Dead souls first chapter short. What was the second volume of Dead Souls about and why did Gogol burn it? chichikov leaves the city

"Dead Souls" summary 1 chapter

At the gate of the hotel in the provincial town of NN, a britzka drove in, in which the gentleman “is not handsome, but not bad-looking, not too fat, not too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young. This gentleman is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At the hotel, he eats a hearty meal. The author describes the provincial town: “The houses were one, two and one and a half stories high, with an eternal mezzanine, very beautiful, according to provincial architects.

In places, these houses seemed lost among the wide, field-like streets and endless wooden fences; in some places they crowded together, and here there was noticeably more movement of the people and liveliness. There were signs almost washed away by the rain with pretzels and boots, in some places with painted blue trousers and the signature of some Arshavian tailor; where is the store with caps, caps and the inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov” ... Most often, darkened double-headed state eagles were noticeable, which have now been replaced by a laconic inscription: “Drinking House”. The pavement was bad everywhere.”

Chichikov pays visits to city officials - the governor, vice-governor, chairman of the chamber * prosecutor, police chief, as well as the inspector of the medical board, the city architect. Chichikov builds excellent relations everywhere and with everyone with the help of flattery, gains confidence in each of those whom he visited. Each of the officials invites Pavel Ivanovich to visit him, although little is known about him.

Chichikov attended a ball at the governor's, where “he somehow knew how to find himself in everything and showed in himself an experienced secular person. Whatever the conversation was about, he always knew how to support it: if it was about a horse farm, he talked about a horse farm; whether they talked about good dogs, and here he reported very sensible remarks; whether they interpreted it with regard to the investigation carried out by the Treasury, he showed that he was not unfamiliar with judicial tricks; whether there was a discussion about the billiard game - and in the billiard game he did not miss; whether they talked about virtue, and he talked about virtue very well, even with tears in his eyes; about making hot wine, and in hot wine he knew Zrok; about customs overseers and officials, and he judged them as if he himself were both an official and an overseer. But it is remarkable that he knew how to clothe all this with some degree, knew how to behave well. He spoke neither loudly nor softly, but exactly as he should. At the ball, he met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, whom he also managed to win over. Chichikov finds out the condition of their estates and how many peasants they have. Manilov and Sobakevich invite Chichikov to their estate. While visiting the chief of police, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, "a man of about thirty, a broken fellow."

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 2

Chichikov has two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter reads a lot and everything in a row, while he is not interested in what he has read, but in folding letters into words. In addition, Parsley has a "special smell" because he very rarely goes to the bathhouse.

Chichikov goes to the Manilov estate. For a long time he cannot find his estate. “The village of Manilovka could lure a few with its location. The master's house stood alone in the south, that is, on a hill, open to all the winds that only take it into their head to blow; the slope of the mountain on which he stood was dressed in trimmed turf. Two or three flowerbeds with lilac and yellow acacia bushes were scattered on it in the English style; here and there five or six birches in small clusters raised their small-leaved thin tops. Beneath two of them was a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: "Temple of Solitary Reflection"; lower down is a pond covered with greenery, which, however, is not a wonder in the English gardens of Russian landowners. At the foot of this elevation, and partly along the very slope, gray log huts darkened along and across ... ”Manilov is glad to have a guest. The author describes the landowner and his household: “He was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you cannot but say: “What a pleasant and a kind person!” In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You won’t expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch on a subject that torments him ... You can’t say that he was engaged in farming, he never even went to the fields, farming somehow went by itself ... Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and the pond, he talked about how good it would be if suddenly an underground passage could be built from the house or a stone bridge built across the pond, on which there would be shops on both sides, and so that merchants and they sold various small goods needed by the peasants ... All these projects ended with only one word. In his study there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page, which he had been constantly reading for two years. Something was always missing in his house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, which, no doubt, was very expensive; but it wasn’t enough for two armchairs, and the armchairs were just upholstered with bast mat... side and all in fat, although neither the owner, nor the hostess, nor the servants noticed this.

Manilov's wife is very suitable for him in character. There is no order in the house, because she does not follow anything. She is well brought up, she received her upbringing in a boarding school, “and in boarding schools, as you know, three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, which is necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for composing pleasant minutes for a spouse, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.

Manilov and Chichikov show an exaggerated courtesy towards each other, which brings them to the point that they both squeeze through the same door at the same time. The Manilovs invite Chichikov to dinner, which is attended by both of Manilov's sons: Themistoclus and Alkid. The first has a runny nose and bites his brother's ear. Alkid, swallowing tears, all smeared with fat, eats a leg of lamb.

At the end of dinner, Manilov and Chichikov go to the owner's office, where they have a business conversation. Chichikov asks Manilov for revision tales - a detailed register of peasants who died after the last census. He wants to buy dead Souls. Manilov is amazed. Chichikov convinces him that everything will happen in accordance with the law, that the tax will be paid. Manilov finally calms down and gives away the dead souls for free, believing that he has rendered Chichikov a great service. Chichikov leaves, and Manilov indulges in dreams, in which it comes to the point that for their strong friendship with Chichikov, the tsar will grant both of them the rank of general.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 3

Chichikov is poisoned at Sobakevich's estate, but gets caught in heavy rain and loses his way. His cart flips over and falls into the mud. Nearby is the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, where Chichikov comes. He goes into the room, which “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; a wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything else ... A minute later the hostess entered, an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners who cry over crop failures , losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, but meanwhile they are gaining a little money in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers ... "

Korobochka leaves Chichikov to spend the night in his house. In the morning, Chichikov starts a conversation with her about selling dead souls. The box cannot understand why he needs them, he offers to buy honey or hemp from her. She is constantly afraid to sell cheap. Chichikov manages to convince her to agree to the deal only after he tells a lie about himself - that he conducts government contracts, promises to buy both honey and hemp from her in the future. The box believes it. Bidding has been going on for a long time, after which the deal did take place. Chichikov keeps his papers in a box, consisting of many compartments and having a secret drawer for money.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 4

Chichikov stops at a tavern, to which Nozdryov's chaise soon drives up. Nozdryov is “of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, and sideburns as black as pitch. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face. He said with a very pleased look that he lost, and lost not only his money,

I but also the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is present right there. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat. He himself drinks in a tavern at the expense of his son-in-law. The author characterizes Nozdrev^ as a “broken fellow”, from that breed of people who “even in childhood and at school are known as good comrades and, for all that, are heavily beaten painfully ... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, as they already tell you” You". Friendship will start, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he had been at eighteen and twenty: a go-getter. His marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon departed for the next world, leaving behind two children who he definitely did not need ... At home, he could not sit for more than a day. His sensitive nose could hear him for several tens of miles, where there was a fair with all sorts of congresses and balls; he was already there in the twinkling of an eye, arguing and causing confusion at the green table, for, like all such, he had a passion for cards ... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting he attended was without a story. Some kind of story was bound to happen: either they would lead him out of the gendarme hall by the arms, or they would be forced to push him out of his own friends ... And he would lie completely without any need: he would suddenly tell that he had a horse of some blue or pink wool, and the like. nonsense, so that the listeners finally all move away, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.”

Nozdrev refers to those people who have "a passion to spoil their neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all." His favorite pastime was to exchange things and lose money and property. Arriving at Nozdryov's estate, Chichikov sees an unsightly stallion, about which Nozdryov says that he paid ten thousand for him. He shows a kennel where a dubious breed of dog is kept. Nozdrev is a master of lies. He talks about the fact that in his pond there is a fish of unusual size, that on his Turkish daggers there is a brand of a famous master. The dinner to which this landowner invited Chichikov was bad.

Chichikov starts business negotiations, at the same time he says that he needs dead souls for a profitable marriage, so that the bride's parents believe that he is a wealthy person. Nozdryov is going to donate dead souls and, in addition, he is trying to sell a stallion, a mare, a hurdy-gurdy, and so on. Chichikov flatly refuses. Nozdryov invites him to play cards, which Chichikov also refuses. For this refusal, Nozdryov orders to feed Chichikov's horse not with oats, but with hay, which the guest is offended by. Nozdryov does not feel awkward, and in the morning, as if nothing had happened, he invites Chichikov to play checkers. He recklessly agrees. The landlord starts cheating. Chichikov accuses him of this, Nozdryov climbs in to fight, calls the servants and orders to beat the guest. Suddenly, a police captain appears, who arrests Nozdryov for insulting the landowner Maksimov while drunk. Nozdryov refuses everything, says that he does not know any Maksimov. Chichikov quickly leaves.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 5

Through the fault of Selifan, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise, in which two ladies are traveling - an elderly and sixteen-year-old very beautiful girl. The men gathered from the village separate the horses. Chichikov is shocked by the beauty of the young girl, and after the carts have parted, he thinks about her for a long time. The traveler drives up to the village of Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich. “A wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof and dark or, better, wild walls - a house like those we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during the construction of its architect, he constantly fought with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner - convenience and, apparently, as a result of this he boarded up all the corresponding windows on one side and turned in their place one small one, probably needed for a dark closet. The pediment also did not fit in the middle of the house, no matter how hard the architect struggled, because the owner ordered one column to be thrown out from the side, and therefore there were not four columns, as it was appointed, but only three. The yard was surrounded by a strong and unreasonably thick wooden lattice. The landowner seemed to be fussing a lot about strength. For the stables, sheds and kitchens, full-weight and thick logs were used, determined to stand for centuries. The village huts of the peasants were also built marvelously: there were no brick walls, carved patterns, and other frills, but everything was fitted tightly and properly. Even the well was lined with such strong oak, which is used only for mills and ships. In a word, everything he looked at was stubbornly, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.

The owner himself seems to Chichikov like a bear. “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny ... "

Sobakevich had a habit of expressing himself straightforwardly about everything. About the governor, he says that he is "the first robber in the world," and the police chief is "a swindler." Sobakevich eats a lot at dinner. He tells the guest about his neighbor Plyushkin, a very stingy man who owns eight hundred peasants.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 6

Chichikov goes to Plyushkin's estate, for a long time he cannot find the master's house. Finally finds a "strange castle" that looks like a "decrepit invalid". “In places it was one floor, in places two; on the dark roof, which did not reliably protect his old age everywhere, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already tottering, deprived of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house slitted bare stucco lattice in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open; the rest were shuttered or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also half-sighted; one of them had a dark pasted triangle of blue sugar paper. Chichikov meets a man of indeterminate sex (he cannot understand whether this is a man or a woman). He decides that this is the housekeeper, but then it turns out that this is the rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin. The author tells how Plyushkin came to such a life. In the past, he was a thrifty landowner, he had a wife who was famous for hospitality, and three children. But after the death of his wife, "Plyushkin became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy." He cursed his daughter, as she ran away and married an officer of the cavalry regiment. The youngest daughter died, and the son, instead of studying, decided to join the military. Every year Plyushkin became more stingy. Very soon the merchants stopped taking goods from him, because they could not bargain with the landowner. All his goods - hay, wheat, flour, canvas - everything rotted. Plyushkin, on the other hand, saved up everything, and at the same time picked up other people's things that he didn’t need at all. His stinginess knew no bounds: for all Plyushkin's household there were only boots, he kept rusk for several months, he knew exactly how much liquor he had in his decanter, because he made marks. When Chichikov tells him what he came for, Plyushkin is very happy. He offers the guest to buy not only dead souls, but also runaway peasants. Traded. The received money hides in a box. It is clear that this money, like others, he will never use. Chichikov leaves, to the great joy of the owner, refusing the treat. Returns to the hotel.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 7

After all the registered merchants, Chichikov becomes the owner of four hundred dead souls. He reflects on who these people were in life. Leaving the hotel on the street, Chichikov meets Manilov. Together they go to make a bill of sale. In the office, Chichikov gives a bribe to the official Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo to speed up the process. However, the giving of a bribe goes unnoticed - the official covers the banknote with a book, and it seems to disappear. Sobakevich sits at the head. Chichikov arranges for the bill of sale to be completed within a day, since he supposedly needs to leave urgently. He gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin, in which he asks him to be an attorney in his case, to which the chairman gladly agrees.

Documents are drawn up in the presence of witnesses, Chichikov pays only half of the fee to the treasury, while the other half "was attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner." After a successful deal, everyone goes to dinner at the police chief, during which Sobakevich eats a huge sturgeon alone. The tipsy guests ask Chichikov to stay and decide to marry him. Chichikov informs the audience that he is buying peasants for withdrawal to the Kherson province, where he has already acquired an estate. He himself believes in what he says. Parsley and Se-lifan, after sending the drunken owner to the hotel, go for a walk in a tavern.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 8

Residents of the city are discussing what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to the place. Among the proposed - a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible rebellion, enlightenment of serfs. A description of the city dwellers follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated in a completely friendly way, and their conversations bore the stamp of some special simplicity and brevity: “Dear friend Ilya Ilyich”, “Listen, brother, Antipator Zakharyevich!”... To the postmaster, whose name was Ivan Andreevich, they always added: “Sprechen zadeich, Ivan Andreich?” - in a word, everything was very family. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart "Lyudmila" Zhukovsky, which was still not a cold news then ... The postmaster went more into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung's "Nights" and "The Key to the Mysteries of Nature" by Eckartshausen , from which he made very long extracts ... he was witty, flowery in words and loved, as he himself put it, to equip speech. Others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some Moskovskiye Vedomosti, some didn’t even read anything at all ... As for plausibility, it’s already known, they were all reliable consumptive people, there was no one among them. All were of the kind to which the wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg-pods, plump, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, buzz, and so on. But in general they were kind people, full of hospitality, and a person who ate bread with them or spent an evening playing whist was already becoming something close ... "

City ladies were “what they call presentable, and in this respect they could be safely set as an example to everyone else ... They dressed with great taste, drove around the city in carriages, as the latest fashion prescribed, a lackey swayed behind, and a livery in gold braid ... In morals, the ladies of the city of N. were strict, filled with noble indignation against everything vicious and all sorts of temptations, they executed all weaknesses without any mercy ... It must also be said that the ladies of the city of N. were distinguished, like many ladies of St. Petersburg, by unusual caution and decency in words and expressions. They never said: “I blew my nose”, “I sweated”, “I spat”, but they said: “I relieved my nose”, “I managed with a handkerchief”. In no case was it possible to say: "this glass or this plate stinks." And you couldn't even say anything that would give a hint of this, but instead they said: "this glass is not behaving well" or something like that. In order to ennoble the Russian language even more, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation, and therefore it was very often necessary to resort to French, but there, in French, it’s another matter: words were allowed there that were much tougher than those mentioned.

All the ladies of the city are delighted with Chichikov, one of them even sent him a love letter. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. Before the ball, he spins for a long time in front of the mirror. At the ball, he is in the spotlight, trying to figure out who the author of the letter is. The governor introduces Chichikov to her daughter - the very girl he saw in the britzka. He almost falls in love with her, but she misses his company. Other ladies are outraged that all of Chichikov's attention goes to the governor's daughter. Suddenly, Nozdryov appears, who tells the governor about how Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from him. The news quickly spreads, while the ladies pass it on as if they do not believe in it, since everyone knows the reputation of Nozdryov. Korobochka comes to the city at night, who is interested in the prices of dead souls - she is afraid that she has sold too cheap.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 9

The chapter describes the visit of a "pleasant lady" to a "lady pleasant in every way". Her visit falls an hour earlier than the usual time for visits in the city - she is in such a hurry to tell the news she has heard. The lady tells her friend that Chichikov is a robber in disguise, who demanded that Korobochka sell him dead peasants. The ladies decide that the dead souls are just a pretext, in fact Chichikov is going to take the governor's daughter away. They discuss the behavior of the girl, herself, recognize her as unattractive, mannered. The husband of the mistress of the house appears - the prosecutor, to whom the ladies tell the news, which confuses him.

The men of the city are discussing the purchase of Chichikov, the women are discussing the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. The story is replenished with details, it is decided that Chichikov has an accomplice, and this accomplice is probably Nozdrev. Chichikov is credited with organizing a peasant riot in Borovki, Zadi-railovo-tozh, during which the assessor Drobyazhkin was killed. In addition, the governor receives news that a robber has escaped and a counterfeiter has appeared in the province. There is a suspicion that one of these persons is Chichikov. The public can't decide what to do.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 10

Officials are so concerned about the current situation that many even lose weight from grief. They collect a meeting from the chief of police. The chief of police decides that Chichikov is Captain Kopeikin in disguise, an invalid without an arm and a leg, a hero of the war of 1812. Kopeikin, after returning from the front, received nothing from his father. He goes to Petersburg to seek the truth from the sovereign. But the king is not in the capital. Kopeikin goes to the nobleman, the head of the commission, whose audience he has been waiting for a long time in the waiting room. The general promises help, offers to come in one of these days. But the next time he says that he cannot do anything without the special permission of the king. Captain Kopeikin is running out of money, and the porter won't let him see the general anymore. He endures many hardships, eventually breaking through to an appointment with the general, saying that he can no longer wait. The general escorts him very rudely, sends him out of St. Petersburg at public expense. After some time, a gang of robbers appears in the Ryazan forests, led by Kopeikin.

Other officials nevertheless decide that Chichikov is not Kopeikin, since both his arms and legs are intact. It is suggested that Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. Everyone decides that it is necessary to interrogate Nozdryov, despite the fact that he is a known liar. Nozdryov says that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand and that already at the time when he studied with Chichikov at school, he was already a counterfeiter and a spy, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor and Nozdryov himself helped him. Nozdryov realizes that he has gone too far in his stories, and possible problems scare him. But the unexpected happens - the prosecutor dies. Chichikov does not know anything about what is happening because he is ill. Three days later, having left the house, he discovers that he is either not received anywhere, or is received in a strange way. Nozdryov informs him that the city considers him a counterfeiter, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor, that the prosecutor died through his fault. Chichikov orders to pack things.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 11

In the morning Chichikov could not leave the city for a long time - he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod. Leave only in the evening. On the way, Chichikov meets a funeral procession - the prosecutor is being buried. Behind the coffin are all the officials, each of whom thinks about the new governor-general and their relationship with him. Chichikov leaves the city. Next - a lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful far away I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; daring divas of nature, crowned with daring divas of art, will not amuse, will not frighten the eyes, cities with many-windowed high palaces, grown into cliffs, picture trees and ivy, grown into houses, in noise and in the eternal dust of waterfalls; the head will not tip back to look at the stone blocks piled up endlessly above it and in the heights; they will not flash through the dark arches thrown one on top of the other, entangled in vine branches, ivy and countless millions of wild roses; Why is your melancholy song, rushing along your entire length and width, from sea to sea, heard and heard incessantly in your ears? What's in it, in this song? What calls, and sobs, and grabs the heart? What sounds painfully kiss, and strive to the soul, and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible bond lurks between us? Why do you look like that, and why does everything that is in you turn eyes full of expectation on me? .. And a mighty space menacingly embraces me, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; my eyes lit up with an unnatural power: wow! what a sparkling, wonderful, unfamiliar distance to the earth! Rus!.."

The author discusses the hero of the work and the origin of Chichikov. His parents are nobles, but he doesn't look like them. Chichikov's father sent his son to the city to an old relative so that he could enter the school. The father gave his son parting words, which he strictly followed in life - to please the authorities, to hang out only with the rich, not to share with anyone, to save money. He did not have any special talents, but he had a "practical mind." Chichikov knew how to make money as a boy - he sold treats, showed a trained mouse for money. He pleased the teachers, the authorities, and therefore graduated from school with a gold certificate. His father dies, and Chichikov, having sold his father's house, enters the service. He betrays a teacher expelled from school, who was counting on a fake of his beloved student. Chichikov serves, striving to please his superiors in everything, even caring for his ugly daughter, hinting at a wedding. Gets a promotion and doesn't get married. Soon Chichikov is included in the commission for the construction of a government building, but the building, for which a lot of money has been allocated, is being built only on paper. New boss Chichikov hated the subordinate, and he had to start all over again. He enters the service at the customs, where his ability to search is revealed. He is promoted, and Chichikov presents a project to catch smugglers, with whom at the same time he manages to collude and get a lot of money from them. But Chichikov quarrels with a friend with whom he shared, and both are put on trial. Chichikov manages to save some of the money, starts everything from scratch as an attorney. He comes up with the idea of buying dead souls, which in the future can be pledged to the bank under the guise of living ones, and, having received a loan, hide.

The author reflects on how readers can relate to Chichikov, recalls the parable of Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, son and father. The existence of the father is turned into a speculative side, while the son is rowdy. Kifa Mokievich is asked to appease his son, but he does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then let them not find out about it from me, let it not be me who betrayed him.”

At the end of the poem, the britzka is moving quickly along the road. “And what Russian does not like to drive fast?” "Oh, threesome! bird troika, who invented you? To know that you could only be born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but spread out half the world as evenly as possible, and go and count the miles until it fills your eyes. And not a cunning, it would seem, road projectile, not captured by an iron screw, but hastily, alive with one ax and a hammer, a smart Yaroslavl peasant equipped and assembled you. The coachman is not in German boots: a beard and mittens, and the devil knows what he sits on; but he got up, and swung, and dragged on a song - the horses whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed up in one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and the pedestrian who stopped screamed in fright - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed! .. And you can already see in the distance, as something dusts and drills the air.

Isn't that how you, Rus', that brisk, unbeatable troika, are rushing about? The road smokes under you, the bridges rumble, everything lags behind and is left behind. The contemplative, amazed 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; flies past everything that is on earth,
and, squinting, step aside and give her way to other peoples and states.

For more than a century and a half, interest in the amazing work written by N.V. Gogol has not disappeared. "Dead Souls" (a brief retelling of the chapters is given below) - a poem about modern writer Russia, its vices and shortcomings. Unfortunately, many things described in the first half of the 19th century by Nikolai Vasilyevich still exist, which makes the work relevant today.

Chapter 1. Acquaintance with Chichikov

A britzka drove into the provincial town of NN, in which a gentleman of ordinary appearance was sitting. She stopped at a tavern where she could rent a room for two rubles. Selifan, the coachman, and Petrushka, the footman, brought into the room a suitcase and a chest, whose appearance indicated that they were often on the road. So you can start a brief retelling of "Dead Souls".

Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the visitor - collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He immediately went to the hall, where he ordered dinner and began to question the servant about local officials and landowners. And the next day, the hero paid visits to all important people in the city, including the governor. When meeting, Pavel Ivanovich reported that he was looking for a new place of residence for himself. He made a very pleasant impression, as he could flatter and show respect to everyone. As a result, Chichikov immediately received a lot of invitations: to a party with the governor and for tea with other officials.

Brief retelling The first chapter of "Dead Souls" continues with a description of the reception at the mayor. The author gives an eloquent assessment of the high society of the city of NN, comparing the governor's guests with flies hovering over refined sugar. Gogol also notes that all men here, however, as elsewhere, were divided into "thin" and "thick" - he attributed the main character to the latter. The position of the former was unstable and unstable. But the latter, if they sit somewhere, then forever.

For Chichikov, the evening was beneficial: he met the wealthy landowners Manilov and Sobakevich and received an invitation from them to visit. Main question, which interested Pavel Ivanovich in a conversation with them, was about how many souls they have.

In the next few days, the visitor visited the officials and charmed all the noble inhabitants of the city.

Chapter 2

More than a week passed, and Chichikov finally decided to visit Manilov and Sobakevich.

A brief retelling of the 2nd chapter of "Dead Souls" needs to start the hero's servants. Petrushka was not talkative, but he liked to read. He also never undressed and wore his own special smell everywhere, which caused Chichikov's displeasure. This is what the author writes about him.

But back to the hero. He traveled quite a lot before he saw the Manilov estate. The two-story manor house stood alone on a turf-decorated jura. It was surrounded by shrubs, flower beds, a pond. Particular attention was drawn to the pavilion with a strange inscription "Temple of solitary reflection." The peasant huts looked gray and neglected.

A brief retelling of "Dead Souls" continues with a description of the meeting of the host and guest. Smiling Manilov kissed Pavel Ivanovich and invited him into the house, which was just as unfurnished inside as the whole estate. So, one chair was not upholstered, and on the windowsill in the office the owner was laying out mounds of ashes from a pipe. The landowner kept dreaming about some projects that remained unrealized. At the same time, he did not notice that his economy was increasingly falling into decay.

Gogol especially notes Manilov's relationship with his wife: they cooed, trying to please each other in everything. The officials of the city were the most beautiful people for them. And they gave their children strange ancient names, and at dinner everyone tried to show their education. In general, talking about the landowner, the author emphasizes the following idea: so much sugariness emanated from the external appearance of the owner that the first impression of his attractiveness quickly changed. And by the end of the meeting, it already seemed that Manilov was neither one nor the other. This characterization of this hero is given by the author.

But let's continue with the shortest retelling. Dead souls soon became the subject of conversation between the guest and Manilov. Chichikov asked to sell him the dead peasants, who, according to the audit documents, were still considered alive. The owner was at first confused, and then gave them to the guest just like that. There was no way he could take money from such a good man.

Chapter 3

Saying goodbye to Manilov, Chichikov went to Sobakevich. But along the way, he got lost, got caught in the rain, and after dark ended up in some village. He was met by the hostess herself - Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka.

The hero slept well on a soft feather bed and, waking up, noticed his cleaned dress. Through the window, he saw many birds and strong peasant huts. The decor of the room and the behavior of the hostess testified to her frugality and economy.

During breakfast, Chichikov, without ceremony, started talking about the dead peasants. At first, Nastasya Petrovna did not understand how it was possible to sell a non-existent product. Then she was afraid to sell everything, saying that the business was new for her. The box was not as simple as it seemed at first, - a brief retelling of "Dead Souls" leads to such an idea. Chapter 3 ends with Chichikov promising the landowner to buy honey and hemp in the fall. After that, the guest and the hostess finally agreed on a price and concluded a bill of sale.

Chapter 4

The road was so washed out from the rain that by noon the carriage got out onto the pole. Chichikov decided to stop by the tavern, where he met Nozdryov. They met at the prosecutor's, and now the landowner behaved as if Pavel Ivanovich was his best friend. Having no way to get rid of Nozdryov, the hero went to his estate. You will learn about the trouble that came out there if you read the further brief retelling of Dead Souls.

Chapter 4 introduces the reader to the landowner, who has earned the fame of a brawler and instigator of scandals, a gambler and a money changer. "Svintus" and other similar words were common in his vocabulary. Not a single meeting with this man ended peacefully, and most of all went to people who had the misfortune to get to know him closely.

Upon arrival, Nozdryov took his son-in-law and Chichikov to look at the empty stalls, the kennel, and the fields. Our hero felt overwhelmed and disappointed. But the main thing was ahead. At dinner there was a quarrel, which was continued the next morning. As the shortest retelling shows, dead souls were the cause. When Chichikov started a conversation, for which he went to the landowners, Nozdryov easily promised to give him non-existent peasants. The guest was only required to buy from him a horse, a hurdy-gurdy and a dog. And in the morning the owner offered to play checkers for souls and began to cheat. Pavel Ivanovich, who discovered this, was almost beaten. It is difficult to describe how delighted he was at the appearance in the house of the police captain, who had come to arrest Nozdryov.

Chapter 5

On the way there was another trouble. The unreasonableness of Selifan caused Chichikov's carriage to collide with another cart, which was harnessed by six horses. The peasants who came running from the village took part in unraveling the horses. And the hero himself drew attention to a sweet blond young lady sitting in a stroller.

A brief retelling of Gogol's "Dead Souls" continues with a description of the meeting with Sobakevich, which finally took place. The village and the house that appeared before the eyes of the hero were great. Everything was good quality and durable. The landowner himself resembled a bear: both in appearance, and in gait, and in the color of his clothes. And all the objects in the house looked like the owner. Sobakevich was laconic. He ate a lot at dinner, and spoke negatively about the mayors.

He accepted the offer to sell dead souls calmly and immediately set a rather high price (two rubles and a half), since all the peasants were recorded with him and each of them had some special quality. The guest did not like it very much, but he accepted the conditions.

Then Pavel Ivanovich went to Plyushkin, whom he learned about from Sobakevich. According to the latter, his peasants were dying like flies, and the hero hoped to profitably acquire them. The correctness of this decision is confirmed by a brief retelling ("Dead Souls").

Chapter 6 patched

Such a nickname was given to the master by a peasant, whom Chichikov asked for directions. AND appearance Plyushkin fully justified him.

Having passed through strange dilapidated streets, which spoke of the fact that there was once a strong economy here, the carriage stopped at the manor's invalid house. A certain creature was standing in the yard and quarreling with a peasant. It was impossible to immediately determine his gender and position. Seeing a bunch of keys on his belt, Chichikov decided that it was a housekeeper and ordered the owner to be called. What was his surprise when he found out: in front of him was one of the richest landowners in the district. In Plyushkin's appearance, Gogol draws attention to the lively shifty eyes.

A brief retelling of "Dead Souls" chapter by chapter allows us to note only the essential features of the landowners who became the heroes of the poem. Plyushkin is distinguished by the fact that the author tells the story of his life. Once he was a frugal and hospitable host. However, after the death of his wife, Plyushkin became more and more stingy. As a result, the son shot himself, as the father did not help pay the debts. One daughter ran away and was cursed, the other died. Over the years, the landowner turned into such a miser that he picked up all the garbage on the street. He and his household turned into rot. Gogol calls Plyushkin "a hole in humanity", the reason for which, unfortunately, can not be fully explained by a brief retelling.

Dead souls Chichikov bought from the landowner at a very favorable price for himself. It was enough to tell Plyushkin that this exempted him from paying duties for the peasants who had not existed for a long time, as he gladly agreed to everything.

Chapter 7. Paperwork

Chichikov, who returned to the city, woke up in the morning in a good mood. He immediately rushed to review the lists of purchased souls. He was especially interested in the paper compiled by Sobakevich. The landowner gave complete description to every man. Before the hero, the Russian peasants seem to come to life, in connection with which he indulges in reasoning about their difficult fate. Everyone, as a rule, has one fate - to pull the strap until the end of their days. Recollecting himself, Pavel Ivanovich got ready to go to the ward for paperwork.

A brief retelling of "Dead Souls" takes the reader into the world of officials. On the street Chichikov met Manilov, still as caring and good-natured. And in the ward, to his happiness, was Sobakevich. Pavel Ivanovich walked from one office to another for a long time and patiently explained the purpose of his visit. Finally, he gave a bribe, and the case was immediately completed. And the legend of the hero that he takes the peasants for export to the Kherson province did not raise questions from anyone. At the end of the day, everyone went to the chairman, where they drank to the health of the new landowner, wished him good luck and promised to find a bride.

Chapter 8

Rumors of a large purchase of peasants soon spread throughout the city, and Chichikov began to be considered a millionaire. Everywhere he was given signs of attention, especially since the hero, as a brief retelling of "Dead Souls" chapter by chapter shows, could easily endear people to him. However, the unexpected soon happened.

The governor gave a ball, and, of course, Pavel Ivanovich was in the center of attention. Now everyone wants to please him. Suddenly, the hero noticed the very young lady (she turned out to be the daughter of the governor), whom he met on the way from Korobochka to Nozdryov. Even at the first meeting, she charmed Chichikov. And now all the attention of the hero was drawn to the girl, which caused the anger of other ladies. They suddenly saw in Pavel Ivanovich a terrible enemy.

The second trouble that happened that day was that Nozdryov appeared at the ball and began to talk about the fact that Chichikov was buying up the souls of dead peasants. And although no one attached importance to his words, Pavel Ivanovich felt uncomfortable all evening and returned to his room ahead of time.

After the guest's departure, the box kept wondering if it was cheap. Exhausted, the landowner decided to go to the city to find out how much the dead peasants are selling now. The next chapter (its brief retelling) will tell about the consequences of this. "Dead Souls" Gogol continues with a description of how unsuccessfully events began to develop for the protagonist.

Chapter 9 Chichikov at the center of the scandal

The next morning, two ladies met: one is simply pleasant, the other is pleasant in every way. They discussed last news, the main of which was the story of Korobochka. Let's give a very brief retelling of it (this was directly related to dead souls).

According to the guest, the first lady, Nastasya Petrovna stopped at the house of her friend. It was she who told her about how the armed Pavel Ivanovich appeared at the estate at night and began to demand that the souls of the dead be sold to him. The second lady added that her husband had heard about such a purchase from Nozdryov. After discussing the incident, the women decided that all this was just a cover. The true goal of Chichikov is to kidnap the governor's daughter. They immediately shared their guess with the prosecutor who entered the room and went to the city. Soon all its inhabitants were divided into two halves. The ladies discussed the version of the kidnapping, and the men - the purchase of dead souls. The governor's wife ordered Chichikov's servants not to be allowed on the threshold. And the officials gathered at the police chief and tried to find an explanation for what had happened.

Chapter 10 The story of Kopeikin

We went over many options for who Pavel Ivanovich could be. Suddenly the postmaster exclaimed: "Captain Kopeikin!" And he told the story of the life of a mysterious man, about whom those present knew nothing. It is with her that we continue a brief retelling of the 10th chapter of Dead Souls.

In 1912, Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg in the war. He could not earn money himself, and therefore he went to the capital to ask for well-deserved help from the monarch. In St. Petersburg he stopped at a tavern, found a commission and began to wait for an appointment. The nobleman immediately noticed the disabled person and, having learned about his problem, advised him to come in a few days. The next time he assured me that soon everything would certainly be decided and a pension would be appointed. And at the third meeting, Kopeikin, who had not received anything, made a fuss and was expelled from the city. No one knew exactly where the disabled person was taken. But when a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan region, everyone decided that its leader was none other than ... Further, all the officials agreed that Chichikov could not be Kopeikin: he had both an arm and a leg in place. Someone suggested that Pavel Ivanovich was Napoleon. After some more discussion, the officials dispersed. And the prosecutor, having come home, died of shock. On this, a brief retelling of "Dead Souls" comes to an end.

All this time, the perpetrator of the scandal sat in the sick room and was surprised that no one was visiting him. Feeling a little better, he decided to go on visits. But the governor Pavel Ivanovich was not accepted, and the rest obviously avoided the meeting. Everything was explained by Nozdryov's arrival at the hotel. It was he who said that Chichikov was accused of preparing the kidnapping and making false banknotes. Pavel Ivanovich immediately ordered Petrushka and Selifan to prepare for their departure early in the morning.

Chapter 11

However, the hero woke up later than planned. Then Selifan declared that it was necessary. Finally, they set off and on the way they met a funeral procession - they were burying the prosecutor. Chichikov hid behind a curtain and secretly examined the officials. But they didn't even notice him. Now they were worried about something else: what would be the new governor-general. As a result, the hero decided that it was good to meet the funeral. And the carriage moved forward. And the author cites the life story of Pavel Ivanovich (hereinafter we will give a brief retelling of it). Dead souls (Chapter 11 points to this) came to Chichikov's head not by chance.

Pavlusha's childhood can hardly be called happy. His mother died early, and his father often punished him. Then Chichikov Sr. took his son to the city school and left him to live with a relative. At parting, he gave some advice. Please teachers. Be friends only with rich classmates. Do not treat anyone, but arrange everything so that they treat themselves. And most importantly - save a penny. Pavlusha fulfilled all the precepts of his father. To the fifty kopeck left at parting, he soon added his earned money. He conquered the teachers with diligence: no one could sit so roughly in the lessons as he did. And although he received a good certificate, he began to work from the bottom. In addition, after the death of his father, only a dilapidated house was inherited, which Chichikov sold for a thousand, and servants.

Having entered the service, Pavel Ivanovich showed incredible zeal: he worked a lot, slept in the office. At the same time, he always looked great and pleased everyone. Upon learning that the boss has a daughter, he began to look after her, and things even went to the wedding. But as soon as Chichikov was promoted, he moved out from the boss to another apartment, and soon everyone somehow forgot about the engagement. It was the most difficult step on the way to the goal. And the hero dreamed of great wealth and an important place in society.

When the fight against bribery began, Pavel Ivanovich made his first fortune. But he did everything through secretaries and clerks, so he himself remained clean and earned a reputation with the leadership. Thanks to this, he was able to settle down for construction - instead of the planned buildings, officials, including the hero, got new houses. But here Chichikov failed: the arrival of a new boss deprived him of both his position and his fortune.

Career began to build from the very beginning. Miraculously got to customs - a fertile place. Thanks to his diligence and servility, he achieved a lot. But suddenly he quarreled with a fellow official (they did business with smugglers together), and he wrote a denunciation. Pavel Ivanovich was again left with nothing. He managed to hide only ten thousand and two servants.

The way out of the situation was suggested by the secretary of the office, in which Chichikov, on duty of the new service, was supposed to mortgage the estate. When it came to the number of peasants, the official remarked: “They have died, but they are still on the revision lists. Some will not be, others will be born - everything is good for business. It was then that the idea came to buy dead souls. It will be difficult to prove that there are no peasants: Chichikov purchased them for export. For this, he also acquired land in the Kherson province in advance. And the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles for every registered soul. Here is the state. So the reader is revealed the intention of the protagonist and the essence of all his actions. The main thing is to be careful, and everything will work out. The carriage rushed on, and Chichikov, who loved fast driving, only smiled.

VOLUME ONE

The proposed history, as will become clear from what follows, took place somewhat shortly after the "glorious expulsion of the French." A collegiate adviser arrives in the provincial city of NN Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov(he is not old and not too young, not fat and not thin, his appearance is rather pleasant and somewhat rounded) and settles in a hotel. He makes a lot of questions to the tavern servant - both regarding the owner and income of the tavern, and revealing the solidity of it: about city officials, the most significant landowners, asks about the state of the region and whether there were "what diseases in their province, epidemic fevers" and other similar adversity.

Having gone on visits, the visitor discovers extraordinary activity (visiting everyone, from the governor to the inspector of the medical board) and courtesy, for he knows how to say something pleasant to everyone. About himself, he speaks somehow vaguely (that he “experienced a lot in his lifetime, endured in the service for the truth, had many enemies who even attempted on his life,” and now he is looking for a place to live). At the governor's house party, he manages to gain general favor and, among other things, make acquaintance with the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. In the following days, he dines with the chief of police (where he meets the landowner Nozdryov), visits the chairman of the chamber and the vice-governor, the farmer and the prosecutor, and goes to the Manilov estate (which, however, is preceded by a fair author's digression, where, justifying his love for detail, the author certifies in detail Petrushka, the visitor's servant: his passion for "the process of reading itself" and the ability to carry with him a special smell, "responding somewhat to residential peace").

Having traveled, against the promised, not fifteen, but all thirty miles, Chichikov falls into Manilovka, into the arms of an affectionate owner. House Manilova, standing on a jura, surrounded by several English-style flower beds and gazebos with the inscription "Temple of Solitary Reflection", could characterize the owner, who was "neither this nor that", not weighed down by any passions, only unnecessarily cloying. After Manilov's confessions that Chichikov's visit was "a May day, a name day of the heart", and a dinner in the company of the hostess and two sons, Themistoclus and Alkid, Chichikov discovers the reason for his arrival: he would like to acquire peasants who have died, but have not yet been declared as such in the revision help, having issued everything legally, as if on the living (“the law - I am dumb before the law”). The first fright and bewilderment are replaced by the perfect disposition of the kind host, and, having made a deal, Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich, and Manilov indulges in dreams of Chichikov's life in the neighborhood across the river, of the construction of a bridge, of a house with such a belvedere that Moscow is visible from there, and of their friendship, having learned about which the sovereign would grant them generals. Chichikov's coachman Selifan, much favored by Manilov's yard people, in conversations with his horses misses the right turn and, at the sound of a downpour, knocks the master over into the mud. In the dark, they find lodging for the night at Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a somewhat timid landowner, with whom Chichikov also begins to trade in the morning. dead souls. Explaining that he himself would now pay taxes for them, cursing the old woman’s stupidity, promising to buy both hemp and lard, but another time, Chichikov buys souls from her for fifteen rubles, receives a detailed list of them (in which Pyotr Savelyev is especially struck by Disrespect -Trough) and, having eaten an unleavened egg pie, pancakes, pies and other things, departs, leaving the hostess in great concern as to whether she had sold too cheap.

Having driven out onto the main road to the tavern, Chichikov stops for a bite to eat; the author provides some enterprises with a lengthy discourse on the properties of the appetite of middle-class gentlemen. Here Nozdryov meets him, returning from the fair in the britzka of his son-in-law Mizhuev, for he lost everything with his horses and even the watch chain. Describing the charms of the fair, the drinking qualities of dragoon officers, a certain Kuvshinnikov, a great lover of "to use about strawberries" and, finally, presenting a puppy, "a real face", Nozdryov takes Chichikov (thinking to get hold of here too) to himself, taking away his son-in-law, who is reluctant. Having described Nozdryov, “in some respects a historical person” (for wherever he was, there was history), his possessions, the unpretentiousness of dinner with an abundance, however, drinks of dubious quality, the author sends his son-in-law to his wife (Nozdryov admonishes him with abuse and a word “fetyuk”), and Chichikova is forced to turn to her subject; but he fails to beg or buy souls: Nozdryov offers to exchange them, take them in addition to the stallion or make a bet in a card game, finally scolds, quarrels, and they part for the night. Persuasion resumes in the morning, and, having agreed to play checkers, Chichikov notices that Nozdryov is shamelessly cheating. Chichikov, whom the owner and the servants are already trying to beat, manages to escape in view of the appearance of the police captain, who announces that Nozdryov is on trial. On the road, Chichikov's carriage collides with a certain carriage, and while the onlookers who come running are breeding tangled horses, Chichikov admires the sixteen-year-old young lady, indulges in reasoning about her and dreams of family life. A visit to Sobakevich in his strong, like himself, estate is accompanied by a thorough dinner, a discussion of city officials, who, according to the owner, are all swindlers (one prosecutor is a decent person, “and even that one, to tell the truth, is a pig”), and is crowned with an interesting guest deal. Not at all frightened by the strangeness of the object, Sobakevich bargains, characterizes the favorable qualities of each serf, provides Chichikov with a detailed list and forces him to give a deposit.

Path Chichikov to the neighboring landowner Plyushkin, mentioned by Sobakevich, is interrupted by a conversation with a peasant who gave Plyushkin an apt, but not too printed nickname, and by the author's lyrical reflection on his former love for unfamiliar places and the indifference that has now appeared. Plyushkin, this "hole in humanity", Chichikov at first takes for a housekeeper or a beggar, whose place is on the porch. His most important feature is his amazing stinginess, and he even carries the old sole of his boot into a heap heaped in the master's chambers. Having shown the profitability of his proposal (namely, that he would take over the taxes for the dead and runaway peasants), Chichikov fully succeeds in his enterprise and, refusing tea with cracker, provided with a letter to the chairman of the chamber, departs in the most cheerful mood.

While Chichikov is sleeping in the hotel, the author reflects with sadness on the meanness of the objects he paints. Meanwhile, the satisfied Chichikov, waking up, composes the merchant's fortresses, studies the lists of the acquired peasants, reflects on their alleged fate, and finally goes to the civil chamber in order to conclude the case as soon as possible. Manilov, met at the gates of the hotel, accompanies him. Then follows a description of the public office, Chichikov's first ordeals and a bribe to a certain jug snout, until he enters the chairman's apartment, where, by the way, he also finds Sobakevich. The chairman agrees to be Plyushkin's attorney, and at the same time speeds up other transactions. The acquisition of Chichikov is discussed, with land or for withdrawal he bought peasants and in what places. Having found out that they were sent to the Kherson province, having discussed the properties of the sold peasants (here the chairman remembered that the coachman Mikheev seemed to have died, but Sobakevich assured that he was still alive and "has become healthier than before"), they finish with champagne, go to the chief of police, "father and a philanthropist in the city” (whose habits are immediately outlined), where they drink to the health of the new Kherson landowner, become completely excited, force Chichikov to stay and attempt to marry him.

Chichikov's purchases make a splash in the city, a rumor is circulating that he is a millionaire. Ladies are crazy about him. Several times trying to describe the ladies, the author becomes shy and retreats. On the eve of the governor's ball, Chichikov even receives a love letter, though unsigned. Having used, as usual, a lot of time on the toilet and being pleased with the result, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he passes from one embrace to another. The ladies, among whom he is trying to find the sender of the letter, even quarrel, challenging his attention. But when the governor's wife approaches him, he forgets everything, because she is accompanied by her daughter ("Institute, just released"), a sixteen-year-old blonde, whose carriage he encountered on the road. He loses the favor of the ladies, because he starts a conversation with a fascinating blonde, scandalously neglecting the rest. To complete the trouble, Nozdryov appears and loudly asks if Chichikov has bought a lot of the dead. And although Nozdryov is obviously drunk and the embarrassed society is gradually distracted, Chichikov is not given a whist or the subsequent dinner, and he leaves upset.

At this time, a tarantass enters the city with the landowner Korobochka, whose growing anxiety forced her to come in order to still find out at what price dead Souls. In the morning, this news becomes the property of a certain pleasant lady, and she hurries to tell it to another, pleasant in all respects, the story is overgrown with amazing details (Chichikov, armed to the teeth, bursts into Korobochka in the dead of midnight, demands souls that have died, inspires terrible fear - “ the whole village has come running, the children are crying, everyone is screaming. Her friend concludes that dead Souls only a cover, and Chichikov wants to take away the governor's daughter. After discussing the details of this enterprise, the undoubted participation of Nozdryov in it and the qualities of the governor's daughter, both ladies dedicate the prosecutor to everything and set off to rebel the city.

IN a short time the city is seething, to which is added the news about the appointment of a new governor-general, as well as information about the papers received: about the maker of forged banknotes, who showed up in the province, and about the robber who fled from legal persecution. Trying to understand who Chichikov is, they recall that he was certified very vaguely and even spoke about those who attempted on his life. The postmaster’s statement that Chichikov, in his opinion, is Captain Kopeikin, who took up arms against the injustice of the world and became a robber, is rejected, since it follows from the entertaining postmaster’s story that the captain is missing an arm and leg, and Chichikov is whole. An assumption arises whether Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise, and many begin to find a certain similarity, especially in profile. Questions from Korobochka, Manilov, and Sobakevich did not yield any results, and Nozdryov only multiplied the confusion by announcing that Chichikov was definitely a spy, a maker of forged banknotes, and had an undoubted intention to take away the governor's daughter, in which Nozdryov undertook to help him (each of the versions was accompanied by detailed details up to the name priest who took up the wedding). All these rumors have a tremendous effect on the prosecutor, he has a stroke, and he dies.

Chichikov himself, sitting in the hotel with a slight cold, is surprised that none of the officials visits him. Finally, having gone on visits, he discovers that they do not receive him at the governor's, and in other places they fearfully shun him. Nozdryov, visiting him at the hotel, among the general noise he made, partly clarifies the situation by announcing that he agrees to hasten the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. The next day, Chichikov hurriedly leaves, but is stopped by a funeral procession and forced to contemplate the whole world of bureaucracy flowing behind the coffin of the prosecutor Brichka leaves the city, and the open spaces on both sides of it evoke sad and encouraging thoughts about Russia, the road, and then only sad about their chosen hero. Concluding that it is time for the virtuous hero to give rest, and, on the contrary, to hide the scoundrel, the author sets out the life story of Pavel Ivanovich, his childhood, training in classes where he already showed a practical mind, his relationship with his comrades and teacher, his service later in the state chamber, some kind of commission for the construction of a government building, where for the first time he gave vent to some of his weaknesses, his subsequent departure to other, not so profitable places, transfer to the customs service, where, showing honesty and incorruptibility almost unnatural, he made a lot of money in collusion with smugglers, went bankrupt, but dodged the criminal court, although he was forced to resign. He became a confidant, and during the fuss about the pledge of the peasants, he put together a plan in his head, began to travel around the expanses of Rus', so that, having bought dead souls and pawned them in the treasury as living, he would receive money, buy, perhaps, a village and ensure future offspring.

Having again complained about the properties of his hero’s nature and partly justified him, having found him the name of “owner, acquirer”, the author is distracted by the urged running of horses, the similarity of the flying troika with rushing Russia and the ringing of the bell completes the first volume.

VOLUME TWO

It opens with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls "the smoker of the sky." The story of the stupidity of his pastime is followed by the story of a life inspired by hopes at the very beginning, overshadowed by the pettiness of service and troubles afterwards; he retires, intending to improve the estate, reads books, takes care of the peasant, but without experience, sometimes just human, this does not give the expected results, the peasant is idle, Tentetnikov gives up. He breaks off acquaintances with his neighbors, offended by the treatment of General Betrishchev, stops visiting him, although he cannot forget his daughter Ulinka. In a word, without someone who would tell him an invigorating “forward!”, He completely turns sour.

Chichikov comes to him, apologizing for a breakdown in the carriage, curiosity and a desire to pay respect. Having won the favor of the owner amazing ability his ability to adapt to anyone, Chichikov, after living with him a little, goes to the general, to whom he spins a story about a quarrelsome uncle and, as usual, begs for the dead. On the laughing general, the poem fails, and we find Chichikov heading towards Colonel Koshkarev. Against expectation, he gets to Pyotr Petrovich Petukh, whom at first he finds completely naked, carried away by the hunt for sturgeon. At the Rooster, having nothing to get hold of, for the estate is mortgaged, he only overeats terribly, gets acquainted with the bored landowner Platonov and, having incited him to travel together in Rus', goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the ways of managing, by which he increased the income from the estate dozens of times, and Chichikov is terribly inspired.

Very promptly, he visits Colonel Koshkarev, who has divided his village into committees, expeditions and departments and has arranged a perfect paper production in the mortgaged estate, as it turns out. Returning, he listens to the curses of the bilious Costanjoglo to the factories and manufactories that corrupt the peasant, to the peasant's absurd desire to enlighten, and to his neighbor Khlobuev, who has run a hefty estate and is now lowering it for nothing. Having experienced emotion and even a craving for honest work, after listening to the story of the farmer Murazov, who made forty millions in an impeccable way, Chichikov the next day, accompanied by Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, goes to Khlobuev, observes the unrest and debauchery of his household in the neighborhood of a governess for children, dressed in fashion wife and other traces of ridiculous luxury. Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he gives a deposit for the estate, intending to buy it, and goes to the Platonov estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who effectively manages the economy. Then he suddenly appears at their neighbor Lenitsyn, clearly a rogue, wins his sympathy with his skillfully tickling a child and receives dead souls.

After many seizures in the manuscript, Chichikov is found already in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric of a lingonberry color so dear to him with a spark. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he cheated, either depriving him, or almost depriving him of his inheritance by some kind of forgery. Khlobuev, who missed him, is taken away by Murazov, who convinces Khlobuev of the need to work and determines for him to raise funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are being discovered both about forgery and about dead souls. The tailor brings a new coat. Suddenly, a gendarme appears, dragging smart Chichikov to the governor-general, "angry as anger itself." Here all his atrocities become apparent, and he, kissing the general's boot, plunges into the prison. In a dark closet, tearing his hair and coat tails, mourning the loss of a box of papers, Murazov finds Chichikov, awakens in him with simple virtuous words the desire to live honestly and goes to soften the governor general. At that time, officials who want to harm their wise superiors and receive a bribe from Chichikov deliver him a box, kidnap an important witness and write many denunciations in order to completely confuse the matter. Unrest breaks out in the province itself, greatly worrying the governor-general. However, Murazov knows how to feel the sensitive strings of his soul and give him the right advice, with which the Governor-General, having released Chichikov, is already going to use it, as "the manuscript breaks off."

in front of you summary 3 chapters of the work "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol.

A very brief summary of "Dead Souls" can be found and the following is quite detailed.
General content by chapter:

Chapter 3 - summary.

Chichikov went to Sobakevich in the most pleasant mood. He did not even notice that Selifan, warmly received by Manilov's people, was drunk. Therefore, the britzka quickly lost its way. The coachman could not remember whether he had driven two or three turns. It started to rain. Chichikov became worried. He finally made out that they had long been lost, and Selifan was drunk as a shoemaker. The chaise swayed from side to side until it finally tipped over completely. Chichikov flopped hands and feet into the mud. Pavel Ivanovich was so angry that he promised Selifan to flog him.

A dog barking was heard from afar. The traveler ordered the horses to be driven. Pretty soon the britzka hit the fence with shafts. Chichikov knocked on the gate and asked for a lodging for the night. The hostess turned out to be a thrifty old woman

from small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses ... and meanwhile they collect a little money in motley bags ...

Chichikov apologized for his intrusion and asked if Sobakevich's estate was far away, to which the old woman replied that she had never heard such a name at all. She named several names of local landowners unfamiliar to Chichikov. The guest asked if there were rich people among them. Hearing that no, Pavel Ivanovich lost all interest in them.

box

Waking up quite late the next morning, Chichikov saw the hostess peeping into his room. Having dressed and looking out the window, the traveler realized that the old woman's village was not small. Behind the lord's garden one could see quite well-ordered peasant huts. Chichikov peered through the crack in the door. Seeing that the hostess was sitting at the tea table, with an affectionate air, he entered her. Starting a conversation, the uninvited guest found out that the name of the hostess was Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. The collegiate secretary had nearly eighty souls. Chichikov began to question the hostess about dead souls. Nastasya Petrovna had eighteen of them. The guest asked if it was possible to buy the dead peasants. At first, the box was in complete bewilderment: is Pavel Ivanovich really going to dig them out of the ground? Chichikov explained that the souls would be registered with him only on paper.

At first the landowner was stubborn: the business seems to be profitable, but it is too new. The old woman, selling dead souls, was afraid of incurring a loss. Finally, with great difficulty, Chichikov persuaded his interlocutor to sell the dead peasants to her for fifteen banknotes. Having dined at Korobochka, Pavel Ivanovich ordered the britzka to be laid down. The yard girl escorted the travelers to the main road.

DEAD SOULS

Gogol called his work a "poem", the author meant "a lesser kind of epic ... A prospectus for an educational book of literature for Russian youth. The hero of the epic is a private and invisible person, but significant in many respects for observing the human soul. Nevertheless, the poem contains features of a social and adventurous-adventure novel. The composition of "Dead Souls" is built on the principle of "concentric circles" - the city, the estates of landowners, all of Russia as a whole.

Volume 1

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

Chichikov goes to the Manilov estate. For a long time he cannot find his estate. “The village of Manilovka could lure a few with its location. The master's house stood alone in the south, that is, on a hill, open to all the winds that only take it into their head to blow; the slope of the mountain on which he stood was dressed in trimmed turf. Two or three flowerbeds with lilac and yellow acacia bushes were scattered on it in the English style; here and there five or six birches in small clusters raised their small-leaved thin tops. Beneath two of them was a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: "Temple of Solitary Reflection"; lower down is a pond covered with greenery, which, however, is not a wonder in the English gardens of Russian landowners. At the foot of this elevation, and partly along the slope itself, gray log huts darkened up and down ... ”Manilov is glad to have a guest. The author describes the landowner and his household: “He was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You won’t expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch on a subject that provokes him ... You can’t say that he was engaged in farming, he never even went to the fields, farming somehow went on by itself. .. Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and at the pond, he would talk about how nice it would be if all of a sudden to lead an underground passage from the house or build a stone bridge across the pond, on which there would be shops on both sides, and so that in merchants sat there and sold various small goods needed by the peasants ... All these projects ended with only one word. In his study there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page, which he had been constantly reading for two years. Something was always missing in his house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, which, no doubt, was very expensive; but it was not enough for two armchairs, and the armchairs were simply upholstered 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 placed on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simple copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner, nor the hostess, nor the servants noticed this.

At the end of dinner, Manilov and Chichikov go to the owner's office, where they have a business conversation. Chichikov asks Manilov for revision tales - a detailed register of peasants who died after the last census. He wants to buy dead souls. Manilov is amazed. Chichikov convinces him that everything will happen in accordance with the law, that the tax will be paid. Manilov finally calms down and gives away the dead souls for free, believing that he has rendered Chichikov a great service. Chichikov leaves, and Manilov indulges in dreams, in which it comes to the point that for their strong friendship with Chichikov, the tsar will grant both of them the rank of general.

CHAPTER 3

Chichikov is poisoned at Sobakevich's estate, but gets caught in heavy rain and loses his way. His cart flips over and falls into the mud. Nearby is the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, where Chichikov comes. He goes into the room, which “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; a wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything else ... A minute later the hostess entered, an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners, who cry for crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they collect a little money in colorful bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers ... "

CHAPTER 4

I but also the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is present right there. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat. He himself drinks in a tavern at the expense of his son-in-law. The author characterizes Nozdryov as a “broken fellow”, from that breed of people who “even in childhood and at school are known as good comrades and, for all that, are heavily beaten painfully ... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, as they already say you "you". Friendship will start, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he had been at eighteen and twenty: a go-getter. His marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon departed for the next world, leaving behind two children who he absolutely did not need ... At home, he could not sit for more than a day. His sensitive nose could hear him for several tens of miles, where there was a fair with all sorts of congresses and balls; he was already there in the twinkling of an eye, arguing and causing confusion at the green table, for, like all such, he had a passion for cards ... Nozdryov was in a certain sense a historical person. Not a single meeting he attended was without a story. Some kind of story was bound to happen: either they would lead him out of the gendarme hall by the arms, or they would be forced to push him out of his own buddies ... And he would lie completely without any need: he would suddenly tell that he had a horse of some blue or pink wool, and such nonsense, so that the listeners finally all move away, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.”

Chichikov begins business negotiations, while saying that he needs dead souls for a profitable marriage, so that the bride's parents believe that he is a wealthy person. Nozdryov is going to donate dead souls and, in addition, he is trying to sell a stallion, a mare, a hurdy-gurdy, and so on. Chichikov flatly refuses. Nozdryov invites him to play cards, which Chichikov also refuses. For this refusal, Nozdryov orders to feed Chichikov's horse not with oats, but with hay, which the guest is offended by. Nozdryov does not feel awkward, and in the morning, as if nothing had happened, he invites Chichikov to play checkers. He recklessly agrees. The landlord starts cheating. Chichikov accuses him of this, Nozdryov climbs in to fight, calls the servants and orders to beat the guest. Suddenly, a police captain appears, who arrests Nozdryov for insulting the landowner Maksimov while drunk. Nozdryov refuses everything, says that he does not know any Maksimov. Chichikov quickly leaves.

CHAPTER 5

Chichikov says that he wants to buy dead souls, to which Sobakevich is not surprised, but immediately starts bidding. He promises to sell 100 rudders for each dead soul, while saying that the dead were real masters. Trade for a long time. In the end, they agree on three rubles apiece, and at the same time draw up a document, since each fears dishonesty on the part of the other. Sobakevich offers to buy female dead souls cheaper, but Chichikov refuses, although it later turns out that the landowner nevertheless entered one woman in the bill of sale. Chichikov leaves. On the way, he asks the peasant how to get to Plyushkina. The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! and if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to service, and retirement, and to St. . And where is everything that came out of the depths of Russia, where there are neither German, nor Chukhonian, nor any other tribes, and everything is itself a nugget, a lively and lively Russian mind that does not climb into a pocket for a word, does not hatch it out? , like a hen chickens, but immediately slaps like a passport on an eternal sock, and there is nothing to add later, what kind of nose or lips you have - you are outlined in one line from head to toe! Just as a myriad of churches, monasteries with domes, domes, and crosses are scattered over holy, pious Rus', so a myriad of tribes, generations, peoples throng, motley, and rush about on the face of the earth. And every people, bearing in itself a guarantee of strength, full of the creative abilities of the soul, its bright features and other gifts of the foot, each in a peculiar way distinguished itself by its own word, which, expressing any object, reflects in the expression of it a part of its own character. The word of the Briton will echo with the knowledge of the heart and the 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, cleverly thin word; but there is no word that would be so bold, so smartly burst out from under the very heart, so seething and quivering like a well-spoken Russian word.

CHAPTER 6

The chapter begins with a lyrical digression about travel. “Before, a long time ago, in the summers of my youth, in the summers of my irretrievably flashed childhood, it was fun for me to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time: it doesn’t matter whether it was a village, a poor county town, a village, a suburb, - I discovered a lot of curious things in him a childlike curious look. Every building, everything that bore only on itself the imprint of some noticeable feature, everything stopped and amazed me ... Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; my chilled gaze is uncomfortable, it’s not funny to me, and what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and incessant speeches, now slips by, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! O my freshness!

CHAPTER 7

The narrative begins with a lyrical digression about two types of writers. “Happy is the writer who, past the characters of boring, nasty, striking in their sad reality, approaches characters that show the high dignity of a person who, from the great pool of daily revolving images, chose only a few exceptions, who never changed the sublime order of his lyre, did not descend from his peak to his poor, insignificant brethren, and, without touching the earth, all plunged into his images far torn away from her and exalted ... indifferent eyes do not see - all the terrible, amazing, trifles that have entangled our life, all the depths of cold, fragmented, everyday characters that our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road is teeming with, and with the strong force of an inexorable chisel that dares to expose them convexly and brightly on public eyes! He cannot gather popular applause, he cannot see grateful tears and the unanimous delight of the souls excited by him ... Without division, without answer, without participation, like a familyless traveler, he will remain alone in the middle of the road. Severe is his field, and he will bitterly feel his loneliness.

CHAPTER 8

Residents of the city are discussing what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to the place. Among the proposed - a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible rebellion, enlightenment of serfs. A description of the city dwellers follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated in a completely friendly way, and their conversations bore the stamp of some special simplicity and brevity: “Dear friend Ilya Ilyich”, “Listen, brother, Antipator Zakharyevich!”... To the postmaster, whose name was Ivan Andreyevich, they always added: “Sprechen zadeich, Ivan Andreich?” - in a word, everything was very family. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart Zhukovsky's "Lyudmila", which was still news that had not caught a cold ... The postmaster went more into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung's "Nights" and "The Key to the Mysteries of Nature ” Eckartshausen, from which he made very long extracts ... he was witty, flowery in words and loved, as he himself put it, to equip speech. Others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some Moskovskiye Vedomosti, some even read nothing at all... It is already known about plausibility, they were all reliable consumptive people, there was no one among them. All were of the kind to which the wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg-pods, plump, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, buzz, and so on. But in general they were kind people, full of hospitality, and a person who ate bread with them or spent an evening playing whist was already becoming something close ... "

The ladies of the city were "what they call presentable, and in this respect they could be safely set as an example to everyone else ... They dressed with great taste, drove around the city in carriages, as the latest fashion prescribed, a lackey swayed behind, and a livery in gold braids ... In morals, the ladies of the city of N. were strict, full of noble indignation against everything vicious and all sorts of temptations, they executed all weaknesses without any mercy ... It must also be said that the ladies of the city of N. were distinguished, like many ladies from St. Petersburg, by unusual caution and propriety in words and expressions. They never said: “I blew my nose”, “I sweated”, “I spat”, but they said: “I relieved my nose”, “I managed with a handkerchief”. In no case was it possible to say: "this glass or this plate stinks." And you couldn't even say anything that would give a hint of this, but instead they said: "this glass is not behaving well" or something like that. In order to ennoble the Russian language even more, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation, and therefore it was very often necessary to resort to the French language, but there, in French, it’s another matter: such words were allowed there that were much harder than those mentioned.

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

Other officials nevertheless decide that Chichikov is not Kopeikin, since both his arms and legs are intact. It is suggested that Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. Everyone decides that it is necessary to interrogate Nozdryov, despite the fact that he is a known liar. Nozdryov says that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand and that already at the time when he studied with Chichikov at school, he was already a counterfeiter and a spy, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor and Nozdryov himself helped him. Nozdryov realizes that he has gone too far in his stories, and possible problems frighten him. But the unexpected happens - the prosecutor dies. Chichikov does not know anything about what is happening because he is ill. Three days later, having left the house, he discovers that he is either not received anywhere, or is received in a strange way. Nozdryov informs him that the city considers him a counterfeiter, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor, that the prosecutor died through his fault. Chichikov orders to pack things.

CHAPTER 11

The author discusses the hero of the work and the origin of Chichikov. His parents are nobles, but he doesn't look like them. Chichikov's father sent his son to the city to an old relative so that he could enter the school. The father gave his son parting words, which he strictly followed in life - to please the authorities, to hang out only with the rich, not to share with anyone, to save money. He did not have any special talents, but he had a "practical mind." Chichikov knew how to make money as a boy - he sold treats, showed a trained mouse for money. He pleased the teachers, the authorities, and therefore graduated from school with a gold certificate. His father dies, and Chichikov, having sold his father's house, enters the service. He betrays a teacher expelled from school, who was counting on a fake of his beloved student. Chichikov serves, striving to please his superiors in everything, even caring for his ugly daughter, hinting at a wedding. Gets a promotion and doesn't get married. Soon Chichikov is included in the commission for the construction of a government building, but the building, for which a lot of money has been allocated, is being built only on paper. Chichikov's new boss hated his subordinate, and he had to start all over again. He enters the service at the customs, where his ability to search is revealed. He is promoted, and Chichikov presents a project to catch smugglers, with whom at the same time he manages to collude and get a lot of money from them. But Chichikov quarrels with a friend with whom he shared, and both are put on trial. Chichikov manages to save some of the money, starts everything from scratch as an attorney. He comes up with the idea of buying dead souls, which in the future can be pledged to the bank under the guise of living ones, and, having received a loan, hide.

In a letter to Zhukovsky, Gogol writes that he sees his main task in the poem to portray "all of Rus'." The poem is written in the form of a journey, and separate fragments of the life of Russia are combined into a common whole. One of Gogol's main tasks in "Dead Souls" is to show typical characters in typical circumstances, that is, to reliably depict modernity - the period of the crisis of serfdom in Russia. The key orientation in the image of landowners is a satirical description, social typification, and a critical orientation. The life of the ruling class and peasants is given by Gogol without idealization, realistically.