Satirical depiction of officials in the works of Gogol. A satirical depiction of bureaucracy in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”

The comedy “The Inspector General” by N.V. Gogol is one of the most striking dramatic works of Russian literature of the 19th century. The author continued the traditions of Russian satirical drama, the foundations of which were laid in the comedies of Fonvizin “The Minor” and Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”.
The comedy “The Inspector General” is a deeply realistic work, which reflects the vices of the landowner-bureaucratic system of Russia in the thirties of the 19th century. An important place in the system of comedy characters is occupied by officials inhabiting the county town. This is a collective, generalized image, derived satirically, because it includes everything negative in political system Russia at that time. In the “Author's Confession,” the writer indicated that he “decided to collect in one pile all the bad things in Russia that he knew then, all the injustices.” Gogol decided to summarize in his planned comedy the most striking vices of contemporary government.
The author, with his comedy, established a new idea in Russian literature - not the performers, but the laws themselves, the entire structure of the existing system, are to blame for what the work of the great master told.
Thus, the Mayor justifies his sins with the words: “I’m not the first, I’m not the last, everyone does this.”
The main place among the officials of the district city is given to the mayor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. Gogol in “Notes for Gentlemen Actors” gave essential characteristics of each of the main characters comedies. Thus, the author characterizes Gorodnichy: “Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves respectably.” This image is revealed more fully in the speech characteristics of the character himself. He is a solid hero and conducts a solid, measured conversation. He is generated by the environment and raised by it. The mayor is the image of everyone state power contemporary Gogol Russia. He knows that he is a sinner, goes to church, thinks that he is firm in his faith, and thinks of repenting someday. But the temptation is great for him not to miss what “floats in his hands.” With the arrival of the auditor, deceiving himself, he hopes to become a general. By endowing the hero with natural weaknesses, the author makes him more humane and thereby elevates him above the other characters in the play. At the moment of epiphany, he throws into the faces of the officials and into the audience: “I don’t see anything: I see some pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else...”, “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!..”
Judge Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin is no less guilty of bribes. He is busy with himself and his mind, and is an atheist only because in this field there is scope to “prove himself.” He has a great passion for hound hunting. We can judge the character’s cultural level from the author’s remark: “A man who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat free-thinking.” The collegiate assessor says, “how antique clock, which first hiss and then hit.”
The main characters include the court councilor Strawberry. For greater typification, Gogol violates the usual structure of government of a county town. The position of Zemlyanika - trustee of charitable institutions - was only in provincial cities, and not in the district city described by the author. This is a fat man, “but a thin rogue.” He thinks only about how to show himself.
Thus, the superintendent of schools Luka Lukich Khlopov, a titular adviser, “is frightened by frequent inspections and reprimands for unknown reasons,” “very helpful and fussy.” The position of court councilor and postmaster is occupied by Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin. This is a simple-minded person to the point of naivety and stupidity, looking at life as a meeting interesting stories, which he reads in the letters he prints.
Among the officials of the district city, a prominent place is occupied by Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, a petty official from St. Petersburg, who goes to his village at the call of his father. This is a stupid, frivolous college registrar, “about twenty-three years old,” “as they say, without a king in his head.” Words from this mouth young man“take off completely unexpectedly.”
He became a significant person thanks to the general power of fear that gripped the officials before retribution for their sins. He lies masterfully and believes in his own lies, wanting to show off in front of the district officials who complacently listen to him. Gogol himself considered the role of Khlestakov the most difficult in the comedy.
Among the officials of the county town are the minor characters of the comedy. These are honorary citizens, retired officials: Korobkin, Lyulyukov, Rastakovsky.
The number of officials in the “Inspector General” is not limited only to current persons. These also include minor characters. A real auditor from St. Petersburg, an assessor in court, Andrei Ivanovich Chmykhov, Kostroma and Saratov officials complement the portraits of stage characters.
The images of officials satirically depicted in “The Inspector General” are characterized by common, typical features. This is the spirit of nepotism (all officials are bound by mutual responsibility), and bribery (“Look, you’re not taking according to your rank”), in relation to which there is strict subordination, and the attitude towards public service as an opportunity to profit at someone else’s expense, and failure to fulfill one’s direct responsibilities. All officials are characterized by idle pastime, ignorance, low cultural level, a sense of fear of their superiors, and a disdainful attitude towards the people. A person's position in society is determined by rank.
When describing the world of bribe-takers and embezzlers, Gogol used various means creating images of officials. For example, the author's remarks, speech characteristics of the characters, the actions of the heroes, letters from Andrei Ivanovich Chmykhov, in which the image of the Governor is fully revealed, letters from Khlestakov to Tryapichkin. The names of the characters in the play also contain semantic characteristics: Khlestakov, Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, Strawberry, Gibner.
In his comedy, Gogol did not bring out a single positive person. The only positive hero of the comedy is laughter, with the help of which the author exposes and ridicules the world of embezzlers, devoid of conscience and any responsibility.
The images of officials presented in N.V. Gogol’s comedy play an important role in revealing the author’s ideological and artistic intent. With their help, the playwright denounces not only the bureaucracy of the county town, but also the entire bureaucratic system of Russia.

A satirical depiction of officials in Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General"

Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is one of the most striking dramatic works of Russian literature of the 10th/10th century. The author continued the traditions of Russian satirical drama, the foundations of which were laid in the famous comedies of Fonvizin “The Minor” and Griboyedov “Woe from Wit”. The comedy is a deeply realistic work showing the world of small and medium-sized provincial officials in Russia in the second quarter of the nineteenth century.

When describing this world N.V. Gogol made extensive use of the literary techniques at his disposal, allowing him to most fully characterize his characters, doing it in an entertaining and easily accessible form for the viewer and reader.

Having opened the very first page of the comedy and learned that, for example, the name of the private bailiff is Ukhovertov, and the name of the district doctor is Gibner, we get, in general, a fairly complete idea of these characters and the author’s attitude towards them. In addition, Gogol gave critical characteristics of each of the main characters. These characteristics help to better understand the essence of each character. Mayor: “Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably,” Anna Andreevna: “Raised half on novels and albums, half on the chores in her pantry and maid’s room,” Khlestakov: “Without a king in her head. She speaks and acts without any consideration.” , Osip: “A servant, such as servants of several older years usually are,” Lyapkin-Tyapkin: “A man who has read five or six books, and therefore is somewhat freethinking.” Postmaster: “A man who is simple-minded to the point of naivety.”

Speech portraits are also given in Khlestakov’s letters to St. Petersburg to his friend Tryapichkin. For example, Strawberry, as Khlestakov puts it, is “a perfect pig in a yarmulke.”

These portraits are revealed more fully in the speech characteristics of the characters. A respectable mayor and the conversation is respectable and measured: “right”, “so this is the circumstance”, “that’s enough, that’s enough for you!” The provincial coquette Anna Andreevna is fussy and uncontrolled; Her speech is abrupt and expressive: “Who is this? This, however, is annoying! Who could it be?” Khlestakov, by the way, is somewhat similar in his manner of speaking to Anna Andreevna: the same abundance of exclamations, chaotic, abrupt speech: “I, brother, am not of that kind! I advise you with me...”; the same panache: “And your eyes are better than important things...”.

The main literary device. which N.V. uses Gogol's comic portrayal of an official is hyperbole. As an example of the use of this technique, the author can name Christian Ivanovich Gibner, who is not even able to communicate with his patients due to complete ignorance of the Russian language, and Ammos Fedorovich and the postmaster, who decided that the arrival of the auditor foreshadows the coming war. At first, the plot of the comedy itself is hyperbolic, but as the plot action develops, starting with the scene of Khlestakov’s story about his life in St. Petersburg, the hyperbole gives way to the grotesque. Blinded by fear for their future, officials clutch at Khlestakov like a straw, the city merchants and ordinary people are unable to appreciate the absurdity of what is happening, and absurdities are piled on top of each other: here is the non-commissioned officer who “flogged herself”, and Bobchinsky , asking that His Imperial Majesty be informed that “Peter Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city,” and much more.

The climax and the denouement that immediately follows it come sharply and cruelly. Khlestakov’s letter gives such a simple and even banal explanation that at this moment it looks for Gorodnichy, for example, much more implausible than all Khlestakov’s fantasies. A few words should be said about the image of the Mayor. Apparently, he will have to pay for the sins of his circle as a whole. Of course, he himself is not an angel, but the blow is so strong that the Governor has something like an epiphany: “I don’t see anything: I see some pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else...” “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself! ..” - he throws it in the faces of the officials and into the hall. Endowing the Governor with sarcasm. Gogol makes him more humane and thereby elevates him above the other characters in the comedy.

A silent scene: the inhabitants of a provincial town stand as if struck by thunder, mired in bribes, drunkenness, and gossip. But here comes a cleansing thunderstorm that will wash away the dirt, punish vice and reward virtue. In this scene, Gogol reflected his faith in the justice of the higher authorities, thereby castigating, as Nekrasov put it, “little thieves for the pleasure of big ones.” It must be said that the pathos of the silent scene does not fit with the general spirit of the brilliant comedy.

The comedy "The Inspector General" immediately became one of the most popular dramatic works of that time and was a harbinger of Ostrovsky's dramatic works. Tsar Nicholas 1 said about her this way: “Everyone here got it, and I got it more than anyone else.”

N.V. Gogol's comedy “The Inspector General” is one of the most striking dramatic works of Russian literature of the 19th century. The author continued the traditions of Russian satirical drama, the foundations of which were laid in the famous comedies “The Minor” by D. I. Fonvizin and “Woe from Wit” by A. S. Griboedov. “The Inspector General” is a deeply realistic work showing the world of small and medium-sized provincial officials in Russia in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. When describing this world, N.V. Gogol widely used the literary techniques at his disposal to characterize his characters, doing this in in an entertaining and easily accessible form for the viewer and reader. On the first page we learn that the name of the private bailiff is Ukhovertov, and the name of the county doctor is Gibner. From here the reader gets a fairly complete picture of these characters and the author’s attitude towards them. In addition, the writer gave brief characteristics each of the main characters, which help to better understand the essence of each character. Mayor: “even though he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably”; Anna Andreevna: “raised half on novels and albums, half on chores in her pantry and maid’s room”; Khlestakov: “without a king in his head,” “speaks and acts without any consideration”; Osip: “a servant, such as servants who are several years old usually are”; Lyapkin-Tyapkin: “a person who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat free-thinking”; postmaster: “a simple-minded person to the point of naivety.”

Speech portraits are also given in Khlestakov’s letters to St. Petersburg to his friend Tryapichkin. For example, Strawberry, in Khlestakov’s words, is “a perfect pig in a yarmulke.” The main literary device that Gogol uses in his comic depiction of officials is hyperbole. At first, the plot of the comedy itself is hyperbolic, but as the action develops, starting with Khlestakov’s story about his St. Petersburg life, hyperbole gives way to grotesque. Blinded by fear for their future, officials and clutching at Khlestakov like a straw, the city merchants and ordinary people are not able to appreciate the absurdity of what is happening, and the absurdities are piled on top of each other: here is the non-commissioned officer who “flogged herself”, and Bobchinsky, asking to bring to the attention of the emperor that “Peter Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city,” and much more. The climax and the denouement that follows it come very abruptly. Khlestakov’s letter gives such a simple and even banal explanation for the events that at this moment it looks much more implausible to the Governor than all of Khlestakov’s fantasies.

The mayor, apparently, will have to pay for the sins of his circle as a whole. Of course, he himself is not an angel, nor is the blow so strong that something like an epiphany occurs: “I don’t see anything: I see some pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else...”. “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!” - he throws it in the faces of the officials and into the hall. By endowing the Mayor with sarcasm, Gogol makes him more humane and thereby elevates him above the other characters of the comedy. In a silent scene, the inhabitants of a provincial town stand, as if struck by thunder, mired in bribes, drunkenness, and gossip. But here comes a thunderstorm that will wash away the dirt, punish vice and reward virtue.

In this scene, Gogol reflected his faith in the justice of the higher authorities, thereby castigating, as Nekrasov put it, “little thieves for the pleasure of the big ones.” The pathos of the silent stage somehow does not fit with the general spirit of the comedy. The comedy “The Inspector General” immediately became one of the most popular dramatic works of the time and was a harbinger of Ostrovsky’s plays.

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The comedy “The Inspector General” by N.V. Gogol is one of the most striking dramatic works of Russian literature of the 19th century. The author continued the traditions of Russian satirical drama, the foundations of which were...

The plot of the comedy "The Inspector General", as well as the plot of the immortal poem" Dead Souls", was presented to Gogol by A. S. Pushkin. Gogol had long dreamed of writing a comedy about Russia, making fun of the shortcomings of the bureaucratic...

comedy and in the poem Gogol addressed important social topics. They talk about the life of entire classes - district officials, local nobility. In field...

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Essays on literature: Satirical portrayal of officials in Gogol's comedy The Inspector General

The plot of the comedy "The Inspector General", as well as the plot of the immortal poem "Dead Souls", was presented to Gogol by A.S. Pushkin. Gogol had long dreamed of writing a comedy about Russia, making fun of the shortcomings of the bureaucratic system, which are so well known to everyone

To a Russian person. The work on the comedy so fascinated and captured the writer that in a letter to Pogodin he wrote: “I am obsessed with comedy.”

In The Inspector General, Gogol skillfully combines “truth” and “anger,” that is, realism and bold, merciless criticism of reality. With the help of laughter and merciless satire, Gogol exposes such vices of Russian reality as veneration, corruption, arbitrariness of the authorities, ignorance and bad education. In “Theatrical Travel,” Gogol wrote that in modern drama, action is driven not by love, but by money capital and “electricity.” “Electricity rank” gave rise to the tragicomic situation of universal fear of the false auditor.

The comedy "The Inspector General" presents a whole "corporation of various official thieves and robbers" blissfully existing in the provincial town of N.

When describing the world of bribe takers and embezzlers, Gogol used a number of artistic techniques, which enhance the characteristics of the characters.

Having opened the very first page of the comedy and learned that, for example, the name of the private bailiff is Ukhovertov, and the name of the district doctor is Gibner, we get, in general, a fairly complete picture of these characters and the author’s attitude towards them. In addition, Gogol gave critical characteristics of each of the main characters. These characteristics help to better understand the essence of each character. Mayor: “Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably,” Anna Andreevna: “Raised half on novels and albums, half on the chores in her pantry and maid’s room,” Khlestakov: “Without a king in her head. She speaks and acts without any consideration.” . Osip: “A servant, as servants of several older years usually are,” Lyapkin-Tyapkin: “A man who has read five or six books, and therefore is somewhat free-thinking,” Postmaster: “A man who is simple-minded to the point of naivety.”

Vivid portrait characteristics are also given in Khlestakov’s letters to his friend in St. Petersburg. So, speaking about Strawberry, Khlestakov calls the trustee of charitable institutions “a complete pig in a yarmulke.”

The main literary device used by N.V. Gogol in his comic portrayal of an official is hyperbole. As an example of the use of this technique, the author can name Christian Ivanovich Gibner, who is not even able to communicate with his patients due to complete ignorance of the Russian language, and Ammos Fedorovich and the postmaster, who decided that the arrival of the auditor foreshadows the coming war. At first, the plot of the comedy itself is hyperbolic, but as the action develops, starting with the scene of Khlestakov’s story about his life in St. Petersburg, the hyperbole gives way to the grotesque. Blinded by fear for their future and clutching at Khlestakov like a straw, the city merchants and ordinary people are not able to appreciate the entire absurdity of what is happening, and the absurdities are piled on top of each other: here is the non-commissioned officer who “flogged herself,” and Bobchinsky, asking to be brought to information from His Imperial Majesty that “Peter Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city,” etc.

The climax and the denouement that immediately follows it come sharply and cruelly. Khlestakov’s letter gives such a simple and even banal explanation that at this moment it seems to Gorodnichy, for example, much more implausible than all Khlestakov’s fantasies. A few words should be said about the image of the Mayor. Apparently, he will have to pay for the sins of his circle as a whole. Of course, he himself is not an angel, but the blow is so strong that the Governor has something like an epiphany: “I don’t see anything: I see some pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else...”

Next, Gogol uses a technique that has become so popular in our time: The mayor, breaking the principle of the so-called “fourth wall,” addresses the audience directly: “Why are you laughing? Are you laughing at yourself.” With this remark, Gogol shows that the action of the comedy actually goes far beyond the theater stage and is transferred from the provincial town to vast expanses. It is not without reason that some literary critics saw in this comedy an allegory for the life of the entire country. There is even a legend that Nicholas I, after watching the play, said: “Everyone got it, but I got it most of all!”

After the production, the comedy caused a storm of criticism, since in it Gogol broke all the canons of drama. But the main criticism of the critics was the lack of a positive hero in the comedy. In response to this, Gogol will write in “Theater Travel”: “...I am sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play. This honest, noble face was laughter.”

The comedy by N.V. Gogol The Inspector General is one of the most striking dramatic works of Russian literature of the 19th century. The author continued the traditions of Russian satirical drama, the foundations of which were laid in the famous comedies Minor by D. I. Fonvizin and Woe from Wit by A. S. Griboyedov. The Inspector General is a deeply realistic work showing the world of small and medium-sized provincial officials in Russia in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. When describing this world, N.V. Gogol widely used the literary techniques at his disposal to characterize his characters, doing it in an entertaining and easily accessible form to the viewer and reader. On the very first page we learn that the name of the private bailiff is Ukhovertov, and the name of the district doctor is Gibner. From here the reader gets a fairly complete picture of these characters and the author’s attitude towards them. In addition, the writer gave brief descriptions of each of the main characters, which help to better understand the essence of each character. Mayor: although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably; Anna Andreevna: raised half on novels and albums, half on chores in her pantry and maid's room; Khlestakov: without a king in his head, speaks and acts without any consideration; Osip: a servant, such as servants who are several years old usually are; Lyapkin-Tyapkin: a person who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat freethinking; postmaster: a man who is simple-minded to the point of naivety. Speech portraits are also given in Khlestakov’s letters to St. Petersburg to his friend Tryapichkin. For example, Strawberry, according to Khlestakov, is a perfect pig in a yarmulke. The main literary device that Gogol uses in his comic portrayal of officials is hyperbole. As an example, we can cite Christian Ivanovich Gibner, who is not even able to communicate with his patients due to complete ignorance of the Russian language, and Ammos Fedorovich and the postmaster, who decided that the arrival of the auditor foreshadows the coming war. At first, the plot of the comedy itself is hyperbolic, but as the action develops, starting with Khlestakov’s story about his life in St. Petersburg, the hyperbole gives way to the grotesque. Blinded by fear for their future, officials and clutching at Khlestakov like a straw, the city merchants and ordinary people are not able to appreciate the entire absurdity of what is happening, and the absurdities are piled on top of each other: here is the non-commissioned officer who flogged herself, and Bobchinsky, asking to bring to the information of the emperor that Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky lives in such and such a city, and much more. The climax and the denouement that follows it come very abruptly. Khlestakov’s letter gives such a simple and even banal explanation for the events that at this moment it looks much more implausible to the Governor than all of Khlestakov’s fantasies. The mayor, apparently, will have to pay for the sins of his circle as a whole. Of course, he himself is not an angel, nor is the blow so strong that something like an epiphany occurs: I don’t see anything: I see some pig snouts instead of faces, but nothing else…. Why are you laughing? You're laughing at yourself! he throws it in the faces of the officials and into the hall. By endowing the Governor with sarcasm, Gogol makes him more humane and thereby elevates him above the other characters in the comedy. In a silent scene, the inhabitants of a provincial town, mired in bribes, drunkenness, and gossip, stand as if struck by thunder. But here comes a thunderstorm that will wash away the dirt, punish vice and reward virtue. In this scene, Gogol reflected his faith in the justice of the higher authorities, thereby scourging, as Nekrasov put it, little thieves for the pleasure of the big ones. The pathos of the silent scene somehow does not fit with the general spirit of comedy. The comedy The Inspector General immediately became one of the most popular dramatic works of that time and was a harbinger of Ostrovsky's plays. Emperor Nicholas I said this about her: Everyone here got it, and I got it more than anyone else.

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Gogol's wonderful comedy easily and freely introduces the reader and viewer into the world of a provincial provincial town, remote from the capitals and cultural centers. The measured course of life is disrupted by the “unpleasant news” about the arrival of a secret inspector, which the mayor reports to his entourage at the beginning of the play. Read More......
The plot of the comedy “The Inspector General,” as well as the plot of the immortal poem “Dead Souls,” was presented to Gogol by A. S. Pushkin. Gogol has long dreamed of writing a comedy about Russia, making fun of the shortcomings of the Bureaucratic system, which are so well known to every Russian person. Working on a comedy is Read More......
The plot of the comedy The Inspector General, as well as the plot of the immortal poems Dead souls, was presented to Gogol by A.S. Pushkin. Gogol has long dreamed of writing a comedy about Russia, making fun of the shortcomings of the bureaucratic system, which are so well known to every Russian person. Working on a comedy is so Read More......
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N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” acquired social significance. The author criticized and ridiculed vices and shortcomings Tsarist Russia. Gogol chooses a small provincial town as the setting for the work, from which “even if you ride for three years, you won’t reach any state.” The characters of the play Read More ......
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Portrayal of bureaucracy in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”

Satirical depiction of officials in the works of Gogol. A satirical depiction of bureaucracy in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”

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