M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City”: description, characters, analysis of the work

DESCRIPTION OF CITY GOVERNERS

At different times, he was appointed to the city of Fulov by the higher authorities (1731 - 1826)

1) C l e ment iy, Amadeus Manuilovich. Exported from Italy by Biron, Duke of Courland, for his skillful preparation of pasta; then, having suddenly been promoted to the proper rank, he was sent by the mayor. Arriving in Glupov, he not only did not give up pasta making, but even strongly forced himself to do so, which is what glorified himself. For treason he was whipped in 1734 and, after his nostrils were ripped out, he was exiled to Berezov.

2) Ferapontov, Fotiy Petrovich, foreman. Former barber of the same Duke of Courland. He made numerous campaigns against debtors and was so eager for spectacles that he did not trust anyone to flog him without himself. In 1738, while in the forest, he was torn to pieces by dogs.

3) Velikanov, Ivan Matveevich. He imposed a tribute of three kopecks per head on the residents in his favor, having previously drowned the director in the river of savings. He killed many police captains. In 1740, during the reign of the meek Elizabeth, having been caught in a love affair with Avdotya Lopukhina, she was beaten with a whip and, after cutting her tongue, was exiled to imprisonment in the Cherdyn prison.

4) U r u s - K u g u sh - K i l d i b a e v, Manyl Samylovich, captain-lieutenant from the Life Campanians. He was distinguished by his insane courage and even once took the city of Foolov by storm. When this was brought to his attention, he did not receive praise and in 1745 he was dismissed with publication.

5) Lamvrokakis, a fugitive Greek, without a name or patronymic, and even without rank, caught by Count Kirill Razumovsky in Nizhyn, at the market. He sold Greek soap, sponges and nuts; Moreover, he was a supporter of classical education. In 1756 he was found in bed, eaten by bedbugs.

6) Baklan, Ivan Matveevich, foreman. He was three arshins and three inches tall and boasted that he came in a direct line from Ivan the Great (the famous bell tower in Moscow). Broken in half during a storm in 1761.

7) Pfeiffer, Bogdan Bogdanovich, guard sergeant, Holstein native. Having accomplished nothing, he was replaced in 1762 for ignorance.

8) Brudasty, Dementy Varlamovich. He was appointed in a hurry and had some special device in his head, for which he was nicknamed “Organchik”. This did not prevent him, however, from putting in order the arrears left behind by his predecessor. During this reign, a disastrous anarchy occurred that lasted seven days, as will be described below.

9) Dvoekurov, Semyon Konstantinich, civilian adviser and gentleman. He paved Bolshaya and Dvoryanskaya streets, started brewing and mead making, introduced mustard and bay leaves into use, collected arrears, patronized the sciences and petitioned for the establishment of an academy in Foolov. Wrote an essay: “Biographies of the Most Remarkable Monkeys.” Being of a strong constitution, he had eight amantas in succession. His wife, Lukerya Terentyevna, was also very lenient, and thus greatly contributed to the splendor of this reign. He died in 1770 by natural causes.

10) M a r k i s d e S anglot, Anton Protasevich, a French native and friend of Diderot. He was frivolous and loved to sing obscene songs. He flew through the air in the city garden, and almost flew away completely, when he caught his coattails on a spitz, and was removed from there with great difficulty. For this undertaking he was fired in 1772, and the next year, not losing heart, he gave performances at Isler’s mineral waters5.

11) Ferdyshchenko, Petr Petrovich, foreman. Former orderly of Prince Potemkin. Although his mind was not very broad, he was tongue-tied. Launched arrears; loved to eat boiled pork and goose with cabbage. During his leadership, the city suffered famine and fire. He died in 1779 from overeating.

12) Borodavkin, Vasilisk Semenovich. This mayorship was the longest and most brilliant. He led a campaign against arrears, and burned thirty-three villages and, with the help of these measures, collected arrears of two rubles and a half. Introduced the game of lamouche and Provençal oil; paved the market square and planted the street leading to public places with birch trees; again applied for the establishment of an academy in Foolov, but, having received a refusal, built a house for rent. He died in 1798, during execution, with parting words from the police captain.

13) Negodyaev, Onufriy Ivanovich, former Gatchina stoker. He paved the streets paved by his predecessors and built monuments from the quarried stone. Replaced in 1802 for disagreement with Novosiltsev, Czartoryski and Strogow (the famous triumvirate in their time) regarding constitutions, in which the consequences justified him.

14) Mikaladze, prince, Ksavery Georgievich, Cherkashenin, descendant of the voluptuous princess Tamara. He had a seductive appearance and was so eager for the female sex that he almost doubled the Foolov population. I left a useful guide on this subject. He died in 1814 from exhaustion.

15) Benevolensky, Feofilakt Irinarkhovich, state councilor, Speransky’s friend at the seminary. He was wise and had a penchant for legislation. He predicted public courts and zemstvo. He had a love affair with the merchant's wife Raspopova, from whom, on Saturdays, he ate pies with filling. In his free time, he composed sermons for city priests and translated from the Latin works of Thomas a à Kempis. He reintroduced mustard, bay leaf and Provençal oil into use as being beneficial. The first imposed tribute on the farm-out, from which he received three thousand rubles a year. In 1811, for conniving with Bonaparte, he was called to account and exiled in prison.

16) Pimple, Ivan Panteleich. He ended up with a stuffed head, which the local leader of the nobility caught him doing.

17) Ivanov, State Councilor, Nikodim Osipovich. He was so small in stature that he could not accommodate extensive laws. He died in 1819 from strain, trying to comprehend a certain Senate decree.

18) Du Chario, Viscount, Angel Dorofeevich, French native. He loved to dress up in women's clothes and feast on frogs. Upon examination, she turned out to be a girl. Sent abroad in 1821.

20) Grustilov, Erast Andreevich, state councilor. Karamzin's friend. He was distinguished by his tenderness and sensitivity of heart, loved to drink tea in the city grove and could not see black grouse mating without tears. He left behind several works of idyllic content and died of melancholy in 1825. The tribute from the farm raised to five thousand rubles a year.

21) Ugly - Burcheev, a former scoundrel. He destroyed the old city and built another in a new place.

22) Perekhvat - Zal ikhvatskiy, Archangel Stratilatovich, major. I won’t say anything about this. He rode into Foolov on a white horse, burned the gymnasium and abolished the sciences.

Images of mayors in “The History of a City” by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

That's all you need get a grasp of it , My God,

All that matters is to pause over the line -

Do not scroll through with an impatient hand,

And linger read And recount . Yu. Levitansky

Today in class we will try to do just that - to get a grasp of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s wonderful work “The History of a City,” read and re-read.

There is a very famous saying: “He had two ranks: a fool and a fool.” Watch fragments of the cartoon and try to correlate them with this saying.

Watching film stills from the cartoon “Organchik”

Guys, what impression did you get from watching the footage from the cartoon? How does it relate to the saying? (creepy, gloomy, stupidity of the mayor, stupidity, he wrote proclamations out of little intelligence, hopelessness).

Let's try to determine what the director and screenwriter's idea was? (Valentin Karavaev)

(create the image of the mayor of the city Foolov)

Target: live, rediscover the moral meaning of the concept “image”.

In the classroom we cannot do without such basic thinking abilities as analysis, synthesis, and generalization.

Formulating the topic of the lesson

Objective of the lesson: (for students and the students themselves name):

Find out what an image is, what it consists of, learn to characterize the image in a work.

Target: Expand the concept of image in a work of art.

VI . Working on concepts.

Name the keyword in the topic of the lesson (Image)

- How often do you and I hear this word? In what meaning do we use it? (Rarely, in literature lessons - an image of a hero, for example, an artistic image, in music lessons - a musical image.) If we learn to characterize a literary image, then we will be able to apply this knowledge in other areas.

- Tell me, in what area is this concept used? (humanitarian)

- Let's turn to the dictionary of literary terms.

Image - the basic concept of literature and aesthetics in general, which determines the nature, form and function of artistic and literary creativity. In the center of the image is an image of human life, shown in an extremely individualized form, but at the same time carrying a generalized principle that allows the reader to guess behind it those patterns of the life process that shape people of this particular type.

- Select 4 keywords in this definition

IMAGE

IMAGE PATTERN

INDIVIDUAL TYPICAL

Exercise:

Match the definition and concept:

Individual

A) An artistic technique in literature based on excessive exaggeration, violation of the boundaries of plausibility.

Typical

B) (Greek allēgoría - allegory), conventional depiction in art of abstract ideas that are not assimilated in art, but retain their independence and remain external to it.

Grotesque

C) Secret writing in literature, allegory that deliberately disguises the author’s thought (idea).

Allegory

D) a) inherent, characteristic only of a given individual, distinguishing him from others, b) peculiar, unique, original.

Aesopian language

D) Characteristic, artistically generalized, indicative of a particular environment, people, for certain historical conditions, social situations.

Answers: 1 G; 2 D; 3 A; 4 B; 5 V;

Using concepts, we will characterize the image of the mayor by filling out the reference table:

Satirical

Techniques.

What does it mean

surname,

nickname?

Peculiarities

Speeches.

What did you do for the city?

How do the Foolovites treat him?

Let's remember , why did we define the key concepts of the lesson? (to characterize the image of mayors, to identify what is individual and typical in them)

How many mayors were there in the city? (22 according to inventory)

I propose to explore the images of three.

Group 1 – Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty (Organchik)

Group 2 – Ugryum-Burcheev

Group 3 – Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin

VI . Work in groups. Performances from groups.

Well done, tell me what we identified in each image (individual).

VII . And now Let's summarize what has been said:

What do we see in common in the images of mayors?

( stupidity, narrow-mindedness, stupidity, idiocy, lust for power, narrow-mindedness, depressing monotony of actions and thoughts, busy extracting arrears and suppressing sedition)

What is the attitude of the people towards the rulers?

( slavish patience and humility )

What does the change of mayors remind us of? What historical figure does the image of the mayor remind us of?

( change of kings on the Russian throne )

Busty (Organchik) - Alexander III

gloomy - Burcheev – Arakcheev (Minister of War), Nikolai I

Wartkin – Nikolay I

So, we understand that the writer means the present, the modern. It’s not just that the date in the work is 1825. From a history textbook:

“From the mid-17th century to 1825, tens of thousands of different laws were published in Russia, amounting to 25 volumes (Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire, 1830); Laws issued under NicholasI and Alexandra II (until 1870). The characteristic feature was not only spatial, but also extreme confusion and inconsistency.”

That's why Mayor Ivanov died from stress, increasing I hope to comprehend some Senate decree.

“Maybe I’m mistaken, but, in any case, I’m completely sincerely mistaken that the same fundamentals of life that existed in the 18th century exist now...

I don’t care at all about history, and I only mean the present... I’m not betraying or ridiculing history at all, but the known order of things.”

Saltykov-Shchedrin, creating “The History of a City,” relied on Russian reality and events. But still, the writer’s satire consists not only in ridiculing Russia’s past, but also in warning about future dangers of social development, about the most important problems of our time. From this point of view, fantasy, grotesque, limited space - all these are means of artistic generalization that create pictures - options for government. By repeating history, Shchedrin shows that his work, at the moment of its appearance, will sound extremely relevant in subsequent times.

Only a person who loves his homeland could write such a work.

Saltykov-Shchedrin himself admitted:

I I love Russia to the point of heartache and even I can’t imagine myself anywhere other than Russia.

M.E.Saltykov- Shchedrin .

And one more task, complete the sentence by contacting the writer….

Mikhail Evgrafovich,

I understood you…

I want to say…

I felt…

I found out…

Find synonyms for the word mayor: mayor,

mayor, commander in chief,

city governor, mayor, head of the city administration.

Homework: write an essay “If I were a mayor”

The idea for the book was formed by Saltykov-Shchedrin gradually, over several years. In 1867, the writer composed and presented to the public a new fairy-tale-fiction “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head” (it forms the basis of the chapter known to us called “The Organ”). In 1868, the author began work on a full-length novel. This process took a little over a year (1869-1870). The work was originally entitled “Foolish Chronicler.” The title “The History of a City,” which became the final version, appeared later. The literary work was published in parts in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

Due to inexperience, some people consider Saltykov-Shchedrin’s book to be a story or a fairy tale, but this is not so. Such voluminous literature cannot claim the title of short prose. The genre of the work “The History of a City” is larger and is called a “satirical novel.” It represents a kind of chronological review of the fictional town of Foolov. His fate is recorded in chronicles, which the author finds and publishes, accompanying them with his own comments.

Also, terms such as “political pamphlet” and “satirical chronicle” can be applied to this book, but it only absorbed some features of these genres, and is not their “purebred” literary embodiment.

What is the work about?

The writer allegorically conveyed the history of Russia, which he assessed critically. He called the inhabitants of the Russian Empire “Foolovites.” They are residents of the city of the same name, whose life is described in the Foolov Chronicle. This ethnic group originated from an ancient people called “bunglers”. For their ignorance they were renamed accordingly.

The Headbangers were at enmity with neighboring tribes, as well as with each other. And so, tired of quarrels and unrest, they decided to find themselves a ruler who would establish order. After three years they found a suitable prince who agreed to rule over them. Together with the acquired power, people founded the city of Foolov. This is how the writer outlined the formation of Ancient Rus' and Rurik’s calling to reign.

At first, the ruler sent them a governor, but he stole, and then he arrived in person and imposed strict order. This is how Saltykov-Shchedrin imagined the period of feudal fragmentation in medieval Russia.

Next, the writer interrupts the narrative and lists the biographies of famous mayors, each of which is a separate and complete story. The first was Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, in whose head there was an organ that played only two compositions: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” Then his head broke, and anarchy set in - the turmoil that came after the death of Ivan the Terrible. It was his author who portrayed him in the image of Brudasty. Next, identical twin impostors appeared, but they were soon removed - this is the appearance of False Dmitry and his followers.

Anarchy reigned for a week, during which six mayors replaced each other. This is the era of palace coups, when the Russian Empire was ruled only by women and intrigue.

Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov, who established mead making and brewing, is most likely a prototype of Peter the Great, although this assumption runs counter to historical chronology. But the reformist activities and iron hand of the ruler are very similar to the characteristics of the emperor.

The bosses changed, their conceit grew in proportion to the degree of absurdity in the work. Frankly insane reforms or hopeless stagnation were ruining the country, the people were sliding into poverty and ignorance, and the elite either feasted, then fought, or hunted for the female sex. The alternation of continuous mistakes and defeats led to horrific consequences, satirically described by the author. In the end, the last ruler of the Gloomy-Burcheev dies, and after his death the narrative ends, and because of the open ending, there is a glimmer of hope for changes for the better.

Nestor also described the history of the emergence of Rus' in The Tale of Bygone Years. The author draws this parallel specifically to hint who he means by the Foolovites, and who are all these mayors: a flight of fantasy or real Russian rulers? The writer makes it clear that he is not describing the entire human race, but rather Russia and its depravity, reshaping its fate in his own way.

The composition is arranged in chronological sequence, the work has a classic linear narrative, but each chapter is a container for a full-fledged plot, which has its own heroes, events and results.

Description of the city

Foolov is in a distant province, we learn about this when Brudasty’s head deteriorates on the road. This is a small settlement, a county, because they come to take away two impostors from the province, that is, the town is only a small part of it. It doesn’t even have an academy, but thanks to the efforts of Dvoekurov, mead making and brewing are thriving. It is divided into “settlements”: “Pushkarskaya settlement, followed by the settlements Bolotnaya and Negodnitsa.” Agriculture is developed there, since the drought, which occurred due to the sins of the next boss, greatly affects the interests of the residents, they are even ready to rebel. With Pimple, harvests increase, which pleases the Foolovites immensely. “The History of a City” is replete with dramatic events, the cause of which is the agrarian crisis.

Gloomy-Burcheev fought with the river, from which we conclude that the district is located on the shore, in a hilly area, since the mayor is leading the people in search of a plain. The main place in this region is the bell tower: unwanted citizens are thrown from it.

Main characters

The prince is a foreign ruler who agreed to take power over the Foolovites. He is cruel and narrow-minded, because he sent thieving and worthless governors, and then led with only one phrase: “I’ll screw it up.” The history of one city and the characteristics of the heroes began with it.
Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty is a withdrawn, gloomy, silent owner of a head with an organ that plays two phrases: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” His apparatus for making decisions became damp on the road, they could not repair it, so they sent for a new one to St. Petersburg, but the working head was delayed and never arrived. Prototype of Ivan the Terrible.
Iraida Lukinichna Paleologova is the wife of the mayor, who ruled the city for a day. An allusion to Sophia Paleolog, the second wife of Ivan IIII, grandmother of Ivan the Terrible.
Clémentine de Bourbon is the mother of the mayor, she also happened to rule for one day.
Amalia Karlovna Shtokfish is a pompadour who also wanted to stay in power. German names and surnames of women - the author’s humorous look at the era of German favoritism, as well as a number of crowned persons of foreign origin: Anna Ioanovna, Catherine the Second, etc.
Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov is a reformer and educator: “He introduced mead making and brewing and made it mandatory to use mustard and bay leaves. He also wanted to open the Academy of Sciences, but did not have time to complete the reforms he had begun.
Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko (a parody of Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov) is a cowardly, weak-willed, loving politician, under whom there was order in Foolov for 6 years, but then he fell in love with a married woman Alena and exiled her husband to Siberia so that she would succumb to his onslaught. The woman succumbed, but fate struck a drought on the people, and people began to die of hunger. There was a riot (referring to the salt riot of 1648), as a result of which the ruler’s mistress died and was thrown from the bell tower. Then the mayor complained to the capital, and they sent him soldiers. The uprising was suppressed, and he found himself a new passion, because of which disasters occurred again - fires. But they also dealt with them, and he, having gone on a trip to Foolov, died from overeating. It is obvious that the hero did not know how to restrain his desires and fell into their weak-willed victim.
Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin, an imitator of Dvoekurov, imposed reforms with fire and sword. Decisive, likes to plan and organize. Unlike my colleagues, I studied the history of Foolov. However, he himself was not far off: he instituted a military campaign against his own people, in the darkness “friends fought with their own.” Then he carried out an unsuccessful transformation in the army, replacing the soldiers with tin copies. With his battles he brought the city to complete exhaustion. After him, Negodyaev completed the plunder and destruction.
Cherkeshenin Mikeladze, a passionate hunter of the female sex, was only concerned with arranging his rich personal life at the expense of his official position.
Feofilakt Irinarkhovich Benevolensky (a parody of Alexander the First) is a university friend of Speransky (the famous reformer), who composed laws at night and scattered them around the city. He loved to be clever and show off, but did nothing useful. Dismissed for high treason (relations with Napoleon).
Lieutenant Colonel Pimple is the owner of a head stuffed with truffles, which the leader of the nobility ate in a hungry fit. Under him, agriculture flourished, since he did not interfere in the lives of his charges and did not interfere with their work.
State Councilor Ivanov is an official who arrived from St. Petersburg, who “turned out to be so small in stature that he could not contain anything spacious” and burst from the strain of comprehending the next thought.
The emigrant Viscount de Chariot is a foreigner who, instead of working, just had fun and threw balls. Soon he was sent abroad for idleness and embezzlement. It was later discovered that he was female.
Erast Andreevich Grustilov is a lover of carousing at public expense. Under him, the population stopped working in the fields and became interested in paganism. But the wife of the pharmacist Pfeiffer came to the mayor and imposed new religious views on him, he began to organize readings and confessional gatherings instead of feasts, and, having learned about this, the higher authorities deprived him of his post.
Gloomy-Burcheev (a parody of Arakcheev, a military official) is a soldier who planned to give the whole city a barracks-like appearance and order. He despised education and culture, but wanted all citizens to have the same homes and families on the same streets. The official destroyed the entire Foolov, moved it to a lowland, but then a natural disaster occurred, and the official was carried away by a storm.

This is where the list of heroes ends. The mayors in Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel are people who, by adequate standards, are in no way capable of managing any populated area and being the personification of power. All their actions are completely fantastic, meaningless and often contradict one another. One ruler builds, the other destroys everything. One comes to replace the other, but nothing changes in people's life. There are no significant changes or improvements. The politicians in “The Story of a City” have common features - tyranny, pronounced depravity, bribery, greed, stupidity and despotism. Outwardly, the characters retain an ordinary human appearance, while the inner content of the personality is fraught with a thirst for suppression and oppression of the people for the purpose of profit.

Themes

Power. This is the main theme of the work “The History of a City,” which is revealed in a new way in each chapter. Mainly, it is seen through the prism of a satirical image of Saltykov-Shchedrin’s contemporary political structure in Russia. The satire here is aimed at two aspects of life - to show how destructive autocracy is and to reveal the passivity of the masses. In relation to autocracy, it is a complete and merciless denial, but in relation to ordinary people, its goal was to correct morals and enlighten minds.
War. The author focused on the destructiveness of bloodshed, which only ruins the city and kills people.
Religion and fanaticism. The writer is ironic about the readiness of the people to believe in any impostor and in any idols, just to shift responsibility for their lives onto them.
Ignorance. The people are not educated and not developed, so the rulers manipulate them as they want. Foolov's life is not getting better not only due to the fault of political figures, but also because of the reluctance of people to develop and learn to master new skills. For example, none of Dvoekurov’s reforms took root, although many of them had a positive result for enriching the city.
Servility. The Foolovites are ready to endure any arbitrariness, as long as there is no hunger.

Issues

Of course, the author touches on issues related to government. The main problem in the novel is the imperfection of power and its political techniques. In Foolov, rulers, also known as mayors, are replaced one after another. But at the same time, they do not bring anything new into the life of the people and into the structure of the city. Their responsibilities include caring only about their well-being; the mayors do not care about the interests of the residents of the county.
Personnel issue. There is no one to appoint to the position of manager: all candidates are vicious and not fit for selfless service in the name of an idea, and not for the sake of profit. Responsibility and the desire to eliminate pressing problems are completely alien to them. This happens because society is initially unfairly divided into castes, and none of the ordinary people can occupy an important position. The ruling elite, feeling the lack of competition, lives in idleness of mind and body and does not work conscientiously, but simply squeezes out of the rank everything that it can give.
Ignorance. Politicians do not understand the problems of mere mortals, and even if they want to help, they cannot do it right. There are no people in power; there is a blank wall between classes, so even the most humane officials are powerless. “The History of a City” is only a reflection of the real problems of the Russian Empire, where there were talented rulers, but due to their isolation from their subjects, they were unable to improve their lives.
Inequality. The people are defenseless against the arbitrariness of managers. For example, the mayor sends Alena’s husband into exile without guilt, abusing his position. And the woman gives up because she doesn’t even expect justice.
Responsibility. Officials are not punished for their destructive acts, and their successors feel safe: no matter what you do, nothing serious will happen for it. They will only remove you from office, and then only as a last resort.
Reverence. The people are a great power; there is no point in it if they agree to blindly obey their superiors in everything. He does not defend his rights, does not protect his people, in fact, he turns into an inert mass and, by his own will, deprives himself and his children of a happy and fair future.
Fanaticism. In the novel, the author focuses on the theme of excessive religious zeal, which does not enlighten, but blinds people, dooming them to idle talk.
Embezzlement. All the prince’s governors turned out to be thieves, that is, the system is so rotten that it allows its elements to carry out any fraud with impunity.

the main idea

The author's intention is to depict a political system in which society comes to terms with its eternally oppressed position and believes that this is in the order of things. The society in the story is represented by the people (the Foolovites), while the “oppressor” is the mayors, who replace each other at an enviable speed, while managing to ruin and destroy their possessions. Saltykov-Shchedrin ironically notes that the residents are driven by the force of “love of authority,” and without a ruler they immediately fall into anarchy. Thus, the idea of the work “The History of a City” is the desire to show the history of Russian society from the outside, how people for many years transferred all responsibility for organizing their well-being onto the shoulders of the revered monarch and were invariably deceived, because one person cannot change the whole country. Change cannot come from outside as long as the people are ruled by the consciousness that autocracy is the highest order. People must realize their personal responsibility to their homeland and forge their own happiness, but tyranny does not allow them to express themselves, and they ardently support it, because as long as it exists, nothing needs to be done.

Despite the satirical and ironic basis of the story, it contains a very important essence. The point of the work “The History of a City” is to show that only if there is a free and critical vision of power and its imperfections, changes for the better are possible. If a society lives by the rules of blind obedience, then oppression is inevitable. The author does not call for uprisings and revolution, there are no ardent rebellious lamentations in the text, but the essence is the same - without popular awareness of their role and responsibility, there is no path to change.

The writer not only criticizes the monarchical system, he offers an alternative, speaking out against censorship and risking his public office, because the publication of “History ...” could lead to not only his resignation, but also imprisonment. He not only speaks, but through his actions calls on society not to be afraid of the authorities and to speak openly to them about painful issues. The main idea of Saltykov-Shchedrin is to instill in people freedom of thought and speech, so that they can improve their lives themselves, without waiting for the mercy of mayors. It fosters an active citizenship in the reader.

Artistic media

What makes the story special is the peculiar interweaving of the world of the fantastic and the real, where fantastic grotesquery and journalistic intensity of current and real problems coexist. Unusual and incredible incidents and events emphasize the absurdity of the depicted reality. The author skillfully uses such artistic techniques as grotesque and hyperbole. In the life of the Foolovites, everything is incredible, exaggerated, funny. For example, the vices of city governors have grown to colossal proportions; they are deliberately taken beyond the scope of reality. The writer exaggerates in order to eradicate real-life problems through ridicule and public disgrace. Irony is also one of the means of expressing the author's position and his attitude to what is happening in the country. People love to laugh, and it is better to present serious topics in a humorous style, otherwise the work will not find its reader. Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel “The History of a City” is, first of all, funny, which is why it was and is popular. At the same time, he is ruthlessly truthful, he hits hard on topical issues, but the reader has already taken the bait in the form of humor and cannot tear himself away from the book.

What does the book teach?

The Foolovites, who personify the people, are in a state of unconscious worship of power. They unquestioningly obey the whims of the autocracy, the absurd orders and tyranny of the ruler. At the same time, they experience fear and reverence for the patron. The authorities, represented by the mayors, use their instrument of suppression to the fullest extent, regardless of the opinions and interests of the townspeople. Therefore, Saltykov-Shchedrin points out that the common people and their leader are worth each other, because until society “grows up” to higher standards and learns to defend its rights, the state will not change: it will respond to primitive demand with a cruel and unfair supply.

The symbolic ending of “The Story of a City,” in which the despotic mayor Gloomy-Burcheev dies, is intended to leave a message that the Russian autocracy has no future. But there is also no certainty or constancy in matters of power. All that remains is the tart taste of tyranny, which may be followed by something new.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

HISTORY OF ONE CITY

Based on original documents, published by M. E. Saltykov (Shchedrin)

For a long time I had the intention of writing the history of some city (or region) in a given period of time, but various circumstances prevented this undertaking. The main obstacle was the lack of material that was at all reliable and plausible. Now, while rummaging through Foolov's city archives, I accidentally came across a rather voluminous bunch of notebooks bearing the general title of "Foolov's Chronicler", and, having examined them, I found that they could serve as an important aid in the implementation of my intention. The content of the Chronicler is rather monotonous; it is almost exclusively exhausted by the biographies of the mayors, who for almost a century controlled the destinies of the city of Foolov, and a description of their most remarkable actions, such as: fast riding on postal vehicles, energetic collection of arrears, campaigns against the inhabitants, the construction and disorder of pavements, the imposition of tribute to tax farmers, etc. etc. Nevertheless, even from these meager facts it turns out to be possible to grasp the physiognomy of the city and keep track of how its history reflected the various changes that were simultaneously taking place in the highest spheres. So, for example, the mayors of Biron’s time are distinguished by their recklessness, the mayors of Potemkin’s time by their stewardship, and the mayors of Razumovsky’s time by unknown origins and knightly courage. All of them flog the townsfolk, but the first flog them absolutely, the second explain the reasons for their management by the requirements of civilization, the third want the townsfolk to rely on their courage in everything. Such a variety of events, of course, could not help but influence the innermost structure of philistine life; in the first case, the inhabitants trembled unconsciously, in the second, they trembled with the consciousness of their own benefit, in the third, they rose to awe filled with trust. Even energetic riding on postal horses was bound to have a certain amount of influence, strengthening the philistine spirit with examples of horse vigor and restlessness.

The chronicle was kept successively by four city archivists and covers the period from 1731 to 1825. This year, apparently, even for archivists, literary activities have ceased to be accessible. The appearance of the “Chronicle” has a very real appearance, that is, one that does not allow one to doubt its authenticity for a minute; its leaves are just as yellow and speckled with scribbles, just as eaten away by mice and soiled by flies, like the leaves of any monument from the Pogodin ancient repository. One can almost feel how some archival Pimen was sitting over them, illuminating his work with a reverently burning tallow candle and in every possible way protecting it from the inevitable curiosity of the gentlemen. Shubinsky, Mordovtsev and Melnikov. The chronicle is preceded by a special code, or “inventory,” apparently compiled by the last chronicler; In addition, in the form of supporting documents, several children's notebooks are attached to it, containing original exercises on various topics of administrative and theoretical content. Such, for example, are the arguments: “about the administrative unanimity of all mayors”, “about the plausible appearance of mayors”, “about the salutary nature of pacification (with pictures)”, “thoughts when collecting arrears”, “the perverse flow of time” and, finally, a rather voluminous dissertation "about rigor." It can be said affirmatively that these exercises owe their origin to the writings of various mayors (many of them are even signed) and have the precious property that, firstly, they give a completely correct idea of the current situation of Russian orthography and, secondly, they paint pictures of their authors much more complete, more conclusive and more imaginative than even the stories of the Chronicler.

As for the internal content of the Chronicler, it is mostly fantastic and in some places even almost incredible in our enlightened times. Such, for example, is a completely incongruous story about a mayor with music. In one place, the Chronicler tells how the mayor flew through the air, in another - how another mayor, whose legs were turned with his feet back, almost escaped from the boundaries of the mayor. The publisher did not, however, consider himself entitled to conceal these details; on the contrary, he thinks that the possibility of similar facts in the past will even more clearly indicate to the reader the abyss that separates us from him. Moreover, the publisher was also guided by the idea that the fantastic nature of the stories does not in the least eliminate their administrative and educational significance and that the reckless arrogance of the flying mayor can even now serve as a saving warning for those modern administrators who do not want to be prematurely dismissed from office.

In any case, in order to prevent malicious interpretations, the publisher considers it his duty to stipulate that all his work in this case consists only in the fact that he corrected the heavy and outdated syllable of the “Chronicle” and had proper supervision over spelling, without in the least affecting the content of the chronicle itself . From the first minute to the last, the publisher was haunted by the formidable image of Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin, and this alone can serve as a guarantee of the respectful trepidation with which he treated his task.

Appeal to the reader from the last archivist-chronicler

If the ancient Hellenes and Romans were allowed to praise their godless leaders and hand over their vile deeds to posterity for edification, will we, Christians, who received light from Byzantium, find ourselves in this case less worthy and grateful? Is it possible that in every country there will be glorious Nero and Caligula, shining with valor, and only in our own country will we not find such? It’s funny and absurd to even think of such a clumsiness, let alone preach it out loud, as some freedom-lovers do, who therefore believe their thoughts are free because they are in their heads, like flies without shelter, flying here and there freely.

Not only the country, but also every city, and even every small city - and that one has its own Achilles, shining with valor and appointed by the authorities, and cannot not have them. Look at the first puddle - and in it you will find a reptile that surpasses and obscures all other reptiles in its wickedness. Look at the tree - and there you will see one branch that is larger and stronger than others, and, consequently, the most valiant. Finally, look at your own person - and there, first of all, you will meet the head, and then you will not leave the belly and other parts without a sign. What, in your opinion, is more valiant: is your head, although filled with a light filling, but also rushing behind all that grief, or striving to ́ lu belly, only suitable for making... Oh, your truly frivolous freethinking!

These were the thoughts that prompted me, a humble city archivist (receiving two rubles a month in salary, but also praising for everything), together with my three predecessors, with unwashed lips, to sing the praises of these glorious Nero, who were not godless and deceitful Hellenic wisdom , but with firmness and commanding boldness our glorious city of Foolov was unnaturally adorned. Not having the gift of versification, we did not dare to resort to rattling and, relying on the will of God, began to present worthy deeds in an unworthy, but characteristic language, avoiding only vile words. I think, however, that such an impudent undertaking of ours will be forgiven us in view of the special intention that we had when embarking on it.

Year of writing:

1869

Reading time:

Description of the work:

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote the work The History of a City in 1869. The book caused mixed reactions, including indignation. One of these indignants was the publicist Suvorin, he wrote an article addressed to Saltykov-Shchedrin, where he accused the writer of mocking Russians, of distorting the history of Russia, without fully penetrating the artistic essence of the work.

On the other hand, Ivan Turgenev, on the contrary, called the novel The History of a City wonderful and even emphasized that in the book Saltykov-Shchedrin well reflected the satirical history of Russian society.

Read below a summary of the satirical novel The Story of a City.

This story is the “true” chronicle of the city of Foolov, “The Foolov Chronicler,” covering the period of time from 1731 to 1825, which was “successively composed” by four Foolov archivists. In the chapter “From the Publisher,” the author especially insists on the authenticity of the “Chronicle” and invites the reader to “catch the face of the city and follow how its history reflected the various changes that were simultaneously taking place in the highest spheres.”

The Chronicler opens with an “Address to the Reader from the Last Chronicler Archivist.” The archivist sees the chronicler’s task as “being an exponent” of “touching correspondence” - the authorities, “to the extent daring,” and the people, “to the extent of giving thanks.” History, therefore, is the history of the reigns of various mayors.

First, the prehistoric chapter “On the roots of the origin of the Foolovites” is given, which tells how the ancient people of bunglers defeated the neighboring tribes of walrus-eaters, bow-eaters, scythe-bellies, etc. But, not knowing what to do to ensure order, the bunglers went to look for a prince . They turned to more than one prince, but even the stupidest princes did not want to “deal with fools” and, having taught them with a rod, released them with honor. Then the bunglers called a thief-innovator, who helped them find the prince. The prince agreed to “lead” them, but did not go to live with them, sending a thief-innovator in his place. The prince called the bunglers themselves “Fools,” hence the name of the city.

The Foolovites were a submissive people, but the novotor needed riots to pacify them. But soon he stole so much that the prince “sent a noose to the unfaithful slave.” But the novotor “and then dodged: “…› without waiting for the loop, he stabbed himself to death with a cucumber.”

The prince also sent other rulers - an Odoevite, an Orlovets, a Kalyazinian - but they all turned out to be real thieves. Then the prince “... arrived in person in Foolov and cried out: “I’ll lock it up!” With these words, historical times began."

In 1762, Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty arrived in Glupov. He immediately struck the Foolovites with his sullenness and taciturnity. His only words were “I will not tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” The city was at a loss until one day the clerk, entering with a report, saw a strange sight: the body of the mayor, as usual, was sitting at the table, but his head was lying on the table completely empty. Foolov was shocked. But then they remembered about the watchmaker and organ maker Baibakov, who secretly visited the mayor, and, calling him, they found out everything. In the head of the mayor, in one corner, there was an organ that could play two musical pieces: “I’ll ruin it!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” But on the way, the head became damp and needed repairing. Baibakov himself could not cope and turned for help to St. Petersburg, from where they promised to send a new head, but for some reason the head was delayed.

Anarchy ensued, ending with the appearance of two identical mayors at once. “The impostors met and measured each other with their eyes. The crowd dispersed slowly and in silence.” A messenger immediately arrived from the province and took both impostors away. And the Foolovites, left without a mayor, immediately fell into anarchy.

The anarchy continued throughout the next week, during which the city changed six mayors. The inhabitants rushed from Iraida Lukinichna Paleologova to Clementinka de Bourbon, and from her to Amalia Karlovna Shtokfish. The claims of the first were based on the short-term mayoral activity of her husband, the second - of her father, and the third was herself a mayor's pompadour. The claims of Nelka Lyadokhovskaya, and then Dunka the Thick-Footed and Matryonka the Nostrils were even less justified. In between hostilities, the Foolovites threw some citizens from the bell tower and drowned others. But they too are tired of anarchy. Finally, a new mayor arrived in the city - Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov. His activities in Foolov were beneficial. “He introduced mead making and brewing and made it mandatory to use mustard and bay leaves,” and also wanted to establish an academy in Foolov.

Under the next ruler, Peter Petrovich Ferdyshchenko, the city flourished for six years. But in the seventh year, “Ferdyshchenka was confused by a demon.” The city ruler was inflamed with love for the coachman's wife Alenka. But Alenka refused him. Then, with the help of a series of consistent measures, Alenka’s husband, Mitka, was branded and sent to Siberia, and Alenka came to her senses. Through the sins of the mayor, drought fell on the Foolov, and after it came famine. People started dying. Then the end of Foolov’s patience came. At first they sent a walker to Ferdyshchenka, but the walker did not return. Then they sent a request, but that didn’t help either. Then they finally got to Alenka and threw her off the bell tower. But Ferdyshchenko was not dozing, but wrote reports to his superiors. No bread was sent to him, but a team of soldiers arrived.

Through Ferdyshchenka's next passion, the archer Domashka, fires came to the city. The Pushkarskaya Sloboda was burning, followed by the Bolotnaya and Negodnitsa settlements. Ferdyshchenko again became shy, returned Domashka to the “optery” and called the team.

Ferdyshchenko's reign ended with a journey. The mayor went to the city pasture. In various places he was greeted by townspeople and had lunch waiting for him. On the third day of the journey, Ferdyshchenko died from overeating.

Ferdyshchenko's successor, Vasilisk Semenovich Borodavkin, took up his post decisively. Having studied the history of Foolov, he found only one role model - Dvoekurov. But his achievements were already forgotten, and the Foolovites even stopped sowing mustard. Wartkin ordered this mistake to be corrected, and as punishment he added Provençal oil. But the Foolovites did not give in. Then Wartkin went on a military campaign to Streletskaya Sloboda. Not everything on the nine-day hike was successful. In the darkness they fought with their own. Many real soldiers were fired and replaced with tin soldiers. But Wartkin survived. Having reached the settlement and not finding anyone, he began to tear away the houses for logs. And then the settlement, and behind it the whole city, surrendered. Subsequently, there were several more wars for enlightenment. In general, the reign led to the impoverishment of the city, which finally ended under the next ruler, Negodyaev. It was in this state that Foolov found the Circassian Mikeladze.

There were no events held during this reign. Mikeladze removed himself from administrative measures and dealt only with the female sex, for whom he was very keen. The city was resting. “The visible facts were few, but the consequences were countless.”

The Circassian was replaced by Feofilakt Irinarkhovich Benevolensky, Speransky’s friend and comrade at the seminary. He was distinguished by his passion for legislation. But since the mayor did not have the right to issue his own laws, Benevolensky issued laws secretly, in the house of the merchant Raspopova, and scattered them around the city at night. However, he was soon fired for having relations with Napoleon.

Next was Lieutenant Colonel Pimple. He was not involved in business at all, but the city flourished. The harvests were huge. The Foolovites were wary. And the secret of Pimple was revealed by the leader of the nobility. A big fan of minced meat, the leader sensed that the mayor’s head smelled of truffles and, unable to bear it, attacked and ate the stuffed head.

After that, State Councilor Ivanov arrived in the city, but “he turned out to be so small in stature that he could not accommodate anything spacious,” and died. His successor, the emigrant Viscount de Chariot, was constantly having fun and was sent abroad by order of his superiors. Upon examination, she turned out to be a girl.

Finally, State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov came to Glupov. By this time, the Foolovites had forgotten the true God and clung to idols. Under him, the city was completely mired in debauchery and laziness. Relying on their own happiness, they stopped sowing, and famine came to the city. Grustilov was busy with daily balls. But everything suddenly changed when she appeared to him. The wife of the pharmacist Pfeiffer showed Grustilov the path of good. The foolish and wretched, who experienced difficult days during the worship of idols, became the main people in the city. The Foolovites repented, but the fields remained empty. The Foolov elite gathered at night to read Mr. Strakhov and “admire” him, which the authorities soon found out about, and Grustilov was removed.

The last Foolov mayor, Gloomy-Burcheev, was an idiot. He set a goal - to turn Foolov into “the city of Nepreklonsk, eternally worthy of the memory of Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich” with straight identical streets, “companies”, identical houses for identical families, etc. Ugryum-Burcheev thought out the plan in detail and began to implement it. The city was destroyed to the ground, and construction could begin, but the river got in the way. It did not fit into Ugryum-Burcheev’s plans. The tireless mayor launched an attack on her. All the garbage was used, everything that was left of the city, but the river washed away all the dams. And then Gloomy-Burcheev turned around and walked away from the river, taking the Foolovites with him. A completely flat lowland was chosen for the city, and construction began. But something has changed. However, the notebooks with the details of this story have been lost, and the publisher provides only the denouement: “... the earth shook, the sun darkened ‹…› It it has arrived." Without explaining what exactly, the author only reports that “the scoundrel instantly disappeared, as if he had disappeared into thin air. History has stopped flowing."

The story closes with “exculpatory documents,” that is, the writings of various mayors, such as Wartkin, Mikeladze and Benevolensky, written for the edification of other mayors.

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