Sofia is a work by Radishchev. Chapters "Spasskaya Polest" and "Podberezie"

By chapter Sofia

Written in the second half of the 18th century, Radishchev’s work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” was one of the first in which the author denounced the autocracy. For his courage, he was first sent to Peter and Paul Fortress, and then in Ilimsky fort. Radishchev loved his people very much and rooted for them with all his heart. He openly fought for the rights of peasants, as he saw their deprivation and plight. For the most part modern society he remained misunderstood, but his story had an effect, albeit much later.

The work itself, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” is a chain of disparate chapters in which the author talks about the people he meets at each station and their problems. The story begins with an introductory letter to A.M. Kutuzov, in which Radishchev asks for blessings on his work and explains the reasons that prompted him to write such a story. This is followed by the chapter “Departure”, in which the Traveler, having said goodbye to his friends, is sad along the way and reflects on the Russian character. Next

Sofia station.

Here we see how he tries to get new horses, but the caretaker refuses him, citing their lack. In fact, there are more than twenty horses in the stall, but only the “twenty-five kopecks” do the trick. The coachmen, secretly from the caretaker, harness the troika for the traveler, after which he continues on his way. It is no coincidence that the writer mentioned this example. He wanted to highlight the problem of corruption and bribery. In other chapters, the traveler encounters the widespread poverty that reigns in the huts of the peasants, with the cruelty of the landowners who force the poor to work even on holidays.

Reading this work, we feel that the writer is indignant with all his soul. He sympathizes with the serfs and wishes them a better fate. In one of the chapters, he is an old friend named Krestyankin, who left service in the criminal chamber after he realized that he could not bring any benefit to people. His ward broke the head of the son of a landowner who had abused his girlfriend. The poor fellow, who defended the honor of his beloved, was given a death sentence or life imprisonment. Since then, Krestyankin refused to do his job.

In addition to the chapters, the writer mentioned the odes “Liberty” and “The Tale of Lomonosov” in the work. In the latter, he praises the great writer and scientist for his special contribution to Russian literature.

(No ratings yet)

Other works on this topic:

1. According to Lyuban’s chapter “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” - the best and most popular work A. N. Radishcheva. This writer was one of the first to speak out against the autocratic...
2. According to the chapter Departure “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” - the most famous work A. N. Radishcheva. Published in 1790, it made an indelible impression on the writer’s contemporaries...
3. By chapter Copper Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was the first writer who openly opposed serfdom and its consequences. With his work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”...

Further, from chapter to chapter, the author of the book introduces the reader to certain vices, abuses and crimes of the nobles - landowners and government officials, without forgetting the official Orthodox Church, serving the government and landowners. There are also new merchants here, but they are “ dark kingdom”, is also corrupted, despotic, illiterate and selfish, in no way similar to the European advanced “third estate”, which has already headed the American and french revolution. At the same time, Radishchev intersperses these scenes with sympathetic portraits of peasants and pictures of folk life.

His journey has not only an ethnographic, but also a political, even propaganda purpose. The author of the book, a lawyer by profession, who has worked extensively in the Senate and other government judicial institutions, wants, with the help of his instructive trip from new capital in ancient times to introduce readers to his very deep and caring knowledge of feudal Russia, tormented by noble abuses and bureaucratic lawlessness. Radishchev in the chapter “Spasskaya Polest” rises to a bold criticism of the autocracy, which allowed all this and tacitly approved, and openly justifies the people’s cruel revenge on the oppressors, the murder of landowners and the peasant revolt. All this caused the understandable indignation of Empress Catherine II.

Of course, the traveler in Radishchev’s book sees various cities and localities, talks about them, about the people he met, about folk customs And interesting cases(chapter “Valdai”), the life and character of the peasants, and his serfs are morally superior to landowners and officials. There is also an inserted utopian chapter “Khotilov” in his journey. But the main thing is to build the chapters of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” typical examples violations by people of power of various ranks of their official duties, laws and simply the rules of universal morality.

Already in the chapter “Sophia” there is a lazy and deceitful postal worker who does not give the author horses and thereby violates his official duty. In the chapter “Lyuban”, the traveler meets a peasant cheerfully and diligently plowing his own, not a lord’s, field on Sunday, that is, on a holiday, which was considered a sin by Orthodox Christians, but the peasants themselves did not consider labor a sin. Here, for the first time, we are talking about the oppression of the peasants by the master, the landowner, who six days a week drives the peasants into corvee, that is, into forced, joyless work on their lands, and village women and sending girls to collect mushrooms and berries for their farm. The theme of inequality, oppression, social injustice, the inability of peasants to appeal to justice appears, and the author’s anger is expressed.

The story about the shipwreck in the chapter “Miracle” is also emotional, because the naval commander did not provide adequate assistance to those in distress, they did it ordinary soldiers who gave them their boats. This scene is important detailed description feelings and thoughts of perishing and the author’s growing anger against hardened officials who have forgotten their duty: “Now I will say goodbye to the city forever. I will never enter this home of the tigers. Their only joy is to gnaw at each other; Their joy is to torment the weak to the point of exhaustion and to servile the authorities.” Even famous description peasant hut (chapter “Pawns”), which Pushkin liked so much, allows Radishchev to reproach the serf owners and the authorities with popular poverty: “Here you can see the greed of the nobility, robbery, our torment and defenseless state of poverty.” But the landowner Radishchev knew very well that such a dirty hut with cracks in the floor was built for himself by a careless peasant from the lordly forest allocated to him, the nobility had nothing to do with it.

From simple and funny story an unscrupulous official who loves to eat expensive imported oysters and calmly abuses his official position for the sake of his innocent passion (the head of Lyuban) and spends considerable money on it public funds, the author moves on to much more serious cases of lawlessness and persecution. There is even talk of the lawless destruction by Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich of the liberties of the ancient Novgorod Republic, and the tsar, in accordance with the ideas of the enlighteners, was condemned as a violator of the natural right of the Novgorodians to these liberties and independence. The sale of serfs, described with such indignation and passion in the chapter “Copper,” exposed the very inhuman and illegal essence of the power of the landowners. The picture of the recruitment in the chapter “Gorodnya” also called for indignation and prophesied an uprising of slaves who would give up their children forever to become soldiers. In the chapter “Zaitsovo,” the traveler tells the story of a landowner who oppressed and humiliated his peasants so cruelly and inventively that they killed him and his adult sons.

The author is on the side of the peasants, recognizes their action as justified, in defense of their loved ones and rights, and says prophetic words about the Russian rebellion: “The Russian people are very patient and endure to the extreme; but when he puts an end to his patience, then nothing can hold him back, lest he succumb to cruelty.” Here the key speech for the entire book is made about the natural equality of all people, about their natural right to break laws in the name of their own good and freedom, about their right to revenge, rebellion and even murder of their oppressors.

The king is only a servant of the law, he rules by the general consent of the people, he has concluded a social contract with them according to the famous idea of ​​Rousseau. It’s a disaster if he is blind, has forgotten about his duty and truth, condones the crimes and abuses of his favorites and court flatterers, as shown in the author’s dream (“Spasskaya Polest”), rightfully perceived by Catherine as a satire on her wasteful, indulgent abuses and outright theft of nobles' reign. The idea of ​​rational egoism, expressed here by Radishchev and later developed in Chernyshevsky’s novel, was that people can observe state laws and submit to the authority of the monarch so long as the laws are consistent with their wishes and purposes, serve the benefit of the individual, and do not violate their natural rights. In a class monarchy state, such an idea looked rebellious and criminal, and therefore Catherine called Radishchev a rebel.

He, a Russian nobleman, lawyer, high-ranking government official and wealthy landowner, legally and morally justified the peasant rebellion: “They are waiting for an opportunity and an hour. The bell strikes. And behold, the destruction of atrocity spreads quickly. We will see sword and poison around us. Death and burning will be promised to us for our severity and inhumanity.” The autocracy, which has forgotten about man and the people's benefit, is also condemned. The anti-tyrant ode “Liberty,” written in “strong verse” (Pushkin) and placed in the chapter “Tver,” calls for revenge on the kings, their execution by the verdict of the people’s court.

Next, Radishchev develops his bold thoughts into a whole system revolutionary ideas. He, a Russian nobleman and high-ranking official, is against the state and military service young nobles, against conquest and war as criminal bloodshed, against state and spiritual (that is, church) censorship, against court parasites, against the forced recruitment of recruits into the army, the abuse of priests - in a word, against the entire system of lawlessness and oppression of man by man, which lay in the basis of autocracy, serfdom, the Russian military-feudal state. And all this was not only thought and said to them, but also written and printed, the book was sent out and put on sale. Already Pushkin was amazed at Radishchev’s civic and human courage: “We cannot help but recognize him as a criminal with an extraordinary spirit; a political fanatic, mistaken of course, but acting with amazing selflessness and a kind of knightly conscience.”

There is silence everywhere. Lost in thought, I did not notice that my wagon had been standing without horses for a long time. The cab driver who brought me brought me out of my thoughts:

- Master-father, on vodka! “Although this fee is not legal, everyone pays it willingly so as not to travel according to the decree.” Twenty kopecks worked in my favor. Anyone who has traveled to the post office knows that a travel document is a savings letter, without which every wallet, perhaps with the exception of a general’s, will be unprofitable. Taking it out of my pocket, I walked with it, as people sometimes carry a cross to protect themselves.

I found the postal commissioner snoring; lightly took him by the shoulder.

– Who the hell is pressing? What a way to leave the city at night. There are no horses; it's still very early; Perhaps go to the tavern, drink tea or fall asleep. - Having said this, Mr. Commissar turned to the wall and began to snore again.

What to do? I shook the commissar again by the shoulder.

“What an abyss, I already said that there are no horses,” and, wrapping his head in a blanket, Mr. Commissioner turned away from me.

“If the horses are still running fast,” I thought, “then it’s unfair that I disturb the commissar’s sleep. And if the horses are in the stable...” I set out to find out whether Mr. Commissioner was telling the truth. He went out into the yard, found a stable and found up to twenty horses in it; although, to tell the truth, their bones were visible, they would have dragged me to the next camp. From the stable I returned again to the commissar; shook him much harder. It seemed to me that I had the right to do so, having found that the commissioner lied. He jumped up in a hurry and, without even opening his eyes, asked:

-Who has arrived? No...” But, having come to his senses and seeing me, he said to me: “Apparently, well done, you used to treat the previous coachmen this way.” They were beaten with sticks; but now is not the time before. - With anger, Mr. Commissar went to bed. I wanted to treat him just as much as the previous coachmen, when they were deceitful, but my generosity, giving vodka to the city driver, prompted the Sofia coachmen to quickly harness the horses for me, and at the very time when I intended to commit a crime on the back of the commissar , the bell rang in the yard. I remained a good citizen.

So, twenty copper kopecks saved a peace-loving man from the consequences, my children from an example of intemperance in anger, and I learned that reason is a slave to impatience.

The horses are racing me; My cab driver began to sing, as usual, mournful.

Who knows the voices of Russians folk songs, he admits that there is something in them that signifies spiritual sorrow. Almost all the voices of such songs are in a soft tone. Know how to establish the reins of government on this musical disposition of the people's ear. In them you will find the formation of the soul of our people. Look at the Russian man; you will find him thoughtful. If he wants to relieve boredom or, as he himself calls it, if he wants to have fun, he goes to a tavern. In his joy he is impetuous, courageous, and grumpy. If something happens that is not according to him, then an argument or battle will soon begin. A barge hauler who goes to a tavern with his head hanging and returns stained with blood from slaps in the face can solve a lot of things that have hitherto been guessing in Russian history.

My driver is singing. It was three o'clock in the morning. As before the bell, so now its song again produced a dream in me. O nature, having declared man in a shroud of sorrow at his birth, dragging him along the strict ridges of fear, boredom and sadness throughout his entire life, you gave him sleep as a consolation. I fell asleep and everything was over.

Awakening is unbearable for the unfortunate one. Oh, how pleasant death is for him. Is it the end of sorrow? - All-merciful Father, will you really turn your eyes away from the one who ends his miserable life courageously? This sacrifice is offered to you, the source of all blessings. You alone give strength when nature trembles and trembles. Behold the voice of the father, calling his child to himself. You gave me life, and I return it to you; on earth it had already become useless.

One of the most outstanding figures of Russian thought. Having written a bold book "Journey from St. Petersburg", summary which is given in this article, he put an end to his career, but remained honest with himself.

short biography

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was born on August 20 (old style) in 1749. His father was a large landowner, who raised his son on an estate near Moscow, in the village of Nemtsovo. Little Sasha got a good one home education, although he was enrolled in one of the Moscow gymnasiums.

At the age of thirteen he was enrolled in the Corps of Pages, where Radishchev studied until 1766. After that, he went to Leipzig, where, in addition to studying at the Faculty of Law, he managed to study literature, medicine and foreign languages. After returning to Russia, he worked in the Senate, then at the headquarters of the Finnish division. And since 1780, Radishchev worked in customs.

In addition to his activities as an official, he is engaged in literature: he writes “The Tale of Lomonosov”, the ode “Liberty” and much more. The talented writer was very negative towards the policies of Catherine the Great. Actually, you will encounter this criticism when reading the chapter-by-chapter summary of “Journey from St. Petersburg.” So let's get started.

The idea is "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." Reaction to publication

At the end of the nineties of the XVIII century. Radishchev’s main work, “Journey from St. Petersburg,” was published, a summary of which is presented in our article. Due to strong criticism of the existing order in the country at that time, the work was almost immediately banned, and the author himself was convicted and sent into exile. Famous saying Catherine the Great that Radishchev is a rebel worse than Pugachev has gone down in history. The brave author was initially sentenced to death penalty, but later it was replaced by a prison sentence of 10 years.

What is this book about?

This book is written in the first person and is travel notes. The author (who is also the narrator) leaves St. Petersburg, reflecting that the main weakness of man is his reluctance to look at many things straight. That, according to the author, is why all the troubles arise. The narrator expresses the hope that his book will be read and understood by at least a few.

In general, conveying a brief summary of “Journey from St. Petersburg”, one cannot help but note that each chapter of the work is negative trait person. Having read it to the end, you can see that the author criticized not so much the state and the system in it, but the person himself in this state.

Chapter "Departure"

So, a certain traveler (there is no name, but we understand that the story is being told on behalf of Radishchev, and in addition, throughout the book there will be references to his biography) leaves St. Petersburg for Moscow. The method of transportation is a wagon. The narrator is a middle-aged nobleman who has money and lives well (before leaving, he dined with friends, as the book says).

“Journey from St. Petersburg”: a summary of the chapters “Sofia” and “Tosno”

Otherwise, this chapter can be called “The Lazy Commissar,” because the main quality described in it is laziness. In Sofia, the author woke up, having fallen asleep while leaving St. Petersburg. The coachman unharnessed the horses, and the writer entered the post house. From a conversation with the commissar, he finds out that there are no fresh horses and there is nothing to help yet - he will have to wait for the morning.

In fact, the commissar is simply too lazy to work at night and is lying (there are more than two dozen horses in the stable). Having failed to obtain help from the boss, the author turns to the coachmen and, in exchange for payment, they harness his wagon with fresh horses.

The narrator complains about the road, which was repaired only on the occasion of Catherine and her retinue passing along it. The rest of the time she is simply in terrible condition.

Stopping at the Tosno station, the writer meets a local official who is writing a book from which, supposedly, all nobles will be able to learn about the antiquity of their family. According to the narrator, such a book is a great stupidity, and its author is a stupid and arrogant person. Radishchev's position is this: it is a petty evil to boast about one's roots.

Chapters: "Lyubani" and "Miracle"

In conveying (“Journey from St. Petersburg”), we note that here the main idea- bad attitude of authorities towards subordinates.

The author, in order to take a break from the carriage, walks and sees a man plowing in the field. It's a holiday now, and working in the fields is a sin. In response to the narrator’s question why the peasant works on weekends, he says that out of seven days he works six for the master and only a day to feed his family.

The writer becomes ashamed, because he himself does not treat his servant very well. This meeting made the narrator rethink his attitude towards the common people.

And in the summary of “Miracle” (“Journey from St. Petersburg”), we note that the main idea here sounds like this: indifference is one of the worst qualities of a person.

In the town of Chudovo, the narrator meets with his friend Ch. He talks about the boat trip and the events that happened during it. The ship hit rocks and began to sink. Pavel, one of the sailors, swam to the shore for help, but he was refused, since the chief was sleeping and they did not want to wake him up. Finally, someone on shore responded and the people on the ship were saved. In the morning, Mr. Ch. decided to visit the boss and ask why he remained indifferent to people’s misfortune, which is why he calmly stated that it was not his responsibility to save people.

Chapters "Spasskaya Polest" and "Podberezie"

The next chapter of “Travels from St. Petersburg” is a brief summary of which we will tell you.

The author spends the night at the station, where the juror and his wife sleep in the same room with him. A dialogue takes place between the couple, in which the assessor tells his wife about an official who really loves oysters. For this delicacy, he can push his subordinates, give them titles and orders.

Then the narrator falls asleep and in a dream sees himself as a ruler with everything perfect in his country. But suddenly a woman comes to him, who calls herself Truth, and removes the veil of deception from the eyes of the author-ruler. He begins to see clearly, sees the misfortune of the people, the theft of officials, and wakes up in horror.

Otherwise, the chapter “Podberezie” can be called “Meeting with a seminarian.” Having read the summary of “Travel from St. Petersburg,” I think many will agree with this.

The narrator meets a young man who has just graduated from theological seminary. The former seminarian has far-reaching plans - he wants to go to St. Petersburg, because in the capital he can continue his studies at top level. The young man complains to the narrator about the seminary, because there, according to him, they only teach Latin and don’t teach anything else.

When parting, he loses the paper, which the author then picks up and learns that the young man is an adherent of Martinism. The writer himself condemns any mystical movements, be it Martinism or Freemasonry.

Chapter about Veliky Novgorod

This chapter gives the writer’s thoughts about one of the capitals Old Russian state- Novgorod. The author indulges in thoughts about the significance of the city in ancient times, about the democratic society in Novgorod and about its defeat by the guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible. By the way, from the point of view of historians, Radishchev was wrong when he talked about democracy in Novgorod. Democracy did not exist there, and power belonged to the rich.

The author visits his friend - the merchant Karp. He is a swindler and deceives people out of a lot of money. In fact, deception has never been a novelty for commercial Russia. All this forces the author to ask very interest Ask: is right necessary when there is force?

Chapter on Divine Reflections or "Bronnitsy", chapter "Zaitsevo"

While the wagon was at the station, the author goes to the mountain where the temple once stood. Reflecting on God and man, he comes to the following conclusion: God exists, he gave life to everything on earth, including man. But a person must take care of himself to be happy.

A friend of the author, whom he met in Zaitsevo, talks about a case that he once tried in court. It was dedicated to the cruelty of the landowner towards the peasants. One day, tired of tolerating the master, the peasants beat him to death and wanted to judge them for it. But the unheard of happened - the judge (a friend of the author) recognized the innocence of the peasants and tried to do everything to get them released. But the rest of the fellow judges considered this decision wrong and jointly condemned the peasants. The narrator's friend quit and left.

After parting with a friend, the narrator receives a letter from St. Petersburg, where his acquaintance writes about the wedding between a sixty-two-year-old lady and a seventy-eight-year-old baron. Marriage is solely based on money, everyone understands this and pretends that this is how it should be.

"Sacrimals": chapter in "Journey from St. Petersburg" by Radishchev

This describes a scene where a gray-haired father says goodbye to his children who are leaving to start their adult life far from home. He gives instructions to the children, the sons saddle their horses and leave.

The chapter where the father buries his son

The narrator understands what he's talking about we're talking about, because in his youth he himself was sick and took medicine that could affect his children in the future. main reason Diseases are debauchery, but diseases, naturally, are venereal in nature.

Chapters: "Edrovo", "Khotilov" and "Vyshny Volochok"

In the summary of the chapter “Edrovo” (“Journey from St. Petersburg”), it can be mentioned that in it the author travels past a village, where he meets the peasant woman Anna. She cannot get married because she and her fiancé do not have enough money for the wedding. The narrator wants to help, but the lovers refuse. In the chapter, the author reflects on unequal marriages and the fact that girls from the village are more beautiful than society ladies.

In the chapter " Vyshny Volochok"Radishchev reflects on the terrible working conditions of the peasants and the cruelty of the landowners.

Chapters: "Vydropusk", "Torzhok" and "Copper"

The chapter “Torzhok” conveys a conversation with a young man who is rushing to St. Petersburg to achieve the abolition of censorship in Torzhok. This young man would like to print newspapers and magazines dedicated to what is happening in the city, but they do not allow him to. The author reflects on the origin of censorship as a historical phenomenon.

The city of Tver and the head of "Gorodnya"

The chapter "Gorodnya" describes the farewell to the army. The old mother, losing her son, will now die of hunger without a breadwinner. But the son is happy, because for him to join the army means leaving the landowner. There are also other peasants standing here, whom the owner sold into the service in order to buy himself a carriage.

Chapters "Zavidovo" and "Wedge"

The idea of ​​the chapter “Zavidovo” is to show that people are accustomed to humiliating themselves before the authorities, and the latter is becoming more and more impudent, seeing such slavish obedience. A skirmish occurs between the narrator and some boss, in which the author gives a fitting rebuff to the insolent man.

At the Klin station the author meets a blind old man and gives him some food. The old man refuses, asking for something instead of money, for example, a scarf. Soon he dies, and the narrator learns that the old man did not take off his scarf until his death.

"Pawns" and "Black Dirt"

Reflections on Lomonosov and conclusion

The author was given an essay about Lomonosov back in Tver. Actually, such a gift was given by the poet who complained about poetry in Russia. This essay says that Lomonosov is a very important figure for Russian culture. The poet believes that Lomonosov is a pioneer in many areas, but the main thing he brought was in the development of language.

Conclusion from the above

We tried to convey a brief summary of Radishchev's "Travel from St. Petersburg". Let us remember that for this essay the author was sent into exile by personal decree of Catherine the Great.

The manuscript was almost unknown to anyone until the mid-nineteenth century. Before this time, “The Journey” was banned and only a few copies circulated. It is known that one of them was in the personal library of Alexander Pushkin.

It is not surprising that the essay caused such a reaction from the authorities. Having read now “Journey from St. Petersburg,” a summary of which was given in the article, we see that for that time and that era it was very bold. And Radishchev had to be for real strong man so as not to be afraid to write this work.

Here the author notes that often misfortunes occur due to the fact that a person is not used to looking at things directly as they really are. The author also expresses hope that the book will appeal to his readers, or at least some of them.

Departure

The narrator (who is also the main character of the work, a middle-aged man, a nobleman) sets off on a journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

Sofia

The hero arrives in the city at night. The horses are tired of riding, and the narrator asks the commissioner for new ones. He refuses, citing the fact that there are no horses, while there are about 20 animals in the stable. The Commissioner is just lazy late time rise from your seat to perform direct duties. Then the author turns to the coachmen for help, who, for a small fee, secretly from the authorities, finally harnessed the horses, and the main character was able to travel further.

Tosna

The narrator is dissatisfied with how bad the road between St. Petersburg and Moscow has become. Previously, the road had already been repaired, but only so that the retinue of Catherine II could pass along it. After a short time, the road deteriorated. In Tosny, the main character meets an official who is supposedly researching ancient noble families and also writing a book about it. The author considers this activity stupid and does not accept “bragging about an ancient breed.”

Lyubani

The author is tired of traveling around bad roads and decides to go on foot to the city. Here he meets a man who is working in the field in the midst of the summer heat. When asked by the narrator why he plows on a holiday, the man replied that the master forces him to work 6 days a week. After the peasant’s words, the author felt ashamed of all the landowners, including himself. After all, he more than once treated his servant Petrushka too strictly.

Miracle

In this city, the narrator learns from his friend a story about how he went on a boat trip. The walk turned out to be simply terrible, because in the midst of it the ship got stuck in the rocks and began to sink. When Pavel, the helmsman of the ship, swam to the shore, asked for help, he was refused. It turns out that at that moment the boss was sleeping, but they didn’t want to wake him up. As a result, Pavel was still able to find people who agreed to help. After this, the narrator’s friend came to the boss who was sleeping during the day and made a complaint. In response, he received a calm explanation that in his job responsibilities saving people is not included.

Spasskaya Fortress

This chapter tells three stories at once. In the first, the author meets a juror at the station who told him about a certain governor who doted on oysters. He constantly sent his subordinates on business trips to buy oysters, and promoted them to their positions for a job well done. Another story tells about a man who, as a result of the inaction of officials, lost all his savings, lost his family and lost his position in society. Now he is completely persecuted by the law and is wanted by the police. IN latest story it talks about the narrator's dream.

He dreamed that he became the head of state and was confident that things were going well in the country. But suddenly, among the crowd, he sees a woman named Truth. With her help, the hero of the dream begins to see clearly and sees that he was deceived by officials and his subordinates. In fact, there is no order in the country, and the people live poorly.

Podberezye

Here the author meets a young seminarian, and he tells him that he dreams of moving to St. Petersburg and getting higher education. Studies at the local seminary are going poorly because all classes are held in Latin, and students cannot obtain truly useful and necessary knowledge. Time is simply wasted.

Novgorod

Once in this city, the narrator begins to reflect on the history of Novgorod. The city was once very rich and famous for its democratic system. However, the situation changed when the city was conquered by Ivan the Terrible and eventually destroyed by him. The author thinks about the following question: Did Ivan the Terrible have the right to seize the city and is there any need for the right when there is strength and power.

In Novgorod, the author talks with a merchant he knows. He is known for the fact that after taking payment for goods, he ultimately does not deliver the goods. To avoid falling under the law, he transferred the house to his wife. This kind of things are happening all over the country, since the legislation in this area is very poorly developed and needs serious reform.

Bronnitsy

Stopping in this city, the narrator goes to the mountain where there once was an ancient pagan temple. Once in place, the hero begins to think about life and God. According to the author, God gave people life, but everyone must build their own destiny, and not rely only on the help of the Almighty.

Zaitsovo

Here the narrator meets his old acquaintance Krestyankin. One day he had to consider the case of the murder of a landowner. The owner mocked his peasants in every possible way, tormented them with hard work, and constantly beat them. Then the peasants could not stand such treatment and, in the end, killed their master, and in addition his sons. Krestyankin, considering this case, did not recognize the guilt of the peasants. However, his colleagues did not agree with this decision and demanded punishment. To avoid becoming a participant in an unfair trial, Krestyankin left the service.

Another story that happened to the author in Zaitsev was as follows. That same day, the hero receives a letter from his acquaintance, which says that recently in St. Petersburg an elderly couple got married. The marriage, of course, was not based on love at all. The baron was interested in the wealth of his wife, and the lady got married so as not to be left completely alone at the end of her life. The woman, by the way, got rich due to the fact that in her youth she was actively involved in obscene activities, and a little later she acquired her own “house of brothel.”

Sacrums

Here the narrator witnesses how a father says goodbye to his sons who are leaving native home and are getting ready to build own life. This scene produces on the author strong impression and makes you think about the relationship between fathers and children.

Yazhelbitsy

Before the author's eyes appears sad picture- A father buries his own son. He considers himself to blame for his death, since his son was born while already sick. The narrator understands the essence of what is happening, since in his youth, having suffered from a venereal disease, he was treated with mercury. And this substance, as is known, is a poison and can affect the health of future offspring. All this leads the author to think about the problem of debauchery in society and the seriousness of its consequences.

Valdai

debauched town famous for that travelers often stop here and meet women lung behavior.

Edrovo

Here the author meets a peasant woman named Anna. She tells him about her life and that she and her fiancé Vanyushka cannot get married, since they do not have money for a ransom. The narrator offers to help them, but it soon becomes clear that no ransom is required. Then the author offers money for new life newlyweds, but Anna's mother refuses to accept them. Nobles are known to give gifts like this ordinary girls in order to make amends for his indecent actions. The mother doesn't want to make her daughter look bad. The story leads the author to think about the problem unequal marriages. The main character considers such unions unacceptable.

Khotilov

After making a short stop, the author notices a paper parcel on the ground. The text contained on it was devoted to the issue of serfdom. The author of these arguments calls serfdom an evil and a flagrant violation of human rights, and he also calls for its abolition. Main character recognizes his friend in the narrator.

Vyshny Volochok

Once in the city, the narrator observes a picture of beautiful fields and ships with goods. It is no secret that behind all this external prosperity lies the hard work of the unfortunate peasants. At this moment, a story emerges in the author’s memory about an enterprising landowner who found a way to increase his income several times. He forced his serfs to work whole year without a single day off, and also took away all the land and livestock from the peasants. It is noteworthy that it is precisely these landowners that society sets up as exemplary examples for others, while, in the author’s opinion, they should be equated with barbarians and punished according to their deeds.

Vydropusk

The narrator studies manuscripts that talk about court ranks. They claim that rulers always surround themselves with wealth and retinue, despite the fact that the main thing in such people is their actions.

Torzhok

The narrator meets a man who is heading to St. Petersburg to seek the abolition of censorship in his city. In his opinion, in a developed state with a democratic system, censorship is inappropriate, since the best censor is the people. However, in Russia at that time the printing industry was completely monitored by the government.

A Brief Narrative of the Origins of Censorship

The history of censorship dates back to the 15th century. Just like printing, it originated in the German city of Mainz. It all started with the fact that in 1486 a local church minister established control over the translations of foreign literature. If the rules were broken, the culprit faced a curse and the payment of fines. Consequently, the founder of censorship was the church, and the first censors were priests.

Copper

Continuing his journey, the narrator reads a short article about the sale of an estate and peasants at auction. Many landowners lead a riotous lifestyle and often drink away their fortune. The debt is compensated by selling their property at auction. Quite often it happens that during a sale, a family of peasants is divided and sold to different owners. For them, this becomes a real grief and tragedy, but the law does not protect their rights in any way.

Tver

In the city, the author makes acquaintance with one citizen, a “newfangled poet.” He complains that poetry is not developing in Russia at all, the poems are too simple and uninteresting. Gentlemen speak French, forgetting their native language- Russian. The poet introduces the narrator to his work, in particular, one “Liberty”. The citizen expects to print it soon.

Gorodnya

The narrator watches as peasants join the army. Here is a mother saying goodbye to her son, who was the only helper in the family, and without him she is doomed to starvation. But here is the peasant Vanyusha, for whom military service is akin to salvation from the endless humiliations of the landowners. Three peasants stand in shackles here. The landowner sold them illegally to the army, and now he can finally purchase a new carriage. A Frenchman stands nearby. What has he never had to do in life? He was a hairdresser by profession, but he also worked as a sailor, a footman, and even a teacher. French. But no matter how hard he tried, he still didn’t have enough to live on, so he sold himself for 200 rubles and became a peasant, and then became a soldier.

Zavidovo

The narrator observes the following scene. The insolent officer orders 50 horses to be given to His Excellency. He crossed all boundaries to such an extent that he began to demand that the narrator give him his horses. But the author was not at a loss, confidently and categorically refusing the impudent person. At that moment, when the authorities were already in place, the coachmen immediately changed horses and sent the travelers on the road. This story made the author think that narrow-minded people are always ready to serve and grovel before their superiors. Smart people understand that behind the external gloss and important pomposity lies the most ordinary nonentity, not worthy of even a drop of respect.

Wedge

At the city station, the narrator sees a blind old man singing songs. Beggar passers-by give the old man 5 kopecks. The author wanted to give a ruble, but the old man refused to accept it. Instead, he asked to give him something he needed that could warm him in such extreme cold, for example, a scarf. The narrator gladly gives the old man his handkerchief. After a while, he learns that until his very last days the elder wore this scarf, and he was buried in it. The author was pleased to realize that the thing was useful to the old man in last days his life.

Pawns

In the city, the author had lunch in a regular peasant hut, whose owner told the narrator about the hardships peasant life. About the fact that they have to eat bad bread, about the fact that they don’t see sugar at all, while it is the peasants who produce both. It's not fair. The author witnesses the poor decoration of the house and thinks about why landowners do this to their peasants. He doesn’t think at all about their well-being and normal living conditions. The author is trying to reach the conscience of the landowner readers, calling for an end to the bullying of unfortunate people.

Black mud

The narrator witnesses another sad event. Two peasants are forced to marry unwillingly, following the instructions of the master. The author thinks about the problem of such unions and the fact that they do not bring happiness to anyone and are inherently a criminal act.

The beautiful forest, which although not large, was always unusually beautiful. Nature, air, trees - everything around had its own unusual beauty. But it is there in Lately ordinary men often cut down the forest around and inside the forest