“Description of the city of Foolov and its mayors. “The history of one city”: analysis of the work in chapters What is told in the history of one city
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.
The outstanding master of allegorical words, Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin, in his novel “The History of a City” mercilessly, satirically and mercilessly depicts Russian reality. Particularly vivid and typical are the images of the mayors of the city of Foolov, whose characters and behavior summarize the features of various statesmen from different historical eras. The images of mayors embody the main, most persistent negative features of real rulers and mayors. To depict them, the author uses such literary techniques as satire and grotesque, Aesopian language full of hints and omissions, open ridicule, irony and sarcasm.
The first mayor the reader encounters on the pages of the work in the chapter “Organchik” is D. V. Brudasty. The Foolovites greet him joyfully and enthusiastically, declaring that “the new ruler should already be given priority because he is new.” The Foolovites saw Brudasty uttering only two words: “I’ll ruin” and “I won’t tolerate,” and they were overcome by fear, completely subjugating them to the narrow-minded city ruler.
Under the leadership of this chief, the city is in full swing with unprecedented activity: “The private bailiffs galloped, the police officers galloped, the assessors galloped, the guards forgot what it meant to eat, and since then they have acquired the harmful habit of grabbing pieces on the fly. They grab and catch, flog and flog, describe and sell... And the mayor still sits and scrapes out new compulsions.” His activity is senseless and absolutely useless, insane and despotic, it brings no good, no order, no prosperity to the inhabitants of the city - nothing but harm, but everything stops when everyone knows that Brudasty has a completely empty head, in which there is an organ with two melodies.
The next satirical portrait is that of the mayor Dvoekurov - a man undoubtedly different from Brudasty, but despite the difference, his activities in the position of authority are as senseless and absurd as the activities of his predecessor. “He introduced mead making and brewing, and made the use of mustard and bay leaves mandatory. I began to distinguish between two types of sections: a section without consideration and a section with consideration.” All his innovations are sheer nonsense that brings no practical benefit.
Further, Saltykov-Shchedrin’s indignation falls on the next hero - Vasilisk Wartkin. “During the day, he flitted around the city like a fly, making sure that the townsfolk looked cheerful and cheerful; at night he put out fires, made false alarms and generally took him by surprise. When there was absolutely nothing to do, he either made laws or marched around the office, watching the game of a shoe sock.” This active and restless boss began the “wars for enlightenment,” which became the pinnacle of his limited, stupid activities. The first was for the compulsory use of mustard, the second had as its goal to explain to the Foolovites the benefits of installing stone foundations under houses, the third arose as a result of the refusal of ordinary people to grow Persian chamomile, and the fourth, finally, was caused by the spread of rumors about the establishment of an academy. It is quite natural that a boarding house was founded instead of the academy. This is where all the “wars for enlightenment” ended.
The image of the next mayor - Pimple - is no less interesting in its worthlessness and unsuitability for any action. His character and behavioral characteristics are fully revealed in his own words: “I am a simple man, sir, and did not come here to make laws, sir. My duty is to make sure that the laws are intact and not lying on the tables, sir. Of course, I have a campaign plan, but this plan is this: rest, sir.” The boss turns out to be a slacker and a parasite, and under his leadership the people become exactly the same.
To top it off, it should be said that Pimple ended up with a stuffed head, which the leader of the nobility ate with great appetite a little later.
The symbolic images of the empty head of Brudasty with an organ and the stuffed head of Pimple, used by the author, serve to emphasize the age-old Russian misfortune: from the head, from the bosses, rulers and leaders, comes the evil that befalls the common people, making their life unbearably empty and painful.
The series of portraits of mayors is completed by the Gloomy-Burcheevs - the “apotheosis” of all negative traits and qualities.
Gloomy-Burcheev appears in the work as the clearest example of stupidity, narrow-mindedness and idiocy. The main features of his nature are inhumanity and soullessness. He leads an ascetic lifestyle and is surprised by any manifestations of feelings and emotions. The mayor Gloomy-Burcheev is impersonality itself, “an outcast and completely at peace with himself idiocy.” This active ruler carries out all his reforms in accordance with his theory of leveling, equalization, which clearly goes against people and nature. Implementing his innovations, Ugryum-Burcheev destroys the city and builds a new one, based on a straight line, and tries to stop the river. The ideal of the world order for him is a large barracks; he would like to make people’s lives strictly monotonous, planned to the limit, meaningless and completely devoid of joy. Of course, contemporaries immediately realized that behind the description of Ugryum-Burcheev there was hidden a very real prototype - Arakcheev...
The images of all city governors are described by Saltykov-Shchedrin with contempt, sarcasm and hatred. All bosses are typical and unremarkable, they are stupid, stupid, limited, selfish. Their mental abilities are minimal, and their activities in positions of authority bring nothing but harm, destruction and chaos. It is not for nothing that the work ends in a deeply symbolic image - the image of the mystical “It”, a kind of tornado that sweeps away everything in its path. “The earth shook, the sun darkened... An inscrutable horror appeared on all faces, gripped all hearts... It came...” “It”, which attacked the Foolov, wiped out Gloomy-Burcheev from the face of the earth, from which we can conclude that the nature of the Russian soul will still overcome the inertia and stupidity of any mayors.
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The story describes the life of the city of Foolov for a hundred years until 1825. During this time, the chronicle of the city was kept by four archivists. The history of Foolov is directly related to the period of rule of various mayors. In the first prehistoric chapter, the author examines the question of the origin of the city's population. The people of the bunglers were able to defeat other tribes. The bunglers decided to find a prince to rule them. Many rulers refused to rule over stupid people. One of them agreed, but did not live in the city, leaving in his place a governor, a novotor. The governor turned out to be a thief. The prince sent a noose to the dishonest newcomer. But he did not wait and stabbed himself with a cucumber. After this, the prince appointed several more rulers in his place. But they all stole terribly. The prince himself arrived in Foolov and from that moment a historical period began in the life of the city. Further in the work there is a description of the mayors of Foolov, and the biographies of the most significant ones are told.
Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty was very gloomy and taciturn. He always used two phrases: “I will not tolerate it and I will ruin it.” One day the clerk saw an incredible picture. The busty man was sitting at the table as usual, but his head lay separately and was completely empty. It turned out that the mayor’s head contained only two organs with melodies: I won’t tolerate it and I’ll ruin it. But somehow, due to the dampness, the head became unusable. Watchmaker Baibakov ordered a new head in the capital. But she didn’t come on time, so Brudasty was without a head.
After this, two self-proclaimed bosses found themselves in the city. A messenger from the province quickly picked them up. And Foolov plunged into anarchy. For a week, the city was governed by six female mayors. Residents quickly got tired of such confusion. Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov became the new mayor. His activities for the city had a positive impact; he even dreamed of opening an academy in the city.
Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko ruled the city very smoothly for the first six years; Foolov flourished during these years. But then the mayor was confused by a demon. He was inflamed with feelings for the coachman's wife Alenka. She refused the mayor. Then Ferdyshchenko exiled her husband to Siberia, and Alenka had to submit. But as punishment for such actions, drought came to the city, followed by famine. Residents then threw Alenka from the bell tower. Ferdyshchenko wrote various letters to his superiors, and a detachment of soldiers even arrived in Glupov. When the mayor fell in love with Domashka again, severe fires began in the city. The ruler got scared and refused Domashka. Ferdyshchenko's power ended during the trip when he died from overeating.
Vasilisk Semyonovich Borodavkin became the new mayor. He considered himself an intelligent ruler and even waged wars to educate the people. During his reign, Foolov began to decline.
Another ruler, Theophylact Irinarkhovich Benevolsky, loved to issue various laws, although he did not have the right to do so. So he dropped out law flyers at night. The mayor was fired for collaborating with Napoleon.
Then Foolov was controlled by Lieutenant Colonel Pyshch. He actually did not participate in the management, but the city surprisingly developed due to excellent harvests. It turned out that Pimple had a stuffed head, which the leader ate, smelling truffles from it.
Under the next mayor - State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov, Glupov did not develop at all. Laziness and debauchery became characteristic features of the Foolovites. The mayor spent all his time at balls. Soon famine came to Foolov. Grustilov was soon removed. Over a hundred-year period of time, the last mayor was Gloomy Burcheev. He was not particularly smart; in fact, he was an idiot. Burcheev decided to completely rebuild the city. Foolov was completely destroyed. The river interfered with new construction, but Burcheev failed to block its channel, although he tried very hard. Therefore, Burcheev led the Foolovites to the lowland, and it was decided to build a city there. But something went wrong. The mayor literally disappeared into thin air and disappeared without a trace. The story ends here.
The name of the city, the “history” of which is offered to the reader, is Foolov. There is no such city on the map of Russia and there never was one, but still it was... And it was everywhere. Or maybe he never disappeared anywhere, despite the phrase with which the author-chronicler ends his story: “History has stopped flowing”? Can this really happen? And isn’t this Aesop’s sly smile?..
In Russian literature, Shchedrin’s “chronicle” was immediately preceded by Pushkin’s “History of the Village of Goryukhin”. “If God sends me readers, then perhaps they will be curious to know how I decided to write the History of the Village of Goryukhin” - this is how Pushkin’s narrative begins. And here is the beginning of the text “From the publisher”, who allegedly found in the “Foolovsky city archive” “a voluminous bunch of notebooks bearing the general name “Foolish Chronicler””: “For a long time I had the intention of writing the history of some city (or region) ... but different circumstances hindered this enterprise."
But the Chronicler was found. The material collected since ancient times is at the disposal of the “publisher”. In his address to the reader, he determines the content of the “History”. Read the text “From the Publisher” in full, so that you are convinced that every word there is special, casts its own brilliance and merges in a general sparkle with others, one fantastically real (grotesque) image, as soon as it appears on the page, is crowded out by the next, and the best, What you can do is become a reader of the chronicle of Foolov, this strangely familiar city to all of us.
The structure of Shchedrin's most widely read work is complex. Behind the chapter " From the publisher"follows" Address to the reader"- a text written directly from the perspective of the “archivist-chronicler” and stylized in the language of the 18th century.
“Author” - “humble Pavlushka, son of Masloboynikov,” the fourth archivist. Note that of the three other archivists, two are Tryapichkins (the surname is taken from Gogol’s “The Inspector General”: this is what Khlestakov calls his friend, “who writes little articles”).
"About the roots of the origin of the Foolovites"
“On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites,” the chapter that opens The Chronicler, begins with a fictitious quote imitating the text of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” Historians N.I. Kostomarov (1817-1885) and S.M. Solovyov (1820-1879) are mentioned here because they held directly opposite views on the history of Rus' and Russia: according to Kostomarov, the main thing in it was spontaneous popular activity (“a gray wolf prowled the earth”), and according to Solovyov, Russian history was created only thanks to the deeds of princes and kings (“he spread his crazy eagle under the clouds”).
Both points of view were alien to the writer himself. He believed that Russian statehood could only be created through an organized and conscious popular movement.
"Inventory for mayors"
“Inventory of mayors” contains explanations for further chapters and a short list of mayors, the narratives of whose reign are developed further. One should not think that each mayor is a satirical image of one specific “autocrat”. These are always generalized images, like most of the text of “The History of a City,” but there are also clear correspondences. Negodyaev - Pavel I, Alexander I - Grustilov; Speransky and Arakcheev, close associates of Alexander I, were reflected in the characters Benevolensky and Gloomy-Burcheev.
"Organchik"
“The Organ” is the central and most famous chapter of the book. This is the nickname of the mayor Brudasty, who summarizes the most sinister features of despotism. The word “brute” has long referred exclusively to dogs: “brutty” - having a beard and mustache on the face and usually especially vicious (usually about a greyhound dog). He was called an organ because a musical instrument was discovered in his head, a mechanism that produces only one phrase: “I will not tolerate it!” The Foolovites also call Brudasty a scoundrel, but Shchedrin assures that they do not attach any specific meaning to this word. This means that the word has one - this is how the writer draws your attention to this word and asks you to figure it out. Let's figure it out.
The word “scoundrel” appeared in the Russian language under Peter I from “profost” - a regimental executor (executioner) in the German army, in Russian it was used until the 60s of the 19th century in the same meaning, after which it was a warden of military prisons. “London agitators” in the journalism of the 60s of the 19th century were called A.I. Herzen and N.P. Ogarev - Russian revolutionary publicists who published the newspaper "Bell" in London. Charles the Simple - a character similar to Organchik in medieval history - a real-life French king, deposed as a result of his unsuccessful wars. Farmazons are freemasons, freemasons, members of the society of “freemasons”, very influential in Europe since the Middle Ages.
"The Tale of the Six City Leaders"
“The Tale of the Six City Leaders” is a wonderfully written, hilariously funny, brilliant satire on 18th-century empresses and their temporary favorites.
The surname Paleologova is an allusion to the wife of Ivan III, the daughter of the last Byzantine emperor of the Paleolog dynasty, Sophia. It was this marriage that gave the Russian rulers the basis to make Russia an empire and dream of annexing Byzantium.
The name Clementine de Bourbon is a hint that the French government helped Elizabeth Petrovna ascend to the Russian throne. The mention of the unpronounceable fictitious names of Polish cardinals here is probably an allusion to the Time of Troubles and Polish intrigue in Russian history.
"News about Dvoekurov"
“The News of Dvoekurov” contains hints about the reign of Alexander I and the peculiarities of his personality (duality, contradictory intentions and their implementation, indecision to the point of cowardice). Shchedrin emphasizes that the Foolovites owe it to him to consume mustard and bay leaves. Dvoekurov is the ancestor of the “innovators” who fought wars “in the name of potatoes.” An allusion to Nicholas I, the son of Alexander I, who introduced potatoes into Rus' during the famine of 1839-1840, which caused “potato riots”, which were brutally suppressed by military force until the most powerful peasant uprising in 1842.
"Hungry City"
"Hungry City" Mayor Ferdyshchenko rules Foolov in this and the next two chapters. After listening to the priest’s teaching about Ahab and Jezebel, Ferdyshchenko promises the people bread, and he himself calls troops to the city. Perhaps this is an allusion to the “liberation” of the peasants in 1861, carried out in such a way that it caused discontent among both landowners and peasants who resisted the reform.
"Straw City"
"Straw City" The war between the “streltsy” and the “gunners” is described. It is known that in May 1862 the famous St. Petersburg fires occurred in Apraksin Dvor. They blamed them on students and nihilists, but perhaps the fires were a provocation. The chapter is a broader generalization. It also contains hints of the flood of 1824 in St. Petersburg.
"Fantastic Traveler"
"Fantastic Traveler" Ferdyshchenko sets off on a journey. It was the custom of Russian autocrats to travel from time to time around the country, during which local authorities strenuously portrayed the people's devotion to the rulers, and the tsars bestowed favors on the people, often very insignificant. Thus, it is known that by order of Arakcheev, during the tour of military settlements by Alexander I, the same roast goose was carried from hut to hut.
"Wars for Enlightenment"
“Wars for Enlightenment” - describes the “longest and most brilliant” reign, judging by many signs, of Nicholas I. Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin is a collective image, like everyone else, but some features of the era clearly hint primarily at this monarch. Historian K.I. Arsenyev is the mentor of Nicholas I, who traveled with him across Russia.
The trips to Streletskaya Sloboda again take us back to the 18th century, but generalize the periods of the next century - the struggle of monarchs against the Freemasons, the “noble Fronde” and the Decembrists. There is also a hint, it seems, of Pushkin (the poet Fedka, who “insulted the venerable mother of the Basilisk with verses”). It is known that after Pushkin’s return from exile in 1826, Nicholas I told him in a personal conversation: “You’ve fooled around enough, I hope you’ll be reasonable now, and we won’t quarrel anymore. You will send me everything you write, and from now on I myself will be your censor.”
The march to the settlement of Navoznaya implies the colonial wars of the Russian tsars. Talking about the economic crisis in Foolov, Shchedrin names the economists of the magazine “Russian Messenger” - Molinari and Bezobrazov, who passed off any situation as prosperity. Finally, campaigns “against enlightenment” and to “destroy the free spirit”, dating back to the year of the revolution in France (1790), point to the French Revolution of 1848 and the revolutionary events that broke out in European countries - Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary. Nicholas I sends troops into Wallachia, Moldova, and Hungary.
"The era of dismissal from wars"
The chapter “The era of dismissal from wars” is devoted mainly to the reign of Negodyaev (Paul I), “replaced” in 1802, according to the “Inventory”, for disagreement with Czartoryski, Stroganov and Novosiltsev. These nobles were close advisers to Alexander, the son of the murdered emperor. It was they who advocated the introduction of constitutional principles in Russia, but what kind of principles they were! “The Age of Retirement from Wars” presents these “beginnings” in their true form.
Negodyaev is replaced by Mikaladze. The surname is Georgian, and there is reason to think that this refers to Emperor Alexander I, under whom Georgia (1801), Mingrelia (1803) and Imereti (1810) were annexed to Russia, and the fact that he is a descendant of the “voluptuous Queen Tamara” - an allusion to his mother Catherine II. Mayor Benevolensky - the arbiter of the destinies of Russia, who had enormous influence on Alexander I - M.M. Speransky. Lycurgus and Dragon (Dragon) - ancient Greek legislators; the expressions “draconian rules”, “draconian measures” became popular. Speransky was involved by the tsar in drawing up laws.
"Supporting documents"
The last part of the book - “Exculpatory Documents” - contains a parody of the laws compiled by Speransky. Benevolensky ended his career in the same way as Speransky; he was suspected of treason and exiled. The power of Pimple comes - the mayor with a stuffed head. This is a generalizing image, and it is not for nothing that Shchedrin compares the well-being of the Foolovites under Pimple with the life of the Russians under the legendary Prince Oleg: this is how the satirist emphasizes the fictitious, unprecedented nature of the described prosperity.
"Worship of Mammon and Repentance"
We are now talking about ordinary people - about the Foolovites themselves. The exceptionality of their endurance and vitality is pointed out, because they continue to exist under the mayors listed in the Chronicler. The series of the latter continues: Ivanov (again Alexander I, we are even talking about two options for his death: compare the legend about Alexander I’s voluntary renunciation of power, his staging of his death in Taganrog and his secret departure to monasticism), then - Angel Dorofeich Du-Chario (Angel is the nickname of the same monarch in the circles of his near and dear ones, Dorofeich - from Dorofey - gift of God (Greek), followed by Erast Grustilov (again Tsar Alexander I). Alexander's beloved and their influence on his reign are listed under various allegorical names. The appearance of the generalized image of Pfeifersch (prototypes - Baroness V.Yu. von Krugener and E.F. Tatarinov) marks the beginning of the second half of the reign of Alexander I and the immersion of the “tops” and society into dark mysticism and social obscurantism. repentance, the real king disappears into nowhere.
“Confirmation of repentance. Conclusion"
All this mystical rabble and nonsense is dispersed by the newly emerged once offended officer (Gloomy-Burcheev - Arakcheev (1769-1834), a “gloomy idiot”, “a monkey in a uniform”, who fell out of favor under Paul I and was again called upon by Alexander I). The first part of the chapter is devoted to his struggle to implement the crazy idea of military settlements to support the army in peacetime, the second to criticism of Russian liberalism. Arakcheev, who blossomed during the years of the “liberation” of peasants from serfdom, outraged Shchedrin with his unprincipledness, idealism and inconsistent caution, empty talk and lack of understanding of the realities of Russian life. The list of martyrs of the liberal idea given in the last chapter of the book and their deeds also includes the Decembrists, whose activities Shchedrin could not help but treat ironically, knowing Russia and understanding how fantastic were the hopes of the Decembrists to overthrow the autocracy with the help of their secret societies and the uprising in Senate Square. The last in the series of mayors described in the “Chronicle” is named Archangel Stratilatovich Intercept-Zalikhvatsky - an image that again takes us back to Nicholas I. “He claimed that he was the father of his mother. He again banished mustard, bay leaves and Provençal oil from use...” Thus, the history of the city of Foolov in The Chronicler returns to normal. Everything in it is ready for the new cycle. This hint is especially clear in the Archangel’s statement that he is the father of his mother. The phantasmagoric grotesque is clearly readable.
Concluding the story about the great book by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, we only note that when reading it, you need to keep in mind Turgenev’s statement about the author: “He knew Russia better than all of us.”
Source (abbreviated): Michalskaya, A.K. Literature: Basic level: 10th grade. At 2 p.m. Part 1: study. allowance / A.K. Mikhalskaya, O.N. Zaitseva. - M.: Bustard, 2018
“The History of a City,” a summary of which is in this article, is a detailed chronicle of the city of Foolov. The events that took place from 1731 to 1825 are described. The novel opens with the chapter “From the Publisher,” in which the author strongly insists on the authenticity of this chronicle, and also invites the reader to imagine in reality what this city was like.
The “Address to the Reader from the Last Archivist-Chronicle” states that the goal that everyone who undertook this work set for themselves was to depict the correspondence between the authorities and the people. Thus, a detailed history of the reign of all the mayors of Foolov was obtained.
Origin of the city's inhabitants
The prehistoric chapter of the novel “The History of a City,” a summary of which you are now reading, tells about the victory of the ancient people of bunglers over the surrounding tribes. True, finding themselves stronger than their neighbors, they did not know what to do about it, so they went to look for a prince who could rule them.
To their surprise, all the princes refused them, since no one wanted to rule such a people. Then they had to call a thief, who managed to find the prince. The prince agreed to rule, but did not want to move, sending this very thief in his place. The people ordered to call them “Foolovites”, hence the current name of the city.
These were submissive people, but the thief who controlled them wanted to pacify them, and for this, riots were necessary. Moreover, the thief turned out to be so dishonest and stole so much that the prince sent him a noose.
All the rulers whom he sent in his place turned out to be thieves, only ruining the treasury. Then the prince had to come in person, and this was the end of prehistoric times for the city of Foolov.
Dementy Brudasty
The first of the significant mayors was Brudasty Dementy Varlamovich, who arrived in 1762.
He was extremely silent and gloomy, constantly repeating only: “I’ll ruin you!” and “I won’t tolerate it!” The townspeople could not understand what was what, until one day his secretary, entering the office to make a report, saw that the official’s body was sitting at the table, and his head was lying separately. At the same time it was completely empty.
The whole city was shocked by this news. We managed to find out everything from organ specialist Baibakov, who regularly goes to Brudasty. He explained that in the head of the mayor, in one of the corners, there was an organ that could perform only two pieces of music. One was called “I will not tolerate!”, and the second was called “I will ruin!”.
While Brudasty was getting to Foolov, his head became damp, so now it was constantly in need of repair. Baibakov was unable to cope with the repairs, so he ordered a new head in St. Petersburg, but its delivery was delayed.
It all ended when two identical mayors appeared at once, whom the delivery boy, who had specially come from the province for this purpose, dubbed impostors and took them away. Foolov was left without leadership. The mayor's organ in "The History of a City" (a brief summary helps to recall the main events of the work) is one of the most famous and memorable details.
Anarchy
The city fell into anarchy. From Saltykov-Shchedrin’s novel “The History of a City” (a summary will help you prepare for an exam or test on this work) we learn that the anarchy lasted exactly a week.
During this time, as many as six mayors were in power. Everyone's claims to power were dubious. If one was based on the work of her husband, and the second on her father, then the rest put forward even less substantiated reasons.
Military operations were constantly taking place in Foolov, during breaks between which some townspeople threw others from the bell tower or drowned them. When everyone was tired of anarchy, a new ruler arrived, whose name was Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov.
Semyon Dvoekurov
In Foolov he launched very fruitful and beneficial activities. A summary of the chapters of “The History of a City” can give a full impression of it. In particular, mead making and brewing were introduced, and the use of bay leaves and mustard became mandatory.
Dvoekurov had thoughts of establishing his own academy in Foolov, but he did not have time to implement them. Semyon Konstantinovich was replaced by Petr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko. Under him, the city flourished for six whole years. But in the seventh year he suffered a setback. As the Foolovites said, “the demon confused me.”
Ferdyshchenko fell in love with the coachman's wife Alenka, who, to the great surprise of everyone around her, rejected him. Then Ferdyshchenko took extreme measures. He branded and exiled her husband to Siberia, only then did Alenka come to her senses and agree.
The entire city, which was hit by drought, had to answer for the sins of its ruler. Hunger followed. Everyone around them began to die one after another. Then the patience of the townspeople came to an end. They sent a walker to Ferdyshchenko, who did not return. They sent a request, but there was no response to it. Then they took out Alenka herself and threw her from the bell tower. Ferdyshchenko also did not waste time; he wrote numerous reports to his superiors. It was not possible to get bread, but a team of soldiers was sent to Foolov.
The people were calmed down, but then Ferdyshchenko developed a new hobby - the archer Domashka. Through it fires came to Foolov. The Pushkarskaya settlement burned down, and then the fire spread to the settlements of Negodnitsa and Bolotnaya. Only then did Ferdyshchenko retreat, returning Domashka.
The reign of this mayor ended with a journey. He went in search of a city pasture. He was welcomed in all places and was always treated to lunch. Three days later he died from overeating.
Basilisk Wartkin
He studied the entire history of the city, deciding that Dvoekurov was the only role model. But by that time, all his undertakings and achievements were forgotten and abandoned; they even stopped sowing mustard in Foolov. The first thing Wartkin decided to do was correct this injustice. And as punishment for such carelessness, he ordered us to eat more
But the Foolovites did not agree to this. Then Wartkin decided to launch a campaign against Streletskaya Sloboda. The hike lasted 9 days, but not everything went well. In the summary of the novel "The History of a City" one can find confirmation of this. In the dark, we often had to fight with our own people, and some real soldiers were quietly replaced with tin ones. But the mayor still survived.
But when he arrived in the settlement, he found no one there and began to tear apart houses into logs. He staged several more wars for education, but all this ultimately led to the impoverishment of Foolov, which finally ended under another mayor, Negodyaev. The next important ruler, a Circassian named Mikeladze, found him in this state.
His reign was not marked by practically any events or decrees; he focused entirely on attention to the female sex. The city could breathe easy.
Theophylact of Benevolensky
Feofilakt Irinarkhovich Benevolensky is an important character for the plot, described in “The History of a City” by Saltykov-Shchedrin. A summary of the novel helps you find out the plot without reading the entire work. Benevolensky was a close friend of Speransky, even studied with him at the same lyceum. From a friend he adopted a passion for legislation.
The trouble was that the mayor did not have such functions, so laws had to be passed secretly. Benevolensky did this at the house of the merchant Raspopova, and at night he himself scattered them throughout the city. But he was not destined to rule for long. The authorities found out about his connections with Napoleon and fired him.
Lieutenant Colonel Pimple
Another ruler was Lieutenant Colonel Pimple. From the summary of “The History of a City” you can understand from the passage what it was like. He was described like this:
The pimple was no longer young, but it was remarkably preserved. Broad-shouldered, with a ridge of build, he seemed to be saying with his whole figure: don’t look at the fact that I have a gray mustache: I can do it! I can still do it! He was rosy-cheeked, had scarlet and luscious lips, from behind which a row of white teeth were visible; His gait was active and cheerful, his gestures were quick. And all this was decorated with shiny staff officer epaulets, which played on his shoulders at the slightest movement.
He practically did not deal with the city, so life simply blossomed. The harvests were so abundant that the Foolovites became wary. The secret of Pimple was revealed by someone who noticed that Pimple’s head smelled like truffles. A big lover of minced meat, he pounced and ate the head.
After this, State Councilor Ivanov arrived in Glupov. He was so short that he could not contain anything large, and he died. The next was the foreigner Viscount de Chario, who had a lot of fun, for which he was sent abroad. At the same time, she also turned out to be a woman.
Erast Grustilov
Important changes began with the arrival of Erast Grustilov. Under him, everyone was completely mired in laziness and debauchery. Nobody wanted to work, hunger began again.
Grustilov was only involved in balls. The pharmacist's wife set him on the path of goodness. The townspeople repented, but no one returned to work. And when the authorities found out that the local nobility read Strakhov at night, they completely removed Grustilov.
Gloomy-Burcheev
Over time, Ugryum-Burcheev came to power in the city. It is known that he was a complete idiot, from "The Story of a City." The summary will be especially useful in the 8th grade, because then they study Saltykov-Shchedrin. In Glupovo, Ugryum-Burcheev decided to make identical streets with identical houses and families.
To do this, he destroyed everything and began to build again, but a river stood in the way. He began to build dams from construction debris left over from the destruction, but the river washed them away every time. Then Gloomy-Burcheev led the Foolovites with him away from the river. A new location was chosen for the city, in the lowlands, where construction began.
Sad end
It is not known how it all ended, because the publisher claims that the notebooks with all the details were lost. The scoundrel in the person of Gloomy-Burcheev eventually disappeared very suddenly, as if dissolving into thin air, and history stopped flowing there. The publisher does not provide other details and circumstances at all.
The conclusion of the story contains so-called supporting documents. These are the works of various mayors, which they wrote at different times for the edification of their followers.
