Summary

VOLUME 1 Chapter 1

At the gates of the hotel in the provincial city of NN, a britzka enters, in which Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is staying. He is “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young. Two peasants are standing at the door of the tavern and, looking at the wheel of the carriage, they argue: “Will that wheel reach, if it happens, will it reach Moscow or will it not?” The tavern servant meets Chichikov. The guest looks around his room, where the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka are bringing in "his belongings." While the servants were busy, "the master went to the common room", where he ordered lunch, during which he asked the servant about the city and its order, "did not miss a single significant official", "asked about all the significant landowners", "asked carefully about the state of the region ". After dinner, Chichikov rested in his room, and then "he wrote on a piece of paper, at the request of the tavern servant, the rank, first name and surname to report where he should go, to the police," the following: "College adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, in his own needs."

Chichikov went to inspect the city and "found that the city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities." In the text, the author gives a description of a provincial town. During a walk, Chichikov tears off a poster from a post and, returning to the hotel, reads it, "squinting his right eye a little."

The next day, Chichikov pays visits to all city dignitaries: he visits the governor, then the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the chairman of the chamber, the police chief, the farmer, the head of state-owned factories, the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. In conversations with officials, Chichikov "skillfully knew how to flatter everyone," for which the officials invited him "some for lunch, some for a Boston party, some for a cup of tea." Very little is known about the traveler, since he spoke about himself "in some general places, with noticeable modesty", referring to the fact that "he is an insignificant worm of this world and is unworthy of being taken care of a lot."

At the governor's party, where "everything was flooded with light" and the guests resembled flies that flew into the room, "just to show themselves, to walk up and down the sugar heap," the governor introduces Chichikov to the governor. At the ball, the traveler is busy thinking about men who, as elsewhere, "were of two kinds", thin and fat, "or the same as Chichikov." Chichikov gets acquainted with the "very courteous and courteous landowner Manilov and the somewhat clumsy-looking Sobakevich", from whom he learns the state of their estates and how many peasants they have. Manilov, "who had eyes as sweet as sugar, and squinted them every time he laughed," invites Chichikov to his estate, as he is "without memory" from the guest. Pavel Ivanovich receives the same invitation from Sobakevich.

On the next day, visiting the police chief, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, a “broken fellow,” who, after three or four words, began to say “you” to him. The next day Chichikov spent the evening with the chairman of the chamber, who received his guests in a dressing gown. After that, he was with the vice-governor, at a dinner with a farmer, with a prosecutor. He returned to the hotel only to “sleep”. He is ready to support a conversation on any topic. City officials were pleased that such a "decent person" visited them. “The governor said about him that he was a well-intentioned person; the prosecutor - that he is an efficient person; the gendarmerie colonel said that he was a learned man; the chairman of the chamber - that he is a knowledgeable and respectable person; police chief - that he is a respectable and amiable person, ”and in the opinion of Sobakevich, Chichikov was an “unpleasant person” at all.

Chichikov has been in the city for more than a week. He decides to visit Manilov and Sobakevich and therefore gives orders to his servants, the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter should stay at the inn and look after things. Petrushka “read everything with equal attention”, as he preferred “the process of reading itself, that “some word always comes out of letters”, slept without undressing and “always carried with him some special air of his own” As for the coachman, he "was a completely different person."

Chichikov goes to Manilov. Long search for the estate of the landowner. Description of the estate. The guest is joyfully greeted by Manilov. “In his eyes, he was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you will say nothing, and the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You will not expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch the subject that torments him. Manilov cannot be called a master, since his "household somehow went on by itself." He had a lot of ideas in his head, but "all these projects ended in only one word." For two years he has been reading a book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page. In the living room there is beautiful furniture upholstered in expensive silk fabric, but two armchairs, on which there was not enough fabric, are upholstered in matting. In some rooms there was no furniture at all. “In the evening, a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner noticed this, neither mistress nor servant.

Manilov's wife corresponds to her husband. There is no order in the house. "Manilova was brought up well." She received her upbringing in a boarding school, where “three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: French necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for delivering pleasant moments to the spouse, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.

At dinner, the sons of the Manilovs are present: Thepistoclus and Alkid, who are at that age “when they already put children at the table, but not yet. high chairs." Next to the children was their teacher, who followed the conversation and tried to show the same emotions as they, because "he wanted to pay this owner for good treatment." His face took on a serious look when one of Manilov's sons bit his brother on the ear, and the second was ready to burst into tears, but restrained himself and, through tears, smeared with fat, began to gnaw a mutton bone. At dinner there is a conversation "about the pleasure of a quiet life."

After dinner, Chichikov and Manilov are having a business conversation in the owner's office. “The room was certainly not without pleasantness: the walls were painted with some kind of blue paint, like gray, four chairs, one armchair, a table on which lay a book with a bookmark ... a few scribbled papers, but most of all there was tobacco. He was in different types: in caps and in a tobacco case, and, finally, it was just poured in a heap on the table. On both windows there were also mounds of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without diligence, in very beautiful rows. It was noticeable that this sometimes gave the owner a pastime. The guest is interested: “How long ago did you deign to submit a revision tale?” The clerk appears, who reports that the peasants were dying, but they were not counted. Chichikov asks him to make a "detailed register of everyone by name." Manilov wonders why Chichikov is doing this, and in response he hears "such strange and unusual things that human ears have never heard before." Chichikov offers to buy dead souls, which "would be listed as alive according to the revision." After that, both sat, "gazing into each other's eyes, like those portraits that were hung in the old days one against the other on both sides of the mirror." Chichikov promises that the law will be observed, as he "goes dumb before the law." According to Chichikov, "such an enterprise, or bargaining, will in no way be inconsistent with civil decrees and further types of Russia," and "the treasury will even receive benefits, because it will receive legal duties." Manilov gives the dead souls to Chichikov "without interest." The guest thanks the host and hurries to. road. He says goodbye to the Manilov family and, having asked how to get to Sobakevich, leaves. Manilov indulges in daydreams, imagining how he lives with a friend in the neighborhood, how they are engaged in landscaping the area together, spend evenings over tea, in pleasant conversations, and comes to the conclusion that the sovereign, for strong friendship, favors him and Chichikov as a general rank.

Chichikov goes to Sobakevich and gets caught in the rain, his coachman goes astray. "The darkness was so, even gouge out the eye." Hearing the barking of dogs, Chichikov orders the coachman to speed up the horses. The cart hits the fence with shafts, Selifan goes to look for the gate. A hoarse woman's voice reports that they ended up at the estate of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Chichikov stops at the landowner's house for the night. He is led into a room that “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything. The mistress of the estate, “an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses and hold their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in variegated bags placed in the drawers of chests of drawers. All the banknotes are taken into one bag, fifty dollars into another, and quarters into the third, although it looks as if there is nothing in the chest of drawers except linen, and night blouses, and thread hanks, and a torn coat. The hostess says that it is already late and nothing can be cooked. When asked how far it is from her estate to the estate of Sobakevich, she replies that she had not heard of such a landowner.

In the morning, over tea, Chichikov asks Korobochka about the dead souls he wants to buy from her. Afraid to sell cheap and not understanding why the guest "is such a strange product", she offers him to buy honey or hemp from her. Chichikov continues to insist on buying dead souls. Mentally, he calls the old woman "clubhead", because he can not convince her that this is a profitable enterprise for her. Only after he reports that he is conducting government contracts (which is not true), the hostess agrees to make a bill of sale. Chichikov asks if she has anyone she knows in the city so that she can authorize him to "make a fortress and everything that follows." He composes a trusted letter to himself. The hostess wants to appease an important official. In the box where Chichikov keeps his papers, there are many compartments and a secret drawer for money. The box admires his casket. The guest asks the hostess of the house to prepare a "little list of men." She informs him that she does not keep any records and knows almost everyone by heart. Korobochka's men have strange surnames. “He was especially struck by some Pyotr Savelyev Disrespect-Trough, so that he could not help but say: “What a long one!” Another had "Cow Brick" attached to the name, the other turned out to be simply: Wheel Ivan. After that, the hostess treats the guest with an unleavened egg pie and pancakes. Chichikov leaves. The box sends a girl of about eleven years old with a chaise, who “does not know where the right is, where the left is,” to see off the guests. When the tavern became visible, the girl was released home, giving her a copper penny for the service.

Hungry, Chichikov stops at a tavern, which "was something like a Russian hut, somewhat larger." He is invited to enter by an old woman, at whom, at a meal, Chichikov asks if she herself runs a tavern. In a conversation, he tries to find out what kind of landowners live nearby. Nozdryov's chaise drives up, and then the landowner himself appears, who arrived with his son-in-law Mizhuev. “He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, snow-white teeth and jet-black sideburns. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face. Chichikov finds out that Nozdryov lost his money at the fair and the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is right there, and also “thumped four trotters - he let everything down.” He had no chain or watch. It seemed to Chichikov that "one of his sideburns was smaller and not as thick as the other." Nozdryov assures that “the fair was excellent”, that he drank seventeen bottles of champagne, to which his fellow traveler objected that he could not even drink ten bottles. Hearing that Chichikov was heading to Sobakevich, Nozdryov laughs and calls this landowner a "Jewish man." He persistently invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat, and then asks Porfiry to bring a puppy from the britzka to show it to Chichikov. Nozdryov offers Chichikov to visit him first, and then to Sobakevich. He, thinking, agrees. In a tavern, Nozdryov's son-in-law pays for the vodka that Nozdryov drank. There are many people like Nozdrev. “They are called broken fellows, they are known even in childhood and at school for good comrades, and for all that they are very painfully beaten. Something open, direct, daring is always visible in their faces. They soon get to know each other, and “you don’t have time to look back, as they already tell you“ you ”. Friendship will seem to be established forever; but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends fights with them that evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five years old was the same perfect as he was at eighteen and twenty: a hunter for a walk. Marriage did not change him in the least, especially since his wife soon went to the other world, leaving two children who were decidedly not to him needed ... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting where he was could do without history ... The closer someone got along with him, he was more likely to piss everyone off: spread a fable, more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal and did not consider himself your enemy at all ... Nozdryov was in many respects a versatile person, that is, a man of all trades. He liked to "change everything for whatever you want." Such Nozdryovs are “everywhere between us.”

In his estate, Nozdryov shows Chichikov "absolutely everything." First they went to the stable, where Chichikov saw two mares, one dappled gray, the other brown, and also an unsightly bay stallion, which, according to the owner, cost him ten thousand, which his relative immediately doubted. Nozdryov showed his guest a wolf cub on a leash, fed raw meat. Showing the pond, Nozdryov boasted that the fish in it were of incredible size. In the yard, Chichinov saw "all sorts of dogs, both thick-dogs and pure-dogs, of all possible colors and stripes." Then they examined the blind Crimean female. We went to inspect the water mill, the smithy, having reached the borders of the estate through the field, and then returned to the house. Only sabers and two guns hung in the office. The guest was shown Turkish daggers, one of which bore the mark of master Saveliy Sibiryakov, and then a hurdy-gurdy and pipes. Chichikov was dissatisfied with dinner, which was not given much attention in this house, since "some things were burnt, some were not cooked at all." Various wines were served, which Chichikov was afraid to drink.

After Mizhuev leaves home, Chichikov asks Nozdryov to transfer the dead souls that have not yet been deleted from the revision to his name, and explains that he needs them for a successful marriage, since it is extremely important for the bride's parents how many peasants he has . Nozdryov does not believe Chichikov. He is ready to give him dead souls, but Chichikov must buy from him a stallion, a mare, a dog, a hurdy-gurdy, etc. Chichikov refuses this. Nozdryov offers to play cards with him. Chichikov himself is not happy that he contacted Nozdrev, who began to insult him. Holding a grudge against Chichikov, Nozdryov orders the coachman not to give his horses oats, but only to feed him hay. After supper, Nozdryov leads Chichikov to a side room without saying good night. The night was unpleasant for the visitor, as "small naughty insects" bit him. The next morning, Chichikov hurries to leave. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to play checkers with him, promising that if he wins, he will give him dead souls. During the game, Nozdrev is clearly cheating. Suspecting this, Chichikov stops the game, accusing Nozdryov of cheating. He is ready to hit the guest in the face, but does not do this, but calls the servants and orders to beat the offender. The police captain appears, who "on the occasion of inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maximov with rods in a drunken state" arrests Nozdryov. Taking advantage of these circumstances, Chichikov hurries to leave and orders his coachman to "drive the horses at full speed."

Chichikov thought with horror about Nozdryov. His coachman was also dissatisfied, calling the landowner a "bad master." It seemed that even the horses were thinking “unfavorably” about Nozdryov. Soon, through the fault of the coachman, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise, in which there is an elderly lady and a sixteen-year-old beauty. Village peasants separate the horses, and then pick up the carts. After the collision, Chichikov thinks about the young stranger, calling her "glorious grandmother" to himself. “Everything can be done from it, it can be a miracle, or it can turn out to be rubbish, and rubbish will come out! Now let only mothers and aunts take care of it now. He wonders who the parents of this girl are and whether they are wealthy. “After all, if, let’s say, this girl is given two hundred thousand dowry, a very, very tasty morsel could come out of her. This could be, so to speak, the happiness of a decent person.

Description of the estate of Sobakevich. The landowner’s house was “like those we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during the construction of its architect, he constantly fought with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner - convenience ... The landowner seemed to be fussing a lot about strength. Everything is done thoroughly, "without faltering, in some kind of strong and clumsy order." Chichikov's owner resembles a "medium-sized bear." “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny. It is known that there are many such persons in the world, over the finishing of which nature did not think long, did not use any small tools, such as files, gimlets and other things, but simply chopped from her shoulder: she grabbed with an ax once - her nose came out, she had enough in another - her lips came out, she poked her eyes out with a large drill and, without scraping, let them into the light, saying: “lives!”. The owner's name is Mikhail Semenovich. In the living room on the walls there are paintings depicting Greek generals, by the window there is a cage with a thrush. Sobakevich introduces the guest to his wife, Feodulia Ivanovna. In the room where the host brings the guest, “everything was solid, clumsy in the highest degree and had some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself; in the corner of the living room stood a pot-bellied walnut office on absurd four legs, a perfect bear. The table, the armchairs, the chairs—everything was of the most heaviest and restless quality—in a word, every object, every chair, seemed to say: “I, too, am Sobakevich!” or: “and I, too, am very similar to Sobakevich!”” Sobakevich speaks straightforwardly about officials: the chairman of the chamber - “he is just a freemason, but such a fool as the world has not produced”, the governor - “the first robber in the world, give him only a knife Yes, let him out on the main road - he will kill him, he will kill him for a penny! He and even the vice-governor are Goga and Magog!”, the police chief is a “swindler”, the prosecutor is a “decent person”, but at the same time, “to tell the truth, a pig”.

Over a plentiful dinner, Sobakevich talks about Plyushkin as an extremely stingy man who lives next door to him and owns eight hundred peasants.

After a hearty dinner, Chichikov decides to talk with the owner about his business. Sobakevich listens to him for a long time. “It seemed that this body did not have a soul at all, or it did have one, but not at all where it should, but, like an immortal koshchey, somewhere beyond the mountains and covered with such a thick shell that everything that did not toss and turn on bottom of it, did not produce any shocks on the surface. Sobakevich is not surprised that Chichikov is buying up dead souls. He is ready to sell them "for a hundred rubles apiece", characterizing each peasant as a master of his craft: the coachman Mikheev, the carpenter Stepan Cork, the bricklayer Milushkin, the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov. Chichikov notes that the qualities of the peasants are not so important, since the souls are dead. Sobakevich hints "that such purchases... are not always permissible...". After a long auction for a dead soul, the price is three rubles. Sobakevich writes a list of peasants and asks for a deposit. In response to this, Chichikov wants him to give him a receipt for receiving money. Everyone is afraid of being deceived. Sobakevich offers to buy "female" cheap, but Chichikov refuses. Chichikov goes to Plyushkin, whom the peasants call "patched", adding to this word the noun "very successful, but uncommon in secular conversation." “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to the service, and to retirement, and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world. And no matter how cunning you later ennoble your nickname, even if you force writing people to derive it for hire from an ancient princely family, nothing will help: the nickname will croak for itself at the top of its crow’s throat and clearly say where the bird flew from.

Lyrical digression about travel. The author notes that at the time of his youth, “it was fun for him to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time,” since “a childish curious look revealed a lot of curiosity in him.” “Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; my chilled gaze is uncomfortable, it’s not funny to me, and what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and incessant speeches, now slips by, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth!

Once in the estate of Plyushkin, "he noticed a special dilapidation on all the village buildings." The master's house appeared before Chichikov's gaze. “This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid, long, unreasonably long. In some places it was one story, in other places it was two; on the dark roof, which did not reliably protect his old age everywhere, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already tottering, deprived of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house slitted bare stucco lattice in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open; the rest were shuttered or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also half-sighted; one of them had a dark pasted triangle of blue sugar paper. Chichikov sees some figure and for a long time cannot recognize what gender she is: "is it a man or a woman." “The dress on her was completely indefinite, very similar to a woman’s hood, on her head was a cap, which village yard women wear, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for a woman.” Chichikov decided that the housekeeper was in front of him, then, looking closer, "he saw that it was rather a housekeeper ...".

The key keeper leads Chichikov into the house, which amazes him with the "disarray that has appeared." “It seemed as if the floors were being washed in the house and all the furniture had been piled up here for a while. On one table there was even a broken chair, and next to it was a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which a spider had already attached a web. Right there, leaning sideways against the wall, was a cupboard filled with antique silver, decanters, and Chinese china. On the bureau, lined with mother-of-pearl mosaics, which had already fallen out in places and left behind only yellowish grooves filled with glue, lay a lot of all sorts of things ... "

Chichikov asked where the owner was, and was surprised when the key keeper said that it was he. Chichikov saw all sorts of people, but this was the first time he saw such a person in his life. “His face was nothing special; it was almost the same as that of many thin old men, only one chin protruded very far forward, so that he had to cover it with a handkerchief every time so as not to spit; little eyes had not yet gone out and were running from under high-growing eyebrows like mice when, sticking out their pointed snouts from dark holes, pricking up their ears and blinking their mustaches, they look out for a cat or a naughty boy hiding somewhere, and suspiciously smell the very air. Much more remarkable was his attire: no means and efforts could have got to the bottom of what his dressing gown was concocted from: the sleeves and upper floors were so greasy and shiny that they looked like yuft, which is used for boots; behind, instead of two, four floors dangled, from which cotton paper climbed in flakes. Plyushkin had "more than a thousand souls." Despite the fact that in his working yard there is a “death” of all kinds of supplies that cannot be used in a lifetime, it seems to Plyushkin that this is not enough, and therefore he goes around the village and picks up what he finds, putting everything in a heap in the corner of the room.

The once rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin lived differently. He was a thrifty owner, to whom a neighbor stopped by to "learn from him housekeeping and wise stinginess." Plyushkin had a wife, two daughters and a son; in addition, a French teacher and mentor of two girls lived in the house. He was widowed early and therefore "became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy." He cursed his eldest daughter after she, having escaped with an officer of the cavalry regiment, married him. The son decided to join the military, and the youngest daughter died. “Lonely life has given nourishing food to avarice, which, as you know, has a wolfish hunger and the more it devours, the more insatiable it becomes; human feelings, which were already not deep in him, grew shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin. Due to stinginess, he could not bargain with anyone. “Hay and bread rotted, stacks and haystacks turned into clean manure, flour in the cellars turned into stone, it was terrible to touch cloth, canvas and household materials: they turned into dust.” Plyushkin accumulated his fortune on trifles, picking up other people's things, forgotten by someone by accident. He does not use a large quitrent from serfs. For the entire household, he has only a pair of boots, the peasants go barefoot. Plyushkin, with his economy, "finally turned into some kind of hole in humanity." Twice his daughter came to Plyushkin, hoping to get something from her father, but both times she left with nothing.

Chichikov tells Plyushkin what the purpose of his visit is. Plyushkin agrees to sell him the dead peasants, and also offers to buy the fugitives as well. Traded for every penny. Plyushkin hides the banknotes received from Chichikov in a box in which they lie until the death of the owner. Refusing tea and treats, Chichikov, to Plyushkin's delight, returns to the hotel. Plyushkin sees to it that the breadcrumbs from the Easter cake are put away in the pantry. All the way Chichikov was in good mood. Petrushka meets him at the hotel.

A lyrical digression in which Gogol reflects on two types of writers, one of whom "... from the great pool of daily revolving images chose only a few exceptions ...", and the other exposes "... all the terrible, amazing mire of trifles that have entangled our lives, all the depths of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters ... ".

Chichikov woke up and felt that he had slept well. After registration of merchant's fortresses, he became the owner of four hundred dead souls. Looking at himself in the mirror, Chichikov “made two jumps around the room, slapping himself very deftly with the heel of his foot”, “rubbed his hands in front of the box with the same pleasure as the incorruptible zemstvo court rubs them”, and began to compose, write and rewrite fortresses, "so as not to pay anything to clerks." He reflects on who the peasants he bought were during his lifetime. He finds out that Sobakevich deceived him by adding Elizaveta Sparrow to the list, and crosses her out.

On the street, Chichikov meets Manilov, with whom they go to make a bill of sale. In order to speed things up, in the office, Chichikov discreetly gives a bribe to an official, whose name is Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo, who covers the banknote with a book. The chief is Sobakevich. Chichikov, referring to the fact that he urgently needs to leave, asks to make a bill of sale within one day. Gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin with a request that he be a chargé d'affaires in his case. The chairman agrees to be an attorney. Witnesses appear, the necessary documents are drawn up. Chichikov pays half the fee to the treasury, since "the other half was attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner."

Everyone goes to dinner at the police chief, who was "in his place and comprehended his position to perfection." The merchants said about him that "Alexei Ivanovich," although he will take it, it will certainly not give you away ". During dinner, Sobakevich eats a large sturgeon, with which the police chief wanted to surprise those present, but did not have time. There were many toasts at the table. Those gathered decide to marry Chichikov, to which he remarks that "there would be a bride." In a good position, on the prosecutor's droshky, Chichikov goes to the hotel, where he gives Selifan "household orders." Petrushka takes off his master's boots and puts him to bed.

Petrushka and Selifan head "to the house that was opposite the hotel", from which they leave an hour later, "holding hands, maintaining perfect silence, showing each other great attention and warning each other against all corners." In the hotel, everyone soon falls asleep, only a light is on in the window of the lieutenant who has arrived from Ryazan.

Chichikov's purchases do not leave the inhabitants of the city alone. There are various conversations about what kind of peasants Chichikov bought and what it will be like in a new place, what kind of manager is needed on the farm, and it is also suggested that during the resettlement a rebellion may arise among the peasants, and advice is given to Chichikov to treat the peasants with "military cruelty ” or engage in “beneficent education”. For the safe delivery of the peasants to the place, Chichikov is offered an escort, which Chichikov flatly refuses, since, according to him, the purchased peasants have an "excellently meek character." Residents of the city of Chichikov "fell in love even more sincerely", calling him a "millionaire". The text follows a description of the inhabitants of the city N.

Ladies are delighted with Chichikov. One day, returning home, he found a letter on the table that began with the words: “No, I must write to you!” Then there was a confession of sincere feelings and it was said that at the ball, which would take place the next day, Chichikov would have to recognize the one that had opened up to him. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. For an hour he sits in front of the mirror, taking significant postures and facial expressions. While at the ball, he tries to find out who sent him a love letter. Chichikov meets the governor's daughter. She turns out to be that sixteen-year-old beauty that he saw when two chaises collided. “It is impossible to say for sure whether the feeling of love has definitely awakened in our hero - it is even doubtful that gentlemen of this kind, that is, not so fat, but not exactly thin, were capable of love; but for all that, there was something so strange here, something of a kind that he himself could not explain to himself: it seemed to him, as he later confessed, that the whole ball, with all its talk and noise, became a few minutes as if somewhere far away. The ladies present at the ball were offended by Chichikov because he did not pay any attention to them. “In some dry and ordinary words he casually uttered, they found sharp hints.” The ladies began to whisper about him "in the most unfavorable way." He cannot captivate the girl with secular conversation, as the military knows how to do, and therefore causes boredom in her. Nozdryov, who appeared at the governor's ball, tells how Chichikov tried to buy dead souls from him. Heard hard to believe, but the ladies pick up the news. Chichikov tries to distract himself, sat down to play whist, but the game did not go. Even at the table, despite the fact that Nozdryov was dismissed for scandalous behavior, he feels uncomfortable, talking to himself about balls. “But the man is strange: he was greatly upset by the dislike of the very ones whom he did not respect and about whom he spoke sharply, vilifying their vanity and outfits.”

Korobochka comes to the city to find out if she has sold her dead souls to Chichikov.

Gossip is spreading throughout the city. The men of the city are interested in buying dead souls, and the ladies are discussing how Chichikov is going to kidnap the governor's daughter. New gossip is added to the existing gossip. Two incidents are associated with the “dead souls”: the first happened with “some Solvychegodsk merchants who arrived in the city for a fair and, after trading, gave their friends Ustsysolsky merchants a feast”, which ended in a fight, as a result of which “Solvychegodsk merchants left Ustsysolsky to death” and their “ buried like the dead"; another event was as follows: “the state-owned peasants of the village of Vshivaya-arrogance, having united with the same peasants of the village of Borovka, Zadirailovo, too, wiped off the face of the earth, as it were, the zemstvo police in the person of an assessor, some kind of Drobyazhkin,” who “looked at the women and the village girls." The governor received two papers, one of which contained information about "a fake banknote maker hiding under different names," and the other reported about a "robber who had fled from legal persecution" and should be detained. This circumstance completely confused the inhabitants of the city. The officials decide to question the landlords from whom Chichikov bought dead souls. Chichikov's servants are subjected to the same questions. There comes a moment when you need to figure everything out: “Is this a person who needs to be detained and seized as unintentional, or is he such a person who himself can seize and detain them all as unintentional.” The officials decide to meet with the police chief.

City officials gather at the police chief for advice, in which "there was a noticeable absence of that necessary thing that the common people call plainly." The author discusses the peculiarities of holding meetings or charitable meetings.

According to the postmaster, Chichikov is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and the postmaster tells his story.

THE STORY ABOUT CAPTAIN KOPEIKIN

Captain Kopeikin was sent along with the wounded after the campaign of 1812, and his arm and leg were torn off. He returned home, but his father told him that he had nothing to feed him, and therefore Kopeikin was forced to go to St. Petersburg to the sovereign to find out "whether there would be any royal mercy." Somehow he got to the capital, where he "sheltered in a Revel tavern for a ruble a day." He was advised to contact high commission. Since the sovereign "at that time was not yet in the capital," he goes to the head of the commission, for whom he has been waiting for four hours in the waiting room. When the nobleman came out, those gathered in the waiting room fell silent. He asks everyone with what business he came to him. After listening to Kopeikin, he promised to do his best and offered to come in one of these days. The captain went to a tavern, where he drank vodka, dined at the London, went to the theater - "drank". Looking at the Englishwoman, he decided to follow her, but put it off until he received his “pension”. After the next visit to the nobleman, it turns out that he will not be able to help without the special permission of the king. Kopeikin's money is running out, but the nobleman does not want to accept him anymore. Having broken through to the general, the invalid tries to achieve a solution to his fate, but in vain. The general sends Kopeikin out of the capital at public expense. Since the captain did not get a solution to his problem, he decided that he would take care of himself. Where Kopeikin went is unknown, but a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests.

The police chief interrupted the story in bewilderment, since Chichikov's arm and leg were intact. After that, the postmaster, slapping his forehead, calls himself "veal" in front of everyone. According to the new version, Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. After long conversations and thoughts, Nozdryov is again asked about Chichikov, and he lies that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand rubles, that they studied together at a school where Chichikov was called a “fiscal”, that Chichikov prints fake banknotes, which is actually Chichikov wanted to take the governor's daughter away and that he, Nozdryov, helped him in this, and the village where the young people were to get married, "exactly the village of Trukhmachevka," what kind of wedding - "seventy-five rubles." After listening to Nozdryov's tales, "the officials were left in an even worse position than they were before."

The prosecutor dies of fear. Chichikov got a slight cold - "a flux and a slight inflammation in the throat", and therefore does not leave the house. He cannot understand why no one visited him during his illness, did not inquire about his health. Three days later, he goes "out into the fresh air." Finding himself in front of the governor's entrance, he hears from the porter that "it is not ordered to receive." The chairman of the chamber told him such "rubbish" that they both felt ashamed. Chichikov notices that he is not accepted anywhere, and if they are accepted, then in a rather strange way. When he returns to his hotel in the evening, Nozdryov appears and tells Chichikov about who the townspeople consider him to be, adding to everything that the prosecutor died through Chichikov's fault. Hearing that he is suspected of intending to take away the governor's daughter, Chichikov is perplexed. Fearing that he will not be able to get out of this story in a good way, Chichikov orders to get ready for the road: Selifan must prepare everything by six, and Petrushka is told to pull the suitcase out from under the bed.

The next morning, for a number of reasons, Chichikov was unable to leave the city: he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod, the wheel would not pass even two stations. He scolds Selifan, who did not inform him earlier about all the shortcomings. I had to take a long time with the blacksmiths. Only in the evening he manages to set off. Because of the funeral procession, they were forced to stop. When Chichikov found out who was being buried, "he immediately hid in a corner, covered himself with skin and drew the curtains." He did not want anyone to recognize his crew, but he "began to look timidly through the glass, which were in leather curtains," for the mourners of the deceased. City officials follow the coffin, talking about the new governor-general. Chichikov thinks that, "they say it means happiness if you meet a dead person." Finally he leaves the city. Lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Russia! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful far away I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you ... Russia! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible bond lurks between us?

The author exclaims: “What a strange, and enticing, and carrying, and wonderful in the word: road! And how wonderful she herself is, this road ... "Followed by reasoning about the hero literary work and about the origin of Chichikov. The author says that the reader did not like him, since "a virtuous person is still not taken as a hero." The author's goal was "finally to hide the scoundrel."

Chichikov was born into a noble family and outwardly does not look like his parents. “Life at the beginning looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably, through some kind of muddy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood!” His father took him to the city to a relative, a “flabby old woman,” who “patted the boy on the cheek and admired his fullness.” Here he had to go to the classes of the city school. When parting, the parent advised his son to please his teachers and superiors, communicate only with rich comrades, do not share with anyone, behave in such a way that he is treated, save a penny, which in life can do everything. The words of his father "buried deep into his soul." The boy was not distinguished by his abilities, but "more diligence and neatness." His comrades treated him, and he hid treats, and then sold them to those who treated him. To the fifty received from his father, he made “increments, showing almost extraordinary resourcefulness: he molded a bullfinch from wax, painted it and sold it very profitably.” He sold “edibles” to rich comrades during classes, showed a trained mouse for money, which “stands on its hind legs, lay down and got up on orders.” Having saved five rubles, "he sewed up the bag and began to save in another." “Chichikov suddenly comprehended the spirit of the boss and what behavior should consist of,” and therefore “he was in excellent standing and upon graduation he received a full certificate in all sciences, a certificate and a book with golden letters for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.” When his father dies, Chichikov sells "a dilapidated courtyard with an insignificant piece of land for a thousand rubles." A teacher is expelled from the school, who considered Pavlusha the best student. Former students collect money for him, but only Chichikov refused to help him, to which the teacher remarks with tears: “Oh, Pavlusha! that's how a person changes! after all, what a well-behaved, nothing violent, silk! Puffed up, puffed up a lot ... "

Chichikov lived with thoughts about "life in all contentment, with all sorts of prosperity," and therefore saved a penny. He is determined to serve in the state chamber, where he turns out to be the complete opposite of officials. Chichikov pleases the boss, takes care of his ugly daughter, soon moves into his house, becomes a fiancé, seeks promotion: instead of the old assistant, “he himself sat down as an assistant to one vacant position that had opened up.” After that, he moves to a new apartment, and "the matter was hushed up" about the wedding. Chichikov becomes a "notable person". In the service he takes bribes, is included in the commission for the construction of a state building, but "the state building did not go above the foundation." With the arrival of a new boss, Chichikov is forced to start his career anew. Enters the customs service, "this service has long been a secret subject of his thoughts." He has a talent for searches and searches. For his selfless service, he was noticed by his superiors, received a rank and a promotion. Presenting a project to catch smugglers, he receives a lot of money from them. Chichikov quarrels with the official, calling him a priest, and he, offended, sends a secret denunciation to him, and therefore "secret relations with smugglers have become obvious." Chichikov and the comrade with whom he shared are put on trial, their property is confiscated. Chichikov is all in thought about why it was he who "fell in trouble."

Taking care of "his descendants", Chichikov begins to work as an attorney. The task that he was entrusted with was as follows: "to petition for the placement of several hundred peasants in the board of trustees." And here Chichikov “was struck by the most inspired thought”: “Yes, buy all these who have died out, have not yet filed new revision tales, get them, let’s say, a thousand, yes, let’s say, the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles per capita: that’s really two hundred thousand capital!

The author, reflecting on the attitude of readers to the hero, says that it is not known how things will turn out. further fate Chichikov, where his chaise will call. “It is most fair to call him: the owner, the acquirer. The acquisition is his fault; because of him things have been done that the light will give the name of not very clean. The author talks about human passions. Fearing that accusations from the patriots might fall on him, he talks about Kif Mokievich and Mokii Kifovich, father and son, who “lived in one distant place.” The father did not deal with the family, but rather turned "in a speculative way", for example, to the question of the birth of animals. “At the time when the father was engaged in the birth of the beast, the twenty-year-old broad-shouldered nature” of his son “was trying to turn around.” Everyone in the neighborhood is afraid of the son, since he destroys everything that comes into his hands, and the father does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then let them not know about it from me, let it not be me who gave him away ".

The author reproaches readers: "You are afraid of a deeply aspiring gaze, you are afraid to direct your own gaze at something, you love to glimpse everything with unthinking eyes." It is possible that everyone can find in themselves "some part of Chichikov."

Chichikov woke up and shouted at Selifan. "The horses stirred and carried, like fluff, a light britzka." Chichikov smiled, because he liked fast driving. “And what Russian does not like to drive fast?” A lyrical digression about a trio bird. “Isn’t it true that you too, Rus, are rushing about with a brisk, unbeaten troika? .. Russ, where are you rushing to?”

Dear friends! The network presents many versions of the summary of the unforgettable poems by N. Gogol " Dead Souls" . There are both very short versions and more detailed ones. We have prepared for you the "golden mean" - the optimal version in terms of volume summary works "Dead Souls". The text of the brief retelling is divided into volumes and chapter by chapter.

Dead Souls - a summary of the chapters

Volume one of the poem "Dead Souls" (in summary)

Chapter one

In his work "Dead Souls" N.V. Gogol describes the events that took place after the expulsion of the French from the state. It all starts with the arrival of collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov to the provincial town of NN. The adviser is settled in the best hotel. Chichikov is a middle-aged man, of medium build, good-looking, slightly rounded, but this does not spoil him at all. Pavel Ivanovich is very inquisitive, even in some situations he is too annoying and annoying. He asks the tavern servant about the owner of the tavern, about the income of the owner, about all city officials, about noble landowners. He is also interested in the state of the region where he arrived.

Arriving in the city, the collegiate adviser does not sit at home, he visits everyone, from the governor to the inspector of the medical board. Everyone treats Chichikov condescendingly, because he finds a certain approach to each of the people, says certain words that are pleasant for them. They also treat him well, and this even surprises Pavel Ivanovich. For all my professional activity, for all the truth that he simply had to tell people, he experienced many negative actions in his direction, even survived an attempt on his life. Now Chichikov was looking for a place where he could live in peace.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov attends a house party hosted by the governor. There he deserves universal favor and successfully gets acquainted with the landowners Sobakevich and Manilov. The chief of police invites him to dinner. At this dinner, Chichikov meets the landowner Nozdrev. Then he visited the chairman of the chamber and the vice-governor, the farmer and the prosecutor. After that, he goes to the Manilov estate. This campaign in the work of N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" is preceded by a large author's digression. The author certifies Petrushka, who is the visitor's servant, in the smallest detail. Parsley loves to read, he has a special ability to carry with him a special smell, which in essence brings a kind of residential peace.

Chapter Two

Chichikov goes to Manilovka. However, his journey takes longer than he thought. Chichikov is met on the threshold by the owner of the estate and hugs him tightly. The Manilov house stands in the center, and around it there are many flower beds and arbors. Signs hang on the pavilions with an inscription saying that this is a place for solitude and reflection. All this decoration to some extent characterizes the owner, who is not burdened with any problems, but is too cloying. Manilov admits that Chichikov's arrival is like a sunny day for him, like the happiest holiday. The gentlemen dine in the company of the mistress of the estate and two sons, Themistoclus and Alcides. After Chichikov decides to tell about his true reason for the visit. He wants to buy from the landowner all those peasants who have already died, but no one has yet announced their death in the audit certificate. He wants to legalize such peasants as if they were still alive. The owner of the estate was very surprised by such an offer, but then agreed to the deal. Chichikov goes to Sobakevich, and meanwhile Manilov dreams that Chichikov will live next door to him across the river. That he will build a bridge across the river, and they will best friends, and the sovereign, having learned about this, would have promoted them to generals.

Chapter Three

On the way to Sobakevich, Chichikov's coachman Selifan, talking with his horses, misses the right turn. A heavy downpour begins and the coachman drops his master into the mud. They have to find shelter in the dark. They find him at Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka's. The lady turns out to be a landowner who is afraid of everyone and everything. Chichikov wastes no time in vain. He starts trading dead souls with Nastasya Petrovna. Chichikov diligently explains to her that he himself will now pay taxes for them. Cursing the stupidity of the old woman, he promises to buy all the hemp and lard from her, but another time. Chichikov buys souls from her and receives a detailed list, where they are all listed. On the list, his attention is attracted by Pyotr Savelyev Disrespectful-Trough. Chichikov, having eaten pies, pancakes, pies, and so on, leaves further. The hostess is very worried, because more money had to be taken for the souls.

Chapter Four

Chichikov, driving out onto the main road to the tavern, decides to stop for a bite to eat. The author of the work, in order to bring something mysterious into this action, begins to think about all those properties of appetite that are inherent in people like our hero. During such a snack, Chichikov meets Nozdryov. He was on his way from the fair. Nozdryov complains that he lost everything at the fair. He also talks about all the delights of the fair, talks about dragoon officers, and also mentions a certain Kuvshinnikov. Nozdryov takes away his son-in-law and Chichikov. Pavel Ivanovich thinks that with the help of Nozdrev, one can profit well. Nozdryov turned out to be a man history lovers. Wherever he was, whatever he did, nothing was without history. On the table during lunch there were many dishes and a large number of drinks of dubious quality. After dinner, the son-in-law leaves for his wife, and Chichikova decides to get down to business. However, it is impossible to buy or beg for souls from Chichikov. The owner of the house offers his own conditions: to exchange, to take in addition to something, or to make a bet in the game. An insurmountable disagreement arises between the men about this, and they go to bed. The next morning, their conversation resumes again. They meet at a game of checkers. During the game, Nozdryov tries to cheat, and Chichikov notices this. It turns out that Nozdrev is on trial. Chichikov runs away in view of the arrival of the police captain.

Chapter Five

On the way, Chichikov's carriage crashes into another carriage. All the witnesses of the incident are trying to untangle the reins and return the horses to their places. Chichikov, meanwhile, admires the sixteen-year-old young lady, begins to dream of living together with her, of their future family. Sobakevich's estate is a solid building, in fact, completely to match the owner. The owner treats the guests to dinner. At the meal they talk about city officials. Sobakevich condemns them, because he is sure that all of them, without exception, are scammers. Chichikov tells the owner about his plans. They make a deal. Sobakevich is not at all afraid of such a deal. He bargained for a long time, pointing out the best qualities of each of his former serfs, provides Chichikov with a detailed list and lures a deposit from him. The bargaining continues for a long time. Chichikov assures Sobakevich that the qualities of the peasants are no longer important because they are inanimate and cannot bring physical benefit to the new owner. Sobakevich begins to hint to his potential buyer that transactions of this kind are illegal and can lead to terrible consequences. He even threatens to tell anyone who needs it, and Chichikov will face punishment. Finally, they agree on a price, draw up a document, fearing a set-up by each other. Sobakevich offers Chichikov to buy a housekeeper for the minimum price, but the guest refuses. However, later, reading the document, Pavel Ivanovich sees that Sobakevich nevertheless entered a woman - Elizabeth Vorobey. Chichikov leaves Sobakevich's estate. On the way, he asks a peasant in the village which road he needs to take to get to Plyushkin's estate. Plyushkin, among the people, behind the eyes, the peasants called patched.

The fifth chapter of the work "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol ends with the author making a lyrical digression about the Russian language. The author emphasizes the power of the Russian language, its richness and diversity. He also talks about such a feature of Russian people as giving nicknames to everyone. Nicknames do not arise at the wish of their owners, but in connection with some actions, various actions, a combination of circumstances. Nicknames accompany a person almost until death, you can’t get rid of them or pay off. On the territory of Russia, not only a huge number of churches, monasteries, but also a myriad of generations, tribes, peoples are rushing around the Earth ... Neither the word of a Briton, nor the word of a Frenchman, and even the word of a German can not be compared with the aptly spoken Russian word. Because only Russian word so smartly it can escape right from under the heart.

Chapter six

On the way to the landowner Plyushkin, whom Sobakevich told about, Chichikov meets a peasant. He strikes up a conversation with this guy. He gives Plushkin a clear, but not very printable nickname. The author begins the story of his former love for unfamiliar places, which now do not evoke any feelings in him. Chichikov, seeing Plyushkin, at first takes him for a housekeeper, and then in general for a beggar. The most surprising thing is that Plyushkin turned out to be a very greedy person. He even carries his old fallen off sole of his boot into a heap heaped in the master's chambers. Chichikov offers him a deal, points out all its advantages. He assures that now he will take over the taxes for the dead and runaway peasants. After a successful deal, Chichikov refuses tea with crackers. With a letter to the chairman of the chamber, he leaves in a good mood.

Chapter Seven

Chichikov spends the night at the hotel. Waking up, a pleased Chichikov studies the lists of acquired peasants, reflects on their alleged fate. Then he goes to the civil chamber in order to resolve all his affairs as quickly as possible. At the gates of the hotel, he meets Manilov. He accompanies him to the very chamber. Sobakevich is already sitting at the reception in the chairman's apartment. The chairman, out of the kindness of his soul, agrees to be Plyushkin's attorney, and thereby, to a large extent, speeds up all other transactions. A discussion began on Chichikov's latest acquisitions. It was important for the chairman whether he bought so many peasants with land or for withdrawal, and to what places he would take them. Chichikov intended to bring the peasants to the Kherson province. At the meeting, all the properties possessed by the sold men were also revealed. After all this, champagne was opened. Later, everyone went to the chief of police, where they drank to the health of the new Kherson landowner. Everyone is quite excited. They even try to forcibly leave Chichikov there, on the condition that they will soon find him a worthy wife.

Chapter Eight

Everyone in the city is talking about Chichikov's purchases, many even gossip that he is a millionaire. Girls go crazy for him. Before the ball at the governor's, Chichikov even receives a mysterious love letter, which even a fan did not deign to sign. Having dressed up for the event, in full readiness, he goes to the ball. There he moves from one embrace to another, circling from one to the other in a dance. Chichikov tried to find the sender of that unnamed letter. There were even a lot of disputes between the girls for his attention. However, his search stops when the governor's wife approaches him. He forgets absolutely everything, because next to him is a sixteen-year-old blonde, it was with her crew that he ran into on the way here. With this behavior, he instantly loses the location of all the ladies. Chichikov is completely immersed in a conversation with a chic and charming blonde, neglecting the attention from other ladies. Suddenly, Nozdryov comes to the ball, his appearance promises Pavel Ivanovich huge troubles. Nozdryov asks Chichikov for the whole hall and at the top of his voice whether he has bought a lot of the dead. Despite the fact that Nozdryov was pretty drunk, and the whole resting society had no time for such statements, Chichikov becomes uneasy. And he leaves in complete sadness and confusion.

Chapter Nine

At the same time, due to increasing anxiety, the landowner Korobochkova arrives in the city. She hurries to find out at what price one can buy dead souls at the present time. The news about the buying and selling of dead souls becomes the property of one pleasant lady, then another. This story gets even more interesting details. They say that Chichikov, armed to the teeth, rushes to Korobochka at dead midnight, demands the souls that have died. He instantly inspires fear and terror in people. People are even starting to think that dead souls are just a cover. But in fact, Chichikov just wants to take the governor's daughter away. Having discussed in full the details of this event, Nozdryov's participation in it and the dignity of the governor's daughter, both ladies tell the prosecutor about everything and are going to start a riot in the city.

Chapter ten briefly

In a fairly short time, the city revived. News continues to appear one after another. There is news about the appointment of a new governor-general. New papers appear in the case of fake banknotes and, of course, about the insidious robber who fled from legal persecution. Due to the fact that Chichikov spoke little about himself, people have to collect his image by thread. They recall what Chichikov said about the people who attempted on his life. In his statement, the postmaster, for example, writes that Chichikov, in his opinion, is a kind of captain Kopeikin. This captain seemed to take up arms against the injustice of the whole world and became a robber. However, this version was rejected by everyone, since it follows from the story that the captain was missing one arm and one leg, and Chichikov was safe and sound. There are various assumptions. There is even a version that he is Napoleon in disguise. Many are beginning to see a certain similarity in them, especially in profile. Interrogations of participants in the actions, such as Korobochkin, Manilov and Sobakevich, do not yield results. Nozdryov only increases the already existing confusion of the citizens. He declares Chichikov a spy who makes false banknotes and intends to take the governor's daughter away. Such a huge number of versions negatively affect the prosecutor, he has a stroke, and he dies.

Chapter Eleven

Chichikov, meanwhile, is sitting at his hotel with a slight cold and is sincerely surprised that none of the officials has ever visited him. Soon he himself goes to the governor and realizes that he is not wanted there and will not be accepted. In other places, all people fearfully shun him. Nozdryov, when visiting Chichikov at the hotel, tells him about everything that happened. He assures Pavel Ivanovich that he agrees to help in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter.

The very next day, Chichikov hurriedly leaves. However, on his way there is a funeral procession, and he is simply forced to look at all the officials, and at the prosecutor Brichk lying in the coffin. Having decided that it is time for the hero, who has already done a lot of things, to rest, the author decides to tell the whole story of Pavel Ivanovich's life. The story is about his childhood, schooling, where he was already able to show all his mind and ingenuity. The author also talks about the relationship of the protagonist with his comrades and teacher, about his service, work in the commission of a state-owned building, subsequent departure to other, not so profitable places, transfer to the customs service. Around him he made a lot of money, concluding fake contracts, conspiracies, working with smuggling, and so on. During his life, he was even able to avoid a criminal trial, but was forced to retire. He became a trustee. During the fuss about the pledge of the peasants, he laid down his insidious plan in his head. And only then he began to go around the space of Russia. He wanted to buy dead souls, put them in the treasury as if they were alive, get money, buy a village and provide for future offspring.

The author partly justifies his hero, calling him the owner, who acquired a lot, who was able to build such an entertaining chain of actions with his mind. Thus ends the first volume of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls".

Volume two of the poem Dead Souls (summary of chapters)

The second volume of the work of N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls ” begins with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, nicknamed the smoker of the sky. The author tells about all the futility of his pastime. Then comes the story of a life that is full of hope at its very beginning, then overshadowed by the pettiness of the service and subsequent troubles. The hero retires, intending to improve his estate. He dreams of reading many books. But reality does not give the expected results, the man remains idle. Tentetnikov's hands drop. He cuts off all his acquaintances with neighbors. He was greatly offended by the treatment of General Betrishchevai. Because of this, she stops visiting him, despite the fact that she cannot forget his daughter Ulinka.

It is to Tentetnikov that Chichikov is on his way. He justifies his arrival by the breakdown of the crew, and, of course, he is overcome by the desire to pay his respects. Pavel Ivanovich liked the owner because he had an amazing ability to adapt to anything. After Chichikov goes to the general, to whom he tells the story of his absurd uncle and, of course, does not forget to beg the owner for dead souls. The general laughs at Chichikov. Then Chichikov goes to Colonel Koshkarev. However, everything does not go according to his plan, and he ends up with Pyotr Petrovich Rooster. Pavel Ivanovich finds the rooster completely naked, hunting sturgeon. Pyotr Petrovich's estate was mortgaged, which means that buying dead souls is simply impossible. Pavel Ivanovich meets the landowner Platonov, persuades him to travel together in Russia and goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, who is married to Platonov's sister. He, in turn, tells the guests about the ways of housekeeping, with the help of which you can significantly increase your income. Chichikov is terribly inspired by this idea.

Chichikov visits Colonel Koshkarev, who also mortgaged his estate, while dividing his village into committees, expeditions and departments. Returning, he listens to the curse of the bile Costanjoglo, addressed to factories and manufactories. Chichikov is touched, he awakens a craving for honest work. After listening to the story of the farmer Murazov, who made millions in an irreproachable way, he goes to Khlobuev. There he observes the unrest of his household in the neighborhood with a governess for children, a fashionable wife and other signs of luxury. Borrows money from Costanjoglo and Platonov. Gives a deposit for the estate. He goes to the Platonov estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, with a chic household. Then Lenitsyn receives dead souls from their neighbor.

Chichikov is in the city at the fair, where he acquires a lingonberry-colored fabric with a spark. He meets with Khlobuev, whom he annoyed, almost depriving him of his inheritance, by some kind of incitement. Meanwhile, denunciations are being found against Chichikov both about the forgery and about the sale and purchase of dead souls. Then a gendarme appears, taking away smart Chichikov to the governor-general. All the atrocities of Chichikov are revealed, he falls at the feet of the general, but this does not save him. Murazov finds Chichikov in a dark closet, tearing his hair and tailcoat. He persuades Pavel Ivanovich to live honestly and goes to soften the governor general. Many officials who want to harm their superiors and receive an award from Chichikov deliver a box to him, kidnap a witness and write denunciations, confusing even more an already difficult matter. Terrible riots begin to occur in the province. This worries the Governor General very much. Murazov, on the other hand, was a rather cunning person, giving advice to the general in such a way that he releases Chichikov. On this second volume of the work of N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" ends.

We give a summary of the famous work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - Dead Souls. This book is a must for school curriculum, so it is important to familiarize yourself with its content, or, if you forgot some points, remember the main plot points.

Volume One

The story took place immediately after the famous expulsion of the French. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a collegiate adviser, (not very young and not old, pleasant and slightly round in appearance, neither thin nor fat) finds himself in a provincial town of NN and stays at a hotel. He asks the tavern servants about the owners and income of the institution, significant landowners, officials, is interested in the state of the region and about rampant diseases, epidemic fevers and other misfortunes.

The guest of the city visits all the inhabitants and notices the courtesy of the people and vigorous activity. He almost does not talk about himself, brushing aside, saying that he had seen a lot in his life, that he had many enemies who wanted to kill him. He is currently looking for a place to live. At the governor's party, he achieves universal favor and meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Then he dines with the chief of police (where he meets the landowner Nozdryov), visits the vice-governor and the chairman, the prosecutor and the farmer - and goes to the Manilov estate.

Having overcome 30 miles, Chichikov arrived in Manilovka to the kindest host. Don of the landowner, who was located in the Jura surrounded by flower beds and gazebos, characterized the owner, not weighed down by passions. After dinner with the landlady and the two sons of the landowner, Alkid and Themistoclus, Chichikov talks about the purpose of his visit: he wants to buy dead peasants who are not declared in the audit certificate, but to register them as living. The kind owner was initially frightened and perplexed, but then he was delighted and made a deal. Then Chichikov goes to Sobakevich, and Manilov dreams of living next door to Chichikov across the river, building a bridge, a house with a gazebo that allows him to see Moscow, and making friends with him, for which the sovereign would make them generals. Chichikov's coachman Selifan, who was treated kindly by Manilov's yard people, while talking to the horses, misses the necessary turn and, during a downpour, drops the master into the slush. In the darkness, they manage to find lodging for the night at Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a somewhat timid landowner, from whom Chichikov buys dead souls in the morning. He said that he himself would pay taxes for them. He buys souls from her for 15 rubles, takes the list and, after tasting pancakes, pie and pies, leaves, leaving the hostess worried about whether she sold too cheap.

On the high road, Chichikov heads to the tavern for a meal. He meets with Nozdrev, who is riding in Mizhuev's britzka, because he lost everything he had. Talking about the fair he visited, he praises the drinking qualities of the officers and, demonstrating the puppy, Nozdrev takes Chichikov with him, taking also the stubborn son-in-law Mizhuev. After describing Nozdryov, his house, dinner, the author switches to his son-in-law's wife, and Chichikov starts a conversation about his interest, but the landowner does not agree. Nozdryov suggested an exchange, take it to a stallion or put it in cards, as a result they swear and say goodbye for the night. Persuasion continues in the morning again, and Chichikov agrees to play checkers, but sees Nozdryov's cheating during the game. Chichikov, whom the owner and servants are about to beat, runs away during the visit of the police captain, who announced that Nozdryov had been taken to court. On the way, Chichikov's cart collides with an unknown crew, and while the confused horses are being bred, Chichikov sees a 16-year-old young lady, talking about her and dreaming of a family. A visit to Sobakevich is followed by a lunch during which they discuss city officials, who, according to the owner, are all swindlers, the conversation ends with a proposal for a deal. Sobakevich begins to bargain, characterizing the good qualities of the serfs, gives Chichikov the list and forces him to make a deposit.

Chichikov's path to Plyushkin is interrupted by a conversation with a peasant who gave Plyushkin a petty nickname and the author's reflection on love and indifference. Seeing the landowner, Chichikov thought that he was a housekeeper or a wandering beggar. His most important feature lies in his amazing tinkering, he dragged all unnecessary things into his chambers. Having demonstrated the advantage of the offer, Chichikov refuses tea with crackers and leaves in a good mood, taking with him a letter to the chairman of the chamber.

During Chichikov's sleep, the author sadly talks about the meanness of objects. After a dream, Chichikov begins to study the lists of the purchased peasants, thinking about their fate, and goes to the ward to conclude the case. Manilov meets him near the hotel and goes with him. Then the official place is described, Chichikov's troubles and giving a bribe. The chairman becomes Plushkin's attorney, speeding up other deals. The people begin to discuss Chichikov's purchases, what he intends to do: in what places, with land or for withdrawal, did he acquire peasants. Having learned that the peasants will be sent to the Kherson province, after discussing the qualities of the sold peasants, the deals are completed with champagne, then they go to the police chief to drink for the new landowner. Excited after strong drinks, they began to force Chichikov to stay and start a family.

Chichikov's acquisitions lead to a stir in the city, everyone says that he is a millionaire. Ladies line up. Trying to describe women, the author becomes shy and falls silent. Before the governor's ball, Chichikov receives a love note. Having spent a lot of time on the toilet and being satisfied, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he can hardly escape from the embrace. The girls, among whom he is looking for the author of the letter, begin to quarrel. But when the governor's wife approaches him, his behavior changes dramatically, because she is accompanied by her daughter, a 16-year-old blonde, whose carriage he encountered on the road. He begins to lose the favor of women, because he begins to talk with an interesting blonde, defiantly ignoring the others. In addition, Nozdryov comes to the ball and loudly asks if Chichikov bought up a lot of dead people. Despite Nozdryov's drunken state, society is embarrassed, Chichikov is not given either dinner or whist, and he leaves the ball in upset feelings.

At this time, a tarantass arrives in the town with the landowner Korobochka, who has arrived in order to find out about the price of dead souls. In the morning, some pleasant house finds out the news, which is in a hurry to notify others, as a result, interesting details appear in the story (an armed Chichikov burst into Korobochka at night, demanding dead souls - everyone came running, screaming, crying children). Her friend says that the dead souls are just a cover for Chichikov's cunning intent to steal the governor's daughter. After discussing the details of the enterprise, Nozdrev's accomplice, the women tell everything to the prosecutor and go to rebel in the city.

The town quickly begins to seethe, to this is added the news that a new governor-general has been appointed, and there is information about papers: about the appearance of fake banknotes in the province, about a robber who fled from legal persecution. Trying to find out who Chichikov is, they begin to recall his vague certification and the conversation about the attempt on his life. The postmaster suggested that Chichikov is the captain of Kopeika, who took up arms against an unjust world and became a robber, but this is rejected because the captain has no limbs, and Chichikov is whole. There is an assumption that this is Napoleon in disguise, with whom he has many similarities. Conversations with Sobakevich, Manilov and Korobochka yielded no results. And Nozdryov only intensifies the confusion, saying that Chichikov is a spy who makes fake banknotes and wants to steal the governor's daughter, in which he should help him. All the conversations had a strong effect on the prosecutor, he has a stroke, from which he dies.

Chichikov, with a slight cold, stays at the hotel and is surprised that not a single official comes to him. However, when he decided to pay everyone visits, he learns that the governor does not want to see him, and the rest step aside in fear. Nozdryov, having come to his hotel, tells him everything, declaring that he is ready to help in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. In the morning, Chichikov quickly leaves, but he is stopped by a funeral procession, he has to look at the officials who are walking behind the coffin of the prosecutor. The brichka leaves the city, and the open spaces make the author think about sad and gratifying things, about Russia, and then grieve about the hero.

Having concluded that the hero needs to rest, the author tells the story of Pavel Ivanovich, reveals his childhood, studies, where he showed a practical mind, what kind of relationship he had with teachers and peers, how he served in the Treasury, the commission for the construction of a government building , where for the first time he showed his weaknesses, how later he went to other not so profitable places, as he served at customs, where it is almost impossible to work honestly and incorruptibly, he received a lot of money by conspiring with smugglers, went bankrupt, but was able to avoid a criminal court, although forced to retire. Becoming an attorney and bustling about the pledge of the peasants, he came up with a plan: he began to travel around Russia, buying dead souls and pledging them to the treasury to receive money that would be used to purchase the village and provide for offspring.

Having again murmured at the nature of the hero and justified him a little, calling him "the acquirer, the owner", the author compared the flying troika with Russia, ending the story with the ringing of a bell.

Volume two

The estate of Andrey Ivanovich Tentetnikov is described, whom the author calls "the smoker of the sky". The author tells about his empty pastime, tells the story of his life, which was inspired by hopes and overshadowed by official troubles and trifles. He retires, wanting to renovate the estate, take care of the peasant, read books, but without any experience this does not provide the desired results, the peasant begins to mess around, and Tentetnikov simply gives up. He avoids neighbors, offended by the attitude of General Betrishchev, does not visit him, although he often thinks about his daughter Ulinka. In general, he begins to turn sour.

Pavel Ivanovich goes to him, complaining about the breakdown in the carriage, trying to pay respect. Having arranged the owner to himself, Chichikov goes to the general, telling him about the grumpy uncle and asking about the dead souls. The narrative is interrupted by a laughing general, then we find Chichikov walking towards Colonel Koshkarev. He turns to the Rooster, who appears before him naked, he is interested in catching sturgeon. Petukh has almost nothing, except for the mortgaged estate, so he simply overeats, meets with the landowner Platonov and persuades him to drive around Russia. After that, he goes to Konstantin Kostanzhoglo, the wife of Platonov's sister. From him, he learns about management methods that significantly increase the profit from the estate, Chichikov is greatly inspired by this.

He quickly comes to Koshkarev, who divided his village into expeditions, departments, committees, organizing an ideal paper production on the estate. After returning, Costanjoglo curses manufactories and factories that have a bad effect on the peasant, the absurd desires of the peasant and the neighbor Khlobuev, who abandoned his estate and gives for a penny. Chichikov is touched and even drawn to honest work, listening to the story of the farmer Murazov, who earned 40 million flawlessly, the next day, together with Platonov and Kostanzhoglo, he goes to Khlobuev, sees his obscene and careless household, along with a governess for children, a fashionable wife and other luxury . Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he pays for the estate, wanting to acquire it, and goes to the Platonov estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who is skillfully engaged in farming. Then he ends up with his neighbor Lenitsyn, winning his sympathy with the ability to tickle a child, thanks to which he receives dead souls.

After many omissions in the manuscript, Chichikov finds himself at a city fair, where he acquires lingonberry fabric with a spark. He meets Khlobuev, whom he ruined his life. Khlobuev was taken away by Murazov, who convinced him that he needed to work and raise funds for the church. Meanwhile, slanders against Chichikov are recognized by dead souls and forgery. The tailor delivers the tailcoat. Suddenly, a gendarme arrives and drags Chichikov to the governor-general. Here all his atrocities become known, and he finds himself in prison. Chichikov finds himself in a closet, where Murazov finds him. He tears his hair and clothes, mourning the loss of the box of papers. Murazov, with kind words, tries to awaken in him a desire for an honest life and goes to soften the governor general. At the same moment, officials who want to annoy the authorities and take a bribe from Chichikov bring him a box, send denunciations to confuse the case and steal the witness. Riots are unfolding in the province, which are of great concern to the Governor General. But Murazov is able to grope for the sensitive sides of his soul and provide the right advice that the Governor-General wants to use when releasing Chichikov. After that, the manuscript ends...

HISTORY OF CREATION

⦁ 1935 - the beginning of work on the poem. The idea was put forward by Pushkin, who witnessed the fraud with "dead souls" during his exile. As conceived by N.V. Gogol, the poem was supposed to have three volumes, repeating the structure of Dante's Divine Comedy. Work on the first volume lasted 7 years (1835-1842).
⦁ 1840 - the beginning of work on the second volume of the poem. By 1845, N.V. Gogol had already prepared several options for continuing the poem. In the same year, the writer burned the second part of "Dead Souls", explaining the reason for his act as follows: "The appearance of the second volume in the form in which it was would do more harm than good"

PROBLEMS

Socio-public - the image of Russia of that time;
⦁ moral - showing spiritually dead people - landowners and officials;
⦁ philosophical - what is the meaning of human life.

COMPOSITION AND PLOT

The work traces three intertwining storylines associated with one hero - Chichikov:
⦁ adventures of Chichikov;
⦁ biographies of landowners;
⦁ activities of city officials.
The sequence of events makes a lot of sense: N.V. Gogol sought to reveal in his heroes an ever greater loss of human qualities, the deadening of their souls.

The composition of the poem is distinguished by clarity and clarity: all parts are interconnected by the plot-forming hero Chichikov, who travels with the goal of getting a million.

exposition
Chapter 1. Chichikov's arrival in the provincial town of N, his acquaintance with officials, the governor and the prosecutor.

tie
Chapters 2-6. Chichikov's trip to the landlords Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich, Plyushkin, buying up "dead souls".

climax
Chapters 7-9. The return of Chichikov to the city, the execution of the bill of sale. Ball at the Governor's. Exposing Chichikov the Emilpionist.

"The Tale of Captain Kopeikin"
Chapter 10

denouement
Chapter 11. Chichikov's departure from the city. The story of the author about the life of the hero.

IDEA AND THEMATIC CONTENT

⦁ Topics: the present and future of Russia, the shortcomings, vices and weaknesses of the Russian people, the terrible degradation of the soul.
⦁ Idea: the author tells that people should look at their own vulgarity and become disgusted with it; human souls have become dead, therefore, pointing to vices, the writer wants to bring people back to life. In the necrosis of the souls of the characters - landowners, officials, Chichikov - N.V. Gogol sees the tragic mortification of mankind, the dull movement of history in a vicious circle. The work sounds a hymn to the homeland and people, the hallmark of which is diligence: masters with golden hands became famous for their inventions and creativity. The Russian peasant is always "rich in invention."

GENRE UNIQUENESS

⦁ It is impossible to accurately define the genre of the work: it is both a socio-psychological and an adventurous and picaresque novel (a swindler hero), at the same time a lyric poem and satire.
⦁ Lyrics in the poem: lyrical digressions about the meaning of life, the fate of Russia, creativity, assessment of the actions of heroes, description of nature and image of the people.
⦁ Epos in a poem: plot, wide coverage of reality, many characters

ARTISTIC FEATURES

⦁ Gradation: the characters are drawn according to the principle one is worse than the other.
⦁ A certain sequence in the description of the landlords: the estate, the courtyard, the interior of the house, the portrait and the author's description, relations with Chichikov, the home environment, the dinner scene.
⦁ Detailing when describing the nature and life of the landowners: for example, Manilov has “eyes as sweet as sugar”; on the table lies a book, "marked on the fourteenth page, which he has been reading for two years."
⦁ Social typing: generalized images of their class.
⦁ Individualization of characters through zoological motifs: Manilov the cat, Sobakevich the bear, Korobochka is a bird, Nozdryov is a dog, Plyushkin is a mouse.

ARTISTIC MEANS

⦁ Speech characteristics of heroes: for example, in Manilov's speech there are many introductory words and sentences, he says pretentiously, he does not finish the phrase; Nozdryov's speech contains a lot of swear words and jargon.
⦁ Proverbs and sayings: “for a friend, seven miles is not a village” (Nozdrev); “a woman is like a bag: what they put in, they carry” (residents of the city of NN); “no matter how you fight with a bull, you can’t get milk from him” (author); “people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan” (about Manilov); “I’m looking for mittens, but both are behind my belt!” (Chichikov); "hooked - dragged, broke - do not ask" (Chichikov); “Crying does not help grief, we need to do the job” (Chichikov); “with a dead body, at least support the fence” (Chichikov about “dead souls”): “it’s wrongly tailored, but tightly sewn” (Chichikov about Sobakevich); “the forty Jacob confirmed one thing about everyone” (Sobakevich about Chichikov); “There is no law on tastes: who loves the priest, and who is a hit” (Sobakevich).
⦁ The solemnity of comparisons, high style, combined with original speech, create a sublimely ironic manner of narration that serves to debunk the base, vulgar world of the owners.
⦁ Authentic folk language. The forms of colloquial, bookish and written business speech are harmoniously woven into the fabric of the narrative. Rhetorical questions and exclamations, the use of Slavicisms, archaisms, sonorous epithets create a certain structure of speech. When describing landowners' estates and their owners, vocabulary is used that is characteristic of everyday speech. The image of the bureaucratic world is saturated with vocabulary characteristic of the depicted environment.

A certain gentleman arrives in the provincial town of NN and stays at a hotel. With him is his coachman Selifan and footman Petrushka. The gentleman is registered as collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who travels "according to his own needs."

While he was served the usual food for taverns in provincial towns, he "with extreme accuracy" asked the servants about local officials and landowners. Then the gentleman walks around the city, which, like other provincial cities, turns out to be very ugly. The next day he pays visits to city officials, starting with the governor, and knows how to flatter everyone. About himself, Chichikov modestly says that he is "the worm of this world" and that he "suffered in the service for the truth."

Attends Chichikov and the governor's ball. There he sees men of two kinds - thin, who only curl around the ladies, and the same as Chichikov himself, that is, not "too fat, but not thin either." The latter are honorary city officials, very solid people who sit firmly in official places, making themselves solid fortunes. At the ball, unlike the thin ones, they indulge in a "sensible" occupation - they play cards. Among the officials are the prosecutor, the postmaster and others.

Here Chichikov met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. The next day, at a dinner at the police chief, Chichikov meets the landowner Nozdrev, who, while playing cards, is closely watched by the police chief and the prosecutor. Both officials and landowners liked Chichikov very much, and Manilov and Sobakevich invited him to visit.

Soon Chichikov goes to the landowners who invited him. Manilovka is hard to find. The owner is a person who at first likes, but then immediately wants to move away from him, because mortal boredom comes from him. Manilov and his wife live happily, they give each other beaded cases for toothpicks, treat each other with candy or an apple.

They are not engaged in housekeeping: this is a low subject. The sons of the Manilovs are called Themisgoclus and Alkid. The father admires the abilities of the first son, who pays attention to every insect and already at the age of seven knows that there are such cities as Paris, St. Petersburg and Moscow. Manilov spends time in dreams, as evidenced by the gazebo called "Temple of Solitary Reflection."

In a conversation with Chichikov, the spouses admire all the officials of the city and their wives. Chichikov willingly agrees with them. After dinner, Manilov talks with the guest about the subject he occupies: Chichikov wants to buy the dead peasants.

Manilov is extremely surprised, but Chichikov says that they are acting according to the law: in the revision tale, the peasants are listed as alive. Having calmed Manilov's fears about the "further views" of Russia, Chichikov wants to agree on a price, but Manilov, who is looking for beauty and nobility in everything, gives Chichikov peasants and is ready to draw up a bill of sale at his own expense. Satisfied Chichikov hurries to Sobakevich.

On the way, Chichikov is immersed in pleasant thoughts and assumptions. Selifan, satisfied with the reception of the Manilov household and having a bit of a "spooky", talks good-naturedly with the horses, telling the chubar horse, which is badly lucky, that one must live in truth.

Carried away, Selifan forgets that he must turn off at the third turn. It begins to rain heavily, and Selifan, coming to his senses, rushes along the first cross road. In the darkness, the britzka hits a harrowed field, Selifan, turning, overturns it, and Chichikov falls into the mud.

Fortunately, a dog barking is heard nearby, Selifan directs the horses towards the village, and soon the britzka stops at the house of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, to whom Chichikov asks to spend the night. The hostess notices that Chichikov is dirty, "like a hog." Korobochka is one of the “small landowners” who “cry for crop failures, while hiding money themselves.

In the morning, Chichikov examines Korobochki's estate from the window: there is a chicken coop almost next to the low house, chickens roam under the window. The pig, which has appeared with its family, eats the chicken. Behind the chicken coop there are gardens with stuffed animals, one of which is wearing Korobochka's cap, behind the gardens are peasant huts.

The conversation about dead souls is difficult with Korobochka: she is afraid to sell too cheap. To Chichikov, he says nonsense to all arguments, such as the fact that the dead, perhaps, will still be useful in the household. Exhausted by the conversation with the "cursed old woman" and wiping his forehead, Chichikov calls her "club-headed" to himself.

Only by banging his chair on the floor and remembering the devil does Chichikov cope with the landowner. Souls are bought, Chichikov has a wonderful snack at Korobochka and leaves, returning to the road from which he strayed.

Soon Chichikov stops at a tavern to refresh himself. Nozdryov also comes there, who at the fair "blew his ass", losing four horses. He is accompanied by some friend whom he introduces as his son-in-law Mizhuev.

He constantly contradicts Nozdryov, who, obviously exaggerating, claims that he can drink seventeen bottles of champagne. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to go to him, and Chichikov, thinking that since Nozdryov "lost" he will sell the peasants, he agrees.

The narrator characterizes Nozdryov as a person who does not change at all and who has a "passion to spoil his neighbor."

On the estate, Nozdryov shows his pride - dogs, then demonstrates a broken mill, leading guests across a field covered with bumps and water. Nozdryov says that everything that the guests see even on the other side of the border separating the estate belongs to him. Mizhuev still contradicts.

The treat at dinner is such that it seems that the chef puts everything that comes to hand into the dish. Chichikov notices that Nozdryov is intensively serving the guests with wine, although he himself drinks little.

Mizhuev leaves, citing his wife; Nozdryov scolds him with a "fetyuk". Chichikov asks Nozdryov to transfer the dead peasants in his name, but he wants to know why Chichikov needs it. He dodges, Nozdryov calls him a swindler. Chichikov asks to sell the peasants. Nozdryov is trying to force Chichikov to buy from him either a stallion, or a brown mare, or dogs with increased “side-to-side ribs”.

Then Nozdryov is ready to give everything he offered, plus dead souls, for a britzka. Chichikov refuses everything, Nozdryov calls him Fetyuk and Sobakevich. Trading resumes in the morning. Chichikov agrees to play checkers for souls.

Nozdryov cheats, Chichikov refuses to play, and Nozdryov is going to beat him, calling for help two hefty serf fools. Chichikov is saved by the appearance of the police captain, who has come to tell Nozdryov that he is on trial because he intoxicated with rods a certain landowner Maximov. Chichikov orders Selifan to rush at full speed.

On the way to Sobakevich, the unforeseen happens: Chichikov's carriage runs into Chichikov's carriage, which is coming towards him. A sixteen-year-old blonde sits in a stroller. While the gathered peasants are trying to move the horses, Chichikov thinks how good the blonde is, and also that if they gave her a dowry, then this would be the happiness of a “decent person”.

The village of Sobakevich, where Chichikov soon arrives, shows in the owner a person who cares about strength: everything around is “in some kind of strong and clumsy order.” When Chichikov drives up, two faces look out of the window: one looks like a cucumber, the second looks like a pumpkin. The first is feminine, as it is wearing a cap. These are the faces of Sobakevich and his wife. The owner meets the guest on the porch, and Chichikov sees that he looks like a "medium-sized bear."

The conversation begins with Chichikov praising city officials. Sobakevich calls them all Christ-sellers, about the governor he says that he is a robber and "will kill him for a penny." The conversation about dead souls turns into a real bargain: Sobakevich tries to sell the souls at the highest possible price.

The bargaining ends in mutual benefit, and Chichikov, having learned from Sobakevich that the neighboring landowner, the miser Plyushkin, people are dying like flies, goes to him. Asking the peasants for directions to Plyushkin, Chichikov hears from them some very funny nickname given to the miser by the peasants. In connection with this, the narrator praises the Russian mind and the living Russian word.

The narrator recalls with regret his lost youth, when everything attracted him, it was interesting, nothing left him indifferent.

The village of Plyushkin and his house are distinguished by some special dilapidation. The manor's house looks like an old invalid, only two windows are open, but even they are “sighted:. Behind the house is a neglected but picturesque garden. Two village churches are visible, just as neglected. All around rotting master's bread.

The place seems to be dead. Near the house, Chichikov notices a strange-looking figure and cannot determine whether it is a woman or a man. The figure scolds some peasant with "scandalous words", and Chichikov decides that this is most likely the housekeeper. However, he notices that the “housekeeper” has a chin similar to an “iron wire comb”.

It turns out that in front of Chichikov is the owner himself, the richest landowner Plyushkin. There is a terrible mess in his house: there are a lot of small pieces of paper on the bureau, a dried lemon, and so on. At the same time, there are good things in the house: a bureau with mother-of-pearl mosaics, a book in a red cover.

The narrator tells the story of Plyushkin: he used to be a good, “thrifty” owner, distinguished by “wise stinginess”, he had a family: a hospitable wife, daughters and son. But Plyushkin could not stand the test: his wife died, one daughter ran away from home with an officer, his son became a military man, whom the landowner did not like, the second daughter died. Gradually, Plyushkin became more and more stingy and finally turned into "some kind of hole in humanity."

In a lyrical digression, the narrator urges readers not to leave all “human movements” on the path of life, otherwise nothing human will remain on their faces by old age.

Chichikov quickly finds an approach to Plushkin, saying that he wants to save the old man from the obligation to pay taxes for the dead peasants. Plyushkin also has runaway peasants, whom Chichikov also buys.

The landowner calls Chichikov a benefactor and is even going to treat him to a "liquor" in which boogers have appeared. Chichikov refuses, and Plyushkin praises in him a man of "good society." To draw up a bill of sale, Plyushkin must find an attorney in the city, and the landowner recalls the chairman of the chamber, with whom he once studied together. On his wooden face at this moment, a semblance flickers human feeling. Satisfied with the success of Plyushkin and his voyage in general, Chichikov returns to the city.

In a lyrical digression, the narrator says how easy the life of a writer depicting a wonderful life, and how harsh the field of one who shows the truth. But he is distracted from sad thoughts and calls "on the road" to see what the hero is doing.

Chichikov begins in the morning to draw up lists of serfs. He imagines the fate of the peasants. Here is Abakum Fyrov, one of Plyushkin's fugitives. Perhaps he became a burlak. Chichikov colorfully imagines how, having finished his hard campaign, the barge gang is having fun in a noisy square. This is how every Russian thinks, imagining "the revelry of a wide life."

After pausing to read the papers, Chichikov hurries to the civil chamber to draw up the bill of sale. On the way he meets Manilov, who brought him a list of peasants tied with an elegant pink ribbon.

In the government office, Chichikov, in order to get to the chairman of the chamber, gives a bribe to an official. The chairman of the chamber, having learned from Sobakevich, who was already present, that Chichikov had bought many peasants, congratulated him, decorated the fortress in such a way that Chichikov paid the smallest amount, and the rest of the money was written off to someone else.

After the paperwork is completed, all those present go to celebrate Chichikov's success with the chief of police, since he can set a luxurious table at any moment: he easily robs merchants.

Chichikov lingers in the city, although he planned to leave immediately after the purchase of the fortress. The city learned that he was a “millionaire”, so they “fell in love even more sincerely” than before. Residents of the city persuade Chichikov to stay for another week or two. All the city ladies are in love with him, he receives a letter with a declaration of love.

At the governor's ball, Chichikov tries to guess the "writer of the letter". The narrator, with obvious caustic irony, admires the ladies of the city of N.

Chichikov, thinking of the ladies, calls them "the haberdashery half of the human race." The author notes that in Russia one rarely hears from readers high society a normal Russian word: out of patriotism, they can build themselves a "hut in the Russian style", but they will not speak their native language.

At the ball, Chichikov meets a young blonde woman whose stroller he collided with on the road: she turns out to be the governor's daughter. He forgets about the ladies. Those are offended, utter caustic and caustic remarks against the young beauty.

Unexpectedly, Nozdryov appears at the ball, who wants to imprint a kiss on Chichikov's cheek and at the same time reveals Chichikov's secret about dead souls. Little is believed in Nozdryov, but his words are noticed. At night, Korobochka comes to the city, who wants to know how much dead souls are now.

One of the ladies of the city N hurries to another to tell the news that the landowner Korobochka told the archpriest: Chichikov arrived at night and demanded to sell the dead souls.

The narrator prefers not to reveal the names of the ladies so that touchy readers do not get angry with him. Therefore, he calls one "lady, pleasant in all respects," and the other - "just a pleasant lady." First, the ladies discuss the "fun satin" of one of the ladies' outfits, argue about the scallops that should come into fashion, then move on to the main event.

Chichikov in the story of one lady looks like a robber who, armed to the teeth, broke into Korobochka, threatening to break down the gate. The other lady decides that Korobochka is probably young and pretty.

Upon learning that she is an old woman, this lady says that Chichikov “took to the old woman,” and speaks with contempt of the tastes of the city ladies who have fallen in love with him. She demonstrates excellent "logic", deciding that Chichikov wanted to kidnap the governor's daughter, and invented dead souls as a distraction.

Men learn about Chichikov's enterprise from the ladies. They do not believe in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter, but they are very excited about the appointment of a new governor-general and think that Chichikov would not be an official from his office.

Officials in fear begin to recall their sins. They are trying to find out something about Chichikov from Manilov, but he says that he is ready to vouch for Pavel Ivanovich and would dream of having at least a hundredth of his wonderful qualities.

Sobakevich, who is also rushed by frightened officials, claims that he sold the people alive, which, however, may die during the resettlement.

Frightened to death officials gather at the chief of police to understand who Chichikov is. They talk about their sins, envying the postmaster in this situation: in his not very high position, everyone "will be a saint."

About Chichikov, it is suggested that he may be a “doer of state banknotes”, or maybe “not a doer”. Everyone especially takes up arms against the assumption that Chichikov is a robber: after all, he has a well-intentioned appearance, like all officials, and “violent deeds” are not visible. The postmaster assumes that Chichikov is a certain Captain Kopeikin.

Followed by an inserted "poem" About Captain Kopeikin. He is a hero of the war of 1812, where he lost an arm and a leg, was left without a livelihood. The soldier went to Petersburg to ask the sovereign for a pension. Went to an influential nobleman to make a request. There were a lot of petitioners in the waiting room of a luxurious house. About four hours later, a nobleman finally came out, who graciously walked around everyone.

He told Kopeikin to come and see him the other day. The soldier is delighted: I am sure that the issue has already been resolved and today or tomorrow he will receive a pension. However, he had to go to the nobleman more than once: he said that the sovereign was away, and he could not decide anything without him. Very soon he got tired of visiting the importunate crippled soldier, and Kopeikii himself once said rather “rudely” that he would not leave until he received a resolution.

The minister, outraged that he was being torn away from state affairs, ordered Kopeikin to be taken to his city and advised him to look for a livelihood himself. Two months later, a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, whose chieftain, in all likelihood, was Kopeikin.

After listening to the postmaster's story, officials noticed that Kopeikin, unlike Chichikov, had no arms and legs. Other officials also "did not lose face": they suggested that Chichikov was Napoleon in disguise, who had made his way to Russia. Not believing this much, everyone thought to themselves that Chichikov outwardly looked very much like Napoleon, who was also not fat, but not thin either.

So without understanding anything, the officials decided to ask Nozdrev about Chichikov. Nozdryov confirmed that Chichikov was a spy, "a banknote maker", that he was going to take away the governor's daughter. Rumors and gossip most of all turned out to be agitated by the prosecutor, who died of fear.

Chichikov is no longer accepted in the city, and Nozdryov, who appears to him, tells what they say about him, and at the same time adds that he is ready to help him in kidnapping the governor's daughter. Chichikov decides to leave the city the next morning.

Chichikov fails to leave the city early: he himself woke up later than he wanted, and, in addition, Selifan reports that horses need to be shod and the wheel of the britzka needs to be repaired. Chichikov, scolding Selifan, calls the blacksmiths, who, firstly, raise the price six times more, and secondly, they fumble for two hours longer.

Finally Chichikov got ready. The last thing he sees in the city is the prosecutor's funeral. The brichka leaves the city, boundless fields open up, and the narrator turns to Russia. In a lyrical digression, he speaks of the incomprehensible connection that lurks between him and Russia.

The author already sees the great future of Russia: here, in the open, there will definitely be a hero, a great idea will be born. But at this moment, the narrator’s dreams are interrupted by Chichikov’s cry to Selifan: “Hold it, hold it, fools (Selifan almost ran into a britzka rushing towards him).

Chichikov falls asleep on the road, and the narrator notices that he did not take a virtuous person as a hero, since he does not exist, but there is such a person as Chichikov, a scoundrel who needs to be "hooked up".

The narrator tells the biography of the hero. Chichikov was born into a seedy noble family; Once, the father took his son to the city to study and ordered him to save and save money: any friend will cheat, but he will never sell a penny. During his stay at school, Chichikov was able to increase the money given to him by his father: for example, seeing that a friend was very hungry, he showed him something edible, teasing and forcing him to buy.

The teacher, who did not tolerate capable but cheerful students, favored the quiet, well-behaved Pavlusha Chichikov, who knew how to serve. Then, when the teacher was expelled from work and he began to drink out of grief, all the former students collected money and came to him, while Pavlush's favorite got off with giving a nickel. In the service, as in teaching, Chichikov showed tremendous ingenuity.

At first he fell under the command of an old clerk, a man of stony insensitivity, and no amount of subservience brought Chichikov any result: he remained in the same position. But when he learned that the stern clerk had a daughter, an old maid, Chichikov played the role of a groom.

Having received the desired position, Chichikov, of course, left the "bride". However, on the hero's path to the goal, not everything was so smooth. For example, he was expelled from the commission for state construction by a new boss - an enemy of bribes and lies. Profitable service at customs ended as a result of a trifling quarrel between Chichikov and his partner, that is, an accomplice who wrote a denunciation against him.

Grieving over the injustice of fate that befell him (after all, Chichikov says, he didn’t rob anyone, he took where “everyone would take”), he starts a scam with the purchase of dead souls. Finishing the story of Chichikov, the narrator assumes that readers will not see Chichikov in themselves, seeing him in someone else, and encourages them, imbued with Christian humility, to think about their unrighteous life. He also says that he writes the truth, which cannot be shamefully concealed from a feeling of false patriotism.

Chichikov wakes up, orders Selifan to drive faster, and now the britzka is rushing along the road. "What Russian doesn't like to drive fast?" the narrator asks. He represents all of Russia in the form of a troika bird, which rushes forward, "inspired by God", and all states give way to it.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHICHIKOV

An adventurer who does not disdain any means for his enrichment;
an official who amassed capital by bribery and embezzlement;
the main goal of the hero is acquisition;
new type people, formed as a result of the development of capitalist relations, a representative of the emerging bourgeoisie

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BOX

⦁ name means thrift, distrust, stupidity;
⦁ landowner-accumulator, puts money in a bag;
⦁ owns a subsistence economy and trades everything that is available in it;
⦁ afraid to sell too cheap: suddenly “dead souls” will come in handy;
⦁ personifies stubbornness, narrow-mindedness: “Another and respectable person, but in reality a perfect Box comes out. As he hacked something into his head, then nothing can overpower him ... "

CHARACTERISTICS OF MANILOV

Name from the verbs "to lure", "to lure";
the landowner-squanderer, his inactivity leads to complete ruin;
. a person “so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan”;
gave the peasants away for free;
manilovism - a tendency to pseudo-philosophizing, unwillingness to translate dreams into reality; this is the first stage of deadness of the soul

4.4 / 5. 5

Dead Souls. The poem, written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1841, had a grandiose intention. It was to be a work in three parts. The first volume was supposed to introduce readers to a real Russian man, who has many "gifts and riches" and, at the same time, a huge number of shortcomings. It was this first house that reached the modern reader in full. Since the manuscript of the second volume was burned by the great Russian writer shortly before his death, only a few chapters have survived.

The poem "Dead Souls" is the story of Chichikov, who bought up dead serfs in order to spin a scam that would bring him a huge amount of money. Narrating the adventures of Mr. Chichikov, the author reflects on the problems of a social and philosophical nature. The very name of the poem "Dead Souls" has several meanings.

"Dead Souls" are, first of all, dead peasants, whom Chichikov buys, following from landowner to landowner. But the situation, when the sale and purchase of a person becomes an everyday affair, makes living serfs “dead”, they are goods in the hands of powerful masters. Gradually, the concept of "dead souls" is transformed, acquiring a new meaning. It becomes clear to the reader that the dead souls are the landowners themselves, people mired in their passions for petty things, "petty townsfolk." And although all 5 landowners visited by the main character, at first glance, do not look alike, they have something in common - worthlessness, emptiness.

"Dead Souls" summary

1-6 chapters

Chapter 1 of the poem is an exposition. The reader gets acquainted with Mr. Chichikov, who arrives in the city. The hero stops at a tavern, and then pays visits to all available officials. During such visits, Chichikov met some landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev. He will find out how many souls each landowner contains, how far their estates are.

2-6 chapters - Chichikov's journey through the landlords. The protagonist visited 5 estates, met with five landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka and Plyushkin. Having traveled 30 versts, instead of the promised 15, Chichikov comes to Manilov. His estate is located southward, among English flower beds. The owner of the estate is very kind, but as it turns out, after a few minutes, too kind, too cloying. He does not go into the affairs of the estate, but lives on illusions, dreams, all day long indulging in reflections on unrealizable ideas. Chichikov has lunch with the Manilovs, and then informs the owner that he wants to buy dead serfs from him, who are considered alive. Manilov was frightened at first, but then, feeling deeply, he happily agreed. Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich.

The coachman Selifan misses the turn, which is why the travelers end up not with Sobakevich, but with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Korobochka is an elderly landowner, she is very homely. Nothing is lost in her house, and the peasants have strong huts. For a long time she does not agree to give the dead serfs to Chichikov, she is constantly thinking about whether she will sell cheap, whether they will be useful to her. As a result, having paid fifteen rubles for each "dead soul", Chichikov goes on.

On the high road, the hero stops for a bite to eat in a tavern. Here he meets the next landowner - Nozdryov. He returns with his son-in-law from the fair - Nozdryov lost his horses. Where Nozdryov did not appear, history happened to him everywhere, he is a sort of daring hooligan. The landowner takes Chichikov to his home, where the hero tries to persuade Nozdryov to sell him the dead peasants. Nozdryov is not that simple: he involves Chichikov in a game of checkers, where the "dead souls" so desired by Chichikov are at stake. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that Nozdryov is openly cheating. When things almost come to a fight, the buyer of the dead is saved by the sudden visit of the police captain, who informs that Nozdryov is on trial. Chichikov manages to escape. On the road, the traveler's carriage accidentally collides with an unfamiliar carriage. While the means of transportation are being put in order, Chichikov admires the young, special, pleasant appearance and reflects on the pleasures of family life.

Sobakevich, the next landowner, thoroughly feeds the traveler dinner, at the same time discussing all the city officials. All of them, according to Sobakevich, are the lowest people, crooks and pigs. Having learned that, or rather whom, Chichikov wants to buy, Sobakevich is not at all surprised. He bargains and asks Chichikov to leave a deposit.

Chichikov's journey ends with a visit to the last landowner - Plyushkin. The author calls it "a hole in humanity." Chichikov, seeing Plyushkin, thinks that this is a housekeeper or a servant. The owner of the estate is dressed in rags, incomprehensible rags. Nothing is thrown away in his house, but on the contrary, even the sole of a shoe will be brought into the house. Rubbish is stacked in slides in the room, Plyushkin offers Chichikov to drink a drink, which he himself has re-filtered from dirt. After talking about the obvious benefits of selling dead souls and making a good deal, Chichikov returns to the city.

7-10 chapters

The chapters show another layer of society - bureaucracy. Chichikov, having prepared all the lists of peasants, goes to the ward, where Manilov and Sobakevich are already waiting for him. The chairman of the chamber helps to draw up all the documents, signs the bill of sale for Plyushkin. Chichikov informs the officials that he will send all the peasants to the Kherson province. After paperwork is completed, all those present go to the next room, where they eat and drink for the newly-minted landowner and his future lucky wife.

Chichikov returns to the tavern exhausted and very tired. The very next day, rumors began to circulate in the city that Chichikov was a millionaire. The ladies began to go crazy, the hero even received a letter with amorous verses from an unknown person. And most importantly, he is invited to the governor's ball. At the ball, Chichikov enjoys breathtaking success. He moves from one hug to another, from one conversation to another. Women don't take their eyes off him. But Chichikov was interested in only one girl - a sixteen-year-old blonde, whom he once encountered on the road.

She was the governor's daughter. But Nozdryov spoils such an excellent state of affairs: drunk, he publicly asks the new Kherson landowner how much dead souls he has sold. Society does not take the words of a drunk seriously, but Chichikov becomes visibly upset, does not keep up the conversation, and makes a mistake in a card game. The next day, Korobochka comes to the city to find out how much dead souls are now. Her arrival provides fertile ground for gossip that divides the city into two parties: male and female.

The men's party is trying to find out why Chichikov was buying up dead souls, while the women's party believes that Chichikov wants to steal the governor's daughter. Officials, talking about Chichikov, get confused in riddles. Some believe that he is a counterfeit banknote maker, others that he is Captain Kopeikin. Fuel is added to the fire by Nozdryov, who confirms every guess with invented details. After these trials, a shocked prosecutor comes home and dies.

At this time, Chichikov is sick and does not understand why no one visits him. Fortunately, Nozdryov visits him and tells him who Chichikov is now in the eyes of the inhabitants of the city. The hero decides to leave urgently, but when leaving the city he encounters a funeral procession. Chapter 11 occupies a special place, the author tells the biography of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. About his childhood, study, career, service. Chichikov was poor, but he had a practical mind, which helped him put together a plan in his head on how to buy dead peasants, and then, having bailed out the money, secure a calm future for himself.