Gogol's lyrical digressions in dead souls. Lyrical digressions in Gogol's story Dead Souls - abstract

With every word of the poem, the reader can say: “Here is the Russian spirit, here it smells of Russia!” This Russian spirit is felt in humor, and in irony, and in the expression of the author, and in the sweeping power of feelings, and in the lyricism of digressions...

V. G. Belinsky

I know; if I now reveal " Dead Souls"at random, then the volume will usually open on page 231...

"Rus! What do you want from me? What incomprehensible connection lies between us? Why do you look like that, and why has everything that is in you turned towards me? full of anticipation eyes?.. And still, full of bewilderment, I stand motionless, and already a menacing cloud, heavy with the coming rains, has overshadowed my head, and my thoughts are numb in front of your space. What does this vast expanse prophesy? Is it here, in you, that a boundless thought will not be born, when you yourself are without end? Shouldn't a hero be here when there is room for him to turn around and walk? And the mighty space envelops me menacingly, with terrible force reflected in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: Ooh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!" This is a favorite. Read and re-read a hundred times. Therefore, the volume always opens itself on page 231...

Why this? Why not this: “Eh, three!..” Or: “God, how good you are sometimes, long, long way!” Or... No, it's still this. Here he is. Gogol, embraced by the “mighty space” of Rus', which was reflected in its depth with “terrible power”... And what depth did the immortal writer give to the words that reflected all his “sparkling, wonderful, unfamiliar distance to the earth...”. This is the “incomprehensible connection” between talent and the land that nurtured this talent.

"IN " Dead souls“Everywhere his subjectivity is felt and tangibly emerges... which in the artist reveals a person with a warm heart... which does not allow him with apathetic indifference to be alien to the world he draws, but forces him to carry through his I live my soul phenomena of the external world, and through that inhale into them I live my soul... The predominance of subjectivity, penetrating and animating Gogol’s entire poem, reaches high lyrical pathos and covers the reader’s soul with refreshing waves...” (V. G. Belinsky).

Reading the lyrical digressions (and not only them, but the entire poem) for the first time, without knowing the name of the author, you can confidently say: “Wrote by a Russian.” What precise expressions, the very construction of phrases, deep and extensive knowledge of the land you are writing about! Truly Russian (smooth, slightly sad, rich in the most subtle shades of mood) poetry. You have to be a poet like Gogol was to write such a poem in prose! In “Dead Souls” Gogol became “a Russian national poet in the entire space of this word” (V. G. Belinsky).

Poet? Poem? Yes. Poet. And a poem. It was not for nothing that Gogol called his brainchild a poem. Neither in a story, nor in a novel, nor in a novel can the author so freely intrude his “I” into the course of the narrative.

The digressions in Dead Souls are of great value. They are valuable for their highly artistic quality, the extreme self-expression of the author, and their relevance in a particular context.

Gogol ironically talks about “fat” and “thin” representatives of the nobility, about “gentlemen big hands" and " gentlemen mediocre", talks about the Russian word and Russian song. All this is subtly and skillfully woven into the plot of the work.

Remember the beginning of chapter six? “Before, long ago, in the years of my youth...” Remember: “... O my youth! oh my freshness!”? And a few pages later: “Near one of the buildings, Chichikov soon noticed a figure... The dress she was wearing was completely vague, very similar to a woman’s hood, on her head was a cap, like that worn by village courtyard women, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for woman". Bah, it’s Plyushkin! Well, this “hole in humanity” looks pathetic against the backdrop of such a lyrical passage!

And between two wonderful digressions (“Rus! Rus'! I see you...” and “How strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful in the word: road!”), which at the beginning of the eleventh chapter, sounds with a nightmarish dissonance: “Hold , hold on, you fool!” - Chichikov shouted to Selifan. “Here I am with a broadsword!” - shouted a courier with a mustache as long as he was galloping towards. “Don’t you see, damn your soul: it’s a government carriage!”

The vulgarity, emptiness, baseness of life emerge even more clearly against the background of sublime lyrical lines. This technique of contrast was used by Gogol with great skill. Thanks to such a sharp contrast, we better understand the vile traits of the heroes of Dead Souls.

This is the role of lyrical digressions in the composition of the poem.

But the most important thing is that many of the author’s views on art and relationships between people are expressed in lyrical digressions. From these short excerpts you can get so much warmth, so much love for native people and everything he created is so smart and necessary that you can’t get it out of some multi-volume novels.

Gogol brought to the pages of the book “all the terrible, amazing mud of little things, all the depth of everyday characters...”. Gogol, with the strong force of an inexorable chisel, exposed the boring, vulgar little things of life in a convex and bright way for the whole people to see and ridiculed them properly.

And here is the road. The way Gogol paints it:

"Clear day, autumn leaves, cold air... wrap your traveling overcoat tighter, put a hat on your ears, let's snuggle closer and more comfortably into the corner!.. God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt..." Honestly, it’s tempting to get ready and hit the road. But now they travel a little differently: by train, plane, car. Steppes, forests, cities, stops, and clouds sparkling under the sun would only flash before our eyes. Our country is wide, there is something to see!

“Isn’t it like that, too, Rus', that you are rushing along like a brisk, unstoppable troika?..” Rus is rushing, forever moving towards the better. She is already beautiful, Rus', but is there a limit to the best, is there a limit to the human dream? And is this “unfamiliar distance on earth” familiar to us now? Familiar in many ways. But she still has a lot ahead of her, which we will not see.

It is impossible to analyze each lyrical digression separately, it is impossible to short essay evaluate each passage: in “Dead Souls” there are many large and terse author’s digressions, assessments, comments, each of which requires and deserves special attention. They cover many topics. But the common thing is that from each digression we see one of the features of a writer dear to our memory, as a result of which we get the opportunity to draw the image of a true humanist, a patriotic writer.

The author's thoughts and feelings about ideal Russia are expressed in lyrical digressions filled with a feeling of deep patriotism and love for the Motherland and a feeling of hatred of injustice. In lyrical digressions, the writer’s thought goes far from the events in the life of the main character and covers the entire subject of the image, “all of Rus',” and even reaches a universal level. The author's thoughts about the high purpose of man, about the fate of the Motherland and the people are contrasted with gloomy pictures of Russian life.

Lyrical digressions, scattered throughout the poem, are organically woven into the narrative and sound like a cry of pain, indignation and delight. They touch on issues that are relevant for all times and enhance the impression of the pictures depicted. In digressions, the reader becomes acquainted with persons who do not act directly in the poem. These are gentlemen “fat” and “thin”, gentlemen of the “big hand” and “middle hand”, the ruler of the chancellery Ivan Petrovich, broken fellows, drunkards and brawlers and others. These episodic faces are drawn by the author with two or three strokes, but they play a big role. They never meet the main character, Chichikov, but help the author in creating the image of a united Rus'.

The narrative of the poem is more than once interrupted by upbeat, lyrical travel sketches and sincere conversations with the reader. In one of the most poetic places in the work, which precedes the story about the life and formation of the personality of the protagonist, the theme of the road and the future of Russia merge. In this lyrical digression, colloquial speech is intertwined with a sublime tone of speech, and the reader, along with the author, is imbued with the charm and music of the word “road” itself and a feeling of delight in nature: “What a strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful thing in the word: road ! and how wonderful it is, this road: a clear day, autumn leaves, cold air...”

The author speaks of “churches with ancient domes and blackened buildings”, “dark log and stone houses”, “fields and steppes”, “huts scattered on the slope”, soulfully conveys the feelings of a man racing in a troika: “God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!..”

Extra-plot, inserted episodes, scenes, paintings, and the author’s reasoning are organically included in the poem. For example, Gogol casually sketches portraits of “thin” and “fat” officials. "Alas! Fat people know how to manage their affairs in this world better than thin people,” writes Gogol. Or a satirical portrait of a certain chancellery ruler. Among his subordinates, the ruler is “Prometheus, decisive Prometheus!.. and a little higher than him, with Prometheus, such a transformation will take place, which even Ovid would not invent: a fly, even smaller than a fly, is destroyed into a grain of sand!”

IN last chapter, which tells about the development of Chichikov’s character, the reader is again plunged into the world of vulgarity and evil. Using the example of the life of his hero, the author very accurately formulates the principles that dominate in his contemporary world: “most of all, take care and save a penny,” “hang around with those who are richer,” “please your superiors.” With undisguised irony, the writer speaks of a system of education in which abilities and talents have no value, and eternal truths are driven into the heads of young men through flogging and other punishments. The spirit of commerce and profit, which reigned in the world of the feudal nobility, penetrated into educational establishments and destroyed everything pure and poetic in the souls of young people.

However, immersed in Once again into the world of self-interest and profit, Gogol again returns us to the positive principles of the Russian character, instills confidence in the bright future of his people. In a lyrical digression that concludes the story, he talks about the talent of the Yaroslavl peasant, who built a road wagon with a chisel and a hammer, about the bird-troika, which originated from spirited people“in that land that doesn’t like to joke, but has scattered smoothly across half the world,” about the courage and prowess of a simple Russian person. The poem ends with a grandiose in its expressiveness image of the rushing Rus' - a trio of birds. In the last lyrical digression, the author emphasizes the doom of the world of officials and landowners and the faith in limitless possibilities Russian people.

Throughout the entire narrative, the author draws our attention to Chichikov’s troika, more than once even indicating the names of the horses harnessed to it. Chichikov's troika is one of the main and expressive characters of the work. At the end of the poem, we again see Chichikov’s troika: Selifan slaps Chubari on the back, after which he breaks into a trot. The movement of the troika gradually accelerates, and the image of the troika changes its internal meaning. Instead of Chichikov's troika, a Russian troika appears, and at the same time the intonation of the narrative changes. An image appears before us native land, and the horses rush in a whirlwind, separate from the ground and turn into lines flying through the air, and instead of the troika, Rus' appears in all its rapid movement. The author’s speech is melodious, filled with emotional epithets and synonyms, metaphors and exclamations: “Rus, where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer." This digression contains the result of many years of Gogol’s thoughts about the fate of Russia, about the present and future of its people. After all, it is the people who oppose the world of officials, landowners, and businessmen, like a living soul against a dead one.

All topics in the book “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol. Summary. Features of the poem. Essays":

Summary poem "Dead Souls": Volume one. Chapter first

Features of the poem “Dead Souls”

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Analysis of lyrical digressions in the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls"

Lyrical digression is an extra-plot element of the work; compositional and stylistic device, which consists in the author’s retreat from the direct plot narrative; author's reasoning, reflection, statement expressing an attitude towards the depicted or having an indirect relation to it. Lyrically, the digressions in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” introduce a life-giving, refreshing beginning, highlight the content of the pictures of life that appear before the reader, and reveal the idea. The topics of lyrical digressions are varied.
“About fat and thin officials” (1 chapter); the author resorts to generalizing the images of civil servants. Self-interest, bribery, veneration for rank are their characteristic features. The contrast between thick and thin, which seems at first glance, actually reveals common negative traits both of them.
“On the shades and subtleties of our treatment” (chap. 3); speaks of ingratiation to the rich, respect for rank, self-humiliation of officials in front of their superiors and an arrogant attitude towards subordinates.
“About the Russian people and their language” (chap. 5); the author notes that the language and speech of a people reflects its national character; A feature of the Russian word and Russian speech is amazing accuracy.
“About two types of writers, about their destiny and destinies” (chap. 7); the author contrasts a realist writer and a romantic writer, points out character traits creativity of a romantic writer, speaks of the wonderful destiny of this writer. Gogol writes with bitterness about the lot of a realist writer who dared to portray the truth. Reflecting on the realist writer, Gogol determined the meaning of his work.
“Much has happened in the world of error” (chap. 10); a lyrical digression about the world chronicle of mankind, about its errors is a manifestation of the writer’s Christian views. All of humanity has wandered away from the straight path and is standing on the edge of an abyss. Gogol points out to everyone that the straight and bright path of humanity consists in following moral values, embedded in Christian teaching.
"About the expanses of Rus', national character and about the bird three"; the final lines of “Dead Souls” are connected with the theme of Russia, with the author’s thoughts about the Russian national character, about Russia as a state. IN symbolic image The three birds expressed Gogol's faith in Russia as a state destined for a great historical mission from above. At the same time, there is an idea about the uniqueness of Russia’s path, as well as the idea about the difficulty of foreseeing specific forms of Russia’s long-term development.

“Dead Souls” is a lyric-epic work - a prose poem that combines two principles: epic and lyrical. The first principle is embodied in the author’s plan to paint “all of Rus',” and the second in the author’s lyrical digressions related to his plan, which form an integral part of the work. The epic narrative in “Dead Souls” is continually interrupted by lyrical monologues of the author, assessing the character’s behavior or reflecting on life, art, Russia and its people, as well as touching on topics such as youth and old age, the purpose of the writer, which help to learn more O spiritual world writer, about his ideals. The most important are the lyrical digressions about Russia and the Russian people. Throughout the poem, the author's idea of positive image of the Russian people, which merges with the glorification and celebration of the homeland, which expresses the author’s civil-patriotic position.

Thus, in the fifth chapter, the writer praises “the lively and lively Russian mind”, his extraordinary ability for verbal expressiveness, that “if he rewards a slant with a word, then it will go to his family and posterity, he will take it with him both to the service and to retirement , and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world." Chichikov was led to such reasoning by his conversation with the peasants, who called Plyushkin “patched” and knew him only because he did not feed his peasants well.

Gogol felt the living soul of the Russian people, their prowess, courage, hard work and love for free life. In this regard deep meaning have the author’s reasoning, put into Chichikov’s mouth, about serfs in the seventh chapter. What appears here is not a generalized image of Russian men, but specific people with real features, described in detail. This is the carpenter Stepan Probka - “a hero who would be fit for the guard,” who, according to Chichikov, walked all over Rus' with an ax in his belt and boots on his shoulders. This is the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov, who studied with a German and decided to get rich instantly by making boots from rotten leather, which fell apart in two weeks. At this point, he abandoned his work, started drinking, blaming everything on the Germans, who did not allow Russian people to live.

Next, Chichikov reflects on the fate of many peasants bought from Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Manilov and Korobochka. But here's the idea of "revelry" folk life"was so different from the image of Chichikov that the author himself takes the floor and, on his own behalf, continues the story, the story of how Abakum Fyrov walks on the grain pier with barge haulers and merchants, having worked out "to one song, like Rus'." The image of Abakum Fyrov indicates the love of the Russian people for the free, wild life, festivities and fun, despite the hard life of serfdom, the oppression of landowners and officials.

In lyrical digressions appears tragic fate enslaved people, downtrodden and socially humiliated, which was reflected in the images of Uncle Mitya and Uncle Minya, the girl Pelageya, who could not distinguish between right and left, Plyushkin’s Proshka and Mavra. Behind these images and pictures of folk life lies the deep and broad soul of the Russian people. The love for the Russian people, for the homeland, the patriotic and sublime feelings of the writer were expressed in the image of the troika created by Gogol, rushing forward, personifying the mighty and inexhaustible forces of Russia. Here the author thinks about the future of the country: “Rus, where are you rushing to? "He looks into the future and does not see it, but how true patriot believes that in the future there will be no Manilovs, Sobakeviches, Nozdrevs, Plyushkins, that Russia will rise to greatness and glory.

The image of the road in the lyrical digressions is symbolic. This is the road from the past to the future, the road along which the development of each person and Russia as a whole takes place. The work ends with a hymn to the Russian people: “Eh! troika! Bird-three, who invented you? You could have been born to a lively people... "Here, lyrical digressions perform a generalizing function: they serve to expand artistic space and to create a holistic image of Rus'. They reveal the positive ideal of the author - people's Russia, which is opposed to landowner-bureaucratic Rus'.

But, in addition to lyrical digressions glorifying Russia and its people, the poem also contains reflections lyrical hero on philosophical themes, for example, about youth and old age, the vocation and purpose of a true writer, about his fate, which are somehow connected with the image of the road in the work. So, in the sixth chapter Gogol exclaims: “Take it with you on the journey, coming out of the soft teenage years into stern, embittering courage, take everything with you human movements, don’t leave them on the road, you won’t pick them up later! ..” Thus, the author wanted to say that all the best things in life are connected precisely with youth and one should not forget about it, as the landowners described in the novel did, stasis “ dead souls" They do not live, but exist. Gogol calls for preserving a living soul, freshness and fullness of feelings and remaining like that for as long as possible.

Sometimes, reflecting on the transience of life, on changing ideals, the author himself appears as a traveler: “Before, long ago, in the summer of my youth... it was fun for me to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time... Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and look indifferently at her vulgar appearance; It’s unpleasant to my chilled gaze, it’s not funny to me... and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! Oh my freshness! “To recreate the completeness of the author’s image, it is necessary to talk about lyrical digressions in which Gogol talks about two types of writers. One of them “never once changed the sublime structure of his lyre, did not descend from its top to his poor, insignificant brothers, and the other dared to call out everything that is every minute before the eyes and which indifferent eyes do not see.” The lot of a real writer, who dared to truthfully recreate a reality hidden from the eyes of the people, is such that, unlike a romantic writer, absorbed in his unearthly and sublime images, he is not destined to achieve fame and experience the joyful feelings of being recognized and sung. Gogol comes to the conclusion that the unrecognized realist writer, satirist writer will remain without participation, that “his field is harsh, and he bitterly feels his loneliness.” The author also talks about “connoisseurs of literature” who have their own idea of the purpose of a writer (“It’s better to present to us the beautiful and fascinating”), which confirms his conclusion about the fate of two types of writers.

All this recreates the lyrical image of the author, who will continue to walk hand in hand with the “strange hero for a long time, looking around at the whole enormous rushing life, looking at it through laughter visible to the world and invisible tears unknown to him! »

So, lyrical digressions occupy a significant place in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”. They are remarkable from a poetic point of view. They reveal new beginnings literary style, which will later acquire bright life in the prose of Turgenev and especially in the works of Chekhov.

Lyrical digressions scattered throughout the poem are organically woven into the narrative and sound like a cry of pain, indignation and delight. They touch on issues that are relevant for all times and enhance the impression of the pictures depicted. In digressions, the reader becomes acquainted with persons who do not act directly in the poem. These are gentlemen “fat” and “thin”, gentlemen of the “big hand” and “middle hand”, the ruler of the chancellery Ivan Petrovich, broken fellows, drunkards and brawlers and others. These episodic faces are drawn by the author with two or three strokes, but they play a big role. They never meet the main character, Chichikov, but help the author in creating the image of a united Rus'.

In the last chapter, which tells about the development of Chichikov's character, the reader again plunges into the world of vulgarity and evil. Using the example of the life of his hero, the author very accurately formulates the principles that dominate in his contemporary world: “most of all, take care and save a penny,” “hang around with those who are richer,” “please your superiors.” With undisguised irony, the writer speaks of a system of education in which abilities and talents have no value, and eternal truths are driven into the heads of young men through flogging and other punishments. The spirit of commerce and profit, which reigned in the world of the feudal nobility, penetrated educational institutions and destroyed everything pure and poetic in the souls of young people.

However, once again plunging us into the world of self-interest and profit, Gogol again returns us to the positive principles of the Russian character, instilling confidence in the bright future of his people. In a lyrical digression that concludes the story, he talks about the talent of the Yaroslavl peasant, who built a road wagon with a chisel and a hammer, about a bird or three, which originated among the lively people “in that land that does not like to joke, but was scattered evenly across half the world,” about courage and daring of a simple Russian person. The poem ends with a grandiose in its expressiveness image of the rushing Rus' - a trio of birds. In the last lyrical digression, the author emphasizes the doom of the world of officials and landowners and the belief in the limitless possibilities of the Russian people.

Throughout the entire narrative, the author draws our attention to Chichikov’s troika, more than once even indicating the names of the horses harnessed to it. Chichikov's troika is one of the main and expressive characters of the work. At the end of the poem, we again see Chichikov’s troika: Selifan slaps Chubari on the back, after which he breaks into a trot. The movement of the troika gradually accelerates, and the image of the troika changes its internal meaning. Instead of Chichikov's troika, a Russian troika appears, and at the same time the intonation of the narrative changes. The image of our native land appears before us, and the horses rush in a whirlwind, separate from the ground and turn into lines flying through the air, and instead of the troika, Rus' appears in all its rapid movement. The author’s speech is melodious, filled with emotional epithets and synonyms, metaphors and exclamations: “Rus, where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer." This digression contains the result of many years of Gogol’s thoughts about the fate of Russia, about the present and future of its people. After all, it is the people who oppose the world of officials, landowners, and businessmen, like a living soul against a dead one.

All topics in the book “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol. Summary. Features of the poem. Essays":

Summary of the poem “Dead Souls”: Volume one. Chapter first

Features of the poem “Dead Souls”

I. Gogol called “Dead Souls” a poem, thereby emphasizing the equality of the lyrical and epic principles: narration and lyrical digressions (see Belinsky on the pathos of “subjectivity” in terms of “ Genre originality"Dead Souls") I. Two main types of lyrical digressions in the poem: 1. Digressions associated with the epic part, with the task of showing Rus' “from one side.” 2. Digressions contrasted with the epic part, revealing the positive ideal of the author. 1. Digressions associated with the epic part serve as a means of revealing characters and generalizing them. 1) Digressions revealing the images of officials. - A satirical digression about fat and thin typifies the images of officials. WITH common problem The poem (the death of the soul) correlates with the antithesis on which this digression is based: it is physical qualities that are the main ones in a person, determining his fate and behavior. Men here, as elsewhere, were of two kinds: some thin, who all hovered around the ladies; some of them were of such a kind that it was difficult to distinguish them from those from St. Petersburg... The other type of men were fat or the same as Chichikov, that is, not too fat, but not thin either. These, on the contrary, looked askance and backed away from the ladies and only looked around to see if the governor’s servant was setting up a green table for whist... These were honorary officials in the city. Alas! fat people know how to manage their affairs in this world better than thin people. The thin ones serve more on special assignments or are just registered and wander here and there; their existence is somehow too easy, airy and completely unreliable. Fat people never occupy indirect places, but all straight ones, and if they sit somewhere, they will sit securely and firmly, so hurry up the place it will crack and bend under them, but they won’t fly off. (Chapter I) - The images of officials and Chichikov are also revealed in digressions: - about the ability to address: It must be said that in Russia, if we have not yet kept up with foreigners in some other respects, then we have far surpassed them in the ability to address... in our country There are such wise men who will speak to a landowner who has two hundred souls completely differently than to one who has three hundred, and to one who has three hundred they will again speak differently than to one who has five hundred. and with the one who has five hundred of them, again it is not the same as with the one who has eight hundred of them - in a word, even if you go up to a million, there will be shades of everything. The author paints an image of a certain conventional ruler of the office, in which he takes rank and understanding of subordination to the grotesque, to the point of transformation: I ask you to look at him when he sits among his subordinates, but you simply cannot utter a word out of fear! pride and nobility, and what does his face not express? just take a brush and paint: Prometheus, determined Prometheus! Looks out like an eagle, acts smoothly, measuredly. The same eagle, as soon as he left the room and approaches the office of his boss, is in such a hurry as a partridge with papers under his arm that there is no urine. (Chapter III) - about a millionaire: A millionaire has the advantage that he can see completely disinterested meanness, pure meanness, not based on any calculations... (Chapter VIII) - about hypocrisy: This happens on the faces of officials during an inspection by a visiting boss entrusted to the management of their places: after the first fear had already passed, they saw that he liked a lot, and he himself finally deigned to joke, that is, to utter a few words with a pleasant grin... (Chapter VIII) - about the ability to conduct conversations with ladies : To our greatest regret, it must be noted that sedate people and those occupying important positions are somehow a little difficult in conversations with ladies; for this, masters, gentlemen, lieutenants, and no further than the ranks of captains... (Chapter VIII) 2) A group of lyrical digressions generalizes the characters of landowners, elevates particular phenomena to more general phenomena. - MANILOV: There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan, according to the proverb. (chapter II) - wife MANILOVA LIZA (about boarding houses): A good upbringing, as you know, happens in boarding houses. And in boarding schools, as you know, three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: French , necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, to bring pleasant moments to the spouse, and, finally, the actual economic part: knitting wallets and other surprises. However, there are various improvements and changes in methods, especially in modern times; all this depends more on the prudence and abilities of the boarding house owners themselves. In other boarding houses it happens that first the piano, then the French language, and then the economic part. (Chapter II) - Speaking about Korobochka, Gogol uses the technique of several stages of generalization: 1) see the digression about landowners like Korobochka in the topic “Means of revealing characters in Dead Souls.” 2) comparison of the landowner with “her aristocratic sister”: Maybe you will even begin to think: come on, is Korobochka really standing so low on the endless ladder of human improvement? Is it really so great that the abyss separating her from her sister, inaccessibly fenced by the walls of an aristocratic house... (Chapter III) 3) A very broad generalization is given through an apparent illogicality: However, Chichikov was in vain angry: he is a different and respectable, and even a statesman, and in fact, it turns out to be a perfect Box. Once you’ve got something in your head, you can’t overpower it with anything; No matter how much you present him with arguments, clear as day, everything bounces off him, like a rubber ball bounces off a wall. (Chapter III) - NOZDREV: Maybe they will call him a beaten character, they will say that now Nozdrev is no longer there. Alas! those who speak like this will be unjust. Nozdryov will not leave the world for a long time. He is everywhere between us and, perhaps, only wears a different caftan; but people are thoughtlessly undiscerning, and a person in a different caftan seems to them a different person. (Chapter IV) - Nozdrev’s son-in-law MIZHUEV: Blonde was one of those people in whose character, at first glance, there is some kind of stubbornness... But it will always end with the fact that their character will turn out to be soft, that they will agree precisely to what they rejected it, they will call the stupid thing smart and go off to dance as best they can to someone else’s tune - in a word, they will start as a smoothie and end up as a viper. (Chapter IV) - SOBAKEVICH: Were you really born a bear, or have you been bearded by provincial life, grain crops, fussing with peasants, and through them you have become what is called a man - a fist?.. No, whoever is a fist cannot straighten up. in the palm of your hand! And if you straighten your fist with one or two fingers, it will turn out even worse. If he tasted the top of some science, he would let all those who had actually learned some science know later, having taken a more prominent place. (Chapter V) - Only PLYUSHKIN is an atypical phenomenon. The lyrical digression in Chapter VI is based on negation, the generalization is given as if by contradiction: It must be said that such a phenomenon rarely comes across in Rus', where everything likes to unfold rather than shrink. 3) In addition, there are digressions on everyday topics that are close to the epic part in pathos and language and also serve as a means of generalization: - about food and stomachs of middle-class gentlemen: The author must admit that he is very envious of the appetite and stomach of this kind of people. For him, all the gentlemen of great hands who live in St. Petersburg and Moscow, who spend time thinking about what to eat tomorrow and what kind of dinner to create for the day after tomorrow, mean absolutely nothing... (Chapter IV) - about scientific reasoning and discoveries: Our brothers , smart people, as we call ourselves, do almost the same, and our scientific reasoning serves as proof. (Chapter IX) - about human strangeness: Come and make peace with man! does not believe in God, but believes that if the bridge of his nose itches, he will certainly die... (Chapter X) From the analysis carried out it is clear that in Gogol’s works we are not dealing with traditional typification, but rather with a generalization, universalization of phenomena. 2. Digressions contrasted with the epic part, revealing the positive ideal of the author. 1) Lyrical digressions about Russia (Rus), linking together the themes of the road, the Russian people and the Russian word. - a digression about the aptly spoken Russian word in Chapter V (see “ Folk images, image of the people, nationality of “Dead Souls”). - about barge haulers (the image of the people): And really, where is Fyrov now? He walks noisily and cheerfully on the grain pier, having arranged himself with the merchants. Flowers and ribbons on the hat, the whole gang of barge haulers is having fun, saying goodbye to their mistresses and wives, tall, stately, in monasteries and ribbons; round dances, songs, the whole square is in full swing... and the entire grain arsenal looms large until it is all loaded into deep marmot ships and the goose and people rush off into the endless valley. That's where you'll work hard, barge haulers! and together, as before they walked and raged, you will set to work and sweat, dragging the strap under one endless song, like Rus'. (Chapter VII) - about the troika bird (author’s spelling): Eh, troika! bird troika, who invented you?.. Aren’t you, Rus', like a lively, unstoppable troika, rushing?.. Rus', where are you rushing, give me the answer? Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and other peoples and states sidestep and give way to it. (Chapter XI) How strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful in the word: road! how wonderful it is, this road: a clear day, autumn leaves, cold air... tighter in your travel overcoat, a hat over your ears, you will press closer and more comfortably to the corner!.. And the night? heavenly powers! what a night is taking place on high! And the air, and the sky, distant, high, there, in its inaccessible depths, so immensely, sonorously and clearly spread out!.. God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!.. (Chapter XI) - about Rus' and its heroes: Rus'! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful distance I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; The daring divas of nature, crowned by the daring divas of art, will not amuse or frighten the eyes... Everything in you is open, deserted and even; like dots, like icons, your low cities stick out inconspicuously among the plains; nothing will seduce or enchant the eye. But what incomprehensible, secret force attracts you? Why is your melancholy song heard and heard incessantly in your ears, rushing along your entire length and width, from sea to sea? What is in it, in this song?.. What does this vast expanse prophesy? Isn’t it here, in you, that a boundless thought will be born, when you yourself are endless? Shouldn't a hero be here when there is room for him to turn around and walk? And a mighty space envelops me menacingly, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus'!.. (Chapter XI) 2) Lyrical digressions on philosophical topics, approaching in language the lyrical digressions associated with positive ideal. - about the inconsistency of life: whether Korobochka, or Manilov, whether life is dual or uneconomical - ignore them! This is not how the world works wonderfully: what is cheerful will instantly turn into sadness if you just stand in front of it for a long time; and then God knows what comes to mind. If at that time you had come across instead of Chichikov some twenty-year-old youth, whether he was a hussar, a student, or simply someone who had just begun the career of life, - and God! no matter what woke up, moved, or spoke in him!.. (Chapter V) Today’s ardent young man would jump aside in horror if they showed him a portrait of himself in old age. Take with you on the journey, emerging from the soft youthful years into stern, embittering courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, you will not pick them up later!.. (Chapter VI) - about old age: Terrible, terrible is the old age that lies ahead , and doesn’t give anything back and forth! (Chapter VI) III. In addition, we can highlight a number of digressions that reveal the author’s views on artistic creativity: - About two types of writers. Based on this digression, Nekrasov’s poem “Blessed is the gentle poet” (on the death of Gogol) was written. Happy is the writer who, past characters that are boring, disgusting, and striking with their sad reality, approaches characters that demonstrate the high dignity of a person who, from the great pool of daily rotating images, has chosen only a few exceptions, who has never changed the sublime structure of his lyre... There is no equal in his power - he is God! But this is not the fate, and the fate of the writer is different, who dared to call out everything that is every minute before the eyes and what indifferent eyes do not see - all the terrible, stunning mud of little things that entangle our lives, all the depth of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters with which ours teems. earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road, and with the strong force of an inexorable chisel, who dared to expose them convexly and brightly to the eyes of the people! He cannot gather popular applause, he cannot ripen the grateful tears and unanimous delight of the souls excited by him... (Chapter VII) - The digression about the portrait of heroes in Chapter II is connected with the problem of method. It is built on an antithesis: romantic hero(portrait) - an ordinary, unremarkable hero. It's much easier to portray characters big size: there, just throw paint from your entire hand onto the canvas, black scorching eyes, drooping eyebrows, a wrinkled forehead, a cloak black or scarlet as fire thrown over your shoulder, and the portrait is ready; but all these gentlemen, of whom there are many in the world, who look very similar to each other, and yet, when you look closely, you will see many of the most elusive features - these gentlemen are terribly difficult for portraits. Here you will have to greatly strain your attention until you force all the subtle, almost invisible features to appear before you, and in general you will have to deepen your gaze, already sophisticated in the science of prying. (Chapter II) - In a lyrical digression about the language of a work of art, the principle of democratization of language is declared, the author opposes its artificial “ennoblement”. Guilty! It seems that a word that was noticed on the street came out of our hero’s mouth. What to do? Such is the position of the writer in Rus'! However, if a word from the street ends up in a book, it is not the writer’s fault, it is the readers, and above all the readers, who are to blame high society: from them you won’t be the first to hear a single decent Russian word, but they will probably endow you with French, German and English in such quantities that you won’t even want it. (Chapter VIII) See also “ Women's images in The Inspector General and Dead Souls. - About the choice of a hero: But a virtuous person is still not chosen as a hero. And you can even say why it wasn’t taken. Because it’s time to finally give rest to the poor virtuous man, because the word idly spins on his lips: a virtuous man, because they turned a virtuous man into a workhorse, and there is no writer who would not ride him, urging him on with a whip and with everything that came his way. ; because they have starved a virtuous man to such an extent that now there is not even a shadow of virtue on him, and only ribs and skin instead of a body remain... because they do not respect a virtuous man. No, it’s time to finally hide the scoundrel too. So, let's harness the scoundrel! (Chapter XI) Gogol claims the role of chief actor antihero (see “Genre originality of “Dead Souls”). - ABOUT creative plans, about a positive ideal: But... perhaps in this same story one will sense other, hitherto unstrung strings, the untold wealth of the Russian spirit will appear, a husband gifted with divine virtues will pass by, or a wonderful Russian maiden, which cannot be found anywhere in the world, with all the wondrous beauty female soul, all out of generous aspiration and selflessness. And everyone will appear dead before them virtuous people other tribes, just as a book is dead before a living word!.. But why and why talk about what lies ahead? It is indecent for the author, who has long been a husband, brought up by a harsh inner life and the refreshing sobriety of solitude, to forget yourself like a young man. Everything has its turn, place and time! (Chapter XI) See also about the plan “The plot and composition of “Dead Souls”. - The author is aware of his high mission: And for a long time it is determined for me by the wonderful power to walk hand in hand with my strange heroes, to look around at the whole enormously rushing life, look at it through laughter visible to the world and invisible, unknown to him tears! And the time is still far off when, in another key, a menacing blizzard of inspiration will rise from the chapter, clothed in holy horror and splendor, and in confused trepidation they will sense the majestic thunder of other speeches... (Chapter VII) IV. Unlike Pushkin, Gogol has no autobiographical digressions, except for the poetic “Oh my youth, oh my freshness!”, but it is also of a general philosophical nature: Before, long ago, in the years of my youth, in the years of my irrevocably flashed childhood, I had fun approaching an unfamiliar place for the first time... Now I indifferently approach any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance. (Chapter VI) V. From the point of view of the principle of artistic generalization, the lyrical digressions of “Dead Souls” can be divided into two types: 1. From the private, the author ascends to the national. ...but the author likes to be extremely thorough in everything and from this side, despite the fact that the man himself is Russian, he wants to be careful, like a German. (Chapter II) Such is the Russian man: a strong passion to become arrogant with someone who would be at least one rank higher than him... (Chapter II) Since the Russian man, in decisive moments, will find something to do without going into further considerations, then, turning right onto the first cross road, he [Selifan] shouted: “Hey, you, respectable friends!” - and set off at a gallop, thinking little about where the road taken would lead. (Chapter III) Here Nozdryov was promised many difficult and strong desires; There were even some bad words. What to do? A Russian man, and in his heart too! (Chapter V) Selifan felt his mistake, but since a Russian person does not like to admit to another that he is to blame, he immediately said, poised: “Why are you jumping around like that? did he put his eyes in a tavern, or what?” (Chapter V) The guest and the host each drank a glass of vodka, ate, as the whole of vast Russia eats in cities and villages... (Chapter V) In Rus', lower societies are very fond of talking about gossip that happens in higher societies... (Chapter V) IX) What did this scratching mean? and what does it even mean?.. Scratching one’s head means many different things to the Russian people. (Chapter X) See also digressions about Plyushkin and Sobakevich. - Russia in “Dead Souls” is a special world, living according to its own laws. Wide open spaces it is generated by broad natures. ...she [the governor] was holding by the arm a young sixteen-year-old girl, a fresh blonde with thin, slender features, a sharp chin, and a charmingly round oval face, the kind an artist would take as a model for the Madonna and which only a rare case comes across in Rus', where everything loves to be in wide size, everything that exists: mountains, forests, steppes, faces, lips, and legs. (Chapter VIII) And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast? Is it possible for his soul, trying to get dizzy, to go on a spree, to sometimes say: “damn it all!” - Is it his soul not to love her? (Chapter XI) 2. Through the all-Russian, national, the path to the universal lies. Many phenomena of life are recognized by the author as universal (see. philosophical digressions). We find a global generalization of the historical and philosophical plan in a lyrical digression about the fate of humanity: And in the world chronicle of humanity there are many entire centuries that, it would seem, were crossed out and destroyed as unnecessary. Many mistakes have been made in the world that, it would seem, even a child would not do now. What crooked, deaf, narrow, impassable roads that lead far to the side have been chosen by humanity, striving to achieve eternal truth, while the straight path was open to them, like the path leading to the magnificent temple assigned to the king’s palace! (Chapter X) All universal generalizations are in one way or another connected with the plot-forming motif of the road (see “The Plot and Composition of Dead Souls”). VI. Gogol's poem is built on the thematic and stylistic opposition of the epic and lyrical principles. Often this antithesis is specially emphasized by Gogol, and he collides two worlds: And a mighty space threateningly embraces me, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus'!.. “Hold it, hold it, you fool!” - Chichikov shouted to Selifan. “Here I am with a broadsword!” - shouted a courier galloping towards him with a mustache as long as an arshin. “Don’t you see, damn your soul: it’s a government carriage!” And, like a ghost, the troika disappeared with thunder and dust. How strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful is the word: road! (Chapter XI) In general, speaking about the stylistic originality of lyrical digressions, we can note the features of romantic poetics. - conceptually: in contrast to youth and old age. See lyrical digressions on philosophical topics. - V artistic means(hyperbole, cosmic images, metaphors). See “Genre originality of “Dead Souls”. - the voice of the author, a romantic poet, with its intense, emotional intonation is also heard in the digression about the road: God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!.. (Chapter XI) VII. Compositional role lyrical digressions. 1. Some chapters open with digressions: - a digression about youth in Chapter VI (“Before, long ago, in the years of my youth...”). - a digression on two types of writers in Chapter VII (“Happy is the writer...”). 2. Digressions can end the chapter: - about the “aptly spoken Russian word” in Chapter V (“Expressed strongly Russian people..."). - about “scratching the back of the head” in Chapter X (“What did this scratching mean? And what does it mean anyway?”) - about the “bird troika” at the end of the first volume (“Eh, troika, bird troika, who invented you?.. "). 3. A digression may precede the appearance of a new hero: a digression about youth in Chapter VI precedes the description of the village of Plyushkin. 4. Turning points the plot may also be marked by lyrical digressions: - Describing Chichikov’s feelings when meeting with governor's daughter, the author again reminds the reader of the division of people into thick and thin. It is impossible to say for sure whether the feeling of love has truly awakened in our hero - it is even doubtful that gentlemen of this kind, that is, not so fat, but not so thin, are capable of love; but despite all that, there was something so strange here, something of this kind, which he could not explain to himself... (Chapter VIII) - the author includes discussions about the ability of fat and thin gentlemen to entertain ladies in the description of another novel scenes: Chichikov's conversation with the governor's daughter at the ball. .. people who are sedate and occupy important positions are somehow a little difficult in conversations with ladies; for this, masters, gentlemen, lieutenants, and no further than the ranks of captains... This is noted here so that readers can see why the blonde began to yawn during our hero’s stories. (Chapter VIII) 5. Towards the end of the poem, the number of lyrical digressions associated with a positive ideal increases, which is explained by Gogol’s plan to build “Dead Souls” on the model of “ Divine Comedy"Dante (see "Plot and composition of "Dead Souls"). VIII. The language of lyrical digressions (see “Genre originality of “Dead Souls”).