"The history of one city": analysis of the work by chapter. Writings Fabulous elements in the history of one city

The name of the city, the "history" of which is offered to the reader, is Foolov. There is no such city on the map of Russia, and there has never been such a city - but nevertheless there was ... And there was - everywhere. Or maybe he did not disappear anywhere, despite the phrase with which the author-chronicler ends his narration: "History has stopped its course"? Could this be true? And isn't that Aesopian sly grin? ..

In Russian literature, Pushkin's History of the Village of Goryukhina immediately preceded the Shchedrin Chronicle. “If God sends me readers, then maybe they will be curious to know how I decided to write the History of the village of Goryukhina” - this is how Pushkin's story begins. And here is the beginning of the text "From the publisher", allegedly found in the "Foolov's city archive" "a voluminous bundle of notebooks bearing the general name of the" Foolov Chronicler "": "For a long time I already had the intention to write the history of some city (or region) ... circumstances hindered this undertaking. "

But the Chronicler was found. The material collected since ancient times is at the disposal of the "publisher". In his address to the reader, he determines the content of the History. Read the text "From the Publisher" in full so that you are convinced that every word there is special, shines with its brilliance and merges in a common sparkle with others, one fantastically real (grotesque) image, having barely appeared on the page, is crowded into the next, and the best, what can be done is to become a reader of the chronicle of Foolov, this strangely familiar city to all of us.

The structure of Shchedrin's most widely read work is not simple. Behind the chapter “ From the publisher"Follows" Address to the reader "- a text written directly on behalf of the "archivist-chronicler" and stylized in the language of the 18th century.

"Author" - "humble Pavlushka, Masloboinikov's son", the fourth archivist. Note that out of the other three archivists, two are the Tryapichkins (the surname is taken from Gogol's "Inspector General": this is how Khlestakov calls his friend "writing articles").

"On the Root of the Foolovites"

"On the Root of the Foolovites," the chapter that opens the "Chronicler", begins with a fictional quote imitating the text of "The Lay of Igor's Campaign." Historians N.I. Kostomarov (1817-1885) and S.M. Solovyov (1820-1879) are mentioned here because they adhered to directly opposite views on the history of Russia and Russia: according to Kostomarov, the main thing in it was spontaneous folk activity ("he roamed the earth like a gray wolf"), and according to Soloviev, Russian history was created only thanks to deeds of princes and kings ("he shook his shy eagle under the clouds").

Both points of view were alien to the writer himself. He believed that Russian statehood can only be created through an organized and conscious popular movement.

"Inventory for city governors"

"Inventory of the city governors" contains explanations for further chapters and a short list of mayors, the narratives of whose rule are developed further. One should not think that every mayor is a satirical image of one particular "autocrat". These are always generalized images, like most of the text of the "History of one city", but there are also clear correspondences. Scoundrels - Pavel I, Alexander I - Melancholy; Speransky and Arakcheev, close associates of Alexander I, were reflected in the characters of Benevolensky and Gloom-Burcheev.

"Organchik"

Organchik is the central and most famous chapter of the book. This is the nickname of the mayor Brudasty, who summarizes the most sinister features of despotism. For a long time the word "busty" refers exclusively to dogs: busty - having a beard and mustache on the face and usually especially vicious (more often about a greyhound dog). He was named the organ because a musical instrument was found in his head, a mechanism that produces only one phrase: "I will not tolerate it!" The foolish people also call Brudasty a scoundrel, but Shchedrin assures this word, they do not attach any definite meaning to this word. This means that the word has such - this is how the writer draws your attention to this word and asks you to understand it. Let's figure it out.

The word "scoundrel" appeared in Russian under Peter I from "profost" - a regimental executor (executioner) in the German army, in the Russian it was used until the 60s of the XIX century in the same sense, after - the warden of military prisons. AI Herzen and N.P. Ogarev - Russian revolutionary publicists who published the Kolokol newspaper in London. Charles the Innocent - a character like Organchik in medieval history - a real-life French king, deposed as a result of his unsuccessful wars. Freemasons are Freemasons, Freemasons, members of the Freemasons Society, which has been very influential in Europe since the Middle Ages.

"The Legend of the Six City Governors"

"The Tale of the Six City Governors" is a wonderfully written, hilariously funny, brilliant satire on the empresses of the 18th century and their favorite temporary workers.

The surname Paleologova is an allusion to the wife of Ivan III, the daughter of the last Byzantine emperor of the Palaeologus dynasty, Sophia. It was this marriage that gave the Russian rulers the basis to make Russia an empire and dream of annexing Byzantium.

The name Clementine de Bourbon is an allusion to the fact that the French government helped Elizabeth Petrovna to ascend to the Russian throne. The mention of the hard-to-pronounce fictitious surnames of the Polish cardinals here is probably a hint of the Time of Troubles and Polish intrigue in Russian history.

"News about Dvoekurov"

"The News of Dvoekurov" contains allusions to the reign of Alexander I and features of his personality (duality, contradictory intentions and their implementation, indecision to cowardice). Shchedrin emphasizes that the Foolovites owe him the obligation to consume mustard and bay leaves. Dvoekurov is the ancestor of "innovators" who waged wars "in the name of potatoes." A hint of Nicholas I, the son of Alexander I, who introduced potatoes to Russia during the famine times of 1839-1840, which caused "potato riots", brutally suppressed by military force until the most powerful peasant uprising in 1842.

"Hungry City"

The Hungry City. The mayor Ferdyshchenko rules Foolov in this and the next two chapters. After listening to the priest's teaching about Ahab and Jezebel, Ferdyshchenko promises the people bread, and he himself summons troops to the city. Perhaps this is an allusion to the "liberation" of the peasants in 1861, carried out in such a way that it aroused the discontent of both landlords and peasants who resisted the reform.

"Straw City"

"Straw City". The war between "archers" and "gunners" is described. It is known that in May 1862, the famous St. Petersburg fires took place in the Apraksin Dvor. They blamed students and nihilists for them, but perhaps the fires were a provocation. The chapter is a broader generalization. It also contains hints of the 1824 flood in St. Petersburg.

"Fantastic Traveler"

"Fantastic Traveler". Ferdyshchenko embarks on a journey. The custom of the Russian autocrats was to embark from time to time on trips around the country, during which the local authorities strenuously portrayed the people's loyalty to the rulers, and the tsars bestowed favors on the people, often very insignificant. So, it is known that by order of Arakcheev, during Alexander I's tour of military settlements, the same roasted goose was transferred from the hut to the hut.

"Wars of Enlightenment"

"Wars for the Enlightenment" - describes "the longest and most brilliant" reign, judging by many signs, of Nicholas I. Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin is a collective image, like everyone else, but some features of the era clearly hint primarily at this monarch. The historian K.I. Arseniev was the mentor of Nicholas I, who traveled with him across Russia.

Campaigns to Streletskaya Sloboda again take us back to the 18th century, but they generalize the periods of the next century - the struggle of monarchs against Freemasons, "noble opposition" and the Decembrists. There is, it seems, a hint of Pushkin (the poet Fedka, who "insulted" the venerable mother of the Basilisk with verses). It is known that after Pushkin's return from exile in 1826, Nicholas I told him in a personal conversation: “You've been fooling enough, I hope you will now be reasonable and we will not quarrel anymore. You will send me everything that you compose, from now on I myself will be your censor. "

A trip to the Dung settlement implies the colonial wars of the Russian tsars. Talking about the economic crisis in Foolov, Shchedrin names the economists of the Russian Bulletin magazine - Molinari and Bezobrazova, who passed off any position as prosperity. Finally, the campaigns "against the enlightenment" and for the "destruction of the free spirit", dated to the year of the revolution in France (1790), point to the French Revolution of 1848 and revolutionary events that broke out in European countries - Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary. Nicholas I introduces troops to Wallachia, Moldavia, Hungary.

"The era of dismissal from wars"

The chapter "The era of dismissal from wars" is devoted mainly to the reign of Negodyaev (Paul I), "replaced" in 1802, according to the "Inventory", for disagreement with Czartoryski, Stroganov and Novosiltsev. The named nobles were close advisers to Alexander, the son of the slain emperor. It was they who advocated the introduction of constitutional principles in Russia, but what a beginning they were! "The era of dismissal from wars" presents these "principles" in their true form.

Negodyaev is replaced by Mikaladze. The surname is Georgian, and there is reason to think that this refers to Emperor Alexander I, under whom Georgia (1801), Mingrelia (1803) and Imeretia (1810) were annexed to Russia, and the fact that he is a descendant of the "voluptuous Queen Tamara" - a hint of his mother Catherine II. The mayor of Benevolensky - the arbiter of the destinies of Russia, who had a huge influence on Alexander I, - M.M. Speransky. Lycurgus and Dragon (Drakont) - ancient Greek legislators; expressions "draconian rules", "draconian measures" became winged. Speransky was attracted by the tsar to draw up laws.

"Supporting documents"

In the last part of the book - "Justification documents" - there is a parody of the laws drawn up by Speransky. Benevolensky ended his career in the same way as Speransky, he was suspected of treason and exiled. The power of Pimple comes - the mayor with the stuffed head. This is a generalizing image, and it is not for nothing that Shchedrin compares the well-being of the Foolovites under Pimple with the life of the Russians under the legendary Prince Oleg: this is how the satirist emphasizes the fictional, unprecedented nature of the described prosperity.

"Adoration of mammon and repentance"

Now we are talking about the townsfolk - about the Foolovites themselves. The uniqueness of their endurance and vitality is pointed out, because they continue to exist under the mayors listed in the Chronicle. The series of the latter continues: Ivanov (again Alexander I, we are even talking about two versions of his death: compare the legend of Alexander I's voluntary renunciation of power, his staging of his death in Taganrog and his secret departure to monasticism), then - Angel Dorofeich Du-Chariot (Angel is the nickname of the same monarch in the circles of those close and close, Dorofeich - from Dorotheus - the gift of God (Greek), followed by Erast Melanov (again Tsar Alexander I.) Alexander's beloved and their influence on his reign are listed under different allegorical names. The emergence of the generalized image of Pfeifersha (prototypes - Baroness V.Yu. von Krugener and E.F. Tatarinova) marks the beginning of the second half of the reign of Alexander I and the immersion of the "upper classes" and society in dark mysticism and social obscurantism. repentance, the real king disappears into nowhere.

“Confirmation of repentance. Conclusion"

All this mystical rabble and delirium is dispersed by the once offended officer who arose again (Gloom-Grumblev - Arakcheev (1769-1834), "a sullen idiot", "a monkey in a uniform," who fell out of favor under Paul I and was recruited by Alexander I). The first part of the chapter is devoted to his struggle for the embodiment of the crazy idea of ​​military settlements to maintain the army in peacetime, the second - to the criticism of Russian liberalism. Arakcheev, who flourished during the years of the "liberation" of the peasants from serfdom, angered Shchedrin with his lack of principle, idealism and inconsistent caution, idle talk and a lack of understanding of the realities of Russian life. The list of martyrs of the liberal idea, given in the last chapter of the book, and their deeds also include the Decembrists, to whose activities Shchedrin could not help being ironic, knowing Russia and realizing how fantastic were the hopes of the Decembrists for the overthrow of the autocracy with the help of their secret societies and an uprising on Senate Square. The last in the series of mayors described in the "Chronicler" is named Archangel Stratilatovich Intercept-Zalivatsky - an image that again brings us back to Nicholas I. “He claimed that he was the father of his mother. He again banished mustard, bay leaf and Provencal oil from use ... "Thus, the history of the city of Foolov in" The Chronicler "returns to square one. Everything in it is ready for a new cycle. This hint is especially clear in the Archangel's statement that he is the father of his mother. The phantasmagoric grotesque is read clearly.

Concluding the story of the great book of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, we will only note that when reading it, one should bear in mind Turgenev's statement about the author: "He knew Russia better than all of us."

Source (abridged): Mikhalskaya, A.K. Literature: Basic level: grade 10. At 2 o'clock, Part 1: uch. allowance / A.K. Mikhalskaya, O. N. Zaitsev. - M .: Bustard, 2018

In the years 1869-1870. The action takes place in a city that has the self-explanatory name of fools. This is a kind of generalized image that incorporates the features of many uyezd, provincial and even capital cities of Russia. The foolish townspeople and rulers are also a generalization of the entire Russian people and power of a very different level. Behind Foolov you can see the contours of the Russian state with all its despotic rulers and dumb, crushed inhabitants.

The writer creates a picture not only of modern Russia, but also of its historical past: from 1731 to 1826. the remembrance of certain historical events is kept in a fantastic context. The figures of the mayors ruling stupid resemble some rulers of Russia in the 18th-19th centuries: for example, the mayor Melastilov looks like Alexander I("... A friend of Karamzin. He was distinguished by his tenderness and sensitivity of his heart, he loved to drink tea in the city grove and could not see without tears how the black grouse were being poked ... he died of melancholy in 1825"). The closeness of the surnames also leads to some analogies: Benevolensky - Speransky; Gloom-Grumblev - Arakcheev. Nevertheless, most of Foolov's mayors are fictitious, and Saltykov himself rejected the understanding of his book as a historical satire: “I have nothing to do with history, and I mean only the present. The historical form of the story is convenient for me because it allowed me to more freely refer to the well-known phenomena of life. "

Turning to history in his book, connecting the past and the present, the writer tried to find the foundations for the future. In the complex interweaving of the past and the present, the fantastic and the real, history and modernity, grotesque, satirical images were created that reflect the essence of Russian reality. With its uniqueness and impudence, “The history of one city has caused bewilderment among the reader: what is it - a parody of Russian history, a denunciation of a contemporary writer of the order of things, fantasy or something else? The writer himself did not give a direct answer to these questions. “Whoever wants to, let him understand,” he said.

Genre and composition.

The narrative opens with two introductions - on behalf of the publisher and on behalf of the archivist-chronicler, which explain the purpose and nature of the content books... The publisher points to the fantastic nature of many characters and situations (one mayor flew through the air, the other's legs were turned with their feet back, and he almost escaped from the city administration), but notes that “the fantastic nature of the stories does not in the least eliminate their administrative and educational significance and that reckless The arrogance of the flying city governor can even now serve as a saving warning for those of the current administrators who do not want to be prematurely dismissed from their posts. " This is followed by the prehistory of the city of Foolov, which is a kind of exhibition of the work, which tells about the roots of the origin of the city and its inhabitants. Story about the life of the Foolovites under the rule of various mayors opens with the "Description to the mayors", which makes it possible to understand the nature of the subsequent narrative.

“There is no cross-cutting plot in the book in the traditional sense of this word: each chapter is like a completely finished work with an independent, complete storyline,” notes D. Nikolaev. - At the same time, these chapters are closely linked not only by the commonality of the problematics, the scene and the collective image of the Foolovites, but also by something else. This is something that is the story of Foolov, which appears in the book as its plot ... Thanks to this plot, the reader can get acquainted with various socio-historical situations and an extensive gallery of rulers who ruled the fate of Foolov throughout the century. "

The complexity of defining its genre is also connected with the concept of the work. Various researchers define it as satirical sketches reflecting the peculiarities of Russian reality in the 60s of the XIX century, others consider the work a satirical historical chronicle, since the chronicles and works of major historians (N.M. Kapamzin, S.M. Soloviev) about history of Russia, and still others call the “History of one city-grotesque satirical novel... There is one more genre definition of the "History of one city" - dystopia, as opposed to

utopia, which depicts the ideal structure of society. The most important function of the dystopian genre is a warning, derived from the sad experience of the past and present and directed to the future, which is the true pathos of the satirist's work. Saltykov-Shchedrin himself did not give an exact genre definition of his work and called it a book.

Images of the City Governors.

The satirist's attention was attracted by that which has long darkened Russian life, which should be outlived, but continued to be present in it, despite the changes taking place; ego satire, in his words, is directed "against those characteristic features of Russian life that make it not quite comfortable." In The History of a City, Saltykov-Shchedrin distinguishes primarily two phenomena of Russian life: it is a despotic, petty, unlimited power and resignation, the submissiveness of the people, which allows them to do whatever they want with themselves. Fool's city governors are not only a phenomenon of the past, but also of the present. The power concentrated in their hands still determines the foundations of life. The petty nature of this power is already reflected in the list of mayors, which opens the story - a significant part of them are devoid of human traits and have vices incompatible with being the ruler of the city, on which human destinies depend.

The history of Foolov is represented by the change of mayors, and not by the development of popular life, which is characteristic of the social structure of Russia and, in general, for the historical-graphic view. In Shchedrin's satirical review, using the example of Foolov's life, he investigates questions about the relationship between the people and the authorities, whether changes are possible in these relations, what is the future of the people, etc. The story of life in Foolov opens with the reign of the mayor Brudasty, nicknamed "Organchik".

Over time, it turns out that the head of the mayor is a box in which there is a small organ capable of performing easy pieces of music: "I will tear it apart!" and "I will not tolerate!" But gradually the pegs of the instrument loosened and fell out, and the mayor could only say: "p-lyu!" The help of the master was required. It was then that the truth was revealed. The most remarkable thing is that even when the head of the mayor was under repair, he still continued to rule the city, but without a head.

The story about "Organchik" aroused indignation of the reviewer of "Vestnik Evropy". "But if instead of the word" Organchik "was put the word" Fool "- objected Shchedrin - then the reviewer probably would not have found anything unnatural."

Another mayor, Lieutenant Colonel Pryshch, introduced a simplified system of administration in the city. Oddly enough, but precisely this period of government was marked by the extraordinary prosperity of the Foolovites, who received unlimited freedom of action.

Soon the Foolovites learned that their town governor had a stuffed head. the mayor is literally eaten. This is how the writer implements the linguistic metaphor: To eat someone means to play, to eliminate.

An organ or mayor with a stuffed head are metaphorical images of headless rulers. History gives many examples, the writer notes, when "people gave orders, waged wars and concluded treatises, having an empty vessel on their shoulders." For Shchedrin, it is also important to think that "a mayor with a stuffed head does not mean a person with a stuffed head, but precisely a mayor who controls the fate of many thousands of people." Not by chance Writer speaks of a certain "city governor substance" that has supplanted human content. Outwardly, the mayors retain their ordinary human appearance, they perform actions characteristic of a person - they drink, eat, write laws, etc. functions - suppression. Naturally, they pose a threat to normal. natural life.

All the actions of the mayors are absolutely fantastic, meaningless and often contradict one another. One ruler paved the square, another paved it, one built a city, the other destroys it. Ferdyshchenko traveled to the city pasture, Wartkin waged wars for enlightenment, one of the goals of which was the forcible introduction of the mustard into use, Benevolensky composed and scattered laws at night, Intercept-Zalivatsky burned down the gymnasium and abolished science, etc. Despite the diverse nature of their madness , there is something in common that lies at the basis of their activities - they all whip the townsfolk. Some "whip absolutely", others "explain the reasons for their disposition by the demands of civilization," and still others "want the townsfolk to rely on their repulse in everything." Even historical times in Foolov began with a cry: "I'll screw it up!"

The "History of one city" ends with the reign of Uryum-Burcheev, the mayor, who terrified with his appearance, actions, lifestyle and was called a scoundrel, not only because he held this position in the regiment, but because he was a scoundrel "with all his being, all thoughts ". His portrait, the writer notes, "makes a very heavy impression."

"The mayor's substance" Gloom-Burcheeva gave rise to "a whole systematic delirium." The idea of ​​"universal happiness" through the barracks structure of society resulted in the destruction of the old city and the construction of a new one, as well as in the desire to stop the river. Gloom-Burcheev did not need "neither a river, nor a stream, nor a hillock - in a word, nothing that could serve as an obstacle for free walking ...". he destroyed the city, but the river did not succumb to the madman. Barracks rule "Gloom-Burcheev absorbs the most vivid signs of reactionary, despotic political regimes of different countries and eras. His image represents a broad generalization. Shchedrin warns:" There is nothing more dangerous than the imagination of a scoundrel, unchecked by a bridle. "

Through various images of city governors, the true character of the Russian government appears before the readers, which sooner or later must exhaust itself and disappear, which is shown in the Shchedrin story of the city of Foolov.

Image of the people.

In the book, not only city governors are subjected to satirical ridicule, but also the people in their slavish willingness to endure. Talking about the roots of the origin of the inhabitants of the city of Foolov, Saltykov writes that they were once called "blockheads". (They "had a habit of" banging "their heads against everything that they met on the way. The wall hits the wall; they start to pray to God - they bite on the floor.") After the city was founded, they began to be called "Foolovites", and this name reflects them essence. Unable to exist on their own, the Foolovites were looking for a prince for a long time and finally found one who opened their rule with the cry of "I'll screw it up!" Historical times in the city of Foolov began with this word. With bitter irony, the enthusiasm and tears of the Foolovites are described, greeting the next ruler, organizing riots, sending walkers, willingly betraying the instigators after the riot, overgrowing with wool and sucking their paws from hunger.

Serfdom no longer exists, but the essence of the relationship between the people and the authorities, the slavish consciousness of people, remains the same. The Foolovites tremble under any power, they obediently carry out any fantastic delirium of city governors, which has no boundaries. Satirical laughter develops into bitterness and indignation when it comes to the disastrous fate of the people suffering under the primordial yoke and nevertheless continuing to live like this. The patience of the Foolovites is endless. “We are extravagant people! ... we can endure. If we are now all piled up and set on fire from four ends, we will not utter the opposite word even then. "

“Despite their irresistible firmness, the Foolovites are a pampered and extremely pampered people,” the author notes ironically. “They love to have a friendly smile on their boss’s face ... There have been governors who are truly wise ... but since they did not call the Foolovites either“ brothers ”or“ robots, ”their names remained in oblivion. On the contrary, there were others ... who did average things ... but since they always said something kind, their names were not only entered on the tablets, but even served as the subject of a wide variety of oral legends. "
The Foolovites do not need a wise ruler - they simply are not able to appreciate him.

Saltykov denied accusations against him of aimless mockery of the people. If this people produces the Wartkins and Gloom-Grumblevs, he said, then there can be no question of feeling for them. the main reason for the misery of a people is its passivity. the Foolovites have not yet performed any actions "by which one could judge the degree of their maturity." The writer cannot but admit this bitter truth.

The main thing that distinguishes the Foolovites from their rulers is that they are not devoid of human content, they remain human and evoke living sympathy. In spite of everything, the Foolovites continue to live, which indicates their enormous inner strength. When will this force break through? - the writer asks. Only with the arrival of Gloom-Burcheev, with his attempts to tame nature, the Foolovites began to realize the savagery of what was happening. "Exhausted, cursed and destroyed," they looked at each other - and suddenly felt ashamed. And about the tail no longer frightened the Foolovites, it irritated them. The Foolish people have changed. The activities of the scoundrel made them shudder, and they wondered, "did they have a story, were there moments in this story when they had the opportunity to show their self-activity." And they didn't remember anything.

The finale of the book, when it appeared full of negativity, is symbolic and ambiguous. What is it? Disaster? God's punishment? Riot? Or something else? Shchedrin gives no answer. The end of such a life arrangement is inevitable, but, naturally, the writer did not know how it would happen.

Artistic skill of Saltykov-Shchedrin.

The artistic features of the narrative are due to the tasks that the satirist writer set himself. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the peculiarities of Russian reality, to depict them more vividly, Shchedrin seeks new forms of satirical typification, new means of expressing the author's position, gives his images a fantastic character, uses a variety of artistic methods.

In "The History of a City" throughout the entire narrative, the real is intertwined with the fantastic. Fapmasmika becomes a satirical depiction of reality. Unbelievable situations, improbable incidents emphasize the illogicality and absurdity of reality.

The writer skillfully uses the technique of loudness and hyperbole. Researchers note that Shchedrin's grotesque is no longer just a literary device, but a principle that determines the artistic structure of a work. Everything in the life of the Foolovites is unbelievable, exaggerated, funny and at the same time scary. A city can be ruled by a man with a stuffed head or a ruler who utters only two words and has a mechanism in his head. grotesque descriptions of situations, fantastic exaggerations emphasize the ghostly and madness of the real world, make it possible to reveal the very essence of social relations, help to more vividly feel what is happening in the surrounding reality.

One of the important artistic techniques of Saltykov-Shchedrin is uropia, which allows the author to express his attitude to what is depicted. The heroes are endowed with speaking surnames that immediately indicate the essence of the characters. The portrait, speech, incredible enterprises of the mayors help the writer to create frightening images of the rulers, on which the fortunes of many people and the Russian state itself depend. A terrible portrait gloomy - Burcheev is given against the background of the corresponding landscape: “a desert, in the middle of which there is an occult; from above, instead of the sky, hung a gray soldier's overcoat ... "

The language of the narrative is determined by a combination of various stylistic layers: it is the naive-archaic syllable of the ancient chronicler, the living story of a contemporary and the speech patterns characteristic of journalism of the 60s. Capacious satirical generalizations were created by Shchedrin not at all to amuse the reader. The comic is inextricably linked in Shchedrin's narration with the tragic. “Depicting life under the yoke of insanity,” he wrote, “I counted on the excitement of a bitter feeling in the reader, and not at all merriment ...” Drawing fantastic images and situations, Shchedrin considered reality, in his words, as through a magnifying glass, comprehending the inner essence of the phenomenon under consideration, but without distorting it.

Erast Andreevich Melanov - Foolov's mayor, state councilor. "Friend of Karamzin" (bears the name of one of the main characters of his "Poor Lisa"). "The tenderness and sensitivity of the heart" did not prevent him from "quite naturally to dispose of state property" ...

As one of the researchers of the creativity of ME Saltykov-Shchedrin V.K. Kirpotin determined, “Shchedrin was not interested in the biographies of mayors. His focus was on the power that determined the life of the country and the nature of government. Power is explored by a satirist ...

Ferdyschenko Petr Petrovich - foreman, former orderly of Prince Potemkin. At first, the Foolovites "saw the light" during his reign, since F., in his simplicity, for six whole years "did not interfere in anything." However, then he “became active” and got a taste of it, shamelessly ...

The work of Saltykov-Shchedrin, a democrat, for whom the autocratic-serf system prevailing in Russia was absolutely unacceptable, had a satirical orientation. The writer was outraged by the Russian society of "slaves and masters", the excesses of the landowners, obedience ...

The main themes of the works of M. E, Saltykov-Shchedrin are the exposure of the autocracy, the ruling class, as well as the problem of the people. Folk traditions are strong in fairy tales and in the novel "The Story of a City". Many fairy tales begin as Russian folk ...

History of creation

For a while, leaving work on the cycle "Pompadours and Pompadours", Saltykov fired up the idea of ​​creating a novel "The History of a City", thematically related to "Pompadours and Pompadours".

In January 1869, the satirist appeared with the first chapters of the "Inventory for the town governors" and "Organchik" in the journal "Otechestvennye zapiski" (No. fed the generals "," Lost conscience "," Wild landowner "). In addition, the work “Gentlemen of Tashkent” was outlined, it was necessary to bring “Signs of the times” and “Letters about the province” to their logical conclusion. Saltykov did not leave work in the magazine: a series of journalistic and literary-critical articles and reviews appeared. For ten lycyistic and literary-critical articles and reviews.

Returning to work on the novel, already in No. 1-4, 9 (Notes of the Fatherland) in 1870, he published a sequel to The History of a City. In 1870, the book was published as a separate edition under the title "The History of a City". M.E.Saltykov (Shchedrin) published it according to original documents.

"The history of one city" caused a lot of interpretations and indignation, which forced Saltykov to respond to an article by the famous publicist A. Suvorin. The author of the critical article "Historical satire", which appeared in the April issue of the "Vestnik Evropy" magazine for 1871, accused the writer of mocking the Russian people and distorting the facts of Russian history, without penetrating into the depth of the idea and the essence of the artistic originality of the work. I. S. Turgenev called the book wonderful and believed that it reflected "the satirical history of Russian society in the second half of the last century and the beginning of this century."

ME Saltykov-Shchedrin knew that "a writer whose heart has not been ill with all the pains of the society in which he acts, can hardly claim in literature for a meaning above mediocre and very transient." Nevertheless, the previous interest of the reading public in Saltykov's work after the publication of the novel faded somewhat.

Plot

The story begins with the words of the author, who represents himself exclusively as a publisher, who allegedly found a real chronicle with a story about the fictional city of Foolov. After a short introduction on behalf of a fictional chronicler, there is a story about the "roots of the Foolovites", in which the author gives the first sketches of satire on historical facts. But in fact, the main part tells about the most outstanding mayors of the city of Foolov.

Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, the eighth mayor of Foolov ruled for a very short time, but left a noticeable mark in the history of the city. He stood out among others in that he was not an ordinary person, and in his head, instead of a brain, he had a strange device that gave out one of several phrases programmed into him. After this became known, civil strife began, leading to the overthrow of the mayor and the beginning of anarchy. For a short time, six rulers were replaced in Foolov, who, under various pretexts, bribed soldiers in order to seize power. After that he reigned in Foolov for many years Dvoekurov, whose image resembled Alexander I, because he, shy, did not complete some assignment, which is why he was sad all his life.

Petr Petrovich Ferdyschenko, the former orderly of Prince Potemkin, the mayor "enterprising, frivolous and carried away", subjected the city to hunger, fire during his power, and died of gluttony when he went on a journey through the lands under his control in order to feel like emperors who traveled around the country.

But Foolov ruled the longest Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin, during his power, destroyed the Streletskaya and Dung Sloboda.

Satirical focus

In its focus, the story is a satire on many historical persons of the Russian Empire and on some of the events indicated in Inventories of the City Governors era.

Shchedrin himself said:

"If I really wrote satire for the 18th century, then, of course, I would have limited myself to 'The Legend of the Six City Governors'"

But besides the obvious parallels in The Legend of the Six Mayors, which contains allusions to the empresses of the 18th century Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II and their rise to power through palace coups, in the story a large number of parodies of other historical figures of that era - Paul I, Alexander I, Speransky, Arakcheev and others. In the cartoon based on the work, the real city of Kostroma acts as the city of Foolov: buildings that exist and existed in the described era are shown (for example, a fire tower).

Screen adaptations

• Film "It" by Sergei Ovcharov.
• Cartoon "The history of one city. Organchik "

Theatrical performances

• The play "The History of a City". Director - Boris Pavlovich, play - Maria Boteva. Staged at the Theater on Spasskaya (Kirov State Youth Theater). Premiered on 06 July 2012
• The play "The history of the city of Foolov" - director Egorov, Dmitry Vladimirovich. Staged in the theater: Novosibirsk Drama Theater "Red Torch". The premiere took place on December 17, 2011 in Novosibirsk.
• Photo gallery of the play "The history of the city of Foolov" on the theater website
• Photo report with comments from the dress rehearsal before the premiere of the play "The History of the City of Foolov" December 17, 2011

Illustrations

• Illustrations for the story "The History of a City", made by the artist A. N. Samokhvalov, in 1937 were awarded the Grand Prix of the international exhibition in Paris.

see also

Notes (edit)

Marine College

Literary project

“Science fiction and reality in the works of Nikolai Gogol,

M.E.Saltykov-Shchedrin and M.A.Bulgakov "

student of group P-215

Emil Abibullaev Olegovich

Project Manager

teacher

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

Federal State Autonomous Educational

institution of higher education

"Sevastopol State University"

Marine College

Explanatory note
to the literary project

“Science fiction and reality in works

N.V. Gogol, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and M.A. Bulgakov "

Introduction

1. Fiction, definition.

2. Elements of fiction in the "History of a city

3. Conclusion

4. Bibliography

Introduction

Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin in his work chose the satirical principle of depicting reality with the help of elements of fantasy as a sure weapon. He became the successor of the traditions of D.I.Fonvizin, A.S. Griboyedov, N.V. Gogol in that he made satire his political weapon, fighting with its help with acute issues of his time.

ME Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote over 30 fairy tales. The appeal to this genre was natural for Saltykov-Shchedrin. All the writer's work is permeated with elements of fiction. In the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, political problems are developed, topical issues are solved. Defending the advanced ideals of his time, the author acted in his works as a defender of the people's interests. Having enriched folklore plots with new content, Saltykov-Shchedrin directed the fairy tale genre to foster civic feelings and special respect for the people.

The purpose of the abstract is to study the role of fiction elements in the works of M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Fantastic

Science fiction is a genre of literature, cinema that tells about something that actually does not exist, and sometimes cannot be.

Science fiction is simply fiction.

Creatures in a book or film, life on other planets, incomprehensible mystical phenomena, or even some scientific inventions, devices, weapons that no one has invented yet can be fictional.

But science fiction sometimes becomes reality after many decades.

And what people invent in their works is then actually invented.

Elements of fiction in the "History of a city"

"The History of a City" is the most significant fantastic and satirical work of Russian literature. This book is the only successful attempt in our country to give in one work a picture (parody and grotesque, but surprisingly accurate) not only of the history of Russia, but also of its contemporary image for the writer. Moreover, reading The History of a City, you constantly catch yourself thinking that this book about our time, about “post-perestroika” Russia, is so topical for us its socio-political, psychological and artistic discoveries.

Saltykov-Shchedrin could write such a universal literary work for Russia only in the form of grotesque, fantasy and satire. Saltykov-Shchedrin's contemporary critics, his fellow writers and simply readers held two different opinions about the "History of a City": some saw in it only an unjust caricature of Russian history and the Russian people (among the supporters of this point of view was Leo Tolstoy), others saw in the satire of Saltykov-Shchedrin the dawn of a new, happy life (liberal democrats, social democrats). During the Soviet period, official science pretended that the work had nothing to do with Soviet reality. It is only now that it becomes clear that The History of a City is a book “for all time” and not only about Russia at the end of the 20th century, but also about other countries.

Despite the fact that Saltykov-Shchedrin's book is the first such significant grotesque-satirical work of Russian literature, the forms of grotesque, fantasy and satire in literature and art are far from new. The very origin of the words speaks about this, and also, to a certain extent, about the essence of these methods: fantastich (fantasy) in Greek in the literal sense of the word is the art of imagining; satira (satura) in Latin - a mixture, all sorts of things; grottesco in Italian means "cave", "grotto" (to designate bizarre ornaments found in the 15-16 centuries during excavations of ancient Roman premises - "grottoes"). Thus, the “fantastic grotesque” and satirical works date back to the ancient so-called “mythological archaic” (“low version” of the myth) and to the ancient satirical novel, to the popular fantastic grotesque of the Renaissance. Later, these terms became the subject of special studies in literary criticism and aesthetics. The first serious study of the grotesque as an artistic, aesthetic method was undertaken more than 200 years ago in 1788 in Germany by G. Schneegans, who was the first to give a generalized definition of the grotesque. Later, in 1827, the famous French writer Victor Hugo in his "Preface to Cromwell" first gave the term "grotesque" a broad aesthetic interpretation and attracted the attention of wide sections of the reading public to it.

In our time, under the "grotesque", "fantasy", "satire" they mean something like the following. Grotesque in literature is one of the types of typification, predominantly satirical, in which real life relationships are deformed, plausibility gives way to caricature, fantasy, and a sharp combination of contrasts. (Another, similar definition: Grotesque is a type of artistic imagery that generalizes and sharpens life relationships through a bizarre and contrasting combination of real and fantastic, believability and caricature, tragic and comic, beautiful and ugly. Science fiction is a specific method of artistic representation of life, using an artistic form image (an object, a situation, a world in which elements of reality are combined in an unusual way - incredible, "miraculous", supernatural.) Satire is a specific form of artistic reflection of reality, through which negative, internally perverse phenomena are denounced and ridiculed; a kind of comic, destroying ridicule of the depicted, revealing its internal inconsistency, its inconsistency with its nature or purpose, “idea.” It is noteworthy that these three definitions have something in common. tastic, and comic (the type of the latter is satire). It is advisable not to separate these three concepts, but to speak of the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin as a satirical one, written in the form of a fantastic grotesque. Moreover, the unity of all three artistic methods is emphasized by many researchers of Saltykov-Shchedrin's work when they speak of his works as parts of an integral satirical, grotesque world. Analyzing this world (the most striking embodiment of which is "The History of a City"), literary critics note the following features. The grotesque as if “destroys” the real country of Russia and its people in the “everyday”, everyday plausibility and creates new patterns and connections. A special grotesque world arises, which is essential, however, for revealing the real contradictions of reality. Therefore, Saltykov-Shchedrin's grotesque consists, as it were, of two plans, and its perception is dual. What at first glance seems random, arbitrary, in fact turns out to be deeply natural. The nature of the comic in "The History of a City" is not at all in the strengthening of the farcical principle (in the "comic"), but is associated with its two-pronged nature. The comic is released along with the comprehension of the essence of the grotesque, with the movement of the reader's thought from a superficial plane to a deeper one. Moreover, Shchedrin's grotesque beginning in The History of a City is not just an essential part. On the contrary, the grotesque beginning is laid in the very basis of the work. The grotesque is often characterized by a striving for ultimate generalization, mainly satirical, to comprehend the essence of the phenomenon and extract from it some meaning, a concentrate of history. That is why grotesque turned out to be the only form and basis of his work possible for Saltykov-Shchedrin. The range of the generalized phenomenon in "The History of a City" expands to strikingly wide limits - to the generalization of the tendencies of the entire Russian history and modernity. The generalization and concentration of historical content determine a particularly sharp combination in the grotesque of humor and sarcasm, comic and tragic elements. Reading "The History of a City", one becomes convinced of the validity of another important conclusion made by philologists: the grotesque is directed towards a holistic and multifaceted expression of the basic, cardinal problems of human life.

In the work of the great satirist, one can see, on the one hand, the element of folk art and folk comedy, on the other, an expression of the contradictions and complexity of life. The images of the folk grotesque, built on the unity of polar, contrasting (and in their contrasting fusion of comic) elements, capture the essence of a sharply contradictory life, its dialectics. Laughing decline, the rapprochement of contrasts, as it were, abolishes all uniqueness, exclusivity and inviolability. The grotesque world realizes a kind of folk laughter utopia. The entire content of the "History of a City" in a compressed form fits into the "Inventory for City Governors", therefore, "Inventory for City Governors" best illustrates the techniques with which Saltykov-Shchedrin created his work.

It is here, in the most concentrated form, that we find “bizarre and contrasting combinations of the real and the fantastic, believability and caricature, tragic and comic,” typical of the grotesque. Probably never before in Russian literature has there been such a compact description of entire epochs, layers of Russian history and life. In the Inventory, a stream of absurdity descends upon the reader, which, oddly enough, is more understandable than the real contradictory and phantasmagoric Russian life. Let's take the first mayor, Amadeus Manuilovich Clementius. Only seven lines are dedicated to him (approximately the same amount of text is allotted to each of the 22 mayors), but each word is more valuable here than many pages and volumes belonging to the pen of contemporary Saltykov-Shchedrin official historians and social scientists. The comic effect is created already in the first words: the ridiculous combination of a foreign, beautiful and high-pitched for the Russian ear, the sounding name Amadeus Clementy with a provincial Russian patronymic Manuilovich speaks volumes: about the transient "Westernization" of Russia "from above", about how the country was flooded with foreign adventurers, about how alien to ordinary people the mores imposed from above were and about many other things. From the same sentence, the reader learns that Amadeus Manuylovich got into the mayors "for skillful concoction of pasta" - grotesque, of course, and at first seems ridiculous, but after a moment the modern Russian reader realizes with horror that in one hundred and thirty years that have passed since writing "The History of a City", and in the 270 years that have passed since the time of Biron, little has changed: before our very eyes, numerous "advisers", "experts", "creators of monetary systems" and the "systems" themselves were signed out for crackling foreign chatter, for a beautiful, exotic surname for the Russian ear ... And they believed, believed, like the Foolovites, just as stupidly and just as naively. Nothing has changed since then. Further, the descriptions of the "mayors" almost instantly follow one after the other, pile up and get confused in their absurdity, together making up, oddly enough, an almost scientific picture of Russian life. This description clearly shows how Saltykov-Shchedrin "constructs" his grotesque world. To do this, he really first “destroys” the plausibility: Dementy Vaolamovich Brudasty had “some special device” in his head, Anton Protasyevich de Sanglot flew through the air, Ivan Panteleevich Pryshch ended up with a stuffed head. In the "Inventory" there is something not so fantastic, but still very unlikely: the mayor Lamvrokakis died, seized by bedbugs in his bed; Brigadier Ivan Matveyevich Baklan was broken in half during a storm; Nikodim Osipovich Ivanov died of straining, “intensifying to comprehend a certain Senate decree,” and so on. So, the grotesque world of Saltykov-Shchedrin is constructed, and the reader laughed at it to his heart's content. However, soon our contemporary begins to understand that the absurd, fantastic world of Saltykov is not so absurd as it seems at first glance. More precisely, it is absurd, it is absurd, but the real world, the real country is no less absurd. In this “high reality” of Shchedrin's world, in the modern reader's comprehension of the absurdity of the structure of our life, lies the justification and purpose of the Shchedrin grotesque as an artistic method. Organchik The detailed description of the "deeds" of the mayors and the description of the behavior of the Foolovites, which follows the "Description", more than once makes the modern reader involuntarily exclaim: "How could Saltykov-Shchedrin 130 years ago know what was happening to us at the end of the twentieth century?" The answer to this question, according to Kozintsev, must be sought in a dictionary for the word "genius". In some places, the text of this chapter is so amazing and so testifies to the exceptional visionary gift of Saltykov-Shchedrin, supported by the methods of hyperbole, grotesque and satire used by him, that it is necessary to cite several quotes here. “The inhabitants rejoiced ... They congratulated each other with joy, kissed, shed tears ... In a fit of delight, the old Foolov's liberties were recalled. The best citizens ..., having formed a national veche, shook the air with exclamations: our father! Even dangerous dreamers appeared. Guided not so much by reason as by the movements of a noble heart, they argued that under the new mayor, trade would flourish and that under the supervision of district overseers, sciences and arts would arise. We could not resist making comparisons. They remembered the old town governor who had just left the city, and it turned out that although he was also handsome and clever, but for all that, the new governor should be given the advantage that he was new. In a word, in this case, as in other similar cases, both the usual Foolov's enthusiasm and the usual Foolov's frivolity were fully expressed ... Soon, however, the townsfolk became convinced that their exultation and hopes were, in a small measure, premature and exaggerated. .. The new mayor locked himself in his office ... From time to time he ran out into the hall ... said "I will not tolerate!" - and again hid in the office. The foolish people were horrified ... all of a sudden the thought flashed through everyone: well, how would he whip a whole people in such a manner! ... they got agitated, made a noise and, inviting the superintendent of the public school, asked him the question: have there ever been examples in history for people to give orders, to wage wars? and concluded treatises with an empty vessel on their shoulders? "Much has already been said from this amazing chapter about the" organ ", the mayor Brudast. No less interesting, however, is the description in this chapter of the Foolovites.

At the time of Saltykov-Shchedrin, and even now, the grotesque image of the Russian people created by him seemed and seems to many to be strained, if not slanderous. It was common for monarchists, liberals, and social democrats to idealize the people in many ways, to ascribe to them some lofty, abstract qualities. Liberals and socialists alike believed it incredible that the broad masses of the population could endure for centuries a long line of "organists" and "former scoundrels", sometimes bursting with outbursts of unfounded enthusiasm or anger. Such a situation was considered a "historical mistake" or "a contradiction between productive forces and relations of production" and seemed to be corrected by the introduction of representative democracy or the practical implementation of the theories of Marxism. Only later did it gradually become clear that the seemingly paradoxical, absurd and grotesque features of the national Russian character were confirmed by serious scientific analysis. Thus, we see that Saltykov-Shchedrin's grotesque and satire were not only expressive means with which he solved artistic problems, but also a tool for analyzing Russian life - contradictory, paradoxical and seemingly fantastic, but internally whole and containing not only negative features, but also elements of stability, and the guarantee of future development. In turn, the very foundations of the contradictory Russian life dictated to Saltykov-Shchedrin the need to use precisely the forms of fantastic grotesque.

The story about Gloom-Burcheev is probably the most widely quoted chapter of the History of a City during perestroika. As you know, the direct prototypes of the image of Gloom-Burcheev were Arakcheev and Nicholas I, and the prototype of the barracks city of Nepreklonsk was the military settlements of the Nikolaev era, and literary scholars of the Soviet period paid attention to this. However, reading this chapter, you can clearly see the features of the amazing similarity of Nepreklonsk with the barracks socialism of the Stalinist type. Moreover, Saltykov-Shchedrin was able to point out the main features of the society built by the "levellers", and even such details of this society, which, it seems, were absolutely impossible to predict 60 years before. The accuracy of Saltykov-Shchedrin's vision is striking. In his book, he foresaw both the "barracks" appearance of the society, which would lead to the "idea of ​​universal happiness," elevated to a "rather complex and inextricable administrative theory of ideological tricks," and the enormous victims of the Stalinist era ("the resolved question of total extermination", " a fantastic failure, in which "everything and everything without a trace" disappeared), and the wretched straightforwardness of the ideology and "theory" of barracks socialism ("Having drawn a straight line, he planned to squeeze the entire visible and invisible world into it" - how not to recall here the primitive theories gradual "erasure of boundaries" and "improvement" of everything and everyone), and intrusive collectivism ("Everyone lives together every minute ..."), and much more. And the more specific features of Saltykov-Shchedrin's "society of the future" are like two drops of water similar to the reality of the Stalinist dictatorship. Here is the low origin of the "town governor", and his incredible, inhuman cruelty towards members of his own family, and two official ideological holidays in Nepreklonsk in spring and autumn, and spy mania, and the gloomy-Burcheevsky "plan for transforming nature", and even details of the disease and death of Gloom-Burcheev ... When you reflect on how Saltykov-Shchedrin managed to foresee the future of Russia with such accuracy, you come to the conclusion that his literary method of studying the world and the country, based on the artistic logic of fantastic hyperbole, turned out to be much more accurate and more powerful than the scientific forecasting methods that guided social scientists and philosophers, the writer's contemporaries. Moreover, in the chapter on Gloom-Burcheev, he gave a more accurate diagnosis of the society of barracks socialism than the majority of Russian scientists of the twentieth century! Another aspect of the problem is noteworthy. When Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote his "dystopia", much that he said about Nepreklonsk seemed and was for that time just fantasy, hyperbole and grotesque. But 60 years later, the writer's most fantastic visions were brought to life with amazing accuracy. Here we have an example of how (perhaps for the only time in the history of literature) a fantastic grotesque and artistic hyperbole of such a scale absolutely definitely become real life. In this case, the fantastic grotesque allowed the writer to reveal hidden for the time being, but inexorable mechanisms of the transformation of society. The reason that Saltykov-Shchedrin turned out to be more perspicacious than all the major philosophers of his time, obviously, lay in the very nature of his artistic creativity and method: the method of fantastic grotesque allowed him to highlight the essential elements and patterns of the historical process, and his great artistic talent allowed him to simultaneously (as opposed to the social sciences) to preserve the totality of details, accidents and features of living, real life. The artistic world, constructed in this way by Saltykov-Shchedrin, turned out to be a reflection of such real power that over time it inexorably and menacingly made its way into life. Instead of a conclusion: “It” The concluding lines of the “History of a City” contain a gloomy and mysterious prediction, not deciphered by the author: “The North has darkened and covered with clouds; from these clouds something rushed towards the city: either a downpour, or a tornado ... It was approaching, and as it neared, time stopped its run. Finally the earth shook, the sun faded ... the Foolovites fell on their faces. Indescribable horror appeared on all faces, seized all hearts. It has come ... "Many researchers of Saltykov-Shchedrin's work write that by" it "the writer meant a social revolution, a" Russian revolt ", the overthrow of the autocracy. The fantastic character of "it" underlines in Saltykov-Shchedrin the tragedy of the social cataclysms expected by him. It is interesting to compare the prophecy of Saltykov-Shchedrin with the forecasts of other Russian writers. M.Yu. Lermontov in his poem, which is called "Prediction", wrote: The year will come, Russia will be a black year, When the crown of the tsars falls; The rabble will forget their former love, And the food of many will be death and blood; ... It is significant that Pushkin described similar events with much greater optimism as regards changes in society itself, and welcomed the most "radical" measures in relation to the tsar, his family and children: Autocratic villain! I hate you, your throne, Your destruction, the death of children I see with cruel joy. Finally, Blok in "A Voice in the Clouds" also looks to the future with a fair amount of optimism: We fought with the wind and, eyebrows frowning, In the darkness we could hardly distinguish the path ... And so, like an ambassador of a growing storm, the Prophetic voice struck the crowd. - Sad people, tired people, Wake up, find out that joy is near! There, where the seas sing about a miracle, There is directed the light of the lighthouse! As we can see, the opinions of the great Russian poets about the future Russian upheavals were fundamentally different.

It is known that the forecasts of events in Russia made by other great Russian writers - Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov - turned out to be much less accurate than the forecasts of Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Conclusion

Like his works, the figure of Saltykov-Shchedrin still remains one of the most paradoxical in the history of Russian literature. While many literary scholars and the "general reader" often place him much lower than Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov, connoisseurs of Saltykov-Shchedrin consider him to be the successor to the traditions of the titans of the Renaissance and Enlightenment literature: Rabelais, Cervantes, Swift.

With the help of elements of fiction, Saltykov-Shchedrin was able to see and reflect in his fairy tales not only the specific and passing troubles of his time, but also the eternal problems of relations between the people and the authorities, the shortcomings of the national character.

Perhaps centuries will pass, and the work of our great satirist will be as relevant as it was a hundred years ago, as it is now. In the meantime, we together with him "laughingly say goodbye to our past" and with anxiety and hope peer into the future of our great and unhappy Motherland.

Bibliography

1. Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Evgrafovich // Encyclopedia of Fantasy: Who's Who / Ed. V. Gakov. - Minsk: IKO Galaxy, 1995.