Theme and role of lyrical digressions in the poem "Dead Souls" by N. Gogol
Gogol had long dreamed of writing a work "in which all of Rus' would appear." It was supposed to be a grandiose description of the life and customs of Russia in the first third of the 19th century. The poem became such a work. Dead Souls', written in 1842.
Why did Gogol call his work a poem? The definition of the genre became clear to the writer only at the last moment, since, while still working on the poem, Gogol calls it either a poem or a novel. The genre of the novel did not satisfy N.V. Gogol, since the novel is epic work revealing the story of destiny specific person, and the author's intention was to show "all of Rus'". Genre uniqueness of "Dead Souls" is that it is a rather large work in terms of volume - a poem in prose.
To understand the features of the genre of the poem "Dead Souls", you can compare this work with the "Divine Comedy" by Dante, a poet of the Renaissance. Her influence is felt in Gogol's poem. The Divine Comedy consists of three parts. In the first part, the shadow of the ancient Roman poet Virgil appears to the poet, which accompanies lyrical hero to hell, they go through all the circles, a whole gallery of sinners passes before their eyes. The fantasy of the plot does not prevent Dante from revealing the theme of his homeland - Italy, her fate. In fact, Gogol conceived to show the same circles of hell, but the hell of Russia. No wonder the title of the poem "Dead Souls" ideologically echoes the title of the first part of Dante's poem "The Divine Comedy", which is called "Hell". Gogol, along with satirical denial, introduces an element glorifying, creative - the image of Russia. With this image is connected the "high lyrical movement", which in the poem sometimes replaces the comic narrative.
A significant place in the poem "Dead Souls" is occupied by lyrical digressions and insert episodes which is characteristic of the poem as a literary genre. In them, Gogol touches on the sharpest Russian public issues. The author's thoughts about the high purpose of man, about the fate of the Motherland and the people are contrasted here with the gloomy pictures of Russian life.
Lyrical digression- extra-plot element of the work; compositional and stylistic device, which consists in the author's retreat from the direct plot narrative; copyright reasoning, reflection, statement, expressing attitude to the depicted or having an indirect relation to it. It can take the form of memoirs, addresses of the author. It is used in epic or lyrical-epic works.
Lyrical digressions give the author the opportunity to communicate directly with the reader. Their excitement, sincerity have a special power of persuasion. At the same time, the lyricism of digressions does not mean that the writer closes himself in the world of his own "I" only: they convey thoughts, feelings, and moods that are important for everyone. The generally significant content is usually expressed in them on behalf of a narrator or a lyrical hero, embodying the typical position of a contemporary, his views and feelings.
In "Dead Souls" Gogol combines the lyrical and epic beginnings. The poetry of the work is given by lyrical digressions that are in each chapter of the poem. They introduce the image of the author, give the work depth, breadth, lyricism. The subject of lyrical digressions is diverse. The author reflects on the gentlemen of the "middle hand", "about youth and youth", about city people, the fate of the writer in Russia. Particularly interesting are reflections on education, the well-aimed Russian word, about Russia, about “thick and thin”.
In the second chapter, where the story is told about Manilov and his wife, N.V. Gogol writes, in particular, about what kind of upbringing girls receive in boarding schools. The ironic tone of the narration (“... in boarding schools ... three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: French necessary for the happiness of family life; a piano to bring pleasant moments to the spouse, and ... the actual economic part: knitting purses and other surprises") makes it clear to the reader that the author does not consider this method of education correct. The proof of the futility of such upbringing is the image of Manilova: in their house “something was always missing: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, covered with smart silk fabric ... but it was not enough for two chairs, and the chairs were simply covered with matting ...”, “ in the evening, a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and all in fat ... ". The pastime of the spouses consists in long and languid kisses, preparing birthday surprises, etc.
In the fifth chapter, the word "patched", which a simple peasant called Plyushkin, makes the author think about the accuracy of the Russian word. The author plays well famous proverb: "What is said aptly, like writing, is not cut down with an axe." Reflecting on the peculiarities of other languages, Gogol sums up: “... there is no word that would be so bold, smart, would break out from under the very heart, so seething and quivering, as aptly said Russian word».
The author's reflections on the subtlety of conversion expose sycophants, who have a fantastic ability to determine their line of behavior, the manner of treating people of different social status (and he notes this feature exclusively among Russians). A prime example Such chameleonism is served by the behavior of Ivan Petrovich, the “ruler of the chancellery,” who, when he is “among his subordinates, you simply cannot utter a word out of fear! pride and nobility... Prometheus, resolute Prometheus! He looks out like an eagle, performs smoothly, measuredly. But, approaching the chief's office, he is already "like a partridge in a hurry with papers under his arm ...". And if he is in society and at a party, where people are a little higher in rank, then “with Prometheus such a transformation will take place, which even Ovid will not invent: a fly, even less than a fly, was destroyed in a grain of sand!”.
After visiting Nozdreva Chichikov meets a beautiful blonde on the road. The description of this meeting ends with a remarkable digression: “... everywhere at least once on the way a person will meet a phenomenon that is not like everything that he happened to see before, which will awaken in him a feeling at least once, unlike those that he is destined to feel all his life. But all this is completely alien to Chichikov: his cold discretion is here compared with the direct manifestation of human feelings.
At the end of the fifth chapter"lyrical digression" has a completely different character. Here the author is no longer talking about the hero, not about the attitude towards him, but about the mighty Russian man, about the talent of the Russian people. Outwardly, this “lyrical digression” seems to have little to do with the entire previous development of the action, but it is very important for revealing the main idea of the poem : genuine Russia- these are not dogs, nostrils and boxes, but the people, the element of the people.
At the conclusion of the first volume, the author's words about Russia sound like a hymn to the glory of the Motherland. The image of the irrepressible troika rushing along the road personifies Rus' itself:
BY HEART:
“Aren’t you, Rus', that lively irresistible trio are you rushing? The road smokes under you, the bridges rumble, everything lags behind and is left behind. The contemplator, struck by God's miracle, stopped: is it not lightning thrown from the sky? what does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power lies in these horses unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what horses! Are whirlwinds sitting in your manes? Does a sensitive ear burn in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once strained their copper breasts and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into only elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes! .. Rus', where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes the wind; everything that is on the earth flies past, and, looking sideways, step aside and give it the way other peoples and states.
Analyzing Gogol's "Dead Souls", Belinsky noted the "deep, comprehensive and humane subjectivity" of the poem, a subjectivity that does not allow the author "with apathetic indifference to be alien to the world he draws, but makes him pass through his soul the living phenomena outside world, and through that I breathe my soul into them ... ".
Gogol did not accidentally consider his work a poem. Thus, the writer emphasized the breadth and epic nature of the narrative, the significance of the lyrical beginning in it. The same was noted by the critic K. Aksakov, who saw in the poem "the ancient, Homeric epic." “It may seem strange to some that Gogol’s faces change for no particular reason ... It is epic contemplation that allows this calm appearance of one face after another without external connection, while one world embraces them, linking them deeply and inseparably with an internal unity,” wrote critic.
The epic nature of the narrative, the inner lyricism - all this was the result of Gogol's creative ideas. It is known that the writer planned to create a large poem similar to " Divine Comedy» Dante. The first part (volume 1) of it was supposed to correspond to "Hell", the second (volume 2) - to "Purgatory", the third (volume 3) - to "Paradise". The writer thought about the possibility of Chichikov's spiritual revival, about the appearance in the poem of characters who embodied the "untold wealth of the Russian spirit" - "a husband gifted with divine valor", "a wonderful Russian girl". All this gave the story a special, deep lyricism.
Lyrical digressions in the poem are very diverse in their subject matter, pathos and moods. So, describing the journey of Chichikov, the writer draws our attention to many details that perfectly characterize the life of the Russian province. For example, the hotel where the hero stayed was " known kind, that is, exactly the same as there are hotels in provincial cities where, for two rubles a day, travelers get a quiet room with cockroaches peeking out like prunes from all corners.”
The “common hall” where Chichikov goes is well known to every passer-by: “the same walls, painted oil paint, darkened at the top from pipe smoke", "the same smoked chandelier with many hanging pieces of glass that jumped and tinkled every time the floor ran across the worn oilcloths", "the same full-length paintings painted with oil paints".
Describing the governor's party, Gogol talks about two types of officials: "fat" and "thin". "Thin" in the author's view - dandies and dandies, twining around the ladies. They are often prone to extravagance: "a thin person in three years does not have a single soul that is not pawned in a pawnshop." Fat ones are sometimes not very attractive, but they are “thorough and practical”: they never “occupy indirect places, but all are direct, and if they sit somewhere, they will sit securely and firmly ...”. Fat officials are “true pillars of society”: “having served God and the sovereign,” they leave the service and become glorious Russian bars, landowners. In this description, the author's satire is obvious: Gogol perfectly imagines what this "bureaucratic service" was like, which brought "universal respect" to a person.
Often the author accompanies the narrative with general ironic remarks. For example, when talking about Petrushka and Selifan, Gogol remarks that it is inconvenient for him to entertain the reader with low-class people. And further: “Such is the Russian man: a strong passion to be arrogant with someone who would be at least one rank higher than him, and a captive acquaintance with a count or prince is better for him than any close friendly relations.”
In lyrical digressions, Gogol also talks about literature, about writing, about various artistic styles. In these arguments, there is also the author's irony, the hidden polemic of the realist writer with romanticism is guessed.
So, depicting the character of Manilov, Gogol ironically remarks that it is much easier to portray the characters big size, generously throwing paint on the canvas: “black scorching eyes, hanging eyebrows, a forehead cut with a wrinkle, a black or scarlet cloak thrown over his shoulder, like fire, and the portrait is ready ...”. But it's much harder to describe romantic heroes, A ordinary people, "which in appearance are very similar to each other, but meanwhile, as you look closely, you will see many of the most elusive features."
Elsewhere, Gogol talks about two types of writers, meaning the romantic writer and the realist writer, the satirist. “A wonderful destiny is envisaged” of the first, who prefers to describe sublime characters, showing the “high dignity of a person.” But this is not the fate of the second, “who dared to bring out all the terrible, amazing mire of trifles that entangled our life, the whole depth of cold, fragmented, everyday characters that teem with our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road". "Severe is his field," and he cannot escape the modern court, which considers his works an "insult to mankind." There is no doubt that Gogol is talking here about his own destiny.
Gogol satirically describes the way of life of Russian landowners. So, talking about the pastime of Manilov and his wife, Gogol, as if in passing, remarks: “Of course, one could notice that there are many other activities in the house besides long kisses and surprises ... Why, for example, is it stupid and useless to cook in the kitchen ? Why is the pantry so empty? why is the key thief? ... But all these subjects are low, and Manilova was brought up well.
In the chapter devoted to Korobochka, the writer talks about the "extraordinary ability" of a Russian person to communicate with others. And this is where the author's irony comes in. Noting Chichikov's rather unceremonious treatment of Korobochka, Gogol remarks that the Russian has surpassed the foreigner in the ability to communicate: "it is impossible to count all the nuances and subtleties of our treatment." Moreover, the nature of this communication depends on the size of the state of the interlocutor: “we have such wise men who will speak with a landowner who has two hundred souls in a completely different way than with one who has three hundred ...”.
In the chapter on Nozdryov, Gogol touches on the same topic of "Russian communication", but in a different, more positive aspect of it. Here the writer notes the originality of the character of the Russian people, his good nature, easygoing, gentleness.
The character of Nozdrev is quite recognizable - he is a "broken fellow", a reckless driver, a reveler, a gambler and a brawler. He has a habit of cheating while playing cards, for which he is beaten repeatedly. “And the strangest thing of all,” Gogol remarks, “what can happen only in Rus' alone, after a few time he already met again with those friends who thrashed him, and met as if nothing had happened, and he, as they say, nothing and they are nothing.
In the author’s digressions, the writer also talks about the Russian nobility, shows how far these people are from everything Russian, national: from them “you won’t hear a single decent Russian word”, but French, German, English “will be endowed in such quantities that they won’t want." High society worships everything foreign, forgetting its original traditions and customs. The interest of these people national culture limited to the construction of a "hut in the Russian style" at the dacha. In this lyrical digression, the author's satire is obvious. Gogol here calls on compatriots to be patriots of their country, to love and respect native language, customs and traditions.
But the main theme of lyrical digressions in the poem is the theme of Russia and the Russian people. Here the author's voice becomes agitated, the tone becomes pathetic, irony and satire recede into the background.
In the fifth chapter, Gogol glorifies "the lively and lively Russian mind", the extraordinary talent of the people, "the aptly spoken Russian word." Chichikov, asking the man he met about Plyushkin, receives an exhaustive answer: “... patched, patched! the man exclaimed. He also added a noun to the word "patched", very successful, but uncommon in secular conversation ... ". "It expresses itself strongly Russian people! Gogol exclaims, “and if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to the service, and into retirement, and to Petersburg, and to the ends of the world.”
Very important in lyrical digressions is the image of the road passing through the whole work. The theme of the road appears already in the second chapter, in the description of Chichikov’s trip to the Manilov estate: “As soon as the city went back, they started writing nonsense and game, according to our custom, on both sides of the road: hummocks, a spruce forest, low liquid bushes of young pines, burnt trunks old, wild heather and such nonsense. IN this case this picture is the background against which the action takes place. This is a typical Russian landscape.
In the fifth chapter, the road reminds the writer of joys and sorrows. human life Everywhere, across whatever sorrows from which our life is woven, shining joy will merrily rush, as sometimes a brilliant carriage with golden harness, picture horses and sparkling glass of glass will suddenly suddenly rush past some stalled poor village ... "
In the chapter on Plyushkin, Gogol discusses the susceptibility of people of different ages to life impressions. The writer here describes his childhood and youthful feelings associated with the road, with the journey, when everything around him aroused keen interest and curiosity. And then Gogol compares these impressions with his present indifference, cooling to the phenomena of life. The author's reflection ends here with a sad exclamation: “O my youth! O my freshness!
This reflection of the author imperceptibly turns into the idea of how a person's character, his inner appearance can change with age. Gogol talks about how a person can change in old age, to what "insignificance, pettiness, disgust" he can reach.
Both author's digressions here have something in common with the image of Plyushkin, with the story of his life. And so Gogol’s thought ends with a sincere, excited call to readers to preserve in themselves the best that is characteristic of youth: “Take with you on the road, leaving the soft youthful years into severe hardening courage, take with you all human movements, do not leave them on the road, do not pick them up later! Terrible, terrible is the coming old age ahead, and gives nothing back and back!
The first volume of “Dead Souls” ends with a description of the troika, which is rapidly flying forward, which is a real apotheosis of Russia and the Russian character: “And what Russian does not like to drive fast? Is it his soul, seeking to spin, take a walk, sometimes say: “Damn it all!” Is it possible for his soul not to love her? ...Eh, troika! trio bird, who invented you? to know that you could have been born to a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but spread out evenly to half the world ... Rus', where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes the wind; everything that is on the earth flies past, and, looking sideways, other peoples and states step aside and give it the way.
Thus, the lyrical digressions in the poem are varied. These are Gogol's satirical sketches, and pictures of Russian life, and the writer's reasoning about literature, and ironic observations on the psychology of a Russian person, the peculiarities of Russian life, and pathetic thoughts about the future of the country, about the talent of the Russian people, about the breadth of the Russian soul.
Genre uniqueness of "Dead Souls" is that it is a fairly large work in terms of volume - a poem in prose. The genre of the novel did not satisfy N.V. Gogol, since the novel is an epic work that reveals the story of the fate of a particular person, and the author’s intention was to show “all of Rus'”.
In "Dead Souls" Gogol combines the lyrical and epic beginnings. The poetry of the work is given by lyrical digressions that are in each chapter of the poem. They introduce the image of the author, give the work depth, breadth, lyricism. The subject of lyrical digressions is varied. The author reflects on the gentlemen of the "middle hand", "about youth and youth", about city people, the fate of the writer in Russia. Particularly interesting are the reflections on the education of a well-aimed Russian word, about Russia, about “thick and thin”.
In the second chapter, where the story is told about Manilov and his wife, N.V. Gogol writes, in particular, about the kind of education girls receive in boarding schools. The ironic tone of the narration (“... in pensions ... three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, which is necessary for the happiness of family life; the piano, for delivering pleasant moments to the spouse, and ... the household part itself: knitting purses and other surprises") makes it clear to the reader that the author does not consider this method of education correct. Evidence of the futility of such an upbringing is the image of Manilova: in their house “something was always missing: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric ... but it was not enough for two chairs, and the chairs were simply covered with matting .. . ”, “in the evening a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper disabled person, lame, curled up on the side and all in sala..." The pastime of the spouses consists in long and languid kisses, preparing birthday surprises, etc.
In the fifth chapter, the word “patched,” which a simple peasant called Plyushkin, makes the author think about the accuracy of the Russian word: tribesmen, and all himself is a nugget, a lively and lively Russian mind that does not reach into his pocket for a word, does not hatch it like a hen chickens, but sticks it right away, like a passport on an eternal sock, and there is nothing to add later, what your nose or lips - you are drawn from head to toe with one line! The author plays on a well-known proverb: "What is pronounced aptly, is like writing, it is not cut down with an axe." Thinking about the peculiarities of other languages, Gogol sums up: “The word of the British will respond with heart-study and wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and scatter like a light dandy; the German will intricately invent his own, not accessible to everyone, smart-but-thin word; but there is no word that would be so bold, brisk, so burst out from under the very heart, so seething and quivering like a well-spoken Russian word.
The author's reflections on the subtlety of treatment expose sycophants who have a fantastic ability to determine their line of behavior, the manner of treating people of different social status (and he notes this feature exclusively among Russians). A vivid example of such chameleonism is the behavior of Ivan Petrovich, the “ruler of the office,” who, when he is “among his subordinates, you simply cannot utter a word out of fear! pride and nobility ... Pro-metheus, resolute Prometheus! He looks out like an eagle, performs smoothly, measuredly. But, approaching the chief's office, he is already "like a partridge in a hurry with papers under his arm ...". And if he is in society and at a party, where people are a little higher in rank, then “with Prometheus such a transformation will take place, which even Ovid will not invent: a fly, even less than a fly, was destroyed in a grain of sand!”.
At the conclusion of the first volume, the author's words about Russia sound like a hymn to the glory of the Motherland. The image of the irresistible troika rushing along the road personifies Rus' itself: “Isn’t it true that you, Rus, are rushing along with the brisk, irresistible troika?” Genuine pride and love resound in these lines: “Rus, where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; rumbles and becomes a wind torn into pieces of air; everything that is on the earth flies past, and looking askance, step aside and give it the way other peoples and states.
In lyrical digressions, Gogol addresses the people and his homeland, expresses his thoughts in them, to the events, phenomena and heroes depicted in the poem, or reflects on life in general, about youth, about human virtues. In total, the poem contains over twenty lyrical digressions.
Many digressions, although in sharp contrast to the comic narrative tone of the poem, are always closely connected with its ideological content.
Along with small digressions, such as, for example, the reflection that “everyone has his own enthusiasm” (in the chapter on Manilov) or “Not that in the world is wonderfully arranged ...” (in the chapter on Korobochka), the poem contains more extensive digressions, which are complete discourses or poems in prose.
The former include, for example, the interpretation of the "ability to address" (in the second chapter) and the shortcomings of public meetings in Russia (in the tenth chapter); to the second - a reflection on the strength and accuracy of the Russian word (at the end of the fifth chapter). The lyrical passages dedicated to the motherland and people are marked by a special force of feelings. hot love for home country Gogol's appeal is permeated: “Rus! Rus! I see you from my wonderful, beautiful far away ... ”(in the eleventh chapter). The vast expanses of Rus' capture and enchant the author, and he is full of pride in his wonderful homeland, with which he has a strong bond..
In a lyrical digression "What a strange, and alluring, and bearing, and wonderful in the word: the road!" Gogol paints pictures of Russian nature with love. Wonderful ideas and poetic dreams are born in his soul when looking at his native paintings.
Gogol bows before the sharp mind of a Russian person and before the accuracy of his words: “The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and scatter like a light dandy; the German will intricately invent his own, not accessible to everyone, cleverly thin word; but there is no word that would be so bold, brisk, so burst out from under the very heart, so swarming and quivering, like the aptly spoken Russian word.
The lyrical appeal of Gogol to Rus', rushing forward, like a lively and unhindered trio, which closes the first volume of the poem, sounds solemnly: “The bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking sideways, step aside and give it way to other peoples and states.
In addition to those indicated, there are many other places in the poem that are imbued with deep patriotism. Often Gogol puts his thoughts into the mouth of one of his heroes. Such lyrical digressions included, for example, Chichikov's reflection on the lists he bought " dead souls". In this reflection, Gogol reflected his sympathy for the Russian people, who were then languishing under the yoke of serfdom.
The special significance of the lyrical digressions in the poem is that they balance certain parts of the poem: the terrible present that Gogol saw in life is contrasted in them with the beautiful future of Russia.
The abundance of lyrical passages helps to understand why Gogol called his work not a story or a novel, but a poem.
