The main motives and themes of the comedy “The Inspector General. Theme, idea, problems of N.V.’s comedy
- What is the main theme of the comedy "The Inspector General"? Did Gogol fulfill the task he set for himself: “to gather in one pile everything that is bad in Russia... and laugh at everything at once”?
- Are there any positive heroes in comedy?
- In the first version of the comedy, the town where the action takes place was called Belebey. Why do you think Gogol removed this title from the final version?
- Do city officials realize they are criminals? How can this be seen?
- How, by what means are the mayor and the officials subordinate to him trying to neutralize the “auditor”? Do they succeed?
- Who is Khlestakov? Was he acting according to a pre-conceived plan?
- Why do you think the word “Khlestakovism” became a household word?
- Is the exposure of the “auditor” accidental or natural?
- Does the ending of the comedy seem realistic to you?
- What is the meaning of the silent scene in N.V.’s comedy? Go-gol "The Inspector General"?
- List the innovative features of N.V.’s comedy. Gogol's "Revisor"?Material from the site
The play “The Inspector General” has the following innovative features: absent love conflict, it takes a parody form (Khlestakov’s declaration of love to two ladies at once); not among the characters positive hero; there is no exposition: the action begins immediately with the beginning; double junction; Pantomime - a silent stage - was introduced into the play for the first time; the author introduces situations where the stage is empty, which is unacceptable in a classic comedy; the playwright breaks the principle of the “fourth wall” when the Governor addresses the audience directly: “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!.. Oh, you!”; Various forms and techniques of the comic are used: absurd situations, hyperbole, grotesque, farce, speaking names.
They are not on stage. But the writer emphasized that there is a positive hero in The Inspector General. This is laughter. Laughter is castigating, exposing and... healing, helping to get rid of ridiculed vices. It is no coincidence that the comedy frightened those in power and was perceived as a judgment on the social structure and social vices of Russia.
The writer emphasized by this the enormous general significance of comedy. What is shown in it could have happened in any city, in any town, anywhere in Russia.
Khlestakov is a petty official, an empty creature, truly “without a king in his head.” He was not going to deceive anyone, he had no plan, because he, like the city officials, was paralyzed by fear (he owed money to the hotel owner, but had nothing to pay); but, a liar and a braggart, he takes advantage of the situation without realizing that he is lying. Then, realizing that he has been mistaken for an important person (which one, he doesn’t know!), he becomes bolder every minute and reveals his potential “opportunities.” He is, in fact, no worse and no better than city officials, although he is stupider than many of them.
Compare two works by Gogol: the story “Taras Bulba” and the comedy “The Inspector General”. What conclusions does this comparison of the heroic characters of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, patriots, defenders of the homeland (XVI-XVII centuries) and the characters of vulgar, contemporary Gogol swindlers, thieves and money-grubbers lead to? Is it a coincidence that these works appeared at approximately the same time (30-40s of the 19th century)?
Emphasizes the idea of imminent punishment.
1. What is the theme of the comedy “The Inspector General”?
The comedy "The Inspector General" is a comedy of manners. Its topic is bribery and corruption of officials; the author satirically depicts various abuses in the bureaucratic environment, as well as Khlestakov’s frivolity and dishonesty.
2. Who was the first to report the auditor? Why did everyone believe this message? Who is Khlestakov: a petty official and an insignificant person or significant person? How does he appear in conversations with officials, merchants, the mayor’s wife and daughter?
For the first time they learned about the auditor from a letter received by the Governor and, since the auditor could already arrive and live in the city incognito, the eccentric and stupid gossips Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky mistook the Strange Visitor for the auditor, who turned out to be Khlestakov. Everyone believed their guess because they were very scared. In reality, Khlestakov is an insignificant and empty person, a talker and a braggart who does not know how to do anything, but knows how to benefit from the mistakes of officials. He quite cleverly adapts to his interlocutors and impresses everyone. He behaves freely with officials, boasts in front of ladies, and pretends to be a boss with merchants.
3. Where is the beginning and end of the comedy? Did Khlestakov want to deceive the officials and townspeople?
The plot of a comedy is an episode in which the prerequisites for the development of the plot are laid. In this case, it seems to me that this is the moment when Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky report that they saw the auditor.
The denouement is the moment when the plot comes to its conclusion. This is an episode of reading Khlestakov’s letter, from which it becomes clear to everyone that he is not an auditor.
4. Why are the landowners Dobchinsky, Bobchinsky and the mayor being deceived? Read and comment on the scene at the inn. For what reason do officials believe Khlestakov in the “scene of lies”? Remember and tell or read this scene out loud. What is the role of stage directions in comedy?
The landowners are deceived because they are stupid, they are captured by the sensation and want to be involved in it, and Khlestakov behaves atypically. The mayor believes them out of fear. For example, he takes all Khlestakov’s words about prison personally: Khlestakov is afraid that he will be sent to prison for not paying the innkeeper, and the Governor himself is afraid of prison for bribery. Wanting to avoid arrest, Khlestakov lies that he is a respected official, and the Mayor takes this as a hint that he is the auditor.
In the "lying scene" all the officials are very scared because they think that the drunk will tell the truth. They have never met such selfless liars as Khlestakov. He seems to believe himself. In addition, everyone is very afraid of him, because they all broke the law. The stage directions show how at first they did not dare to sit down, and then jumped up and shook in horror.
5. What did the news of the arrival of a new auditor mean and who is this new auditor - an official or the conscience of each character? Read this scene and prepare a detailed answer to this question.
The news of the arrival of a new auditor - the real one - meant the end of a career for each of the officials, and perhaps even prison. Everyone was already dumbfounded by their revealed mistake, and then there was a real auditor. The mayor says: “Killed, completely killed!” That was probably everyone's feeling.
I think this is a real auditor: people like, for example, Strawberry can hardly have a conscience. It seems to me that this is not conscience then, but fear of punishment, because if officials had a conscience, they would not behave this way. The same Zemlyanika stole from sick people, hired a doctor who doesn’t understand a word of Russian: it’s not surprising that all the patients “get better like flies.” Something like human feelings is visible in Gorodnichy, he even says words that Gogol himself would like to say: “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!” He speaks these words not so much to officials, but to all of us. Because the auditor is not the conscience of officials, but ours.
6. Read the definitions of the main stages of plot development. What comedy scenes do you think correspond to these stages? (exposition, beginning, climax, resolution)
The exhibition is a reading and discussion of the letter received by the Mayor.
The beginning is a message from the landowners that they have found the auditor and the conversation of the Governor with him.
The climax is the scene where the Mayor boasts that he is leaving for St. Petersburg.
The denouement is the reading of Khlestakov’s letter.
7. It is known that Nicholas 1, after the first performance of the play, said: “What a play! Everyone got it, and I got it more than anyone else!” And Gogol exclaimed: “Everyone is against me!” How can we explain the indignation of all classes by the play?
Everyone was offended by the comedy because people of all classes were depicted satirically. The whole of Russia is depicted under the guise of a district town.
A person first becomes acquainted with the famous and thoughtful comedy “The Inspector General” back in school during a literature lesson. Its plot remains forever in the memory. And the main phrase of the Mayor: “I invited you, gentlemen, in order to tell you some very unpleasant news: an auditor is coming to us.” widely quoted by both adults and children.
Perhaps you haven’t forgotten yet what the history of the creation of “The Inspector General” is? If you don't remember, no problem! Just read this article and find out all the secrets that this exciting comedy hides.
Who wrote "The Inspector General"
Of course, the history of the creation of the comedy "The Inspector General" is unacceptable for consideration without mentioning this important person, as the author of the work. He is the great and inimitable Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.
His figure is quite mysterious, and his works are filled with mysticism and a certain “devilishness”. But despite this (or perhaps precisely because of this), Gogol is rightfully considered one of the best poets, playwrights, prose writers, publicists and critics of all time.
His contribution to Russian literature is enormous. After all, he gave his contemporaries and descendants so many fascinating and unusual works, For example " Dead Souls", "Taras Bulba", "Viy", "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", as well as many other wonderful stories.
The beginning of the path of Nikolai Vasilyevich
Before the story of the creation of The Inspector General was developed, Gogol had come a long way, twenty-six years long.
The famous writer was born in 1809 on March 20th according to the old (Julian) calendar or April 1st according to the new (Gregorian) calendar. His family descended from the Little Russians, and an unusual person was named in honor of St. Nicholas.
Gogol's school years were rather mediocre; he was not distinguished by any special talent. Of all the subjects, he was only good at drawing and studying Russian literature, and the works he wrote then were significantly far from masterpieces.
Upon reaching nineteen years of age, the future genius of Russian literature went to St. Petersburg. There he found a job as an official, and also tried himself in theater and literature. But service was a burden for Gogol, and he had little success in the theater. As a result, the future writer decided to develop in the literary field.
Where did success begin?
The history of the creation of the comedy “The Inspector General” happened much later. And at the beginning of Gogol’s literary path there were many difficult trials. The public did not want to notice or accept him. He wrote and put his manuscripts on the table, because no one was interested in them.
The times were difficult, but the writer endured it and finally published a work that brought him long-awaited fame and success. It was “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” (the first title was “Basavryuk”). It was after him that the world recognized Nikolai Vasilyevich as a good writer.
Gogol's mysticism
The story of the creation of “The Inspector General” (Gogol) is quite simple, it is not at all shrouded in mysticism. However, ask any schoolchild, and he will certainly answer you that Nikolai Vasilyevich is one of the most mysterious and enigmatic figures in literary history.
The writer was very interested in religion and mysticism. This is clearly demonstrated by his novel called “Viy”. Gogol himself argued that this work was based on local (Ukrainian) folklore and folk legend. But historians and literary scholars, no matter how much they search, cannot find any mention of the events described in the work. And this proves that Nikolai Vasilyevich himself came up with and painted the entire mystical plot.
In addition, in Gogol’s writing history there is another mystery page. It is not known for certain, but it is still believed that Gogol (a few days before his own death) decided to burn the second volume of another of his great books, “Dead Souls.” Why he did this, and whether he did it at all, his descendants will never know. However, there is also no evidence that this event did not happen. Therefore, we can only guess and speculate about what a mysterious figure the writer was.
The mysterious death of a writer
Before the history of the creation of “The Inspector General” is covered, let us briefly consider last days great writer.
Nikolai Vasilyevich died in 1852 on February 21. During his lifetime he was a mysterious person, but his death was also not ordinary. The thing is that all my life greatest writer He was terribly afraid of only one thing - that he would be buried alive. Therefore, I never went to bed and mostly dozed in a chair during the day.
There is an opinion that Nikolai Vasilyevich suffered from a mental illness, which, combined with an aggravated passion for religion, worsened in last years Gogol's life brought him to severe exhaustion. But the writer still did not die from this.
Gogol's death was shrouded in mysticism, and after several years, endless speculation and gossip forced the exhumation of the writer's body. And then (allegedly) everyone present saw that Nikolai Vasilyevich’s body was in an unnatural position. And the inside of the lid of the coffin in which the writer rested was all torn, as if someone had torn and scratched it with their nails to get out.
Thus, a hypothesis arose that Gogol did not die a natural death. Due to severe exhaustion of his body, he fell asleep in a lethargic sleep. And he was buried alive.
The history of the creation of the comedy “The Inspector General” by N. V. Gogol
It is believed that the idea to write this comedy came to Gogol's mind when he was working on the first volume of " Dead souls" It was in 1835, the author decided to create a work that would contain all the vices of man, everything bad that was in Russia at that time.
The writer wanted to show people all the injustices of life, not only to ridicule them and force readers and viewers to draw the appropriate conclusions, but also to simply laugh heartily at the bedlam that is described in the play and, accordingly, what is happening in the country.
Gogol completed his work after two months. But he continued to rewrite and add to the result. So the history of the creation of Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” stretched until 1836.
First show
The comedy premiered on April 19 of the same year in Alexandrinsky Theater, which is located on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. The whole event was quite serious, because the emperor himself, Nicholas I, was sitting in the hall. Gogol was waiting and at the same time afraid of the reaction that would follow after watching his grandiose comedy.
But the public mistook it for vaudeville and did not understand at all the deep meaning that Gogol put into his creation.
However, the writer was upset not only because of this. He himself thought that the comedy was a little boring and should be remade somewhat. Therefore, the story of the creation of “The Inspector General” continued.
Final version
The comedy received a proper reaction only in 1842, when the final version of The Inspector General was presented. Then eminent critics and magazine editors noted that its main feature is grotesqueness, which is felt in absolutely everything, from the plot itself to the characters presented.
However, Nikolai Vasilyevich wanted his creation to be understood and appreciated as fully and adequately as possible, and therefore, after publishing the comedy in the newspaper and showing it in the theater, he published several articles about what the true meaning of “The Inspector General” is.
The secret history of the creation of the auditor. Gogol Nikolay Vasilievich
The very idea of writing the comedy “The Inspector General” came directly to Gogol. But the plot of this work was suggested to him by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
This is proven by the surviving correspondence between the two greatest literary geniuses of those times, in which Gogol, turning to Pushkin, asks him to come up with an interesting comedy plot, which, according to him, will be funnier than all that came before it.
And Alexander Sergeevich responds by sending a few lines that serve as the beginning of a future grand comedy. This is the story of the creation of The Inspector General.
The theme is the depiction in the comedy of the entire bureaucratic Russia with all its vices, ridicule of the harmful vices of man, injustice, arbitrariness, fraud, pretense, hypocrisy and self-interest...
Of course, it's not just government officials who act in comedy. In the comedy we meet all the many faces of Russia: the landed nobility, the merchants, the bourgeoisie, and the peasantry. But the author pays special attention to the characteristics of city officials, since the upcoming arrival of the auditor disturbs their peace of mind.
The idea of the comedy “The Inspector General” in the epigraph preceding the comedy: “There is no point in blaming the mirror if your face is crooked” - the main idea of the play is laid down. Gogol’s idea is not only to laugh at what is happening, but to point out future retribution
The environment, order, foundations are ridiculed. This is not “a mockery of Russia,” but “a picture and a mirror of social... life.” In the article “The St. Petersburg Scene in 1835-36,” Gogol wrote: “In The Inspector General, I decided to collect in one pile all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices... and laugh at everything at once. But this, as we know, had a stunning effect.” The silent scene that ends the action is clear evidence of this. Retribution awaits officials of the county town. The exposure of negative heroes is given in comedy not through a positive hero (there is none in the play), but through action, deeds, and dialogues. Negative heroes Gogol themselves expose themselves in the eyes of the viewer. They are exposed not through morality and teachings, but through ridicule. “Vice is struck here only by laughter,” wrote N.V. Gogol.
Issues
The breadth of artistic generalization allows us to see in the comedy a satire on the entire state bureaucratic system of Tsarist Russia.
In The Inspector General, Gogol made his contemporaries laugh at what they were accustomed to and what they no longer noticed. But most importantly, they are accustomed to carelessness in spiritual life. The audience laughs at the heroes who die spiritually. Let us turn to examples from the play that show such death.
The mayor sincerely believes that “there is no person who does not have some sins behind him. This is already arranged by God himself, and the Voltairians are in vain speaking against this.” To which Judge Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin objects: “What do you think, Anton Antonovich, are sins? Sins and sins are different. I tell everyone openly that I take bribes, but with what bribes? Greyhound puppies. This is a completely different matter.”
The judge is sure that bribes with greyhound puppies cannot be considered bribes, “but, for example, if someone’s fur coat costs five hundred rubles, and his wife’s shawl...”
Devotion to the ideals of friendship and “sacred liberty” in lyrical works A.S. Pushkin (“In the depths of Siberian ores...”).
An example of Pushkin’s friendly devotion is the message “In the depths of the Siberian ores...” It is addressed to the exiled Decembrists. The uprising against the tsarist regime of advanced noble officers, which took place in St. Petersburg on December 14, 1825, excited the whole social life Russia. It was also a rich source of inspiration for A.S. Pushkin, a singer of will and freedom who hated tyranny.
Deeply experiencing the fate of the officers exiled to hard labor, impressed by the courage and scope of the work they began, the poet writes to his friends, full of the most sincere admiration, “In the depths of the Siberian ores...”.
Deep in Siberian ores
Keep your proud patience,
Your sorrowful work will not be wasted
And I think about high aspiration.
According to A.S. Pushkin and many leading people of that time, the uprising was not defeated, because the work begun so decisively would be supported by descendants.
After the suppression of the uprising, many turned away from the arrested Decembrists, even friends who were afraid of the tsar's disfavor. That is why the poet expresses the hope that
The desired time will come:
Love and friendship up to you
They will reach through the dark gates...
The poet strives to support his comrades in days of difficult trials. Wanting to instill cheerfulness in their hearts, he calls on his friends to maintain “proud patience”, assures that the struggle was not in vain, their work was not in vain. The author believes that “the desired time will come” and their friendly union will reunite:
The heavy shackles will fall,
The dungeons will collapse and there will be freedom
You will be greeted joyfully at the entrance,
And the brothers will give you the sword.
What features and signs do you think F.I. “spied” in his “Autumn Evening”? Tyutchev? What personality traits do you think a person should have in order to be able to “spot” such traits?
The poem “Autumn Evening” dates back to the period early creativity F. I. Tyutcheva. It was written by the poet in 1830 during one of his short visits to Russia. Created in the spirit of classical romanticism, this elegant, light poem is not just landscape lyricism. Tyutchev interprets the autumn evening in it as a phenomenon of natural life, looks for an analogy to the phenomenon of nature in the phenomena human life, and these searches give the work a deep philosophical character.
Traits:
the lightness of autumn evenings
diversity of trees
sad orphaned land
gusty, cold wind
In the instant impression of an autumn evening, Tyutchev contained his thoughts and feelings, all infinity own life. Tyutchev compares autumn with spiritual maturity, when a person gains wisdom - the wisdom to live and appreciate every moment of life.
To notice this, it seems to me, you need to have life experience or simply meet such suffering people on your way. And, of course, you need to be a talented poet.
Gogol's play “The Inspector General” made a kind of revolution in Russian drama: in compositional and content terms. It will help to successfully study it in literature lessons in the 8th grade. detailed analysis works according to the plan that you will find in the article. The history of the comedy, its first production, issues and artistic features the plays are reviewed below. In “The Inspector General,” analysis involves knowledge of the historical and social conditions of the era being described. Gogol always believed in the future of Russia, so he tried to “heal” society through art.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing- 1835, N.V. Gogol made the last changes to the play in 1842 - this is the final version.
History of creation- the idea for a satirical play was given to Gogol by A. S. Pushkin, who told the story of P. P. Svinin (publisher of the magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski”), who was mistaken for a high-ranking official who came with an audit.
Subject- the vices of society, bureaucracy and its lawlessness, hypocrisy, spiritual poverty, universal human stupidity.
Composition– Ring structure, lack of exposition, “psychological” author’s remarks.
Genre- a comedy of social and satirical orientation.
Direction– realism (typical of the 19th century).
History of creation
In 1835, having interrupted work on “Dead Souls,” Nikolai Vasilyevich asked Pushkin for ideas for writing a satirical play that would ridicule social shortcomings and the life of higher ranks. Pushkin shares with Gogol the story of P. P. Svinin, which happened in Bessarabia. He also reports that he once found himself in a similar situation in Nizhny Novgorod, when he came to collect material about Pugachev. The situation is indeed comical: Gogol liked it, and during October-November 1835 he wrote a play.
During this period, similar themes appeared in several writers of Gogol’s contemporaries; this upset him and he lost interest in the idea. In his letters to Pushkin, he talks about his desire to quit his job, but Alexander Sergeevich convinces him not to stop, to finish his work. Finally, the comedy was read by the author while visiting V. Zhukovsky, where famous writers and writers gathered. Those present received it with delight, but the essence of the comedy eluded the audience, which upset the author.
“The Inspector General” was considered an ordinary classic play with typical characters and, standing out from its peers, only thanks to the author’s sense of humor. The stage did not find the play right away (the first production was in 1836 at the Alexandria Theater); Zhukovsky himself persuaded the emperor to allow the production of the work, assuring him of the reliability of the plot and idea. The dramatic action itself had a double impression on the ruler, but he liked the play.
Subject
Gogol's realism placed a typical personality in typical circumstances, but the result that the playwright wanted to achieve was to convey to the audience something more than a play about vices. The author made several attempts in the hope of conveying to the actors and directors the main idea of the play, and wrote accompanying comments and recommendations for the production. Gogol wanted to reveal the conflict as fully as possible: to emphasize the comedy and absurdity of the situation.
The main theme of the play- problems and vices of society, stupidity and hypocrisy of officials, showing the moral and spiritual side of life of this class. The language of comedy is sharp, satirical, caustic. Each character has his own unique speech style, which characterizes and exposes him.
There are no positive characters among the heroes of the play, which is quite new for the genre and direction in which the author worked. The engine of the plot is a banal fear - high-ranking inspectors could decide the fate of anyone in such a way that he could lose his position in society and suffer serious punishment. Gogol wanted to reveal a huge layer of society’s vices, thereby curing it of them. The author planned to raise all the most vile, unfair and immoral things that are happening in modern society.
Idea, which is implemented by the author in the play - to show lack of spirituality, vulgarity and baseness way of life Russian bureaucracy. What the work teaches is on the surface: you can stop the situation if everyone starts with themselves. It is strange that the author wanted an adequate perception of the play from the audience, who were actually prototypes of his characters.
Composition
The peculiarity of the composition is that the play does not have an exposition, but begins with a beginning. The work has a circular structure: it begins and ends with the message that “the auditor has arrived.” Khlestakov finds himself in the center of events completely by accident, for some time not understanding why he is received so well in the city. Afterwards, he accepts the terms of the game, supporting the role that was imposed on him. For the first time in literature main character- a deceitful, unprincipled, low and disgustingly resourceful character. The work is well perceived in the form of a play when reading thanks to the author's remarks and comments that reveal the psychology of the characters and their inner world. Gogol created an amazing collection of images in one small play, many of them became household names in literature.
Main characters
Genre
Gogol can be called the founder of satirical dramatic genre in Russian literature. It was he who deduced the main principles of comedy, which have become classic. He introduced the “silent stage” technique into dramaturgy, when characters are silent. It was Nikolai Vasilyevich who introduced the satirical technique of the grotesque into comedy. The bureaucracy is depicted not just as stupid, but as monstrously limited. In the comedy there is not a single neutral or positive character; absolutely all the characters are mired in vices and their own stupidity. Genre of the work - social satirical comedy in the spirit of realism.
Work test
Rating analysis
Average rating: 4.4. Total ratings received: 2995.