Concept, history of creation, genre and composition. Analysis of the work “The History of a City”, Saltykov Shchedrin The History of a City, creation of a plan

Saltykov-Shchedrin’s satirical novel “The History of a City” is one of the most striking works of Russian literature of the 19th century. The grotesque depiction of the political system in Russia, a parody of the hierarchy that reigns in the state, caused a mixed reaction in society. “The History of a City” requires a deep and detailed analysis, since this work may seem like light reading only at first glance. It will be especially useful when preparing for a literature lesson in 8th grade and writing essays on a given topic.

Brief Analysis

Year of writing-1870

History of creation– The writer had long been nurturing the idea of ​​writing a novel about autocracy. Work on the work was carried out intermittently, since Saltykov-Shchedrin simultaneously wrote several books at once.

Subject- Exposing the vices of the social and political sphere in the life of Russia, as well as revealing the peculiarities of the relationship between the people and the authorities under the autocracy.

Composition– The novel consists of 16 chapters. The peculiarity is that they were all allegedly written by different authors, and only the first and last were written by the publisher himself. According to the writer’s version, “The History of a City” is only a publication of the notebook of the “Foolish Chronicler”, accidentally found in the city archive.

Genre- Novel.

Direction- Realism.

History of creation

Saltykov-Shchedrin nurtured the idea of ​​the novel for quite a long time. The image of the fictional city of Foolov as the embodiment of the autocratic-landowner system in Russia first appeared in the writer’s essays in the early 60s, when the liberation struggle of the common people was experiencing its rise in the vastness of the Russian Empire.

In 1867, the writer published his fantastic “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head,” which later formed the basis for the chapter “The Organ.” A year later, Mikhail Evgrafovich began work on a full-scale novel, which he completed in 1870. When writing the book “The History of a City,” the writer suspended work for some time for the sake of fairy tales and some other works.

Initially, the novel had a different title - “The Foolov Chronicler”, but then the author changed it to “The History of the Old City”. The literary work was published in parts in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski, in which Saltykov-Shchedrin was the editor-in-chief. In the same 1870, the full version of the book was published.

After the publication of the novel, a wave of indignant criticism hit the writer. Saltykov-Shchedrin was accused of distorting Russian history and insulting the entire Russian people, and interest in his work noticeably declined. The reflection of the realities of life of the Russian people and long-standing problems in society, the practically undisguised criticism of the autocracy was frankly frightening, and not everyone was ready to accept the truth in its true light.

Subject

“The History of a City” is an innovative work that goes far beyond the scope of artistic satire. Saltykov-Shchedrin, as a true patriot of his country, could not remain an indifferent observer of what was happening in Russia.

In his novel he touched upon a rather acute topic- exposing the imperfections of the political structure of the Russian state, in which the oppressed people humbly accept their slave position and consider this the only correct and possible one.

Using the example of the fictional city of Gupov, Saltykov-Shchedrin wanted to show that the Russian people simply cannot exist without a tough and, at times, outright cruel ruler. Otherwise, he immediately finds himself in the grip of anarchy.

TO issues In the novel, the author also attributes a distortion of the essence of history, which is extremely beneficial for the state to present as the history of individual power, but not as the history of compatriots. In "The Story of a City" Main characters- mayors, and in each of them recognizable features of historical figures are visible. In some cases, mayors are collective images of statesmen who at one time occupied high positions.

Main thought The work lies in the fact that the unconscious worship of the people of autocratic power and the reluctance to take responsibility for what is happening in the country are an indestructible barrier to the well-being of the state.

The meaning of “The History of a City” is not a mockery of Russia, but the author’s desire to open society’s eyes to what is happening in the country and encourage the decisive eradication of vices in society.

Composition

The novel "The History of a City" consists of 16 chapters, and they are all written by different authors. After the first publication, the author carried out a thorough analysis of the work, during which its composition was changed. So, Mikhail Evgrafovich swapped some chapters, and also added an appendix “Letter to the Editor”, in which he responded to criticism addressed to him.

The novel begins with the words of Saltykov-Shchedin himself, who allegedly accidentally came across a historical chronicle about the fictional city of Foolov and its inhabitants.

After a short introduction, a story begins from the perspective of a fictional chronicler about the origin of the Foolovites. The reader gets acquainted with the history of the emergence of the state system in Foolov. Tribal feuds, the search for a ruler, and the further enslavement of citizens occupy a whole century in the novel.

The “Inventory of City Governors” presents a brief description of 22 city governors who at different times had power over all the Foolovites.

The following chapters describe the most prominent mayors - the rulers of Foolov: Velikanov, Baklan, Brudasty, Dvoekurov, Negodyaev, Grustilov and others.

At the end of the novel, “Exculpatory Documents” are published, which, in essence, represent an edification to other mayors.

Main characters

Genre

"The Story of a City" is satirical novel. Mikhail Evgrafovich has always been a faithful follower of this genre, and many of his works are written in the spirit of caustic satire. Grotesque, irony, humor - the novel is replete with these artistic techniques.

However, “The History of a City” is a very ambiguous work: it is written in the form of a chronicle, but all the characters seem fantastic, and the events that take place are more reminiscent of a delusional dream than reality.

However, the fantasy in the work is very truthful and realistic; only the outer shell of the images and events is unreal. That is why the novel “The History of a City” is related to realism in its direction.

Work test

Rating Analysis

Average rating: 4.2. Total ratings received: 664.

In 1870, after a series of publications of individual chapters, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin’s work “The History of a City” was published. This event received a wide public response - the writer was accused of ridiculing the Russian people and denigrating the facts of Russian history. The genre of the work is a satirical story, exposing morals, relationships between government and people in an autocratic society.

The story “The History of a City” is full of such techniques as irony, grotesque, Aesopian language, and allegory. All this allows the author, in some episodes bringing what is described to the point of absurdity, to vividly depict the absolute submission of the people to any arbitrary rule of power. The vices of the author’s contemporary society have not been eliminated even today. After reading “The History of a City” in a chapter-by-chapter summary, you will become familiar with the most important moments of the work, which clearly demonstrate the satirical nature of the story.

Main characters

The main characters of the story are the mayors, each of whom managed to be remembered for something in the history of the city of Foolov. Since the story describes many portraits of mayors, it is worth dwelling on the most significant characters.

Busty- shocked the residents with his categoricalness, with his exclamations on any occasion, “I’ll ruin it!” and “I won’t tolerate it!”

Dvoekurov with his “great” reforms regarding bay leaves and mustard, seems completely harmless compared to subsequent mayors.

Wartkin– fought with his own people “for enlightenment.”

Ferdyshchenko– his greed and lust almost destroyed the townspeople.

Acne- the people were not ready for a ruler like him - people lived too well under him, who did not interfere in any affairs.

Gloomy-Burcheev- with all his idiocy, he managed not only to become the mayor, but also to destroy the entire city, trying to bring his crazy idea to life.

Other characters

If the main characters are the mayors, the secondary ones are the people with whom they interact. The common people are shown as a collective image. The author generally portrays him as obedient to his ruler, ready to endure all oppression and various oddities of his power. Shown by the author as a faceless mass that rebels only when there is a massive death toll from hunger or fires around them.

From the publisher

“The History of a City” tells about the city of Foolov and its history. The chapter “From the Publisher,” in the author’s voice, assures the reader that “The Chronicler” is genuine. He invites the reader to “catch the face of the city and follow how its history reflected the various changes that were simultaneously taking place in the highest spheres.” The author emphasizes that the plot of the story is monotonous, “almost exclusively limited to biographies of mayors.”

Appeal to the reader from the last archivist-chronicler

In this chapter, the author sets himself the task of conveying the “touching correspondence” of the city authorities, “to the extent of daring” to the people, “to the extent of giving thanks.” The archivist says that he will present to the reader the history of the reign of mayors in the city of Foolov, one after another succeeding in the highest post. The narrators, four local chroniclers, set out one by one the “true” events that took place in the city from 1731 to 1825.

About the roots of the origin of the Foolovites

This chapter tells about prehistoric times, about how the ancient tribe of bunglers won a victory over the neighboring tribes of bow-eaters, thick-eaters, walrus-eaters, frogs, scythe-bellies, etc. After the victory, the bunglers began to think about how to restore order in their new society, since things were not going well for them: either “they kneaded the Volga with oatmeal,” or “they dragged a calf to the bathhouse.” They decided that they needed a ruler. To this end, the bunglers went to look for a prince who would rule them. However, all the princes to whom they turned with this request refused, since no one wanted to rule stupid people. The princes, having “taught” with the rod, released the bunglers in peace and with “honor.” Desperate, they turned to the innovative thief, who managed to help find the prince. The prince agreed to manage them, but did not live with the bunglers - he sent an innovative thief as his governor.

Golovoyapov renamed it “Foolovtsy”, and the city, accordingly, began to be called “Foolov”.
It was not at all difficult for the novotoro to manage the Foolovites - these people were distinguished by their obedience and unquestioning execution of the orders of the authorities. However, their ruler was not happy about this; the novotor wanted riots that could be pacified. The end of his reign was very sad: the innovative thief stole so much that the prince could not stand it and sent him a noose. But Novotor managed to get out of this situation - without waiting for the noose, he “stabbed himself to death with a cucumber.”

Then other rulers, sent by the prince, began to appear in Foolov one by one. All of them - Odoevets, Orlovets, Kalyazinians - turned out to be unscrupulous thieves, even worse than the innovator. The prince was tired of such events and personally came to the city shouting: “I’ll screw it up!” With this cry the countdown of “historical time” began.

Inventory of the mayors appointed at different times to the city of Foolov by the higher authorities (1731 - 1826)

This chapter lists Foolov's mayors by name and briefly mentions their “achievements.” It speaks of twenty-two rulers. So, for example, about one of the city governors the document says: “22) Intercept-Zalikhvatsky, Arkhistrateg Stratilatovich, major. I won’t say anything about this. He rode into Foolov on a white horse, burned the gymnasium and abolished the sciences.” (the meaning of the chapter is unclear)

Organ

The year 1762 was marked by the beginning of the reign of mayor Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty. The Foolovites were surprised that their new ruler was gloomy and did not say anything except two phrases: “I will not tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” They didn’t know what to think until Brudasty’s secret was revealed: his head was completely empty. The clerk accidentally saw a terrible thing: the mayor’s body, as usual, was sitting at the table, but his head was lying separately on the table. And there was nothing in it at all. The townspeople did not know what to do now. They remembered Baibakov, a master of watchmaking and organ making, who had recently come to Brudasty. After questioning Baibakov, the Foolovites found out that the mayor’s head was equipped with a musical organ that played only two pieces: “I won’t tolerate it!” and “I’ll ruin you!” The organ failed, having become damp on the road. The master was unable to fix it on his own, so he ordered a new head in St. Petersburg, but the order was delayed for some reason.

Anarchy set in, ending with the unexpected appearance of two absolutely identical impostor rulers at the same time. They saw each other, “measured each other with their eyes,” and the residents who watched this scene silently and slowly dispersed. A messenger who arrived from the province took both “city governors” with him, and anarchy began in Foolov, which lasted a whole week.

The Tale of the Six Mayors (Picture of Foolov's civil strife)

This time was very eventful in the sphere of city government - the city experienced as many as six mayors. Residents watched the struggle of Iraida Lukinichna Paleologova, Klemantinka de Bourbon, Amalia Karlovna Shtokfish. The first insisted that she was worthy of being a mayor because her husband was engaged in mayoral activities for some time, the second’s father was engaged in mayor’s work, the third was once a mayor herself. In addition to those named, Nelka Lyadokhovskaya, Dunka the Thick-Footed and Matryonka the Nostril also laid claim to power. The latter had no grounds at all to claim the role of mayors. Serious battles broke out in the city. The Foolovites drowned and threw their fellow citizens from the bell tower. The city is tired of anarchy. And then finally a new mayor appeared - Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov.

News about Dvoekurov

The newly-minted ruler Dvoekurov ruled Foolov for eight years. He is noted as a man of progressive views. Dvoekurov developed activities that became beneficial for the city. Under him, they began to engage in honey and beer brewing, and he ordered that mustard and bay leaves be consumed in food. His intentions included the establishment of the Foolov Academy.

Hungry City

The reign of Dvoekurov was replaced by Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko. The city lived for six years in prosperity and prosperity. But in the seventh year, the city governor fell in love with Alena Osipova, the wife of the coachman Mitka. However, Alenka did not share Pyotr Petrovich’s feelings. Ferdyshchenko took all sorts of actions to make Alenka fall in love with him, even sent Mitka to Siberia. Alenka became receptive to the mayor’s advances.

A drought began in Foolov, and after it hunger and human deaths began. The Foolovites lost patience and sent an envoy to Ferdyshchenko, but the walker did not return. The submitted petition also did not find an answer. Then the residents rebelled and threw Alenka from the bell tower. A company of soldiers came to the city to suppress the riot.

Straw City

Pyotr Petrovich’s next love interest was the archer Domashka, whom he recaptured from the “optists.” Along with new love, fires caused by drought came to the city. Pushkarskaya Sloboda burned down, then Bolotnaya and Negodnitsa. The Foolovites accused Ferdyshchenko of a new misfortune.

Fantastic traveler

Ferdyshchenko’s new stupidity hardly brought a new misfortune to the townspeople: he went on a journey through the city pasture, forcing the residents to give themselves food supplies. The journey ended three days later with the death of Ferdyshchenko from gluttony. The Foolovites were afraid that they would be accused of deliberately “fostering the foreman.” However, a week later, the fears of the townspeople dissipated - a new city governor arrived from the province. The decisive and active Wartkin marked the beginning of the “golden age of Foolov.” People began to live in complete abundance.

Wars for enlightenment

Vasilisk Semyonovich Borodavkin, the new mayor of Foolov, studied the history of the city and decided that the only previous ruler worth emulating was Dvoyekurov, and what struck him was not even the fact that his predecessor paved the streets of the city and collected arrears, but the fact that they sowed under him mustard. Unfortunately, people have already forgotten it and even stopped sowing this crop. Wartkin decided to remember the old days, resume sowing mustard and eating it. But the residents stubbornly did not want to return to the past. The Foolovites rebelled on their knees. They were afraid that if they obeyed Wartkin, in the future he would force them “to eat any more abomination.” The mayor undertook a military campaign against Streletskaya Sloboda, “the source of all evil,” to suppress the rebellion. The campaign lasted nine days and it is difficult to call it completely successful. In absolute darkness, they fought with their own. The mayor suffered betrayal from his supporters: one morning he discovered that more soldiers had been fired and replaced by tin soldiers, citing a certain resolution. However, the city governor managed to survive, organizing a reserve of tin soldiers. He reached the settlement, but found no one there. Wartkin began to dismantle houses log by log, which forced the settlement to surrender.
The future brought three more wars, which were also fought for “enlightenment.” The first of three subsequent wars was fought to educate the city residents about the benefits of stone foundations for houses, the second was due to the residents’ refusal to grow Persian chamomile, and the third was against the establishment of an academy in the city.
The result of Wartkin's reign was the impoverishment of the city. The mayor died at the moment when he once again decided to burn the city.

The era of retirement from wars

In short, subsequent events look like this: the city finally became impoverished under the next ruler, Captain Negodyaev, who replaced Wartkin. The scoundrels were very soon fired for disagreeing with the imposition of the constitution. However, the chronicler considered this reason to be formal. The real reason was the fact that the mayor at one time served as a stoker, which to a certain extent was regarded as belonging to the democratic principle. And wars for and against enlightenment were not needed by the battle-weary city. After the dismissal of Negodyaev, “Circassian” Mikeladze took the reins of government into his own hands. However, his reign did not in any way affect the situation in the city: the mayor was not concerned with Foolov at all, since all his thoughts were connected exclusively with the fair sex.

Benevolensky Feofilakt Irinarkhovich became Mikeladze's successor. Speransky was a friend from the seminary of the new city governor, and from him, obviously, Benevolensky passed on his love for legislation. He wrote the following laws: “Let every man have a contrite heart,” “Let every soul tremble,” and “Let every cricket know the pole corresponding to its rank.” However, Benevolensky did not have the right to write laws; he was forced to publish them secretly, and scatter his works around the city at night. This did not last long - he was suspected of having connections with Napoleon and was fired.

Lieutenant Colonel Pyshch was appointed next. What was surprising was that under him the city lived in abundance, huge harvests were harvested, despite the fact that the mayor was not at all concerned with his direct responsibilities. The townspeople again suspected something. And they were right in their suspicions: the leader of the nobility noticed that the mayor’s head exuded the smell of truffles. He attacked Pimple and ate the ruler's stuffed head.

Worship of Mammon and repentance

In Foolov, a successor to the eaten Pimple appeared - State Councilor Ivanov. However, he soon died, since “he turned out to be so small in stature that he could not contain anything spacious.”

He was succeeded by the Viscount de Chariot. This ruler did not know how to do anything except have fun all the time and organize masquerades. He “didn’t do business and didn’t interfere in the administration. This last circumstance promised to prolong the well-being of the Foolovites endlessly...” But the emigrant, who allowed the residents to convert to paganism, was ordered to be sent abroad. Interestingly, he turned out to be a special female.

The next to appear in Foolov was State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov. By the time of his appearance, the inhabitants of the city had already become absolute idolaters. They forgot God, plunging into debauchery and laziness. They stopped working, sowing fields, hoping for some kind of happiness, and as a result, famine came to the city. Grustilov cared very little about this situation, since he was busy with balls. However, changes soon occurred. The wife of the pharmacist Pfeier influenced Grustilov, showing the true path of good. And the main people in the city became the wretched and holy fools, who, in the era of idolatry, found themselves on the sidelines of life.

The residents of Foolov repented of their sins, but that was the end of the matter - the Foolovites never started working. At night, the city elite gathered to read the works of Mr. Strakhov. This soon became known to the higher authorities and Grustilov had to say goodbye to the position of mayor.

Confirmation of repentance. Conclusion

The last mayor of Foolov was Ugryum-Burcheev. This man was a complete idiot - “the purest type of idiot,” as the author writes. For himself, he set the only goal - to make the city of Nepreklonsk from the city of Glupov, “eternally worthy of the memory of the Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich.” Nepreklonsk should have looked like this: city streets should be identically straight, houses and buildings should also be identical to each other, people too. Each house should become a “settled unit”, which will be watched by him, Ugryum-Burcheev, a spy. The townspeople called him “Satan” and felt a vague fear of their ruler. As it turned out, this was not unfounded: the mayor developed a detailed plan and began to implement it. He destroyed the city, leaving no stone unturned. Now came the task of building the city of his dreams. But the river disrupted these plans, it got in the way. Gloomy-Burcheev started a real war with her, using all the garbage that was left as a result of the destruction of the city. However, the river did not give up, washing away all the dams and dams being built. Gloomy-Burcheev turned around and, leading the people behind him, walked away from the river. He chose a new place to build the city - a flat lowland, and began to build the city of his dreams. However, something went wrong. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find out what exactly prevented the construction, since records with the details of this story have not been preserved. The denouement became known: “...time stopped running. Finally the earth shook, the sun darkened... the Foolovites fell on their faces. An inscrutable horror appeared on all faces and gripped all hearts. It has arrived...” What exactly came remains unknown to the reader. However, the fate of Ugryum-Burcheev is as follows: “the scoundrel instantly disappeared, as if he had disappeared into thin air. History has stopped flowing."

Supporting documents

At the end of the story, “Exculpatory Documents” are published, which are the works of Wartkin, Mikeladze and Benevolensky, written for the edification of other mayors.

Conclusion

A brief retelling of “The Story of a City” clearly demonstrates not only the satirical direction of the story, but also ambiguously indicates historical parallels. The images of the mayors are copied from historical figures; many events also refer to palace coups. The full version of the story will certainly provide an opportunity to become familiar with the content of the work in detail.

Story test

Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 4199.

History of creation

Leaving work on the “Pompadours and Pompadours” series for a while, Saltykov got excited about the idea of ​​​​creating the novel “The History of a City,” thematically related to “Pompadours and Pompadours.”

In January 1869, the satirist appeared with the first chapters of “Inventory for City Governors” and “Organchik” in the magazine “Domestic Notes” (No. 1), but until the end of the year he suspended work in order to implement the idea of ​​​​creating fairy tales (“The Tale of How One Man Two fed the generals”, “Conscience is gone”, “Wild landowner”). In addition, the work “Gentlemen of Tashkent” was outlined; it was necessary to bring “Signs of the Times” and “Letters about the Province” to their logical conclusion. Saltykov does not leave work in the magazine: a series of journalistic and literary-critical articles and reviews appears. Over the course of ten literary and literary-critical articles and reviews.

Returning to work on the novel, already in No. 1-4, 9 (“Notes of the Fatherland”) in 1870, he published a continuation of “The History of a City.” In 1870, the book was published as a separate edition entitled “The History of a City.” Based on original documents, it was published by M. E. Saltykov (Shchedrin).

“The History of a City” caused a lot of interpretation and indignation, which forced Saltykov to respond to an article by the famous publicist A. Suvorin. The author of the critical article “Historical Satire,” which appeared in the April issue of the magazine “Bulletin of Europe” for 1871, accused the writer of mocking the Russian people and distorting the facts of Russian history, without penetrating the depth of the plan and the essence of the artistic originality of the work. I. S. Turgenev called the book wonderful and believed that it reflected “the satirical history of Russian society in the second half of the last and the beginning of this century.”

M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin knew that “a writer whose heart has not suffered from all the pains of the society in which he operates can hardly claim in literature a significance above the mediocre and very fleeting.” Nevertheless, the previous interest of the reading public in Saltykov’s work faded somewhat after the publication of the novel.

Plot

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

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

Pyotr Petrovich Ferdyshchenko, the former orderly of Prince Potemkin, the mayor “enterprising, frivolous and carried away,” subjected the city to famine, fire, and died of gluttony during his reign when he went on a journey through the lands under his control in order to feel like the emperors who traveled around the country.

But Foolov ruled the longest Vasilisk Semyonovich Wartkin, during his power he subjected the Streletskaya and Dung settlements to destruction.

Satirical focus

In its focus, the story is a satire on many historical figures of the Russian Empire and on some events indicated in Inventory of Mayors era.

Shchedrin himself said:

“If I were really writing a satire on the 18th century, then, of course, I would limit myself to “The Tale of the Six City Leaders””

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

Film adaptations

• Film "It" by Sergei Ovcharov.
• Cartoon “The History of a City. Organic"

Theater productions

• Performance “The History of a City”. Director - Boris Pavlovich, play - Maria Boteva. Staged at the Theater on Spasskaya (Kirov State Youth Theater). The premiere took place on July 6, 2012.
• The play “The History of the City of Foolov” - director Egorov, Dmitry Vladimirovich. Staged in the theater: Novosibirsk Drama Theater "Red Torch". The premiere took place on December 17, 2011 in Novosibirsk.
• Photo gallery of the play “The History of the City of Foolov” on the theater website
• Photo report with comments from the dress rehearsal before the premiere of the play “The History of the City of Foolov” on December 17, 2011.

Illustrations

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

see also

Notes

Saltykov-Shchedrin
Novels and Chronicles	Messrs. Golovlevs · The story of one city · Poshekhonskaya antiquity · Monrepos Asylum
Fairy tales	Conscience gone · Faithful Trezor · Wild landowner · Crucian idealist · The Tale of a Zealous Boss · Bear in the province · Eagle Patron · The wise minnow · The story of how one man fed two generals · Selfless hare · Poor wolf · Sane Hare · Liberal · Horse · Adventure with Kramolnikov · Christ's night · Christmas tale · Dried roach · Virtues and Vices · The deceiving newspaperman and the gullible reader · Unsleeping Eye · Fool · Ram-Nepomnyashchy · Kissel · Idle talk · Bogatyr · Raven petitioner · Toy business people · Neighbours · Village fire · By the way
Stories	Anniversary · kind soul · Spoiled Children · Neighbours · Chizhikovo Mountain
Essays	In a mental hospital · Gentlemen of Tashkent · Lord Molchalin · Provincial essays · Diary of a provincial in St. Petersburg · Abroad · Letters to Auntie · Innocent stories · Pompadours and pompadours · Satires in prose · Modern idyll · Well-Intentioned Speeches
Comedy	Death of Pazukhin · Shadows

Having left work on the cycle “Pompadours and Pompadours” for a while, Saltykov got excited about the idea of ​​​​creating the novel “The History of a City,” thematically related to “Pompadours and Pompadours.”

The difficult sixties of the last century for Russia turned out to be the most fruitful and important for M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. For ten years (from 1858 to 1868), excluding two and a half years (1862-1864), Saltykov served as vice-governor in Tver and Ryazan, chairman of the treasury chamber in Penza, Tula and Ryazan. Public service did not prevent the writer from seeing the truth and serving it all the years. Saltykov was a fair, honest, incorruptible, demanding, principled man, he fought against the abuses of officials and landowners, and therefore his relationship with “high society” did not work out. In addition, the bitter “experience” of the Vyatka exile, during which young Saltykov fought against bribery and abuse of power, became a school of life.

In 1868, Saltykov left public service, disillusioned with its purpose and realizing his inability to change anything in the life of the people. The accumulated impressions were reflected in a bright, unusual and bold work, sharply different from a number of works of Russian writers created during these years, and even Saltykov-Shchedrin himself.

“The History of a City” caused a lot of interpretation and indignation, which forced Saltykov to respond to an article by the famous publicist A. Suvorin. The author of the critical article “Historical Satire,” which appeared in the April issue of the magazine “Bulletin of Europe” for 1871, accused the writer of mocking the Russian people and distorting the facts of Russian history, without penetrating the depth of the plan and the essence of the artistic originality of the work. I. S. Turgenev called the book wonderful and believed that it reflected “the satirical history of Russian society in the second half of the last and the beginning of this century.” ….

“Provincial life is a great school, but the school is dirty,” the writer reported to his brother in December 1852. It was in the northern city that Saltykov defended the peasants, and then, characterizing the essence of the state system of autocracy, he argued that “in the provinces there is not action, but the arbitrariness of the police power, completely convinced that it does not exist for the people, but the people for it.”

By creating the ironic, grotesque “History of a City,” Saltykov-Shchedrin hoped to evoke in the reader not laughter, but a “bitter feeling” of shame. The idea of ​​the work is built on the image of a certain hierarchy: ordinary people who will not resist the instructions of often stupid rulers, and the tyrant rulers themselves. In this story, the common people are represented by the residents of the city of Foolov, and their oppressors are the mayors. Saltykov-Shchedrin ironically notes that these people need a boss, one who will give them instructions and keep a tight rein, otherwise the whole people will fall into anarchy.

History of creation

The concept and idea of ​​the novel “The History of a City” was formed gradually. In 1867, the writer wrote a fairytale-fantastic work, “The Story of the Governor with a Stuffed Head,” which later formed the basis for the chapter “The Organ.” In 1868, Saltykov-Shchedrin began working on “The History of a City” and completed it in 1870. Initially, the author wanted to give the work the title “Foolish Chronicler.” The novel was published in the then popular magazine Otechestvennye zapiski.

The plot of the work

(Illustrations by the creative team of Soviet graphic artists "Kukryniksy")

The narration is told on behalf of the chronicler. He talks about the inhabitants of the city who were so stupid that their city was given the name “Fools”. The novel begins with the chapter “On the Roots of the Origin of the Foolovites,” which gives the history of this people. It tells in particular about a tribe of bunglers, who, after defeating the neighboring tribes of bow-eaters, bush-eaters, walrus-eaters, cross-bellied people and others, decided to find a ruler for themselves, because they wanted to restore order in the tribe. Only one prince decided to rule, and even he sent an innovative thief in his place. When he was stealing, the prince sent him a noose, but the thief was able to somehow get out of it and stabbed himself with a cucumber. As you can see, irony and grotesque coexist perfectly in the work.

After several unsuccessful candidates for the role of deputies, the prince came to the city in person. Having become the first ruler, he started the countdown of the “historical time” of the city. It is said that twenty-two rulers with their achievements ruled the city, but the Inventory lists twenty-one. Apparently, the missing one is the founder of the city.

Main characters

Each of the mayors fulfills his task in implementing the writer’s idea through the grotesque to show the absurdity of their rule. Many types show traits of historical figures. For greater recognition, Saltykov-Shchedrin not only described the style of their rule, comically distorted their surnames, but also gave apt characteristics pointing to the historical prototype. Some personalities of city governors represent images collected from the characteristic features of different persons in the history of the Russian state.

Thus, the third ruler, Ivan Matveevich Velikanov, famous for drowning the director of economic affairs and introducing taxes of three kopecks per person, was exiled to prison for an affair with Avdotya Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I.

Brigadier Ivan Matveyevich Baklan, the sixth mayor, was tall and proud to be a follower of the line of Ivan the Terrible. The reader understands that this refers to the bell tower in Moscow. The ruler found his death in the spirit of the same grotesque image that fills the novel - the foreman was broken in half during a storm.

The personality of Peter III in the image of Guard Sergeant Bogdan Bogdanovich Pfeiffer is indicated by the characteristic given to him - “a Holstein native”, the style of government of the mayor and his outcome - removed from the post of ruler “for ignorance”.

Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty was nicknamed “Organchik” for the presence of a mechanism in his head. He kept the city in fear because he was gloomy and withdrawn. When trying to take the mayor's head to the capital's craftsmen for repairs, it was thrown out of the carriage by a frightened coachman. After Organchik's reign, chaos reigned in the city for 7 days.

A short period of prosperity for the townspeople is associated with the name of the ninth mayor, Semyon Konstantinovich Dvoekurov. A civilian adviser and innovator, he took up the appearance of the city and started a honey and brewing business. Tried to open an academy.

The longest reign was marked by the twelfth mayor, Vasilisk Semenovich Wartkin, who reminds the reader of the style of rule of Peter I. The character’s connection with a historical figure is indicated by his “glorious deeds” - he destroyed the Streletskaya and Dung settlements, and difficult relations with the eradication of the ignorance of the people - he spent four wars for education and three - against. He resolutely prepared the city for burning, but suddenly died.

By origin, a former peasant Onufriy Ivanovich Negodyaev, who, before serving as mayor, stoked furnaces, destroyed the streets paved by the former ruler and erected monuments on these resources. The image is copied from Paul I, as evidenced by the circumstances of his removal: he was dismissed for disagreeing with the triumvirate regarding the constitutions.

Under State Councilor Erast Andreevich Grustilov, Foolov's elite was busy with balls and nightly meetings with the reading of the works of a certain gentleman. As in the reign of Alexander I, the mayor did not care about the people, who were impoverished and starving.

The scoundrel, idiot and “Satan” Gloomy-Burcheev has a “speaking” surname and is “copied” from Count Arakcheev. He finally destroys Foolov and decides to build the city of Neprekolnsk in a new place. When attempting to implement such a grandiose project, the “end of the world” occurred: the sun went dark, the earth shook, and the mayor disappeared without a trace. This is how the story of “one city” ended.

Analysis of the work

Saltykov-Shchedrin, with the help of satire and grotesquery, aims to reach the human soul. He wants to convince the reader that human institutions must be based on Christian principles. Otherwise, a person's life can be deformed, disfigured, and in the end can lead to the death of the human soul.

“The History of a City” is an innovative work that has overcome the usual boundaries of artistic satire. Each image in the novel has pronounced grotesque features, but is at the same time recognizable. Which gave rise to a flurry of criticism against the author. He was accused of “slander” against the people and rulers.

Indeed, the story of Foolov is largely copied from Nestor’s chronicle, which tells about the time of the beginning of Rus' - “The Tale of Bygone Years.” The author deliberately emphasized this parallel so that it becomes obvious who he means by the Foolovites, and that all these mayors are by no means a flight of fancy, but real Russian rulers. At the same time, the author makes it clear that he is not describing the entire human race, but specifically Russia, reinterpreting its history in his own satirical way.

However, the purpose of creating the work Saltykov-Shchedrin did not make fun of Russia. The writer’s task was to encourage society to critically rethink its history in order to eradicate existing vices. The grotesque plays a huge role in creating an artistic image in the work of Saltykov-Shchedrin. The main goal of the writer is to show the vices of people that are not noticed by society.

The writer ridiculed the ugliness of society and was called a “great scoffer” among such predecessors as Griboyedov and Gogol. Reading the ironic grotesque, the reader wanted to laugh, but there was something sinister in this laughter - the audience “felt like a scourge lashing itself.”