Old-world landowners - a story that opens his cycle "Mirgorod".

It depicts the idyllic, but at the same time sad life of provincial Little Russian landowners, residents of a remote hinterland.

People lived for themselves, lived to old age and died. Unless these people were, so to speak, not affected by civilization. While there, in the “big world”, high-profile deeds, great deeds and noisy scandals were being done, peace and quiet reigned in the village where the Tovstogubs lived.

Together with the main characters, the owners, the author also describes the courtyard people:

• Yavdokha - housekeeper;
• Nichipor - clerk;
• Yard girls and a boy;
• Favorite cat of Pulcheria Ivanovna.

The kitty, of course, is “not quite a person,” but she plays an important role in history. Tovstolips are very kind people, perhaps they have never seen or felt evil. They are very hospitable and treat the servants well, they don’t even notice how the courtyard people steal from them.

They do not notice this also due to the fact that the land in their area is very fruitful and gives everything in abundance. So, more than anything in the world, Pulcheria Ivanovna Tovstogubikha loved her cat. One day she ran into the forest, where wild cats lured her.

The woman and her husband set out to find her and after a few days they find her in the garden, where she ran from the forest. The cat looked shabby and shabby. Pulcheria Ivanovna tried to let her into the house and feed her, but she escaped through the window - now completely. Tovstogubikha was completely saddened and decided that death was coming for her. Soon she really dies.

They had no children, and Afanasy Ivanovich was left completely alone, not counting the servants. Everywhere he hears the voice of his wife, everywhere she seems to him - he loved her so much. Tovstogub died away completely and also eventually died, and his death was similar to the death of his wife: it all started with the fact that while walking in the garden, he heard a voice calling him behind him, and decided that it was Pulcheria Ivanovna calling him and, therefore, his hour has come. Before his death, he ordered to bury himself next to his wife, which was done.

When none of the landowners died, the estate also fell into decay - at first the courtyards stole everything they could, and then a distant relative who inherited the estate sold it.

Meaning

Despite the quite realistic plot, Gogol already used mystical elements in this early story. It remains unclear until the end - maybe death in the guise of a cat really came for Pulcheria, and Afanasy Ivanovich heard a voice from the "other world"? Although the realism of the "Old World Landowners" is somehow unrealistic, close to mythological.

The relations of the Tovstogubs spouses to each other and to the servants are emphatically idealized, their life takes place outside the world in which the "target audience" of the story was supposed to live - the inhabitants of St. Petersburg and other large cities. In his story, Gogol sought to convey his own feelings of the fragility of the existence of man and the universe, a sense of universal variability, aging and destruction.

It was also said that in it he reflected a premonition of his own death. Although the death of the writer was still very far away, as well as before the change of his life orientation from progressive to religious-conservative. According to another version, Gogol reflected in the "Old World Landowners" the withering away of the old noble Russia and its patriarchal way of life.

Within the framework of the project "Gogol. 200 years"RIA Newspresents a summary of the work "Old World Landowners" by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - a story that Pushkin called his favorite of all Gogol's stories.

The old men Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna live in seclusion in one of the remote villages, called old-world villages in Little Russia. Their life is so quiet that to a guest who accidentally drove into a low manor house, surrounded by the greenery of a garden, the passions and disturbing unrest of the outside world seem to not exist at all. The small rooms of the house are crammed with all sorts of things, the doors sing in different ways, the storerooms are filled with supplies, the preparation of which is constantly occupied by the courtyards under the direction of Pulcheria Ivanovna. Despite the fact that the economy is robbed by the clerk and lackeys, the blessed land produces everything in such quantity that Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna do not notice the theft at all.

The old people never had children, and all their affection was concentrated on themselves. It is impossible to look without participation at their mutual love, when with extraordinary concern in their voices they turn to each other on “you”, warning every desire and even an affectionate word that has not yet been said. They love to treat - and if it were not for the special properties of the Little Russian air that helps digestion, then the guest, no doubt, after dinner would have been lying on the table instead of a bed.

The old people also love to eat themselves - and from the very early morning until late in the evening you can hear how Pulcheria Ivanovna guesses the desires of her husband, in an affectionate voice offering one or the other food. Sometimes Afanasy Ivanovich likes to play a joke on Pulcheria Ivanovna and will suddenly start talking about a fire or a war, forcing his wife to be frightened in earnest and to be baptized so that her husband's speech could never come true.

But after a minute, unpleasant thoughts are forgotten, the old people decide that it is time to have a bite, and suddenly a tablecloth and those dishes that Afanasy Ivanovich chooses at the prompt of his wife appear on the table. And quietly, calmly, in the extraordinary harmony of two loving hearts, days go by.

A sad event changes the life of this peaceful corner forever. Pulcheria Ivanovna's favorite cat, usually lying at her feet, disappears in a large forest behind the garden, where wild cats lure her. Three days later, having knocked down in search of a cat, Pulcheria Ivanovna meets her favorite in the garden, who has come out of the weeds with a miserable meow. Pulcheria Ivanovna feeds a runaway and thin fugitive, wants to stroke her, but the ungrateful creature rushes out the window and disappears forever. From that day on, the old woman becomes thoughtful, bored, and suddenly announces to Afanasy Ivanovich that it was death that came for her and that they were soon destined to meet in the next world. The only thing the old woman regrets is that there will be no one to look after her husband. She asks the housekeeper Yavdokha to look after Afanasy Ivanovich, threatening her entire family with God's punishment if she does not fulfill the order of the mistress.

Pulcheria Ivanovna dies. At the funeral, Afanasy Ivanovich looks strange, as if he does not understand all the savagery of what happened. When he returns to his house and sees how empty his room has become, he sobs loudly and inconsolably, and tears, like a river, flow from his dull eyes.

Five years have passed since then. The house is deteriorating without its mistress, Afanasy Ivanovich is weakening and doubled against the former. But his longing does not weaken with time. In all the objects surrounding him, he sees the deceased, tries to pronounce her name, but in the middle of the word, convulsions distort his face, and the cry of a child breaks out of an already cooling heart.

It is strange, but the circumstances of the death of Afanasy Ivanovich bear a resemblance to the death of his beloved wife. As he slowly walks along the garden path, he suddenly hears someone behind him say in a clear voice: "Afanasy Ivanovich!" For a moment his face brightens up, and he says: "It's Pulcheria Ivanovna calling me!" He submits to this conviction with the will of an obedient child.

"Lay me near Pulcheria Ivanovna" - that's all he says before his death. His wish was fulfilled. The manor's house was empty, the goods were torn apart by the peasants and finally let go to the wind by a distant relative-heir who arrived.

The material was provided by the Internet portal briefly.ru, compiled by V. M. Sotnikov

The first story of Nikolai Gogol - "Old World Landowners". A brief summary of this work, created in 1835, is set out in today's article. The story has little in common with the stories included in the book "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", which brought fame to the novice writer. The characters in this story are very realistic. The story, according to some critics, contains a sharp satire on landowner life.

Genesis of old gluttons

Critics and writers differently perceived the story "Old World Landowners" by N.V. Gogol. The summary of this work can be summarized as follows: in the life of two old people there are no worries, and therefore the main thing in their life is eating.

However, in the life of Gogol's heroes there is suffering, loss, and loneliness. The writer denounced common human vices, but did it for the sole purpose. Namely, to make humanity better. The story "Old World Landowners", a summary of which is presented below, can be called a parable about death, love, old age. This work is filled with sadness and charm.

"Old-world landowners": a summary of the chapters

The story consists of two parts. In the first, the author describes in detail the manor house and the lifestyle of the main characters. Here the writer gives a description of Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna. An important role in the narrative is played by the landscape, which is worth mentioning when making an artistic analysis. The summary of the "Old World Landowners" in this article is set out according to the following plan:

• Bar house.
• Hospitable hosts.
• Disappearance of a cat.
• Death of Pulcheria Ivanovna.
• Five years later.
• The death of the old landowner.

manor house

Before proceeding to a summary of the content, it is worth mentioning an important feature of the work. From the very beginning of the story, the author confesses his love for Malοrοssia: its nature, customs, customs, people… This is a surprisingly colorful and poetic work, although it was created in the genre of realism.

The small rooms of the manor house are filled with various gizmos. Doors creak, "sing in different ways." The pantry is filled with dishes, in the preparation of which all the courtyards are involved. The culinary process is managed by Pulcheria Ivanovna. The farm is regularly robbed by the clerk, but the land in the village where the heroes of the story live is fertile. She produces everything in the same quantity. Afanasy Ivanovich and his wife do not notice the theft.

The scriptures are very beautiful, with which the story begins. Food is practically the only thing the old man cares about. Her whole life is subordinated to her: in the morning they ate, then had a snack, then had dinner ... Of the two dishes that the old woman offers for the meal, her husband invariably chooses the one option. And at night in the hot room it becomes silent - it hurts alive. Treatment for any ailment is again in eating: sour milk drank and immediately better. Pourings are used exclusively as a medicine.

hospitable hosts

If guests come, then at the old man's feast. The narrator, who had been in this hospitable house more than once, was treated, revealing all the secrets of preparing sludges, drinks. He ate, but could not restrain himself. The guest was always made to spend the night, frightening with robbers. By the way, grandfather liked to instill fear in his quiet wife. For example, what will happen if their house burns? And Pulcheria Ivanοvna was afraid of losing her passion.

There was a lot of stock in the house. Although all the nobles ate silly things and shamelessly vomited, the provisions were not transferred to the pantry. The old people seemed to try to control economic processes, but they did it very ineptly.

Disappearance of a cat

One day Pulcheria's favorite ran away. A few days later she returned wild. Pοela, vanished again. And Pulcheria decided that her time had come. The cat returned emaciated, angry. The old woman thought that death had come to her in the form of an animal.

Death of Pulcheria

The old woman began to methodically go to death: she gave out instructions to the economy, collected her dress, said goodbye to the old man. Her idea of ​​the afterlife was peculiar. So, she said: “Do according to me, and then I will be next to Christ, so I will tell him everything about you, if you obey.” Pulcheria took to her bed and in a few days "burned out".

Five years later

The story is told from the perspective of a frequent guest of the elderly. The narrator comes to Afanasy Ivanovich after the death of Pulcheria only five years later. And he sees a tragic change in the appearance of the old widower. He sympathizes with the death of Pulcheria - a kind and simple woman, who introduced herself, that in the image of her spree cat, death itself came to her.

Afanasy Ivanοvich could not possibly believe in her death. Everything became indifferent to him. In everyday life, he was like a child: he could not dine without getting dirty.

Death of an old landowner

Without a wife, the old man Athanasius lived for another ten years in a neglected house, but he could not come to terms with the sad thought. Before his death, the old man seemed to hear how the dead wife called him in the garden. His departure was as mysterious as Pulcheria's death.

For the contrast, the writer brings the story of ο mοlοdοm manοveke, in kοtοrοgο, death took away the beloved wound. More egο nothing was interested inοvalο. His house was closed by relatives, they hid οt negο οsharp objects. And yet a couple of times οn pοtried to get off with sοbοy… Hοgone years, the hero got married again, οn is happy, cheerful. Maybe it’s right that the young man didn’t lose his taste for life, but the author is sad. Sometimes simple, mundane people show more lofty feelings.

The first work of the Mirgorod cycle was Old World Landowners. You don't have to limit yourself to a summary. After all, the figurative, colorful language of N. Gogol will not be conveyed by any presentation.

As already mentioned, the main literary critic of the 19th century saw in the work a satire on the soulless landlord world. Perhaps he is right, but the story is permeated with extraordinary tenderness, love for his native land. Landscape plays a more important role here than satire. The author feels sympathy and compassion for his characters.

The author of "Old World Landowners" makes the reader think about the meaning of life and inevitable old age. Not everyone is destined to leave a bright mark on this earth. The writer believed that there is nothing reprehensible in a provincial reclusive life.

OLD WORLD OWNERS Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna are two old men of the "past century", who tenderly love and touchingly care for each other. Afanasy Ivanovich was tall, always wore a sheepskin coat, and practically always smiled. Pulcheria Ivanovna almost never laughed, but "so much kindness was written on her face and in her eyes, so much readiness to treat you to everything they had best, that you would probably find the smile already too sugary for her kind face." They didn't have children. Afanasy Ivanovich never criticizes the present and does not praise his past; on the contrary, it shows a keen interest in the events of the life of other people, including young people. “Pulcheria Ivanovna’s room was all lined with chests, boxes, drawers and chests. A lot of bundles and bags with seeds, flower, garden and watermelon, hung on the walls. A lot of balls with multi-colored wool, scraps of old dresses, sewn for half a century, were stacked in the corners in chests and between chests. Pulcheria Ivanovna was a great housewife and collected everything, although sometimes she herself did not know what it would be used for later. " Afanasy Ivanovich does little housework; the reins of government are in the hands of Pulcheria Ivanovna. She constantly makes jam, dries fruits, distills vodka, salts mushrooms and cucumbers; all this is then stolen by the yard girls, but this is even for the better, otherwise the mistress's reserves would have been enough for several years. The clerk robs the Tovstogubs; Pulcheria Ivanov-na constantly discovers that hundred-year-old oaks are disappearing in the forest, but is quite satisfied with answers, such as "thunder struck and worms exuded." Afanasy Ivanovich - a hunter to eat well; he also has one remedy for stomach pain - an additional meal. The worst thing a couple can imagine is a fire in their house. But even here, discussing the possibility of such a disaster, they do not lose heart: Afanasy Ivanovich is ready to go to the servants' room, and Pulcheria Ivanovna - to the pantry. “But the old people seemed most interesting to me at the time when they had guests. Then everything in their house took on a different look. These kind people, one might say, lived for the guests. All that they had was the best, all this endured ... in all their helpfulness there was no cloying. This cordiality and readiness were so meekly expressed on their faces, so went to them that involuntarily agreed to their requests. They were a consequence of the pure, clear simplicity of their kind, ingenuous souls. " One day, Pulcheria Ivanovna's cat was "lured" by wild cats, and she went with them into the forest. The owner regrets the loss of the cat for three days, then calms down. Suddenly, a cat appears; she was very emaciated and wild. Despite the fact that Pulcheria Ivanovna feeds her, the cat, having eaten, runs away again into the forest. Pulcheria Ivanovna decides that it was her death that came for her.

Pulcheria Ivanovna decides that it was her death that came for her. She announces this to her husband, shares with him her premonitions of imminent death. Although she has no visible reason to worry, the old woman begins to melt day by day. She announces her last will and begins to prepare for her own funeral. She feels more sorry for herself than Afanasy Ivanovich, who after her death will be left all alone and there will be no one to look after him lovingly. Not sick at all, but firmly convinced of her imminent death, a few days later Pulcheria Ivanovna really dies. Afanasy Ivanovich is so amazed that he cannot even cry at a funeral; he doesn't seem to fully understand what happened. When the coffin is already covered with earth, Afanasy Ivanovich helplessly asks the question: "So you already buried her! Why!" Returning to the deserted house, "Afanasy Ivanovich sobs long and inconsolably. Five years pass. Afanasy Ivanovich is very old and hunched over, has become sloppy and inattentive. He is unable to recover from the terrible misfortune that befell him. He listens distracted, as if absent.His attention is attracted by the dish that the deceased wife always cooked and served before.He is unable even to pronounce her name and bursts into uncontrollable tears. "God! - I thought, looking at him, - five years of all-consuming time o - the old man is already insensitive, the old man, whose life seemed to consist only of sitting on a high chair, eating dried apples and pears, good-natured stories, - and such a long, such a hot sadness! What is stronger over us: passion or habit?" Shortly after this, Afanasy Ivanovich died. Shortly before, walking in the garden, he hears someone calling him by name, although it is deserted around. Afanasy Ivanovich brightens his face and (how once wife) begins to melt, dry, die. "It's Pulcheria Ivanovna calling me!" - says Afanasy Ivanovich and asks to be buried near his wife.

The house of the landowners is described as a Garden of Eden, and this is not only because of the abundance of food and other decorations. It's just a spirit created by the author. In the story, old people are constantly eating. Afanasy Ivanovich eats even at night. He wakes up from stuffiness, tosses and turns, groans, Pulcheria Ivanovna lists dishes that can satisfy her husband's hunger.

A closed space, fenced with a palisade, through which not a single desire flew. Inside, time is still, in these little low rooms. Here goes a meaningless, aimless, animal existence.

For the heroes there is no world around, their life is limited by each other and their way of life. Even a child would be superfluous in their world.

Time goes linearly until the death of Pulcheria Ivanovna. Then there is a gap of 5 years. The narrator thinks that for 5 years Afanasy Ivanovich calmed down, but he is mistaken.

There is nothing to learn from this story. Here you just enjoy the way Gogol writes. It's just "tasty" written.

Through time and space, we understand how to evaluate the characters, the situation.

Bakhtin described threshold chronotope- some kind of plot situation, about which one can say: before it it was like that, after it completely changed. After the threshold boundary, time begins to move faster.

In 1835, N.V. Gogol wrote the first story from the cycle "Mirgorod" under the title "Old World Landowners". Its main characters were two spouses who owned a large farm and lived in perfect harmony for many years. This work tells about the touching mutual concern of the characters, at the same time ironically over their limitations. We will provide a summary here. "Old World Landowners" is a story that still evokes ambiguous emotions from readers.

Getting to know the main characters

In one of the remote villages in Little Russia, old Tovstogubs live: Pulcheria Ivanovna, a serious-looking troublemaker, and Afanasy Ivanovich, who likes to play a trick on his mistress. They own a fairly large farm. Their life is quiet and calm. Everyone who visits this blessed corner is amazed at how all the unrest of the raging world ceases to dominate the minds and souls of people here. It seems that this low manor house, immersed in greenery, lives some kind of special life of its own. All day long, supplies are prepared in it, jams and liqueurs, jelly and marshmallows are boiled, mushrooms are dried.

The economy of the old people was mercilessly robbed by the clerk and lackeys. Yard girls regularly climbed into the closet and overate there with all kinds of dishes. But the local fertile land produced everything in such quantity that the owners did not notice the theft at all. Gogol portrayed the main characters as kind and simple-hearted. “Old-world landowners”, a brief summary of which is given here, is an ironic story about old people whose whole meaning of life was to eat fungi and dried fish and constantly take care of each other.

Mutual affection of old people

Afanasy Petrovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna have no children. They turned all their unspent tenderness and warmth on each other.

Once, a long time ago, our hero served as a companion, then became a second major. He married Pulcheria Ivanovna when he was thirty years old. There were rumors that he very cleverly took her away from disgruntled relatives in order to get married. All their lives these lovely people have lived in perfect harmony. From the side it was very interesting to watch how touchingly they addressed each other as “you”. To feel the charm of the serene and calm life of the main characters of the story, its summary will help you. "Old World Landowners" is a story of deep heartfelt affection and concern for loved ones.

Hospitality of the old-world rulers

These old people loved to eat. As soon as morning came, the creaking doors were already singing in every way in the house. Girls in striped underwear ran around the kitchen and prepared all kinds of dishes. Pulcheria Ivanovna went everywhere, controlling and disposing, jingling keys, constantly opening and closing the numerous locks of barns and closets. The breakfast of the hosts always began with coffee, followed by shortbread with lard, pies with poppy seeds, a glass of vodka with dried fish and mushrooms for Afanasy Ivanovich, and so on. And how hospitable these lovely and kind old men were! If a person had to stay with them, he was treated hourly with the best dishes of home cooking. The hosts listened with attention and pleasure to the stories of wanderers. It seemed that they lived for guests.

If suddenly a person passing by and visiting the old people suddenly got ready to go on the road late in the evening, then with all their fervor they began to convince him to stay and spend the night with them. And the guest always stayed. His reward was a plentiful, fragrant dinner, a hearty, warming and at the same time lulling story of the owners of the house, a warm soft bed. Such were these old-world landowners. A very brief summary of this story will make it possible to understand the author's intention and get an idea of ​​the lifestyle of these quiet, kind inhabitants of the house.

Death of Pulcheria Ivanovna

The life of dear old people was serene. It seemed like it would always be like this. However, soon an incident happened to the mistress of the house, which had tragic consequences for the spouses. Pulcheria Ivanovna had a little white cat, about which the kind old woman took great care. Once she disappeared: local cats lured her away. Three days later, the fugitive showed up. The hostess immediately ordered to give her milk and tried to caress the animal. But the cat was shy, and when Pulcheria Ivanovna held out her hand to her, the ungrateful creature rushed out the window and ran away. Nobody else saw the cat. From that day on, the dear old woman became bored and thoughtful. To her husband's questions about her well-being, she replied that she foresaw an imminent death. All attempts by Afanasy Ivanovich to cheer up his wife ended in failure. Pulcheria Ivanovna kept saying that, apparently, death came for her in the form of her cat. She so convinced herself of this that she soon fell ill and, after some time, actually died.

But this is not the end of Gogol's story. "Old World Landowners" (a brief summary is given here) is a work with a tragic ending. Let's see what awaits the orphaned owner of the house next?

Loneliness of Afanasy Ivanovich

The deceased was washed, dressed in a dress prepared by herself and placed in a coffin. Afanasy Ivanovich looked at all this indifferently, as if all this was not happening to him. The poor fellow could not recover from such a blow and believe that his dear beloved wife was no more. Only when the grave was razed to the ground, he pulled forward and said: “So they buried it? Why?" After that, loneliness and melancholy covered the once cheerful old man with his head. Arriving from the cemetery, he sobbed loudly in Pulcheria Ivanovna's room. The courtyards began to worry about how he would do something to himself. At first they hid from him knives and all sharp objects with which he could injure himself. But soon they calmed down and stopped following the owner of the house on the heels. And he immediately took out a gun and shot himself in the head. He was found with a crushed skull. The wound turned out to be non-fatal. They called the doctor, who put the old man on his feet. But as soon as the household people calmed down and again stopped watching Afanasy Ivanovich, he threw himself under the wheels of the carriage. His arm and leg were injured, but he survived again. Soon he was already seen in a crowded hall of an entertainment establishment playing cards. Behind the back of his chair stood, smiling, his young wife. All these were attempts to drown out the aching melancholy and grief. You can feel all the hopelessness that has seized the main character of the story, even by reading its summary. "Old World Landowners" is a work about the boundless tenderness and affection of people who have lived together all their lives.

sad ending

Five years after the events described, the author returned to this farm to visit the owner of the house. What did he see here? Desolation reigns in the once rich economy. The huts of the peasants almost fell apart, and they themselves drank themselves and were mostly considered on the run. The fence near the manor's house almost fell down. Everywhere felt the absence of the master's hand. And the owner of the house himself was now almost unrecognizable: he hunched over and walked, barely moving his legs.

Everything in the house reminded him of the caring mistress who had left him. Often he sat lost in his thoughts. And at such moments, hot tears flowed down his cheeks. Soon Afanasy Ivanovich was gone. Moreover, his death has something in common with the death of Pulcheria Ivanovna herself. One sunny summer day he was walking in the garden. Suddenly it seemed to him that someone called his name. Convincing himself that it was his late wife, whom he adored, Afanasy Ivanovich began to wither, wither, and soon died. They buried him next to his wife. After that, some distant relative of the old people came to the estate and began to “raise” the fallen economy. Within a few months it was blown to the wind. This is the summary of the story "Old-world landowners." The ending is sad. The era of serenity is irrevocably gone.

We got acquainted with one of the stories of V. N. Gogol. Here is its summary. "Old World Landowners" has been one of the public's favorite works of the great classic for many decades.