A short retelling of dead souls by. Brief retelling of "dead souls" chapter by chapter

In the poem "Dead Souls" Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was able to depict the numerous vices of his contemporary. He raised questions that retained their relevance still. Having familiarized himself with the summary of the poem, the main character, the reader will be able to find out the plot and the main idea, as well as how many volumes the author managed to write.

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The author's intention

In 1835, Gogol began work on the poem Dead Souls. In the annotation to the poem, the author informs that storyline of the future masterpiece was donated by A.S. Pushkin. The idea of ​​Nikolai Vasilyevich was huge, it was planned to create a three-part poem.

1. The first volume was supposed to be made mainly accusatory, in order to reveal the painful places of Russian life, to study them, to explain the reasons for their occurrence. In other words, Gogol portrays the souls of the heroes and names the cause of their spiritual death.
2. In the second volume, the author was going to continue creating a gallery of "dead souls" and, first of all, to pay attention to the problems of consciousness of the heroes who begin to understand the full extent of their fall and grope for ways out of the state of necrosis.
3. It was decided to devote the third volume to the depiction of the difficult process of spiritual resurrection.

The concept of the first volume of the poem was fully implemented.

The third volume has not even begun, but researchers can judge its content from the book "Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends", dedicated to intimate thoughts on the ways of transforming Russia and the resurrection of human souls.

Traditionally, the first volume of Dead Souls is studied at school as an independent work.

Genre of the work

Gogol, as you know, in the annotation to the book called "Dead Souls" a poem, although in the process of work he defined the genre of the work in different ways. For a genius writer, adherence to genre canons is not an end in itself, the author's creative thought should not be constrained by no frames and, and soar freely.

Moreover, artistic genius always goes beyond the genre and creates something original. A letter has survived where, in one sentence, Gogol three times defines the genre of the work on which he is working, calling it in turn a novel, a story and, finally, a poem.

The specificity of the genre is associated with the author's lyrical digressions and the desire to show the national element of Russian life. Contemporaries have repeatedly compared Gogol's work with Homer's Iliad.

The plot of the poem

We offer summary by chapter... First comes the annotation to the poem, where, with some irony, the author wrote an appeal to the readers: to read the work as carefully as possible, and then send in your comments and questions.

Chapter 1

The action of the poem develops in small county town where the main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, arrives.

He travels accompanied by his servants Petrushka and Selifan, who will play an important role in the narrative.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Chichikov went to the tavern to find out information about the most important people in the city, here he makes acquaintance with Manilov and Sobakevich.

After lunch, Pavel Ivanovich walks around the city and makes several important visits: he meets the governor, the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the chief of police. A new acquaintance disposes of everyone, therefore he receives many invitations to social events and home evenings.

Chapter 2

The second chapter goes into detail about servants of Chichikov... Parsley is distinguished by a silent disposition, a peculiar smell and a passion for superficial reading. He looked through the books without delving into their content. The coachman Chichikova Selifan, according to the author, did not deserve a separate story, since he had a very low origin.

Further events develop as follows. Chichikov goes out of town to visit the landowner Manilov. With difficulty he finds his estate. The first impression that formed when looking at the owner of Manilovka, almost everyone was positive... At first it seemed that he was a nice and kind person, but then it became obvious that he had no character, his own tastes and interests. This, undoubtedly, had a repulsive effect on those around him. There was a feeling that in Manilov's house time had stopped, flowing sluggishly and slowly. The wife was a match for her spouse: she was not interested in the economy, considering this business optional.

The guest announces the true purpose of his visit, asks a new acquaintance to sell him the peasants who have died, but are listed as alive according to the papers. Manilov is discouraged by his request, but agrees to the deal.

Chapter 3

On the way to Sobakevich, the carriage of the protagonist goes astray. To wait out the bad weather That is, Chichikov asks for the night to the landowner Korobochka, who opened the door only after she heard that the guest has a title of nobility. Nastasya Filippovna was very thrifty and thrifty, one of those who would not do anything just like that. Our hero had to conduct a long conversation with her about the sale of dead souls. The hostess did not agree for a long time, but eventually gave up. Pavel Ivanovich was greatly relieved that the conversation with Korobochka was over, and continued on his way.

Chapter 4

On the way, he comes across a tavern, and Chichikov decides to dine there, the hero is famous for his excellent appetite. Here a meeting with an old acquaintance Nozdryov took place. He was a noisy and scandalous person, constantly getting into unpleasant stories because of characteristics of their character: constantly lied and cheated. But since Nozdryov is of great interest to the case, Pavel Ivanovich accepts the invitation to visit the estate.

While visiting his noisy comrade, Chichikov starts a conversation about dead souls. Nozdryov is stubborn, but agrees to sell papers for dead peasants along with a dog or a horse.

The next morning, Nozdryov offers to play checkers for dead souls, but both heroes try to deceive each other, so the game ends in a scandal. At this moment, the police chief came to Nozdryov to inform him that a case was opened against him for beating. Chichikov, taking advantage of the moment, hides from the estate.

Chapter 5

On the way to Sobakevich, Pavel Ivanovich's carriage falls into a small traffic accident, the image of a girl from a carriage moving towards him sinks into his heart.

Sobakevich's house is striking in its resemblance to the owner. All interior items are huge and ridiculous.

The image of the owner in the poem is very interesting. The landowner begins to bargain, trying to bail out more for the dead peasants. After this visit, Chichikov has an unpleasant aftertaste. This chapter characterizes the image of Sobakevich in the poem.

Chapter 6

From this chapter, the reader will learn the name of the landowner Plyushkin, since it was he who visited Pavel Ivanovich next. The landowner's village could well live richly, if not for the huge stinginess of the owner. He made a strange impression: at first glance, it was difficult to determine even the gender of this creature in rags. Plyushkin sells a large number of showers to an enterprising guest, and he returns to the hotel, satisfied.

Chapter 7

Having already about four hundred souls, Pavel Ivanovich is in high spirits and seeks to finish business in this city as soon as possible. Goes with Manilov to the Court of Justice to finally certify his acquisitions. In court, the consideration of the case drags on very slowly, they extort a bribe from Chichikov in order to speed up the process. Sobakevich appears, who helps to convince everyone of the legitimacy of the plaintiff.

Chapter 8

A large number of souls acquired from landowners give the protagonist a huge weight in society. Everyone begins to please him, some ladies imagine themselves in love with him, one sends him a love message.

At the Governor's Reception Chichikov is introduced to his daughter, in whom he recognizes the very girl who captured him during the accident. Nozdryov is also present at the ball, who tells everyone about the sale of dead souls. Pavel Ivanovich begins to worry and quickly leaves, which arouses suspicion among the guests. The landowner Korobochka, who comes to the city to find out about the value of the dead peasants, also adds to the problems.

Chapters 9-10

Rumors are creeping around the city that Chichikov not clean on hand and, allegedly, is preparing the abduction of the governor's daughter.

Rumors are overgrown with new speculations. As a result, Pavel Ivanovich is no longer accepted in decent houses.

The high society of the city is discussing the question of who Chichikov is. Everyone gathers at the chief of police. A story emerges about Captain Kopeikin, who lost an arm and a leg on the field of hostilities in 1812, but never received a pension from the state.

Kopeikin became the leader of the robbers. Nozdryov confirms the fears of the townspeople, calling the recent universal favorite a counterfeiter and a spy. This news shocks the prosecutor so much that he dies.

The main character is hastily going to escape from the city.

Chapter 11

This chapter gives a short answer to the question why Chichikov bought dead souls. Here the author tells about the life of Pavel Ivanovich. Noble origin was the hero's only privilege. Realizing that in this world wealth does not come by itself, from an early age he worked hard, learned to lie and cheat. After another fall, he starts all over again and decides to submit information about the deceased serfs as living in order to receive financial payments. That is why Pavel Ivanovich so diligently bought up papers from the landlords. How Chichikov's adventures ended is not completely clear, because the hero is hiding from the city.

The poem ends with a wonderful lyrical digression about the bird-troika, which symbolizes the image of Russia in N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls". We will try to summarize its content. The author asks himself where Russia is flying, where is she in a hurry leaving everything and everyone behind.

Dead Souls - summary, retelling, analysis of the poem

Conclusion

Numerous reviews of Gogol's contemporaries define the genre of the work, like a poem, thanks to lyrical digressions.

Gogol's creation became an immortal and wonderful contribution to the treasury of the great works of Russian literature. And many questions related to it still await answers.

Here is a summary of the famous work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - Dead Souls. This book is a must in the school curriculum, so it is important to familiarize yourself with its content, or, if you have forgotten some points, remember the main plot points.

Volume one

The story took place immediately after the famous expulsion of the French. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a collegiate counselor, (not very young and not old, pleasant and slightly rounded in appearance, not thin and not fat) turns out to be in the provincial town of NN and stays at a hotel. He asks the tavern servants about the owners and income of the institution, important landowners, officials, asks about the state of the region and about rampant diseases, general fever and other misfortunes.

A guest of the city visits all residents and notices the courteousness of the people and their vigorous activity. He hardly talks about himself, brushing off, saying that he had seen a lot in his life, that he had many enemies who wanted to kill him. Currently, he is looking for a place to live. At the governor's party, he achieves general favor and meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Then he dines with the chief of police (where he meets the landowner Nozdrev), visits the vice-governor and chairman, the prosecutor and the tax farmer - and goes to the Manilov estate.

Having overcome 30 miles, Chichikov arrived in Manilovka to see the kindest owner. Don landowner, who was located in the Jurassic surrounded by flower beds and a gazebo, characterized the owner, not aggravated by passions. After dinner with the hostess and the two sons of the landowner, Alcides and Themistoklus, Chichikov talks about the purpose of his visit: he wants to buy dead peasants, who were not declared in the revision certificate, but to register them as living. The amiable owner was initially frightened and perplexed, but then he was delighted and made a deal. Then Chichikov goes to Sobakevich, and Manilov dreams of living next door to Chichikov across the river, building a bridge, a house with a belvedere that allows him to see Moscow, and be friends with him, for which the sovereign would make them generals. The coachman Chichikova Selifan, who was being fondled by the courtyard people of Manilov, while talking with the horses, skips the necessary turn and, during a downpour, drops the master into the slush. In the dark, they manage to find a lodging for the night with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a slightly timid landowner from whom Chichikov buys dead souls in the morning. Having told that he himself will pay taxes for them. He acquires souls from her for 15 rubles, takes the list and, having tasted pancakes, pies and pies, leaves, leaving the hostess worried about whether she has made a bargain.

On the high road Chichikov goes to the tavern for a meal. He meets with Nozdrev, who is riding in Mizuev's chaise, because he lost everything he had. Talking about the fair he attended, he praises the officers' drinking qualities and, demonstrating the puppy, Nozdryov takes Chichikov with him, taking also the obstinate son-in-law Mizhuyev. After describing Nozdryov, his home, lunch, the author goes to the wife of his son-in-law, and Chichikov starts talking about his interest, but the landowner does not agree. Nozdryov offered to exchange, take to the stallion or put on cards, in the end they swear and say goodbye at night. The persuasion in the morning continues again, and Chichikov agrees to play checkers, but sees Nozdryov's cheating during the game. Chichikov, whom the owner and his servants are going to beat, runs away when the police captain visits, who announced that Nozdryov has been taken on trial. On the way, Chichikov's carriage collides with an unknown crew and while the confused horses are being bred, Chichikov sees a 16-year-old young lady, talking about her and dreaming of a family. The visit to Sobakevich is accompanied by lunch, during which they discuss city officials, who, according to the owner, are all swindlers, the conversation ends with a proposal for a deal. Sobakevich begins to bargain, characterizing the good qualities of the serfs, gives Chichikov a list and forces him to pay a deposit.

Chichikov's path to Plyushkin is interrupted by a conversation with the man who gave Plyushkin a petty nickname and the author's reflection on love and indifference. Seeing the landowner, Chichikov thought that he was a housekeeper or a wandering beggar. His most important feature is his amazing triviality, he dragged all unnecessary things into his chambers. Having demonstrated the profitability of the offer, Chichikov refuses tea with breadcrumbs and leaves in a good mood, taking with him a letter to the chairman of the chamber.

During Chichikov's sleep, the author sadly talks about the meanness of objects. After sleeping, Chichikov begins to study the lists of purchased peasants, thinking about their fate, and goes to the ward to conclude the case. Manilov meets him near the hotel and goes with him. Then a place of presence, Chichikov's efforts and bribe-giving are described. The chairman becomes Plyushkin's attorney, speeding up other transactions. The people begin to discuss the purchases of Chichikov, what he intends to do: in what places, with land or for withdrawal, he acquired the peasants. Upon learning that the peasants will be sent to the Kherson province, after discussing the qualities of the men sold, the deals are completed with champagne, then they go to the chief of police to drink to the new landowner. Excited after strong drinks, they began to force Chichikov to stay and start a family.

Chichikov's acquisitions lead to a stir in the city, everyone says that he is a millionaire. The ladies line up. Trying to describe women, the author is shy and silent. Before the governor's ball, Chichikov receives a love note. After spending a lot of time on the toilet and being satisfied, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he can hardly escape from his embrace. The girls, among whom he is looking for the author of the letter, begin to quarrel. But when the governor approaches him, his behavior changes dramatically, because she is accompanied by her daughter, a 16-year-old blonde, with whose crew he encountered on the road. He begins to lose the favor of women, because he begins to talk with an interesting blonde, defiantly not paying attention to the others. In addition, Nozdryov comes to the ball and loudly asks how many Chichikov bought up the dead. Despite Nozdryov's drunken state, society is embarrassed, Chichikov is not given either dinner or whist, and he leaves the ball in frustrated feelings.

At this time, a tarantass arrives in the town with the landowner Korobochka, who arrived in order to find out about the price of dead souls. In the morning, some pleasant house learns the news, which is in a hurry to notify others, as a result, interesting details appear in the story (armed Chichikov burst into the Korobochka at night, demanding the dead souls - everyone came running, screaming, crying children). Her friend says that dead souls are just a cover for Chichikov's cunning intent to steal the governor's daughter. After discussing the details of the enterprise, Nozdryov's accomplice, the women tell everything to the prosecutor and go to rebel in the city.

The town quickly begins to seethe, to this is added the news that a new governor-general has been appointed, and there is information about papers: about the appearance of counterfeit banknotes in the province, about a robber who fled from legal persecution. Trying to find out who Chichikov is, they begin to remember his vague certification and the conversation about the attempt on his life. The postmaster suggested that Chichikov is the captain of Kopeyka, who took up arms against an unjust world and became a robber, but this is rejected, because the captain has no limbs, and Chichikov is intact. It is suggested that this is Napoleon in disguise, with whom he has many similarities. Conversations with Sobakevich, Manilov and Korobochka did not yield any results. And Nozdryov only intensifies the confusion, saying that Chichikov is a spy who makes false banknotes and wants to steal the governor's daughter, in which he must help him. All the conversations had a strong effect on the prosecutor, he has a blow from which he dies.

Chichikov, with a slight cold, stays at the hotel and is surprised that not a single official comes to him. However, when he decided to pay everyone a visit, he learns that the governor does not want to see him, and the others step aside in fright. Nozdryov, having come to his hotel, tells him everything, announcing that he is ready to help in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. In the morning Chichikov leaves quickly, but he is stopped by the funeral procession, he has to look at the officials who follow the coffin of the prosecutor. The chaise leaves the city, and the open spaces make the author think about sad and gratifying things, about Russia, and then grieved about the hero.

Having concluded that the hero needs to rest, the author tells a story about Pavel Ivanovich, reveals his childhood, studies, where he showed a practical mind, what kind of relationships he developed with teachers and peers, how he served in the treasury chamber, the commission for the construction of a government building , where for the first time he showed his weaknesses, how later he went to other not such a bread place as he served at customs, where it is almost impossible to work honestly and incorruptibly, he received a lot of money by conspiring with smugglers, went bankrupt, but was able to avoid a criminal court, although forcedly retired. Becoming an attorney and bothering about pledging the peasants, he came up with a plan: he began to travel around Russia, buying dead souls and pawning them in the treasury to receive money that would be used to purchase a village and provide for posterity.

Having once again trampled on the nature of the hero and justified him a little, calling him "the purchaser, the owner", the author compared the flying troika with Russia, ending the story with the ringing of a bell.

Volume two

The estate of Andrey Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls "the sky smoker", is described. The author tells about his empty time, tells the story of his life, which was inspired by hopes and darkened by office troubles and trifles. He retires, wanting to renovate the estate, take care of the peasant, read books, but without any experience this does not provide the desired results, the peasant begins to mess around, and Tentetnikov simply gives up. He shuns his neighbors, offended by the attitude of General Betrishchev, does not visit him, although he often thinks about his daughter Ulinka. In general, it starts to turn sour.

Pavel Ivanovich goes to him, complaining about a breakdown in the carriage, trying to pay his respects. Having disposed the owner to himself, Chichikov went to the general, telling him about the grumpy uncle and asking about the dead souls. The narration is interrupted by the laughing general, then we find Chichikov walking towards Colonel Koshkarev. He turns to the Rooster, which appears to him naked, he is interested in catching sturgeon. The Rooster has almost nothing, except for the pledged estate, so he simply overeats, meets with the landowner Platonov and persuades him to take a ride around Russia. After that, he goes to Konstantin Kostanzhoglo, the wife of Platonov's sister. From him, he learns about the methods of management that significantly increase the profit from the estate, Chichikov is strongly inspired by this.

He quickly comes to Koshkarev, who divided his village into expeditions, departments, committees, organizing the ideal paper production on the estate. After his return, Kostanzhoglo lays down manufactories and factories that have a bad effect on the peasant, the absurd desires of the peasant and neighbor Khlobuev, who abandoned his estate and gives it up for a penny. Chichikov is touched and even gravitates towards honest work, listening to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who earned 40 million flawlessly, the next day, together with Platonov and Kostanzhoglo, he goes to Khlobuev, sees his obscene and disorderly economy, along with a governess for children, a fashionable wife and other luxury ... Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he pays for the estate, wishing to purchase it, and goes to Platon's estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who is skillfully engaged in the household. Then he turns out to be with Lenitsyn's neighbor, winning his sympathy with the ability to tickle a child, thanks to which he receives dead souls.

After many omissions in the manuscript, Chichikov finds himself at the city fair, where he acquires lingonberry cloth with a spark. He meets Khlobuev, whom he ruined his life. Khlobuev was taken away by Murazov, who convinced him that he needed to work and raise funds for the church. Meanwhile, the slander against Chichikov is recognized by the dead souls and forgery. A tailor delivers a tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme comes and drags Chichikov to the Governor-General. Here all his atrocities become known, and he ends up in prison. Chichikov finds himself in a closet, where Murazov finds him. He tears his hair and clothes, mourning the loss of the box with papers. Murazov with kind words tries to awaken in him the desire for an honest life and goes to soften the Governor-General. At the same moment, officials who want to annoy the authorities and take a bribe from Chichikov bring him a box, send denunciations to confuse the case and steal a witness. Riots are unfolding in the province, which greatly worries the Governor-General. But Murazov is able to grope for the sensitive sides of his soul and provide the right advice, which the Governor-General wants to use when releasing Chichikov. After that the manuscript breaks off ...

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 chapters is given below) is a poem about the contemporary writer of Russia, its vices and shortcomings. Unfortunately, many things described in the first half of the 19th century by Nikolai Vasilievich still exist, which makes the work relevant today.

Chapter 1. Acquaintance with Chichikov

A chaise drove into the provincial town of NN, in which a gentleman of ordinary appearance was sitting. She stopped at an inn where one 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 way. This is how you can begin a short retelling of Dead Souls.

Chapter 1 acquaints the reader with the visitor - the 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 persons of the city, including the governor. When we met, Pavel Ivanovich announced that he was looking for a new place of residence. 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 to tea with other officials.

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

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

Over the next few days, the visitor visited the officials and charmed all the noble residents of the city.

Chapter 2. At Manilov's

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

A short retelling of Chapter 2 of "Dead Souls" should start with the characteristics of the hero's servant. Parsley was not talkative, but he loved to read. He also never undressed and wore his own special smell everywhere, which caused Chichikov's displeasure. So the author writes about him.

But back to the hero. He drove quite a lot before he saw Manilov's estate. A two-story manor house towered alone on a turf-decorated Jurassic. It was surrounded by shrubs, flower beds, a pond. Particular attention was drawn to the pavilion with the strange inscription "Temple of Solitary Meditation". The peasant huts looked gray and neglected.

A short retelling of Dead Souls continues with a description of the meeting between the host and the guest. Smiling Manilov kissed Pavel Ivanovich and invited him into the house, which inside was just as unsettled as the rest of the estate. So, one chair was not upholstered, and on the windowsill in the study, the owner laid out heaps of ash from a pipe. The landowner kept dreamed of some projects that remained unfulfilled. 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 city officials were the most beautiful people for them. And they gave their children strange ancient names and at dinner they all tried to show their education. In general, talking about the landowner, the author emphasizes the following idea: so much sweetness emanated from the owner's appearance that the first impression of his attractiveness changed rapidly. 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 revision documents, were still listed as living. 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 person.

Chapter 3. Box

Saying goodbye to Manilov, Chichikov went to Sobakevich. But on the way I got lost, got caught in the rain and found myself in a village after dark. 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 furnishings of the room and the behavior of the hostess testified to her thrift and frugality.

During breakfast Chichikov, without ceremony, started a conversation about the dead peasants. At first Nastasya Petrovna did not understand how a non-existent product could be sold. Then she was afraid to sell too cheap, saying that the case was new for her. The box was not as simple as it seemed at first - a short 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 the price and concluded the deed of sale.

Chapter 4. Quarrel with Nozdryov

The road was so washed out by the rain that by noon the carriage climbed onto the pole. Chichikov decided to stop by the tavern, where he met Nozdryov. They met with the prosecutor, and now the landowner behaved as if Pavel Ivanovich were his best friend. Unable to get rid of Nozdryov, the hero went to his estate. You will learn about the trouble that happened there if you read the further short retelling of Dead Souls.

Chapter 4 acquaints the reader with a landowner who has earned the fame of a rowdy and instigator of scandals, a player and a money changer. "Pig" and other such 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, the fields. Our hero felt overwhelmed and disappointed. But the main thing was ahead. A quarrel broke out at dinner, which was continued the next morning. As the shortest retelling shows, dead souls were the reason. When Chichikov started a conversation, for the sake of which he went to the landowners, Nozdryov easily promised to give him non-existent peasants. The guest was only required to buy a horse, a barrel organ and a dog from him. And in the morning the owner offered to play checkers and began to cheat. Pavel Ivanovich, who discovered this, was almost beaten. It is difficult to describe how he was delighted at the appearance in the house of the police captain, who had come to arrest Nozdryov.

Chapter 5. In the house of Sobakevich

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

A short 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 hero's eyes were great. Everything was distinguished by good quality and durability. 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 resembled the owner. Sobakevich was laconic. I ate a lot at lunch, 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 registered with him and each of them possessed some special quality. The guest did not like this 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 died like flies, and the hero hoped to gain them profitably. The correctness of this decision is confirmed by a short retelling ("Dead Souls").

Chapter 6. Paid

Such a nickname was given to the master by a man from whom Chichikov asked for directions. And Plyushkin's appearance fully justified him.

Having passed through the strange dilapidated streets, which spoke of the fact that there was once a strong farm here, the carriage stopped at the disabled manor 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 to call the owner. What was his surprise when he found out: in front of him is one of the richest landowners in the district. In Plyushkin's appearance, Gogol draws attention to living, shifting eyes.

A brief retelling of Dead Souls by chapters allows us to note only the essential features of the landowners who became the heroes of the poem. Plyushkin stands out for the fact that the author tells the story of his life. Once he was an economical and hospitable host. However, after the death of his wife, Plyushkin became increasingly stingy. As a result, the son shot himself, as his father did not help pay off the debts. One daughter ran away and received curses after, the other died. Over the years, the landowner turned into such a curmudgeon that he picked up all the rubbish on the street. He and his household were rotten. Gogol calls Plyushkin “a hole in humanity,” the reason for which, unfortunately, cannot be fully explained by a brief retelling.

Chichikov bought dead souls from a landowner at a very favorable price for himself. It was enough to tell Plyushkin that this frees him from paying duties for long-standing peasants, as he happily agreed to everything.

Chapter 7. Registration of documents

Chichikov, returning to the city, woke up in the morning in a good mood. He immediately rushed to revise the lists of purchased souls. He was especially interested in the paper compiled by Sobakevich. The landowner gave a full description of each peasant. In front of the hero, the Russian peasants seem to come to life, in connection with which he embarks on discussions about their difficult fate. Everyone, as a rule, has one fate - to pull the strap until the end of their days. Recovering himself, Pavel Ivanovich got ready to go to the ward for paperwork.

A short retelling of Dead Souls takes the reader into the world of officials. On the street Chichikov met Manilov, who was still caring and good-natured. And in the ward, fortunately for him, Sobakevich was. Pavel Ivanovich walked for a long time from one office to another and patiently explained the purpose of the 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 any 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. The situation is heating up

Rumors of a large purchase of peasants soon spread throughout the city, and Chichikov was considered a millionaire. Everywhere he was shown signs of attention, especially since the hero, as the brief retelling of Dead Souls by chapters shows, could easily win over people. However, soon the unexpected happened.

The governor was giving a ball, and, of course, Pavel Ivanovich was in the spotlight. Now everyone wanted 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. She charmed Chichikov even at the first meeting. 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 the most terrible enemy.

The second trouble that happened that day was that Nozdryov appeared at the ball and began to talk about Chichikov 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 little box kept wondering if she had made a bargain. Exhausted, the landowner decided to go to the city to find out how much the deceased peasants were selling today. The next chapter (its short retelling) will tell about the consequences of this. "Dead Souls" Gogol continues by describing how unfortunate events began to develop for the protagonist.

Chapter 9. Chichikov at the center of the scandal

The next morning, two ladies met: one was simply pleasant, the other was pleasant in all respects. They discussed the latest news, the main of which was Korobochka's story. We will give it a very short retelling (this concerned dead souls directly).

According to the guest, the first lady, Nastasya Petrovna stayed at her friend's house. She told her 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 it was all just a cover. The real goal of Chichikov is to kidnap the governor's daughter. They immediately shared their guess with the prosecutor who entered the room and set off for the city. Soon all its inhabitants were divided into two halves. The ladies discussed the version of the abduction, and the men - the purchase of dead souls. The governor's wife ordered Chichikov's servants not to enter 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 person, about whom those present knew nothing. It is for her that we will continue with a brief retelling of the 10th chapter of "Dead Souls".

In the 12th year, Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg in the war. He could not earn money himself and therefore went to the capital to ask the well-deserved help from the monarch. In St. Petersburg he stopped at a tavern, found a commission and waited for an appointment. The nobleman immediately noticed the invalid and, having learned about his problem, advised him to come back in a few days. Next time he assured that soon everything will certainly be decided and the pension will be appointed. And at the third meeting, Kopeikin, who had not received anything, raised a fuss and was expelled from the city. Nobody knew exactly where the invalid was taken. But when a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan region, everyone decided that its leader was none other than ... Then 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 speculation, the officials dispersed. And the prosecutor, having come home, died of shock. This is where a short retelling of Dead Souls comes to an end.

All this time, the culprit of the scandal was sitting in the patient's room and was surprised that no one was visiting him. Feeling a little better, he decided to go on visits. But Pavel Ivanovich was not received from the governor, and the others clearly avoided meeting. The arrival at the hotel of Nozdryov explained everything. It was he who said that Chichikov was accused of preparing the abduction and making counterfeit banknotes. Pavel Ivanovich immediately ordered Petrushka and Selifan to prepare for their departure early in the morning.

Chapter 11. Story of Chichikov's life

However, the hero woke up later than planned. Then Selifan said that it was necessary. Finally we set off and on the way we met a funeral procession - the prosecutor was buried. Chichikov hid behind a curtain and secretly examined the officials. But they didn't even notice him. Now they were concerned about something else: what the new governor-general would be like. In the end, the hero decided that meeting the funeral was good. And the carriage went ahead. And the author gives the story of the life of Pavel Ivanovich (we will give a brief retelling of it below). Dead souls (Chapter 11 indicates this) came to Chichikov's head for a reason.

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 to live with a relative. At parting, he gave some advice. Teachers to please. Make friends only with wealthy classmates. Do not treat anyone, but arrange everything so that you yourself are treated. And the main thing is to save a pretty penny. Pavlusha fulfilled all the behests of his father. To the fifty-kopeck piece left at the time of parting, he soon added his earnings. He conquered the teachers with diligence: no one could sit in the classroom like he did. And although he received a good certificate, he began to work from the very bottom. In addition, after the death of his father, only the dilapidated house, which Chichikov sold for a thousand, and the servants were inherited.

Upon entering 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. Having learned that the boss had a daughter, he began to look after her, and the matter even went to the wedding. But as soon as Chichikov was promoted, he moved from the boss to another apartment, and soon everyone somehow forgot about the engagement. This was the most difficult step towards 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 in for construction - instead of the planned buildings, officials, including the hero, had new houses. But here Chichikov was in for a failure: the arrival of a new boss deprived him of both his position and his fortune.

He began to build a career from the very beginning. Miraculously I got to the customs - a fertile place. Thanks to quickness and servility, he achieved a lot. But suddenly he quarreled with a friend, an 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.

A way out of the situation was suggested by the secretary of the office, in which Chichikov, on the duty of the new service, had 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. " It was then that the idea came to buy dead souls. It will be difficult to prove that there are no peasants: Chichikov bought them for export. For this, he acquired the land in advance in the Kherson province. And the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles for each registered soul. Already the state. This is how the idea of ​​the protagonist and the essence of all his actions are revealed to the reader. The main thing is to be careful, and everything will work out. The carriage rushed on, and Chichikov, who loved fast driving, only smiled.

Summary of Dead Souls

Volume one

ChapterI

One gentleman came to the hotel of the provincial town NN in a beautiful chaise. Not handsome, but not bad either, not fat, not thin, not old, but not young anymore. His name was Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Nobody noticed his arrival. With him were two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. Selifan was short in stature and in a sheepskin coat, and Petrushka was young, looked about thirty years old, had a stern face at first glance. As soon as the gentleman moved into the chambers, he immediately went to dinner. There they served cabbage soup with puff pastries, sausage with cabbage, pickles.

While everything was being brought, the guest made the servant tell everything about the inn, its owner, how much income they received. Then he found out who was the governor in the city, who was the chairman, what were the names of the noble landowners, how many servants they had, how far from the city their estates were located, and all that nonsense. After resting in his room, he went to explore the city. He seemed to like everything. And stone houses, covered with yellow paint, and signs on them. Many bore the name of a tailor named Arshavsky. On the gambling houses it was written "And here is the establishment."

The next day, the guest paid visits. I would like to express my respect to the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, chairman of the chamber, head of state factories and other city dignitaries. In conversations, he knew how to flatter everyone, and he himself took a rather modest position. He said almost nothing about himself, except superficially. He said that he had seen and experienced a lot in his lifetime, had endured in the service, had enemies, everything like everyone else. Now he wants to finally choose a place to live, and, having arrived in the city, he wanted first of all to pay his respects to the “first” inhabitants.

By evening, he had already been invited to the governor's reception. There he joined the men, who, like him, were somewhat plump. Then he met the courteous landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Both of them invited him to see their estates. Manilov was a man with surprisingly sweet eyes, which he screwed up every time. He immediately said that Chichikov simply had to come to his village, which was only fifteen miles from the city outpost. Sobakevich was more restrained and had a clumsy look. He only said dryly that he too was inviting a guest to his place.

The next day Chichikov was at a dinner with the chief of police. In the evening we played whist. There he met the wicked landowner Nozdryov, who, after a couple of phrases, switched to "you". And so for several days in a row. The guest almost never visited the hotel, but only came to spend the night. Everyone in the city knew how to please him, and the officials were pleased with his arrival.

ChapterII

After about a week of traveling for lunches and evenings, Chichikov decided to visit his new acquaintances, the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. It was decided to start with Manilov. The purpose of the visit was not only to inspect the landowner's village, but also to propose one "serious" business. He took the coachman Selifan with him, and Petrushka was ordered to sit in the room, guard the suitcases. A few words about these two servants. They were ordinary serfs. Petrusha wore a few wide robes, which he got from the master's shoulder. He had large lips and a nose. He was silent by nature, loved to read and rarely went to the bathhouse, which is why he was recognizable by the amber. The coachman Selifan was the opposite of a footman.

On the way to Manilov, Chichikov did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with the surrounding houses and forests. The Manilov estate stood on a hillock, it was bare all around, only a pine forest could be seen in the distance. A little lower there was a pond and many log huts. The hero counted about two hundred of them. The owner greeted him happily. There was something strange about Manilov. Despite the fact that his eyes were sweet as sugar, after a couple of minutes of conversation with him there was nothing more to talk about. A deadly boredom emanated from him. There are people who love to eat from the heart, or are fond of music, greyhounds, this one was not fond of anything. He had been reading one book for two years.

The wife did not lag behind him. She was fond of playing the piano, French and knitting little things. So, for example, for her husband's birthday, she prepared a beaded case for a toothpick. Their sons were also called strangely: Themistoclus and Alcides. After dinner, the guest said that he wanted to talk with Manilov about one very important matter. They went to the office. There Chichikov asked the owner how many dead peasants he had since the last revision. He did not know, but he sent the clerk to clarify. Chichikov admitted that he was buying the "dead souls" of the peasants, who are listed as living according to the census. At first Manilov thought that the guest was joking, but he was absolutely serious. They agreed that Manilov would give him what he needed even without money, if it did not violate the law in any way. After all, he will not take money for souls that no longer exist. And I don’t want to lose a new friend.

ChapterIII

In the chaise, Chichikov was already calculating his profit. Selifan, meanwhile, was busy with horses. Then thunder struck, another one, and then it rained like a bucket. Selifan pulled on something against the rain and rushed off the horses. He was a little drunk, so he could not remember how many turns they made along the road. In addition, they did not know exactly how to get to the village of Sobakevich. As a result, the chaise left the road and drove along the ripped open field. Fortunately, they heard a dog barking and drove up to a small house. The hostess herself opened the gates for them, welcomed them, and left them to spend the night.

It was an elderly woman in a cap. To all inquiries about the surrounding landowners, in particular about Sobakevich, she replied that she did not know who it was. She listed some other surnames, but Chichikov did not know them. In the morning, the guest looked at the peasant houses and concluded that everything is in abundance. The owner's name was Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna. He decided to talk with her about buying up "dead souls". She said the deal was kind of profitable, but dubious, she needed to think, ask the price.

Chichikov then got angry and compared her to a mongrel. He said that he had already thought about buying household products from her, but now he would not. Although he lied, the phrase had an effect. Nastasya Petrovna agreed to sign the power of attorney for the execution of the deed. He brought his documents and stamped paper. The deed is done, he and Selifan got ready for the journey. The little box gave them a girl as their guide, and then they parted. At the tavern Chichikov awarded the girl with a copper penny.

ChapterIV

At the tavern Chichikov dined, the horses rested. We were going to go further in search of Sobakevich's estate. By the way, the neighboring landowners whispered to him that the old woman knew both Manilov and Sobakevich very well. Then two men drove up to the inn. In one of them Chichikov recognized Nozdrev, a wretched landowner whom he had recently met. He immediately rushed to hug him, introduced him to his son-in-law and invited him to his place.

It turned out that he was driving from the fair, where he not only lost himself to smithereens, but also drank an unmeasured amount of champagne. But then my son-in-law met. He then took it from there. Nozdryov was from that category of people who create fuss around them. He easily got to know people, switched to "you", immediately sat down to drink with them and play cards. He played cards dishonestly, so he was often tied up. Nozdryov's wife died, leaving two children for whom the carousel did not even care. Where Nozdryov visited, it was not without adventures. Either the gendarmes took him away in public, or his friends pushed him out for good reason. And he was from the breed of those who could spoil their neighbor for no reason.

The son-in-law, at the behest of Nozdryov, also went with them. For two hours we examined the landowner's village, and then went to the estate. At dinner, the host strove to give the guest a drink, but Chichikov managed to pour the drink into a vat of soup. Then he insisted on playing cards, but the guest refused this either. Chichikov spoke to him about his "business", that is, the redemption of the souls of the dead peasants, which is why Nozdryov called him a real swindler and ordered not to feed his horses. Chichikov already regretted his arrival, but there was nothing to be done but spend the night here.

In the morning, the owner again offered to play cards, this time for "souls." Chichikov refused, but agreed to play checkers. Nozdryov, as always, cheated, so the game had to be interrupted. For the fact that the guest refused to bring the game to the end, Nozdryov called his guys and ordered them to beat him. But Chichikov was lucky this time too. A carriage rolled up to the estate, and someone in a paramilitary frock coat stepped out of it. It was a police captain who had come to inform the owner that he was on trial for beating the landlord Maksimov. Chichikov did not listen to the end, but sat down in his chaise and ordered Selifan to drive him out of here.

ChapterV

Chichikov looked around the village of Nozdrev all the way and was afraid. On the way, they met a carriage with two ladies: one is elderly, and the other is young and extraordinarily beautiful. This did not disappear from Chichikov's eyes, and all the way he thought of the young stranger. However, these thoughts left him as soon as he noticed the village of Sobakevich. The village was quite large, but a little awkward, like the owner himself. In the middle was a huge house with a mezzanine in the style of military settlements.

Sobakevich received him, as expected, led him into the living room, decorated with portraits of the commanders. When Chichikov tried, as usual, to flatter and make a pleasant conversation, it turned out that Sobakevich hated all these chairmen, chiefs of police, governors and other swindlers. He considers them fools and Christ-sellers. Of all, he liked the prosecutor most of all, and he, according to him, was a pig.

Sobakevich's wife invited me to the table. The table was abundantly laid. As it turned out, the owner loved to eat with all his heart, which distinguished him from the neighboring landowner Plyushkin. When Chichikov asked who this Plyushkin was and where he lived, Sobakevich recommended not to contact him. After all, he has eight hundred souls, and eats worse than a shepherd. And his people are dying like flies. Chichikov spoke to the owner about "dead souls." Bargained for a long time, but came to a consensus. We decided tomorrow in the city to settle the deed with the deed, but to keep the deal a secret. Chichikov went to Plyushkin by detour, so that Sobakevich would not see.

ChapterVI

Swaying in his chaise, he reached the log pavement, behind which stretched dilapidated and dilapidated houses. Finally, the master's house appeared, a long and decrepit castle that looked like an invalid. It was evident that the house had endured more than one bad weather, the plaster fell in places, only two were open from all the windows, and the rest were boarded up. And only the old garden behind the house somehow refreshed this picture.

Soon someone showed up. From the outlines, Chichikov thought it was a housekeeper, since the silhouette had a female hood and cap, as well as keys in a belt. As a result, it turned out that it was Plyushkin himself. Chichikov could not understand how the landowner of such a large village turned into such a thing. He was terribly old, dressed in everything dirty and decrepit. If Chichikov had met this man somewhere on the street, he would have thought that he was a beggar. In fact, Plyushkin was incredibly rich, and with age, he turned into a terrible curmudgeon.

When they entered the house, the guest was dumbfounded by his surroundings. There was an incredible mess, chairs piled on top of each other, around the cobwebs and a lot of small pieces of paper, a broken arm of a chair, some kind of liquid in a glass with three flies. In a word, the situation was terrifying. Plyushkin had almost a thousand souls at his disposal, and he walked around the village, picking up all sorts of rubbish and dragging home. But once he was just an economical owner.

The landowner's wife died. The eldest daughter jumped out to marry a cavalryman and left. Since then, Plyushkin cursed her. He himself became involved in the household. The son went to the army, and the youngest daughter died. When his son lost at cards, the landowner cursed him too, and did not give him a dime. He drove out the governess and the French teacher. The eldest daughter somehow tried to improve relations with her father and at least get something from him, but nothing came of it. Merchants who came to buy goods could not agree with him either.

Chichikov was even afraid to offer him anything and did not know which side to approach. Although the owner invited him to sit down, he said that he would not feed. Then the conversation turned to the high mortality rate of peasants. This is what Chichikov needed. Then he told about his "business". Together with the fugitives, there were about two hundred souls. The old man agreed to give a power of attorney for the bill of sale. With grief, a clean piece of paper was found and the deal was drawn up. Chichikov refused tea and drove into the city in good spirits.

ChapterVii

Chichikov, having slept enough, realized that he had neither more nor less, but already four hundred souls, so it was time to act. He prepared a list of people who were once alive, thought, walked, felt, and then went to the civil chamber. On the way I met Manilov. He hugged him, then handed the rolled-up paper and together they went to the office to the chairman Ivan Antonovich. Despite the good acquaintance, Chichikov nevertheless "thrust" something to him. Sobakevich was also here.

Chichikov provided a letter from Plyushkin and added that there should be another attorney from the landowner Korobochka. The chairman promised to do everything. Chichikov asked to get it over with as soon as possible, since he wanted to leave the next day. Ivan Antonovich quickly managed, wrote everything down and entered where it should be, and ordered to take half the duty from Chichikov. After, he offered to drink to the deal. Soon everyone was sitting at the table, a little drunk, persuading the guest not to leave at all, to stay in the city and get married. After the feast, Selifan and Petrushka put the owner to bed, while they themselves went to the tavern.

ChapterVIII

Rumors of Chichikov's profits quickly spread in the city. For some, this raised doubts, since the owner would not sell good peasants, which means either drunkards or thieves. Some thought about the difficulties of moving so many peasants, they were afraid of a riot. But for Chichikov, everything worked out in the best possible way. They began to say that he was a millionaire. The inhabitants of the city liked him so much, and now they completely fell in love with the guest, so much so that they did not want to let him go.

Ladies adored him in general. He liked the local women. They knew how to behave in society and were quite presentable. No vulgarity was allowed in the conversation. So, for example, instead of "I blew my nose" they said "I lightened my nose." They did not allow liberties on the part of men, and if they did meet with someone, it was only secretly. In a word, they could give odds to any metropolitan young lady. Everything was decided at the Governor's reception. There Chichikov saw a blonde girl whom he had previously met in a wheelchair. It turned out that it was the daughter of the governor. And at once all the ladies disappeared.

He stopped looking at anyone and thought only of her. In turn, the offended ladies began to talk unflattering things about the guest with might and main. The situation was aggravated by the sudden appearance of Nozdryov, who publicly announced that Chichikov was a swindler and that he was trading with “dead souls”. But since everyone knew the absurdity and deceitful nature of Nozdryov, they did not believe him. Chichikov, feeling uncomfortable, left early. While he was tormented by insomnia, another trouble was being prepared for him. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka arrived in the city and was already interested in how much "dead souls" are now so as not to be too cheap.

ChapterIX

The next morning, a "beautiful" lady ran to another lady like her to tell how Chichikov bought up "dead souls" from her friend Korobochka. They also have thoughts about Nozdryov. The ladies think that Chichikov made all this in order to get the governor's daughter, and Nozdryov is his accomplice. The ladies immediately spread the version to other friends and in the city begin to discuss this topic. True, men have a different opinion. They believe that Chichikov was still interested in "dead souls".

City officials are beginning to believe that Chichikov has been sent in for some kind of check. And sins followed them, so they got scared. During this period, a new governor-general was appointed in the province, so it was quite possible. Here, as if on purpose, the governor received two strange papers. One said that a well-known counterfeiter who was changing names was being sought, and the other was about an escaped robber.

Then everyone wondered who this Chichikov really was. After all, none of them knew for certain. They interviewed the landowners, from whom he bought the souls of the peasants, there was little sense. They tried to learn something from Selifan and Petrushka, also to no avail. Meanwhile, the governor's daughter inherited from her mother. She strictly ordered not to communicate with a dubious guest.

ChapterX

The situation in the city became so tense that many officials began to lose weight from worries. They all decided to gather at the chief of police to confer. An opinion was received that Chichikov was a disguised captain Kopeikin, whose leg and arm were torn off during the 1812 campaign. When he returned from the front, his father refused to support him. Then Kopeikin decided to turn to the sovereign and went to Petersburg.

Due to the absence of the sovereign, the general promises to receive him, but asks to come in a few days later. Several days passed, but he was again not accepted. One nobleman assures that this requires the permission of the king. Soon Kopeikin runs out of money, he is in poverty and starving. Then he again turns to the general, who rudely escorts him out of St. Petersburg. After some time, a gang of robbers begins to wield in the Ryazan forest. Rumor has it that this is the work of Kopeikin.

After some consultation, the officials decide that Chichikov cannot be Kopeikin, because his legs and arms are intact. Nozdryov appears and tells his version. He says that he studied with Chichikov, who was already then a counterfeiter. He also says that he sold him a lot of "dead souls" and that Chichikov really intended to take the governor's daughter away, and he helped him in this. As a result, he lies so deeply that he himself understands that he has gone too far.

At this time, the prosecutor dies from anxiety in the city for no reason. Everyone blames Chichikov, but he does not know anything about it, since he is sick with flux. He is genuinely surprised that no one visits him. Nozdryov comes to him and tells everything about the fact that he is considered a swindler in the city who tried to kidnap the governor's daughter. And also talks about the death of the prosecutor. After he leaves, Chichikov orders to pack his things.

ChapterXI

The next day Chichikov prepares for the road, but for a long time cannot leave. Now the horses are not shod, then he slept, then the chaise was not laid. As a result, they leave, but on the way they encounter a funeral procession. This is the burial of the prosecutor. All the officials go to the procession, and everyone is thinking about how to improve relations with the new governor-general. What follows is a lyrical digression about Russia, its roads and buildings.

The author introduces us to the origin of Chichikov. It turns out that his parents were nobles, but he doesn't look much like them. From childhood he was sent to an old relative, where he lived and studied. At parting, his father gave him parting words to always please his superiors and only hang out with the rich. At school, the hero studied mediocre, had no special talents, but he was a practical fellow.

When his father died, he mortgaged his father's house and entered the service. There he tried to please his superiors in everything and even looked after the boss's ugly daughter, promised to marry. But when he got promoted, he did not marry. Further, he changed more than one service and did not stay for a long time anywhere because of his machinations. At one time he even participated in the capture of smugglers, with whom he himself entered into an agreement.

The idea of ​​buying "dead souls" came to him once again, when everything had to start all over again. According to his plan, the "dead souls" had to be put in a bank, and having received an impressive loan, they had to hide. Further, the author complains about the properties of the hero's nature, while he himself partly justifies it. In the final, the chaise rushed so fast along the road. What Russian doesn't like driving fast? The author compares the flying troika with the rushing Rus.

Volume two

The second volume was written by the author as a rough version, was altered more than once, and then he was burned by him. It told about Chichikov's further adventures, about his acquaintance with Andrei Ivanovich Tententikov, Colonel Koshkarev, Khlobuev and other "useful" characters. At the end of the second volume, Chichikov's tricks were made public and he ended up in prison. However, a certain Murazov is busy with him. At that, the narration is interrupted.

The poem Dead Souls was conceived by Gogol as a grandiose panorama of Russian society with all its peculiarities and paradoxes. The central problem of the work is the spiritual death and rebirth of the representatives of the main Russian estates of that time. The author denounces and ridicules the vices of the landowners, venality and pernicious passions of the bureaucracy.

The title of the work itself has a twofold meaning. "Dead Souls" are not only deceased peasants, but also other actually living characters of the work. Calling them dead, Gogol emphasizes their devastated, pitiful, "dead" souls.

History of creation

Dead Souls is a poem to which Gogol devoted a significant part of his life. The author repeatedly changed the concept, rewrote and altered the work. Initially, Gogol conceived Dead Souls as a humorous novel. However, in the end he decided to create a work that exposes the problems of Russian society and will serve its spiritual revival. This is how POEM "Dead Souls" appeared.

Gogol wanted to create three volumes of the work. In the first, the author planned to describe the vices and decay of the serf society of that time. In the second, give your heroes hope for redemption and rebirth. And in the third, he intended to describe the further path of Russia and its society.

However, Gogol managed to finish only the first volume, which appeared in print in 1842. Until his death, Nikolai Vasilyevich worked on the second volume. However, just before his death, the author burned the manuscript of the second volume.

The third volume of Dead Souls was never written. Gogol could not find an answer to the question of what will happen next with Russia. Or maybe he just didn’t have time to write about it.

Description of the work

Once, in the city of NN, a very interesting character appeared, which stands out strongly against the background of other old residents of the city - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. After his arrival, he began to actively get acquainted with the important persons of the city, attended feasts and dinners. A week later, the visitor was already on "you" with all the representatives of the city nobility. Everyone was delighted with the new man who suddenly appeared in the city.

Pavel Ivanovich goes out of town to pay visits to the noble landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Sobakevich, Nozdrev and Plyushkin. With every landowner, he is kind, he tries to find an approach to everyone. Natural resourcefulness and resourcefulness help Chichikov to get the favor of every landowner. In addition to empty talk, Chichikov talks with the gentlemen about the peasants who died after the revision ("dead souls") and expresses a desire to buy them. The landlords cannot understand why Chichikov needs such a deal. However, they agree to it.

As a result of his visits, Chichikov acquired more than 400 "dead souls" and was in a hurry to finish things faster and leave the city. Useful acquaintances made by Chichikov upon arrival in the city helped him to settle all the issues with the documents.

After a while the landowner Korobochka let slip in the city that Chichikov was buying up "dead souls". The whole city learned about Chichikov's affairs and was perplexed. Why would such a respected gentleman buy dead peasants? Endless rumors and speculations have a detrimental effect even on the prosecutor, and from fear he dies.

The poem ends with Chichikov hastily leaving the city. Leaving the city, Chichikov sadly recalls his plans to buy dead souls and pledge them to the treasury as living.

main characters

A qualitatively new hero in Russian literature of that time. Chichikov can be called a representative of the newest, newly emerging class in serf Russia - entrepreneurs, "acquirers". The activity and activity of the hero distinguishes him favorably against the background of other characters in the poem.

The image of Chichikov is distinguished by its incredible versatility, versatility. Even by the appearance of the hero, it is difficult to immediately understand what a person is and what he is. "The gentleman was sitting in the chaise, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat, nor too thin, one cannot say that he is old, but not so that he is too young."

It is difficult to understand and grasp the nature of the protagonist. He is changeable, multifaceted, able to adapt to any interlocutor, to give his face the desired expression. Thanks to these qualities, Chichikov easily finds a common language with landowners, officials and wins for himself the necessary position in society. Chichikov uses the ability to charm and win over the right people to achieve his goal, namely, the receipt and accumulation of money. His father also taught Pavel Ivanovich to deal with those who are richer and take care of money, since only money can pave the way in life.

Chichikov did not earn money honestly: he deceived people, took bribes. Over time, Chichikov's machinations are gaining in scope. Pavel Ivanovich seeks to increase his condition by any means, not paying attention to any moral norms and principles.

Gogol defines Chichikov as a man with a mean nature and also considers his soul to be dead.

In his poem, Gogol describes typical images of landowners of that time: "business executives" (Sobakevich, Korobochka), as well as not serious and wasteful gentlemen (Manilov, Nozdrev).

Nikolai Vasilievich masterfully created the image of the landowner Manilov in the work. By this image alone, Gogol meant a whole class of landowners with similar features. The main qualities of these people are sentimentality, constant fantasies and lack of vigorous activity. The landlords of such a warehouse let the economy take its course, do not do anything useful. They are stupid and empty inside. This was exactly what Manilov was - not a bad at heart, but a mediocre and stupid poser.

Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka

The landowner, however, differs significantly in character from Manilov. Korobochka is a good and tidy mistress; everything in the estate is going well with her. However, the life of the landowner revolves exclusively around her economy. The box does not develop spiritually, is not interested in anything. She does not understand absolutely nothing that does not concern her economy. The box is also one of the images by which Gogol meant a whole class of such limited landowners who do not see anything beyond their household.

The author unequivocally classifies the landowner Nozdryov as a non-serious and wasteful gentleman. Unlike sentimental Manilov, energy boils in Nozdryov. However, the landowner uses this energy not for the good of the economy, but for the sake of his momentary pleasures. Nozdryov is playing, wasting money. Differs in its frivolity and idle attitude to life.

Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich

The image of Sobakevich, created by Gogol, echoes the image of a bear. There is something of a large wild beast in the appearance of the landowner: sluggishness, gravity, strength. Sobakevich is not concerned with the aesthetic beauty of the things around him, but with their reliability and durability. Behind a rude appearance and a stern character hides a cunning, intelligent and resourceful person. According to the author of the poem, it will not be difficult for landowners like Sobakevich to adapt to the upcoming changes and reforms in Russia.

The most unusual representative of the landlord class in Gogol's poem. The old man is distinguished by his extreme stinginess. Moreover, Plyushkin is greedy not only in relation to his peasants, but also in relation to himself. However, this kind of economy makes Plyushkin a truly poor person. After all, it is his stinginess that does not allow him to find a family.

Bureaucracy

Gogol has a description of several city officials in his work. However, the author in his work does not significantly differentiate them from each other. All officials in Dead Souls are a gang of thieves, crooks and embezzlers. These people really only care about their own enrichment. Gogol literally describes in a few outlines the image of a typical official of that time, rewarding him with the most unflattering qualities.

Analysis of the work

The plot of Dead Souls is based on an adventure conceived by Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At first glance, Chichikov's plan seems incredible. However, if you look at it, the Russian reality of those times with its rules and laws made it possible for all sorts of machinations associated with serfs.

The fact is that after 1718, a capitation census of peasants was introduced in the Russian Empire. For every male serf, the master had to pay a tax. However, the census was carried out quite rarely - once every 12-15 years. And if one of the peasants escaped or died, the landowner was forced to pay tax for him anyway. The dead or escaped peasants became a burden for the master. This created fertile ground for various kinds of fraud. Chichikov himself hoped to carry out such a scam.

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol knew very well how Russian society was organized with its serf system. And the whole tragedy of his poem lies in the fact that Chichikov's scam absolutely did not contradict the current Russian legislation. Gogol denounces the distorted relations between man and man, as well as between man and the state, and speaks of the absurd laws in force at that time. Because of such distortions, events become possible that are contrary to common sense.

Dead Souls is a classic work that, like no other, is written in the style of Gogol. Quite often, Nikolai Vasilyevich laid some kind of anecdote or a comic situation as the basis of his work. And the more ridiculous and unusual the situation, the more tragic the real state of affairs is.