go? - and the provincial city begins to acquire distinct features of the world, which is on the eve of the Last Judgment.
Chichikov's purchases become the main topic of conversation in the city. Many sympathized with the guest, because he still had to resettle a lot of peasants on their lands. The rumors grew so much that they began to say that the visitor was "no less than a millionaire." The inhabitants fell in love with Pavel Ivanovich even more, who could not resist the requests of his new friends to live for one more week. The new face aroused no less interest among the ladies.
The ladies of the city dressed with great taste. In morals, they were "strict, full of noble indignation against every vicious and all sorts of temptations, they executed all weaknesses without any mercy." Rumors about the wealth of the guest led to the fact that pretty soon in many living rooms they began to say, "that, of course, Chichikov is not the first handsome man, but that's how a man should be." Ladies' outfits were full of various new additions, there was a hustle in the gostiny yard, even a festivity was formed due to the number of crews that had gathered. Pavel Ivanovich also noticed the ladies' attention, moreover, he somehow found a letter of love content on the table. Soon the guest received an invitation to the governor's ball. Going to this event, Chichikov looked at himself in the mirror for only an hour. The appearance of a guest at the ball made a splash. From one friendly embrace he immediately fell into another. Chichikov tried to find out which of the ladies wrote him a letter, but he was surrounded by such female attention that there was no way to find exactly that one. He deftly exchanged pleasant words with some ladies, minced and shuffled his leg, which brought the fair sex to tenderness.
In the midst of the ball, the governor's wife approached the guest. When Chichikov turned to face her, he was simply dumbfounded. The governor's wife was holding the hand of the very young blonde who once met a guest on the road. She turned out to be the governor's daughter. Chichikov became confused, and even after the ladies left, he remained motionless. Nothing interested him anymore. He even moved away from the most obsessive ladies. This did not please the secular ladies. The guest completely ceased to be interested in them and entertained only the blonde with conversations.
Here Nozdryov appeared from the buffet and went straight to Chichikov. The guest wanted to quietly retire, however, as a misfortune, the governor finally found him and stopped him, asking him to be a judge in some dispute with beautiful ladies. Nozdryov, bursting into laughter, shouted to the whole hall: “Ah, Kherson landowner! What? Did you trade a lot for the dead?” Chichikov didn't know what to do. The prosecutor and the governor were also very confused. Nozdryov continued to shout that he would not leave until he really found out why Chichikov needed dead souls. Everyone knew Nozdryov's reputation as a notorious scoundrel and liar, but many people heard his words, and a stupid, questioning expression appeared on their faces. Many of the ladies exchanged unambiguous winks. Chichikov suddenly felt very uncomfortable and bad. He became preoccupied, although the matter was hushed up. He made stupid mistakes when playing whist, could not have a pleasant conversation at dinner, although Nozdryov had long since been expelled. Pavel Ivanovich felt overwhelmed, as after a long journey. Without waiting for the end of dinner, he went to his place.
At the hotel, Chichikov sat for a long time in a hard chair, scolding balls when, in a period of high cost and hunger, another winds up a thousand rubles on herself, and all because of monkeyishness. Then Pavel Ivanovich remembered with an unkind word Nozdryov and all his relatives. That same night, Korobochka arrived in the city, who, after Chichikov's departure, began to doubt whether she had sold cheap with dead souls. The old woman decided to find out this question personally.
Searched here:
- dead souls chapter 8 summary
- summary of chapter 8 dead souls
- summary of dead souls chapter 8
Summary: Volume 1
Chapter one
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Features of the poem
licey.net: Essay materials. Analysis of literary works
Chapter Eight
1. What is the role of urban conversations about the resettled peasants of Chichikov in creating the image of the people in the poem?
(According to officials and townsfolk, the peasants are a "violent" people, and one should be wary of a "rebellion" during resettlement).2. Note the illogism in the description of the officials' hobbies.
(In confirmation of the fact that many were enlightened people, the author, under the guise of an enthusiastic layman, remarks: "... Who read Karamzin, who read Moskovskie Vedomosti, who didn't even read anything at all." There is no logic in opposing "Tyuryuk" and " baibaka" - both couch potatoes).3. What technique does Gogol use when describing provincial ladies?
(Hiding again behind the mask of an enthusiastic and timid registrar of vulgar events, the author allegedly cannot begin to describe the ladies - he is in awe of their dignitary husbands, and it is generally difficult for him to talk about them: after all, you need to describe "with live colors their spiritual qualities ". He could not describe them - apparently, there were no "spiritual qualities". Only the external, what lies on the surface, succumbed to the image. It is generally dangerous to look "deeper" - a lot of bad things could be found there).4. What does the behavior of ladies say about their duplicity?
(Infidelity to husbands was allowed, but in secret; indecent words were pronounced only in French, and in Russian they were replaced by euphemisms).5. How did the rumor affect the ladies that Chichikov was a "millionaire"?
(“The tender inclination towards meanness,” which was revealed in society in connection with these rumors, also affected the ladies in its own way - they began to speak favorably about Chichikov’s appearance, to dress up strenuously; Chichikov received a sugary-tasteless letter from one of them).6. What does his special attention to his body mean in Chichikov?
(Gogol emphatically describes in detail Chichikov's concern for the cleanliness of the body and linen, about the decency of facial expression and neglect of the soul. The words "maybe from the very creation of the world so much time has not been spent on the toilet" suggest that we have before us someone like the Antichrist (this is the renaming of Chichikov later in the poem).7. What is "unusual" in the reaction to the appearance of Chichikov at the ball and in his behavior there?
(His appearance at the ball produced an "extraordinary effect," and he himself "felt some kind of extraordinary dexterity," a sign of something important happening to him.)8. Gogol's opinion on the reasons for the rawness of the Russian language in fiction.
(From the upper classes "you will not hear a decent Russian word", they are expressed in French, German and English, and the Russian language is not processed; "by itself" the language will not become "harmonious, refined and noble").9. Feature of the silent scene with Chichikov at the ball.
(Chichikov behaved very "at ease and dexterously", spoke to the ladies in a vulgar way, using vaguely allegorical phrases devoid of taste - so, Gogol ironically, like the heroes of "secular" stories and "clever military people". Military associations, in their irony In general, they characterize Chichikov's behavior at the ball up to the silent stage: the ladies found in him "something even Mars and military."10. "Suddenly" Chichikov stopped, "as if stunned by a blow."
The silent scene is caused by the deafening effect on the dexterous hero of the face of the governor's daughter, which the artist would have taken "as a model for the Madonna." This second meeting made Chichikov remember the first, on the way to Sobakevich, and now he sees this as "strange" - their crews then "strangely collided."11. In an instant, dexterity disappeared from Chichikov's behavior.
- Chichikov, which is completely unusual for him - "mixed up", could not utter a single sensible word, and when the governor's wife and daughter had already moved away from him, "still stood motionless in the same place." Gogol explains the non-randomness and height of Chichikov’s experiences by the influence of “some unknown spirit” on him, which resulted in Chichikov’s alienation to everything around him: the ball “became for several minutes as if somewhere far away; violins and trumpets sounded” “somewhere beyond the mountains ", and everything turned into a" fog. All this was "strange" and inexplicable for Chichikov. The charm of youth and simplicity of the girl ("young slender members", "white, almost simple dress") contrasted with the "cloudy and opaque crowd".12. His sugary courtesy with the ladies is gone.
He rushed after the "fresh blonde" resolutely, as if "someone was pushing him from behind", but at the same time he "timidly" behaved with the girl, "some kind of awkwardness" appeared in his movements and speeches - he pushed the people who interfered with him and made speeches with the blonde, boring her with numerous details; he answered the ladies with "dry and ordinary words." Chichikov turned out to be capable of love, the author discovers a living area in his soul).13. Why did the drunken chatter of the liar Nozdrev about Chichikov make such a strong impression in society?
(The ladies were already set against Chichikov because of his emphasized attention to the "blonde", and now a decent excuse for "indignation" was found. But not only the ladies, but "everyone stopped with some kind of wooden" expression in front of Nozdrevskaya information - too a kind of mute scene. The laws of duties, the mortuary life of the city did their job - one "mortal" passed it on to another "mortal", and a rumor was born).14. Pay attention to how the military is described at the ball.
(Their behavior is the height of secular dexterity, but the “talent” to carry on a conversation, or “work with soul and body” in a dance, or serve sauce to a lady at the end of a naked sword - all this causes the irony of the author, who, of course, compares these “exploits” with a genuine military-heroic behavior).15. How did the trouble with Nozdryov awaken national feeling in Chichikovo after the ball?
(In a restless state of "spirit" Chichikov is indignant at the ball in the conditions of "crop failures", he understands that the dress for a thousand rubles was bought at the expense of "peasant dues" or bribes. The ball generally seems to him to be an occupation "not in the Russian spirit, not in Russian nature" , "her out of monkeyness" in front of the French. "After ... the ball" because of the emptiness of this occupation, Chichikov's state is like "he committed a sin." Before us is another upsurge of his spirit after being touched by the list of peasants and delight in front of the "Madonna" ).16. What "strange" reason for Chichikov's grief has not been discovered by the author?
(The author, who has "deep spirituality", sees that Chichikov suffers from the dislike of those whom he does not respect at all. "A strange man," Gogol concludes, there is a lot of illogical in him. Strange in the poem is a way of manifesting the wonderful, fantastic, inexplicable) .17. A feature of the description of the entrance to the city of Korobochki.
("The strange" carriage of Korobochka, similar to a watermelon, with "noise and squeal" drove through the city, and the gates of the archpriest's house, "bumping, finally swallowed this clumsy road work." The doors slammed shut, Chichikov's fate was sealed. In the description of "watermelon "remembered" cheeks "- a detail common with the portrait of Chichikov).
Chichikov bought dead souls from the landlords for a penny, but in the merchant's fortresses a different price was indicated, close to that paid for living peasants. On paper, Chichikov's purchases cost almost one hundred thousand rubles. This circumstance quickly became public in the city and became the subject of lively discussions. There was talk that Chichikov was no more, no less than a millionaire. The city fathers argued with each other whether it was convenient to acquire serfs for withdrawal and, in particular, to the Kherson province.
But especially close attention was now paid to Chichikov by the ladies of the provincial society, especially since he showed a truly charming manner and comprehended the great secret of being liked to the subtleties. Gossip about the millionth state of Chichikov fanned him in the eyes of women with even greater attractiveness and mystery. The city merchants were now amazed at how quickly any fabric for ladies' dresses was snapped up in their shops. Once Chichikov was even brought to the hotel a letter from a mysterious correspondent, which began with the words: “No, I must write to you!” There was no signature, but the postscriptum indicated that his own heart should guess the author of the message at the governor's ball tomorrow.
Chichikov - the protagonist"Dead Souls" by Gogol
The planned ball promised Chichikov a lot of pleasant things. He prepared himself for it very carefully, looked at himself in the mirror for a long time, making various facial expressions and in the end even patting himself by the chin and saying: “Oh, you, such a muzzle!” As soon as Chichikov appeared at the ball, all the city officials rushed to hug him. Before he had time to get out of the hands of the chairman, he found himself already in the arms of the police chief. The police chief handed him over to the inspector of the medical board, he to the farmer, and this one to the architect ... The ladies surrounded Chichikov with a shining garland. One breathed roses, another smelled of spring and violets, a third smelled of mignonette. Their outfits responded with the most delicate taste. The waists were covered and had the strongest and most pleasing to the eye forms. Each bared her possessions until she felt that they were capable of destroying a person; everything else was hidden away. Looking at the dancing that had begun, Chichikov said to himself, not without pleasure: “There! the province went to write!” (Cm. .)
In a cheerful frame of mind, he easily and deftly exchanged pleasant words with some of the ladies, approached one and the other with a fractional, small step, seeding his legs. The ladies were very pleased and began to find in him not only the ability to be amiable, but also a majestic expression on his face, something Mars and military. Among some of them, minor skirmishes arose for the right to take the place closest to Chichikov.
Soon he found himself face to face with the governor's wife, who, smiling, expressed her desire to introduce him to her daughter. In this daughter, Chichikov suddenly recognized that sixteen-year-old girl whom he had met on the way from Nozdryov to Sobakevich and had liked him so much then. The charm again seized him to the depths of his soul. Chichikov suddenly became confused. His dexterity was suddenly replaced by distraction. He constantly rose on tiptoe to see the governor's wife and daughter, who had already departed from him. The strange change with Chichikov did not hide from the attention of the other ladies and greatly damaged him in their eyes.
At that moment, an unexpected incident dealt Chichikov a terrible and fatal blow. Nozdryov, who had clearly taken a sip of rum, entered the hall from the next room. Heading straight for Chichikov, he burst into his deafening laugh and shouted: "Ah, the Kherson landowner!"
Chichikov was dumbfounded. Nozdryov, coming up, shouted to the whole hall: “What? traded a lot of the dead? Listen, Chichikov! I say out of friendship - I would hang you, by God, hang you! I come here, and they tell me that you bought three million peasants for withdrawal. I, brother, will not leave you now until I find out why you bought dead souls. So the governor is here, and the prosecutor ... Chichikov, even though you are a beast, I am dearer to my own father. Let me print one kiss on your snow-white cheek!
The words about buying dead souls were uttered by Nozdryov at the top of his voice and with a loud laugh that attracted the attention of even those who were in the farthest corners of the room. Everyone froze with some kind of stupid-questioning expression on their faces. Chichikov felt as if he had suddenly stepped into a dirty, stinking puddle with a perfectly polished boot. Noticing strange winking around, he was completely at a loss and soon left the ball.
