The cycle of stories by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” represents a collection of unique works filled with folk beliefs, fabulous events and fantastic stories. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the literary analysis of the work according to a plan that will be useful to 5th grade students in preparing for a literature lesson.
Brief Analysis
Year of writing– 1829-1832.
History of creation– Gogol was forced to resort to writing “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” due to a difficult financial situation. The first volume of the cycle was published in 1831, and the second a year later. Gogol's works immediately gained great popularity.
Subject– Sincere belief that good always triumphs over evil.
Composition– The cycle consists of two volumes, each of which includes 4 stories. The composition is based on the opposition between good and evil, and all the artistic means used by the author are designed to emphasize this as much as possible.
Genre- A story.
Direction– Romanticism.
History of creation
During his stay in St. Petersburg, Gogol served in the Department of State Economy. However, there was a catastrophic lack of money, and the young man was forced to earn extra money by writing.
Noticing the increased interest of the progressive St. Petersburg public in folk themes, Gogol decided to write several stories about the Ukrainian village. His mother and sisters helped him collect the necessary material, sending detailed descriptions of the customs, rituals, life and attire of the motley rural public.
In 1831, Nikolai Vasilyevich gave his first stories to the printing house on Bolshaya Morskaya, and in September of the same year the book appeared on the shelves of St. Petersburg bookstores. Gogol was very worried about possible criticism of himself. However, the success of the young author was stunning - his works were read easily, cheerfully, in one breath, favorably distinguished by sparkling humor, ease and folk flavor.
Inspired by the first success, Gogol, without hesitation, began work on the second volume. In February 1832, Nikolai Vasilyevich was invited to a dinner party with a major publisher and bookseller, where he had the good fortune to meet Alexander Pushkin. The great poet spoke very warmly about the work of the young writer, which incredibly inspired him. A month later, Gogol finished his work on the second volume of his amazing “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”
Subject
Central theme, which unites all the stories in the cycle “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” - the invariable triumph of good over evil.
Using the example of his heroes, Gogol shows that money is not always synonymous with happiness, earthly passions make a person a hostage to dark forces, and virtue and sincere faith will always save you even in the most difficult life situations.
Main thought The work is quite simple and understandable - everything secret, one way or another, becomes clear, and retribution will invariably come for the evil done. At the same time, the author does not condemn the heroes whose meaning of life lies in indulging their base passions, since all of them have already been punished according to their deserts and ridiculed.
It is humor that helps the author in an easy and unobtrusive form to convey to the reader the common truth - you need to live according to your conscience, in love and compassion for your neighbors, and then no dark force will cause harm, and devilry will pass by.
Composition
Carrying out an analysis of the works in “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, it should be noted that all the stories are built on contrast: they most harmoniously intertwine joy and unbridled fun with tragedy and sadness.
The stories serve as a kind of arena for the struggle between good and evil, the Christian principle and the demonic spawn. Maximum contrast is achieved thanks to fantastic scenes, folk legends and traditions, which are so rich in Gogol's stories.
The cycle “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” consists of two volumes, each of which contains 4 stories. The narrator is a fictional character - publisher Rudy Panko, who in a unique manner introduces the reader to the original and incredibly colorful world of the Ukrainian village.
Main characters
Genre
All the works included in the cycle “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” were written in the genre of stories and the direction of romanticism. It was no coincidence that Gogol chose poetic prose - thanks to it, all the stories acquired amazing melody and lyricism. They are read in one breath, like a light and elegant work of poetry.
Along with the high poetic style and romantic elements, Gogol generously “flavored” all the works of the cycle with lively colloquial speech. This did not spoil them at all; on the contrary, it gave them a unique flavor and folk character.
Work test
Rating Analysis
Average rating: 4.3. Total ratings received: 41.
“Evenings...” consist of two chapters of four stories each. Below is a summary of the evening on a farm near Dikanka. Read it, and you might want to read the full text of the stories.
Part one
Sorochinskaya fair.
One day, a family consisting of Solopy Cherevik, his wife and daughter were traveling to a fair in Sorochynets. One of the boys asked for the girl’s hand in marriage, but Solopy refused.
Rumors circulated around the fair about the devil's red scroll. In the morning Cherevik found a sleeve from a red scroll. And later he discovered the horse was missing. He was captured and accused of stealing his mare. Gritsko freed Cherevik, and he agreed to the wedding.
The evening before Ivan Kupala.
Poor Petrus fell in love with Pedorka, Korzh’s daughter. The devil promised to help if he picked a fern flower. The flower indicated the place where the treasure was. To get it, Petrus killed the boy and received the gold.
Korzh agreed to the wedding. But Petrus constantly sat near the gold. The witch came to Petrus's house, he woke up and saw a boy in front of him. In the morning they found ashes instead of Petrus, and shards instead of bags of gold.
May Night or the Drowned Woman.
Levko tells this story to his Hannah. The centurion had a daughter and a wife - a witch. The father kicked his daughter out of the house, and she drowned herself. One day she dragged her stepmother under water. But she turned into a drowned woman and now the lady doesn’t know which of them is the witch.
Father Levko had his eye on Hanna. Once Levko saw a lady in the pond. He recognized one of the drowned women as his stepmother. In gratitude, the lady gave him a note to his head, which ordered him to marry Levko and Hanna.
Missing certificate.
The narrator's grandfather sewed the letter into his hat and drove off. On the way, he stopped at a fair. There he met a Cossack. He asked the narrator's grandfather to stay awake at night and watch out so that the devil would not drag him away. But grandfather still fell asleep. He wakes up - there is no hat with a diploma. He went into the forest at night and came out to the fire, behind which the witches were sitting. The grandfather began to threaten to cross all the witches, and they gave up the hat and horse.
Part two
Christmas Eve.
Chuba's daughter Oksana said that she would marry Vakula if he brought her the queen's slippers.
Vakula took the bag with the devil out of the house, which his mother had hidden there, and went to Patsyuk. He advised him to go to hell.
Vakula flew to St. Petersburg and went to the queen. He asked her for her slippers, and she instructed him to give him shoes embroidered with gold. Vakula went to Chub and he agreed to give him his daughter Oksana. Vakula gave her slippers, and they got married.
Terrible revenge.
A sorcerer appeared at the wedding of Danila and Katerina. She began to dream that he was calling her to marry. Katerina found out that the sorcerer is her father. They decided to execute him, but he convinced Katerina to let him go.
After some time in the battle, the sorcerer shot Danila. Katerina continued to dream that the sorcerer would kill her son if she did not agree to marry him. A guest appeared in the village, supposedly a friend of Danila. Katerina recognized him as a sorcerer and rushed at him with a knife, but he stabbed her.
The sorcerer began to be pursued by his wonderful knight, he tried to hide from him, but failed. And the sorcerer died.
Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his aunt.
Ivan Shponka resigned from service and returned to his estate to his aunt. She persuaded him to go to a neighbor to look for a deed of land. There he met his 2 sisters. The aunt decided to marry her nephew to one of them. How the story ended is unknown, since the manuscript breaks off.
Enchanted place.
Once my grandfather was dancing in the garden, but suddenly he found himself in another place in the field near the grave, he realized that there was treasure, marked the place and decided to come here again. When he returned the other night and began to dig, he dug out a cauldron. The evil spirit frightened him, but he still dragged the cauldron home. I opened it, and there was all sorts of garbage. Since then, the grandfather decided not to believe the devil, fenced off the place with a fence and did not plant anything on it.
A person who would not know the works of N.V. It will be very difficult to find Gogol in our country (and throughout the CIS). And is it worth doing? One of the writer’s most popular masterpieces is “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” Even those who have not read the book have probably seen films or musicals based on stories from this publication. We invite you to study an extremely abbreviated retelling of each work. “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” (summary) - for your attention.
The secret to the success of works: what is it?
Of course, each person has his own tastes and preferences. But, oddly enough, this collection of stories is liked by both older people and young people. Why is this happening? Most likely, due to the fact that Gogol was able to combine mystical plots, humor and adventures, as well as love stories, in one book. In fact, this is a win-win recipe for success! So, “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka.” The summary will allow you to understand whether it is worth tuning in to read the book in its entirety!
Please note that this book is a collection consisting of two parts. Therefore, we will try to outline in a few sentences what each story is about.
“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”: a summary of the first part
In the story about the fair in Sorochintsy, the reader can have a lot of fun enjoying the adventures of Cherevik, his charming daughter Parasia, her admirer Grytsko, the enterprising Gypsy and the contentious Khivri, Cherevik’s wife. We can understand that love can work miracles, but immoderate libations and adultery ultimately turn out to be adequately punished!
“The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” is a story filled with mysticism and some kind of gloomy romance. The plot revolves around Petrus, who is in love with Pedorka, whose wealthy father is not particularly keen to give his daughter as a wife to a poor man. But here, as if it were a sin, he undertakes to help the unlucky lover. Of course, not for nothing. The devil demands a fern flower for his help. Having committed a murder, the young man obtains what Satan wanted from him. But this does not bring him happiness. Petrus himself dies, and his gold turns into skulls...
“May Night, or the Drowned Woman” is a story about how pure love, courage and resourcefulness overcome injustice, even those committed many years ago.
From the story “The Missing Letter” we learn that even devils can be defeated in a card game. To do this, you need to cross the playing cards with sincere faith. True, it is not a fact that after this your spouse will not start dancing every year, completely not wanting to.
“Evenings on a farm near Dikanka”: a summary of the second part
We also learn that it is quite possible to saddle the Devil and fly on it, and courage and enterprise will help to conquer even the most unapproachable beauty! I wonder if this only happens on Christmas Eve?
“Terrible Revenge” is a story that is truly scary! Of course, how can you guess in advance that your wife’s father is a sorcerer? By the way, the story also mentions very real historical figures!
The collection also contains a story about how the ardent desire of an elderly relative (aunt) to arrange the personal life of her nephew (Ivan Fedorovich Shponka) can significantly change a monotonous and measured existence! Is it only for the better?
"Enchanted place." This story tells about the adventures you can get into, even in old age. Eh, you shouldn’t mess with evil spirits!
Happy and fun reading!
The cycle of stories “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” presents in all its glory a picturesque picture of Ukrainian life in the 17th and 18th centuries. The period in which Gogol created his masterpiece was the happiest in the life of the author, full of grandiose literary plans that were subsequently realized. Along with national recognition, the cycle “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” received high praise from the brilliant writer of our time, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
History of creation
Gogol spent his childhood in one of the most picturesque places in Ukraine - in the Poltava region, in the village of Dikanka. Since ancient times, there have been many fantastic rumors and legends about this place. Echoes of childhood impressions were fully reflected in a number of Gogol’s stories, which formed a single cycle, “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.” In 1829, the author began work on the work, and in 1831-1832 the cycle was published and highly appreciated by the literary community. Individual stories from the series “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” have undergone many theatrical productions and film adaptations.
Analysis of the work
Description of the work
Each part is preceded by an ironic narration by the imaginary author - beekeeper Rudy Panka.
Sorochinskaya fair. The story is about a savvy, dapper lad Gritska, who won the right to marry the rich lady Paraska with his cunning and resourcefulness. The action is accompanied by a colorful description of the fair and is distinguished by a special satirical depiction of the images of some of the heroes.
The evening before Ivan Kupala. The eerie narrative, shrouded in mystical flavor, says that ill-gotten wealth does not bring happiness to its owner.
May Night or the Drowned Woman. This story partly has something in common with the Sorochinskaya Fair. The young Cossack Levka has a beloved girl, Ganna. To reunite with his future bride, the cunning young man has to turn to the help of a mystical girl - the drowned woman Pannochka.
Missing certificate. The story is permeated with a fantastic flavor with elements of lively Gogol's humor. The grandfather, whose letter, money, horses and hat were stolen, uses the sign of the cross to win the stolen goods from the witch at cards.
Christmas Eve. And again the story of the marriage of a simple and savvy lad to a beautiful lady. The blacksmith Vakula seeks the love of the rich rural beauty Oksana. They find their happiness not without the help of evil spirits. Touched by the blacksmith's innocence, the queen gives the coveted slippers for the blacksmith's future bride.
Terrible revenge. A story written in an epic narrative style. The terrible story of the Cossack ataman Danila Burulbash and his wife Katerina, forced to make a terrible choice regarding their sorcerer father. At the end of the story, the sorcerer pays in full for his terrible crimes.
Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his aunt. The only purely everyday satirical sketch about a small landowner trying to get his inheritance. The only unfinished story in the Gogol cycle.
Enchanted place. A story about the evil jokes of evil spirits. A phantasmagoric story about the search and discovery of “treasure” in an enchanted place.
Main characters
The heroes of the cycle are divided into several groups:
- young boys possessing both innocence and cunning and ingenuity - Gritsko, Levko and Vakula;
- beautiful ladies whose parents are very picky about their future grooms - Paraska, Ganna, Oksana;
- comic characters shown in the fullness of Gogol's humor - Patsyuk, Chub, Shponka, etc.;
- an evil spirit whose tricks often punish the heroes of some stories in the series (Petrus, Grandfather from the last story) for their passion for wealth, and sometimes the evil spirits become an assistant to cunning and savvy characters in achieving their goal.
Structure of the work
Compositionally, the work consists of 8 stories, located in two books (4 stories in each). An introduction to the colorful world of Ukrainian life is the preface of the imaginary publisher Rudy Panko, which precedes each of the books.
True poetry, seen by the author in the life and traditions of the Ukrainian people, unfolds in its most diverse manifestations: everyday scenes of modern life, historical legends and fantastic folk legends. The abundance of phantasmagoric scenes is intended to give greater contrast to good and evil, the struggle between the Christian principle and devilry.
Final conclusion
Gogol's work is of particular value - the personality of a common man, described with great love, is in no way diminished by the presence of satire. Many characters are described with a fair amount of good humor, gleaned by the author from the real life of Ukrainian peasants of that time. The originality of the style, poetic talent for depicting the natural beauties of the Little Russian village, lyricism and kind laughter make the brilliant cycle of the young writer a true masterpiece of world literature
If we talk about the first books of Nikolai Gogol, and at the same time exclude from mention the poem “Hanz Küchelgarten”, which was published under a pseudonym, the cycle Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka is Gogol’s first book, which consists of two parts. The first part of the series was published in 1831, and the second in 1832.
In short, many people call this collection “Gogol’s Evenings.” As for the time of writing these works, Gogol wrote Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka in the period 1829-1832. And according to the plot, these stories seem to have been collected and published by the pasichnik Rudy Panko.
A brief analysis of the cycle Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka
The cycle of Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka is interesting because the events taking place take the reader from century to century. For example, "Sorochinskaya Fair" describes the events of the 19th century, from where the reader finds himself in the 17th century, moving on to reading the story "The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala." Further stories "May Night, or the Drowned Woman", "The Missing Letter" and "The Night Before Christmas" concern the time of the 18th century, and then the 17th century follows again.
Both parts of the cycle Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka are united by the stories of the clerk’s grandfather Foma Grigorievich, who seems to combine the past times, the present, true and fables with the events of his life. However, speaking about the analysis of Evening on a Farm near Dikanka, it is worth saying that Nikolai Gogol does not interrupt the flow of time on the pages of his cycle; on the contrary, time merges into a spiritual and historical whole.
What stories are included in the series Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka
The cycle includes two parts, each of which contains four stories. Please note that on our website in the Summary section you can quickly get acquainted with the summary of each story included in the series Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.
In addition, each summary is accompanied by a brief description of the work, indicating the date of its writing, characteristic features and the time of reading the summary itself.
