The first appointment of an auditor in 1836 was unsuccessful. The stage fate of N.V.’s comedy Gogol "The Inspector General". Anna Andreevna Skvoznik-Dmukhanovskaya

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol - life and work

“I am considered a mystery to everyone; no one can solve me completely.”, - this is what the most modest and, perhaps, the most mysterious classic XIX century. An exposer of social vices, a brilliant satirist, the author of the greatest works of Russian literature, a man whose name the streets and educational institutions, - Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol.

Was born future writer April 1, 1809 in Poltava province. He became the third child in the family - the previous two were born dead. As a child, Gogol lived in the village, and at the age of 12 he entered the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences. He studied poorly, being actively interested only in drawing and Russian literature, but he had an excellent memory, which helped him prepare for exams in just a few days.

Having moved to St. Petersburg in 1828, Nikolai encountered material problems, so I tried myself in different directions: I tried to become an actor, an official, and studied literature. Under a pseudonym he published a romantic idyll “ Hanz Kuchelgarten“, but due to the barrage of criticism that fell on the work, he personally bought the entire edition from stores and burned it.

The influence of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin

Gogol had been reading Pushkin since childhood, and when he arrived in the capital, he managed to meet him personally. “This is real gaiety, sincere ease, without affectation, without stiffness. And in places what poetry!..”, - the poet said about his new comrade, whom they met in 1831. He appreciated Nikolai's talent and offered him some ideas for works.

For example, Alexander Sergeevich sketched out a plan for a comedy about a man mistaken in the provinces for a metropolitan official - this is how “The Inspector General” appeared. And the most famous work Gogol - " Dead souls" - had a similar creation story. As the author later admitted, after presenting the idea of the work, Pushkin said that “This plot of Dead Souls is good for Gogol in that it gives complete freedom to travel all over Russia with the hero and bring out many different characters.”

The mystical component of Gogol's image

As mentioned above, a very large number of secrets, myths and guesses are associated with the name of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. Starting with the story of the writer’s skull “turned over in his coffin”, ending with Bulgakov’s healing of drug addiction through a night visit already dead Gogol- collecting everything existing legends, you can get a thick book.

We most likely will not be able to establish the authenticity of all these legends; moreover, we do not know how exactly he died in 1852 great writer. Exhaustion and loss of strength, lethargic sleep, unintentional poisoning by doctors - and these are just a few versions of the author’s death.

"Inspector"

Gogol decided to “gather everything bad in Russia into one pile” - this is how the comedy turned out, which became a classic of Russian literature - “The Inspector General”. The plot is known to everyone: officials provincial town receive a passer-by young man for an inspector from the capital. The whole plot is built on this, the vices of society and officials are exposed and ridiculed. Critical reviews from Belinsky and Herzen assigned an accusatory, satirical meaning to the comedy.

The composition of “The Inspector General” is circular, with the unity of place, time and action typical for a work of the classicism era. Nevertheless, Gogol allowed himself to deviate from the dogmas of classicism and did not give “speaking” surnames to the main characters.

The character system in The Inspector General is also funny. So Gogol tries to cover all sides as much as possible public life, presenting their heroes in various industries. Power, police, education, healthcare, post office - we get a very broad view of the Russian government.

It is important to understand that the time period of The Inspector General is immediate modernity at the time of writing, that is, the events take place approximately in 1831. Everything we see in comedy is the quintessence human vices that society. Theft, lies, hypocrisy, fear, bribery - everyone got what they deserved.

The most valuable thing about The Inspector General is its relevance, topicality, and contemporary significance. Gogol hit the nail on the head when he pointed out eternal problems and the shortcomings of Russian society and ridiculing those negative qualities that every person can find in himself.

"The Inspector General" on stage

The first production of Gogol's work took place at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. A full hall gathered for the premiere, and representatives of the authorities were also present: the emperor and officials. The performance was a success - Nicholas I laughed and clapped a lot, and leaving the box he said: “Well, a play! Everyone got it, and I got it more than everyone else!”

But despite the emperor’s satisfaction, Gogol was in despair - it seemed to him that there were many shortcomings in the acting, and the audience laughed at the wrong moments where they should have laughed. Nikolai Vasilyevich perceived the release of several critical reviews as persecution, but throughout the 19th century, “The Inspector General” appeared on stage over and over again, becoming main production many theaters for a long time.

In the 20th century, a very important production of The Inspector General was the creation of director Vsevolod Meyerhold. He combined the text of six editions of the play. The appearance of the actors corresponded to their description in the work, so he showed on stage not just images, but “people from life.” The symbolism and realism of the image made the play a “hyperbolic mirror” of the world old Russia.

“Viy”, “Souls”, “Marriage”, “Players”, “May Night”, “Mama”, “The Night Before Christmas” and, of course, “The Inspector General” - are still running in theaters across the country huge amount productions based on Gogol's works.

The writer very highly appreciated the role of theater in the life of society. He believed that theater should educate and teach people. At first it seems that this is the approach of the authors of the times of classicism, when the educational function was assigned to literature and drama. Gogol believed that the play “must be seen with one’s own eyes,” that is, to rethink the classics, making them relevant. They didn’t understand him, or rather, he could only feel what needed to be done, but could not explain. Hence, in particular, the dissatisfaction with the first production of The Inspector General.

Gogol's places

Not very good for mine long life Gogol left his mark in many places. Monuments to him were erected in St. Petersburg, Dnieper, Volgograd, Kyiv, Poltava, and many other cities. Also, a monument to the writer can be seen on Nikitsky Boulevard, in Moscow, in the house where the author spent recent years of your life. In 2008, a three-meter sculpture of the writer was installed in Mirgorod, surrounded by characters from his works.

One of the most famous places in Moscow, named after the playwright - Gogol Center. Reformed by Kirill Serebrennikov Moscow drama theater them. Gogol, the center brings together all the trends of world art, hosts performances by directors from all over the world, and provides the opportunity to attend lectures, discussions, and concerts. “Territory of Freedom” is what its leaders call their creation. The Gogol Center collects a huge theatrical video archive under its roof, holds screenings of films not released in Russian cinemas, and a discussion club provides an opportunity to discuss the most pressing issues in the field of art.

The history of the creation of Gogol's The Inspector General begins in the 1830s. During this period, the author worked on the poem “Dead Souls”, and in the process of describing the exaggerated features of Russian reality, he had the idea to display these features in comedy; “my hand is shaking to write... a comedy.” Previously, Gogol had already made a successful debut in this genre with the play “Marriage,” in which both the comic techniques characteristic of the author and the realistic orientation characteristic of subsequent works had already been outlined. In 1835, he wrote to Pushkin: “Do me a favor, give me a plot, the spirit will be a comedy of five acts and, I swear, it will be funnier than the devil.”

The plot suggested by Pushkin

The story proposed by Pushkin to Gogol as a plot actually happened to the publisher of the magazine “Otechestvennye zapiski” P. P. Svinin in Bessarabia: in one of the district towns he was mistaken for a government official. There was a similar incident with Pushkin himself: he was mistaken for an auditor in Nizhny Novgorod, where he went to collect material about the Pugachev rebellion. In a word, this was the very “purely Russian anecdote” that Gogol needed to realize his plan.

Work on the play took only two months - October and November 1835. In January 1836, the author read out the finished comedy at an evening with V. Zhukovsky in the presence of many famous writers, including Pushkin, who suggested the idea. Almost everyone present was delighted with the play. However, the story of “The Inspector General” was still far from over.

“In The Inspector General, I decided to collect in one pile everything bad in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are being done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and at one time laugh at everything.” - this is how Gogol spoke about his play; This is exactly the purpose he saw for it - merciless ridicule, cleansing satire, a weapon in the fight against the abominations and injustices that reign in society. However, almost no one, even among his fellow writers, saw in “The Inspector General” anything more than a solid, high-quality “situation comedy.” The play was not allowed to be staged immediately and only after V. Zhukovsky personally had to convince the emperor of the comedy’s reliability.

First premiere of "The Inspector General"

The premiere of the play in its first edition took place in 1836 at the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Gogol was disappointed with the production: the actors either did not understand the satirical orientation of the comedy, or were afraid to play in accordance with it; the performance turned out to be too vaudeville, primitively comic. Only I.I. Sosnitsky, who played the role of the Mayor, managed to convey the author's intention and introduce satirical notes into the image. However, performed even in such a form, which was very far from the author’s desire, the comedy caused a stormy and controversial reaction. The “tops” of society, denounced by Gogol, still felt ridicule; the comedy was declared “impossibility, slander and farce”; According to unconfirmed reports, Nicholas I himself, who was present at the premiere, said: “Well, what a play!

Everyone got it, and I got it the most.” Even if these words were not actually spoken, it reflects well how the public perceived Gogol's bold creation.

And yet, the autocrat liked the play: the risky comedy was allowed for further productions. Taking into account his own observations of the game, as well as the comments of the actors, the author repeatedly made edits to the text; The creation of the play “The Inspector General” by Gogol in its final version continued for many years after the first production. The latest edition of the play dates back to 1842 - this is the version that is known to the modern reader.

Author's commentary on the comedy

The long and difficult history of the creation of the comedy “The Inspector General” is inseparable from Gogol’s numerous articles and comments on his play. The misunderstanding of the idea by the public and the actors forced him to write again and again in attempts to clarify his idea: in 1842, after staging the comedy in its final version, he published “A warning for those who would like to play “The Inspector General” properly,” then “Theater Road Trip.” after the presentation of the new comedy,” later, in 1856, “The denouement of The Inspector General.”

Conclusion

As we can see, the history of the creation of the play “The Inspector General” indicates that writing this work was not so easy for the author, taking away a lot of both his strength and time. And, nevertheless, comedy found its connoisseurs among enlightened and thinking people. The Inspector General received very high marks from many leading critics; Thus, V. Belinsky writes in his article: “In The Inspector General there are no better scenes, because there are no worse ones, but all are excellent, as necessary parts that artistically form a single whole...”. Many other representatives of enlightened society shared a similar opinion, despite the flow of criticism against the comedy and the author himself. Today, the play “The Inspector General” occupies a well-deserved place among the masterpieces of Russian classical literature and is a brilliant example of social satire.

Work test

It is traditionally believed that the plot of “The Inspector General” Nikolai Gogol suggested it myself Alexander Pushkin: he told the young writer an anecdote about a passing gentleman who posed as a ministry official and robbed all the city residents.

In the 19th century, the story about the pseudo-auditor sounded very plausible, and Gogol wanted to turn it into the real thing. work of art. He spoke about his idea like this: “In The Inspector General, I decided to collect in one pile everything bad in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and laugh at everything at once.”

Gogol wrote “The Inspector General” in just a couple of months and in January 1836 he was already reading his first drafts to famous writers, among whom gathered Pushkin, Zhukovsky, Vyazemsky, Turgenev. They laughed until they cried. However, among the critics that evening there were those who were unable or unwilling to see anything funny in Gogol’s comedy.

Serious patron

Many of Gogol's contemporaries were surprised that The Inspector General was allowed to theatrical production, because in conditions of a strict censorship regime Nicholas I Not all plays received such an honor (for example, the less provocative “Woe from Wit” Alexandra Griboedova At first it was generally banned not only from production, but also from publication). Before the work entered the theater, it was carefully studied by the censorship committee, and then the emperor personally became acquainted with the text.

Gogol's accusatory comedy ended up on stage thanks to the efforts of Zhukovsky, who wanted to help the talented author. An honorary member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, he was a member of the royal family and knew the literary taste of Nicholas I very well. He personally made sure that the play was read to the emperor by role, and convinced him that “there is nothing unreliable in comedy, that it is only a cheerful mockery of bad people.” provincial officials."

At that time, Nicholas I did not understand the true meaning of the play, which ridicules the entire administrative and bureaucratic system Tsarist Russia, and gave the go-ahead for production.

Bombshell effect

On March 13, “The Inspector General” was allowed to be published. And already on April 19, 1836 (May 1, new style), the whole of St. Petersburg watched it on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater. The premiere was attended by a full auditorium, and thanks to The Inspector General, the theater that day earned a considerable sum for that time - 4,220 rubles. The Emperor himself came to watch the comedy.

Ivan Sosnitsky is the first performer of the role of the mayor in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” (since 1836). Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

As many predicted, “The Inspector General” had the effect of a bomb exploding: the audience was divided into two camps. Some admired the moral and political meaning of the comedy, while others considered the play to be slander against officials and merchants working for the good of the country. But the fate of the work, and the author himself, was decided by the emperor, who, unexpectedly for many, was pleased. Coming out of the box, he said: “What a play! Everyone got it, and I got it most of all!”

On the margins of the original poster, the inspector of the Alexandrinsky Theater troupe wrote on the day of the premiere: “The Inspector General for the first time.” An original comedy in five acts written by N.V. Gogol. The Emperor and his heir suddenly deigned to be present and were extremely pleased, laughing with all their hearts. The play is very funny, just an intolerable curse on the nobles, officials and merchants. All the actors, especially Sosnitsky, played excellently." And contemporaries recalled: “The comedy was a huge success on stage”; “The Inspector General was a success on stage: the general attention of the audience, applause, heartfelt and unanimous laughter, the challenge of the author... - there was no lack of anything.”
However, the author himself was dissatisfied with the production.

Misunderstood genius

“The Inspector General was played - and my soul was so vague, so strange... my creation seemed disgusting to me, wild and as if not mine,” Gogol wrote soon after the premiere. And many years later he recalled: “The performance of The Inspector General made a painful impression on me. I was angry with the audience for not understanding me, and with myself, who was to blame for not understanding me. I wanted to get away from everything."

For the unsuccessful production, Gogol blamed not only himself and the audience, but also the actors. Most of all, he was dissatisfied with the performer of the role of the main character: “Dur didn’t understand one bit what Khlestakov was. Khlestakov became something like... a whole line of vaudeville rascals..."

Gogol's own drawing for the last scene of The Inspector General. 1836

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol saw in the theater a huge educational, transformative force capable of uniting thousands of people and making them “suddenly shake with one shock, burst into tears and laugh with one universal laughter.” Theater for him was a school of goodness. The playwright understood that the essence of the psychology of theater lies in this common experience. And if the author neglects this law, he faces the indifference of the audience. But if he can use all his spiritual and creative powers to create images that excite everyone, he will gain enormous power over the theater audience. Therefore, when Gogol comes into Russian culture in the 1830s, he immediately becomes central figure artistic life XIX century. With his dramaturgy, new connections between the author and the viewer-reader are born, an aesthetic shift occurs, both in the perception of art and in the perception of life as its source.

Neither the theater, nor the public, nor criticism as a whole immediately understood the innovative poetics of the playwright. In the theater of that time, people were accustomed to feeling and worrying about the characters. historical dramas, follow the deft development of a frivolous vaudeville plot, sympathize with the characters of a tearful melodrama, be carried away into the worlds of dreams and fantasies, but do not reflect, do not compare, do not think. Gogol, presenting the requirement for the performance to be based on important social conflicts, to truthfully and deeply reveal the phenomena of life, saturating his works with pain for a person, expected from the viewer involuntary, unexpected laughter generated by the “dazzling brilliance of the mind” and turning to oneself, recognizing oneself in these “heroless” characters. He spoke a different aesthetic language.

The theater of the first half of the 19th century showed a bright, passionate world, full of exploits and incredible events. Gogol introduces to the theater real life, explodes the calm, conflict-free consciousness of the audience. The playwright updates the nature of the conflict: he replaces the dominant love conflict with a social one. And since falsehood, vulgarity, ignorance, bribery, and crude morals are widespread everywhere, even a virtuous person lives with a dead, empty soul, the world of Gogol’s comedies is deprived of a positive hero and turns out to be a world of homogeneous evil or mediocrity. Only laughter remains the only honest and at the same time punishing face. Gogol's laughter directed at ourselves, at each of us, cleansing and enlightening laughter, laughter through tears. The viewer, according to Gogol’s plan, had to find the traits of Khlestakov or Chichikov in himself, courageously resist spiritual darkness, and lead himself to the Christian ideal.

Gogol sees the meaning of art in serving one’s land, in cleansing from “filth,” and the way to improve society is in the moral self-improvement of the individual: in a demanding attitude towards oneself, in the responsibility of everyone for their behavior in the world.

The theater contemporary to Gogol had not yet set itself such tasks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first productions of The Inspector General caused a lot of controversy and mixed responses. The theater did not yet know such drama and did not understand how to play it. The actors, using the techniques of stage existence in vaudeville, tried to make the audience laugh with caricatured grimaces or antics. At the same time, the performances were staged seriously, and wonderful actors were involved in them.

The play premiered in 1836, first at the St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky Theater, then at the Moscow Maly Theater.

The reaction in St. Petersburg to The Inspector General was very different. But at the same time, it caused bewilderment among most viewers.

Gogol himself was very dissatisfied with the production, despite his personal participation in the work on the play. He was afraid that the actors would begin to play in a caricatured, exaggerated way. The author was also concerned about the lack of costume rehearsals. So, the playwright wanted to see Shchepkin and Ryazansky in the roles of Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, neat, plump, with decently smoothed hair. At the premiere, the actors appeared on stage with tousled hair, huge shirtfronts pulled out, awkward and unkempt. Actor N.O. Dur presented Khlestakov as a traditional rogue, a vaudeville rogue. Only the mayor performed by I.I. Gogol liked Sosnitsky. Gogol was also upset by the “silent scene”. He wanted the numb facial expressions of the petrified group to hold the audience's attention for two or three minutes until the curtain closed. But the theater did not allow this time for the “silent stage”.

But main reason Gogol's dissatisfaction lay not even in the farcical nature of the performance, but in the fact that, with the caricatured manner of acting, those sitting in the hall perceived what was happening on stage without applying it to themselves, since the characters were exaggeratedly funny. Meanwhile, Gogol’s plan was designed for precisely the opposite perception: to involve the viewer in the performance, to make them feel that the city depicted in the comedy does not exist somewhere far away, but to one degree or another in any place in Russia. Gogol addresses everyone: “Why are you laughing? You’re laughing at yourself!”

In Moscow, the first performance was given to an aristocratic audience, which “The Inspector General” “did not occupy, did not touch, only made them laugh a little.” Despite this, the performance continued to be staged. In Moscow they did not emphasize the vaudeville and farcical aspects - the theater brought its ideological and accusatory content to the fore.

Already the first performances gave two directions in the interpretation of comedy, which we still encounter today: farcical and socially accusatory.

It is necessary to note the traditions of reading one of the leading roles born at the same time - the role of the mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky performed by Ivan Ivanovich Sosnitsky and Mikhail Semenovich Shchepkin. Sosnitsky emphasized more that the playwright spoke about the good looks, poise, and external decency of his hero (“although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably”); Shchepkin - what concerned his natural rudeness, the sharp transition “from fear to joy, from baseness to arrogance.” All their successors only had to choose which of the two images to follow. For example, Muscovite Ivan Vasilyevich Samarin, according to a contemporary, “adhered to the Shchepkin tradition.” An example of interaction is the interpretation of the role of the Mayor by Vladimir Nikolaevich Davydov.

In the first years of the revolution, according to theater historians, “Marriage” and “The Government Inspector” were the most repertoire plays and ranked first in terms of the number of productions and the number of spectators.

In 1920, “The Inspector General” was revived on the stage of the State academic theater dramas (formerly Alexandrinsky). This performance, still largely burdened with cliches, is remarkable in that the famous Russian actor V.N. took part in it. Davydov (mayor) and Kondrat Yakovlev (Osip).

Significant event in life Soviet theater, which largely determined the modern interpretation of the classics, was new production"The Inspector General" on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater(premiere October 8, 1921).

The old theater did not have the means to reveal Gogol’s generalization of “The Inspector General” as “a picture and mirror of our social life,” generalized in the form high comedy. It first appeared at Meyerhold's theater, in the form of a large performance and a powerful stage poem.

Meyerhold's production of The Inspector General caused a lot of accusations of mockery of the classics. The director edited the text from all six editions of the play, added excerpts from Sobachkin, Kochkarev,

"Dead Souls" and "Players".

Meyerhold's "The Inspector General" was created as big performance with monumental architecture. With this performance he asserts the independence of performing arts as a creative theater.

The director set himself the artistic task of showing the world of old Russia as a cabinet of curiosities, as a distorting mirror in which its ugliest moments are exaggeratedly reflected. That is why extreme symbolism and realistic depiction were so logically combined in the performance. The atmosphere of the performance had to be scary and funny, so that the audience would laugh at the characters, but would never want them to return to the world of the living. The spatial design of the stage, the lighting, the plasticity of the actors - everything is done so that the depicted world seems surreal, alien, and at the same time “disgracefully alive.”

The performance was full of rich details and at the same time amazed with the clarity and simplicity of the main compositional techniques. So, for example, all the scenes with officials, which are based on a choral principle, are performed on a darkened stage, by candlelight, reflected in the mahogany varnished rear partition with 15 doors. All female scenes are designed for bright light spotlight, with clearly defined details exposing the unbridled impulse towards the “flowers of pleasure” that owns the hearts of the selfish ladies and young ladies of the official’s decayed family.

The gradual increase in the dynamics of the performance leads to a grandiose ending - to the “silent stage”. In this final part, Meyerhold completely captured the attention of the viewer and forced him to perceive the “silent scene”, which always and in all theaters remained unperformed to the end. Meyerhold finds a brilliant solution: in the last mise-en-scène the characters were replaced by double mannequins. The dolls form a “petrified group” - an ironic embodiment of Nicholas Rus', with its Derzhimords and “pig snouts” of bureaucracy and bureaucracy. And this task was solved by Meyerhold monumentally, with a powerful scope of poetic imagination and confident means that transform the idea into a real artistic creation.

Its significance in our theatrical life is enormous and exceptional, because Meyerhold’s “The Inspector General” is a signal to raise the level of Soviet theatrical arts, experiencing a dangerous and deep crisis in the first quarter of the 20th century. It opens up a discussion about the importance of theatrical skill in the formation of the young Soviet state.

Thus, each era saw in “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol's reflection. How brave were you? theater people, the performance turned out to be so truthful: from the vaudeville-farcical St. Petersburg performance, through the bold Shchepkin production of the Maly Theater, the everyday Moscow Art Theater, the socially acute readings of the 1917-20s, to the hyperbolic mirror of V. Meyerhold.

References

1. A. B. V. (Nadezhdin? N.I. (?)) Theater chronicle // N.V. Gogol in Russian criticism: Collection. Art. M.: State. published artist lit., 1953. pp. 316 – 322.

2. Gogol, N.V. About the theater, about the one-sided view of the theater and about one-sidedness in general: (Letter to gr. A.P. T.....mu) // Gogol N.V. Complete collection works: [In 14 volumes] / USSR Academy of Sciences. Institute rus. lit. (Pushkin. House). [M.; L.]: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1937-1952.T. 8. Articles. 1952. pp. 267 – 277.

3. Zagorsky, M.B. Gogol and theater / Compiler and author of comments M. B. Zagorsky; general edition N. L. Stepanova. M.: Art, 1952. 568 p.

4. Mann, Yu.V. Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky in two faces // Gogol’s works: meaning and form. St. Petersburg: Publishing House of St. Petersburg University, 2007. pp. 579 – 586.

5. Slonimsky, A.L. A new interpretation of “The Inspector General” // “The Inspector General” at the Vs. Meyerhold: Collection of articles by A.A. Gvozdeva, E.I. Kaplan, Y.A. Nazarenko, A.L. Slonimsky, V.N. Solovyova / Edition prepared by E.A. Kukhta and N.V. Pesochinsky, rep. ed. N.A. Tarshis. [Reprint of 1927.] St. Petersburg, 2002. P. 7 – 20.

Gogol began work on the play in the fall. It is traditionally believed that the plot was suggested to him by A.S. Pushkin. This is confirmed by the memoirs of the Russian writer V. A. Sollogub: “Pushkin met Gogol and told him about an incident that happened in the city of Ustyuzhna, Novgorod province - about some passing gentleman who pretended to be a ministry official and robbed all the city residents.”

There is also an assumption that it goes back to the stories about P. P. Svinin’s business trip to Bessarabia in.

It is known that while working on the play, Gogol repeatedly wrote to A.S. Pushkin about the progress of its writing, sometimes wanting to abandon it, but Pushkin persistently asked him not to stop working on “The Inspector General.”

Characters

Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, mayor.
Anna Andreevna, his wife.
Marya Antonovna, his daughter.
Luka Lukich Khlopov, superintendent of schools.
Wife his.
Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin, judge.
Artemy Filippovich Strawberry, trustee of charitable institutions.
Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, postmaster.
Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky, Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky- city landowners.
Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, an official from St. Petersburg.
Osip, his servant.
Christian Ivanovich Gibner, district doctor.
Fedor Ivanovich Lyulyukov, Ivan Lazarevich Rastakovsky, Stepan Ivanovich Korobkin- retired officials, honorary persons in the city.
Stepan Ilyich Ukhovertov, private bailiff.
Svistunov, Pugovitsyn, Derzhimorda- police officers.
Abdulin, merchant.
Fevronya Petrovna Poshlepkina, locksmith.
Non-commissioned officer's wife.
Teddy bear, servant of the mayor.
Servant tavern
Guests, merchants, townspeople, petitioners

Plot

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, a young man with no specific occupation, who has risen to the rank of collegiate registrar, follows from St. Petersburg to Saratov, with his servant Osip. He finds himself passing through a small county town. Khlestakov lost at cards and was left without money.

Just at this time, the entire city government, mired in bribes and embezzlement, starting with the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, is waiting in fear for the arrival of the auditor from St. Petersburg. City landowners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, having accidentally learned about the appearance of the defaulter Khlestakov at the hotel, report to the mayor about his arrival incognito from St. Petersburg to the city.

A commotion begins. All officials and officials fussily rush to cover up their sins, but Anton Antonovich quickly comes to his senses and understands that he himself needs to bow to the auditor. Meanwhile, Khlestakov, hungry and unsettled, in the cheapest hotel room, ponders where to get food.

The appearance of the mayor in Khlestakov’s room is an unpleasant surprise for him. At first, he thinks that the hotel owner denounced him as an insolvent guest. The mayor himself is openly timid, believing that he is talking to an important metropolitan official who has arrived on a secret mission. The mayor, thinking that Khlestakov is an auditor, offers him bribe. Khlestakov, thinking that the mayor is a kind-hearted and decent citizen, accepts from him on loan. “I ended up giving him two hundred and four hundred instead,” the mayor rejoices. Nevertheless, he decides to pretend to be a fool in order to extract more information about Khlestakov. “He wants to be considered incognito,” the mayor thinks to himself. - “Okay, let’s let us Turuses in and pretend that we don’t know what kind of person he is.” But Khlestakov, with his characteristic naivety, behaves so directly that the mayor is left with nothing, without losing the conviction, however, that Khlestakov is a “subtle little thing” and “you need to be careful with him.” Then the mayor comes up with a plan to get Khlestakov drunk, and he offers to inspect the charitable institutions of the city. Khlestakov agrees.

Then the action continues in the mayor's house. A fairly tipsy Khlestakov, seeing the ladies - Anna Andreevna and Marya Antonovna - decides to “show off.” Showing off in front of them, he tells tales about his important position in St. Petersburg, and, what is most interesting, he himself believes in them. He ascribes to himself literary and musical works, which, due to the “extraordinary ease of thought,” supposedly “wrote in one evening, it seems, amazed everyone.” And he’s not even embarrassed when Marya Antonovna practically catches him in a lie. But soon the tongue refuses to serve the rather tipsy capital guest, and Khlestakov, with the help of the mayor, goes to “rest.”

The next day he remembers nothing, and wakes up not as a “field marshal”, but as a college registrar. Meanwhile, city officials “on a military footing” line up to give a bribe to Khlestakov, and he, thinking that he is borrowing, accepts money from everyone, including Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, who, it would seem, have no need to bribe the auditor. And he even begs for money, citing a “strange incident” that “I completely spent money on the road.” Having sent the last guest away, he manages to look after Anton Antonovich’s wife and daughter. And, although they have known each other for only one day, he asks for the hand of the mayor’s daughter and receives the consent of his parents. Next, petitioners break through to Khlestakov, who “attack the mayor” and want to pay him in kind (wine and sugar). Only then does Khlestakov realize that he was given bribes, and he flatly refuses, but if he had been offered a loan, he would have taken it. However, Khlestakov’s servant Osip, being much smarter than his master, understands that both kind and money are still bribes, and takes everything from the merchants, citing the fact that “even a rope will come in handy on the road.” Osip strongly recommends that Khlestakov quickly get out of the city before the deception is revealed. Khlestakov leaves, finally sending his friend a letter from the local post office.

The mayor and his entourage take a breath of relief. First of all, he decides to “give some pepper” to the merchants who went to complain about him to Khlestakov. He swaggers over them and calls them names last words, but as soon as the merchants promised a rich treat for the engagement (and later for the wedding) of Marya Antonovna and Khlestakov, the mayor forgave them all.

The mayor collects full house guests to publicly announce Khlestakov’s engagement to Marya Antonovna. Anna Andreevna, convinced that she has become related to the big capital authorities, is completely delighted. But then the unexpected happens. The postmaster of the local branch (at the request of the mayor) opened Khlestakov’s letter and it is clear from it that incognito he turned out to be a swindler and a thief. The deceived mayor has not yet had time to recover from such a blow when the next news arrives. An official from St. Petersburg staying at the hotel demands him to come to him. It all ends with a silent scene...

Productions

"The Inspector General" was first staged on the stage of the St. Petersburg Alexandrinsky Theater on April 19, 1836. The first performance of "The Inspector General" in Moscow took place on May 25, 1836 on the stage of the Maly Theater.

Nicholas I himself was present at the St. Petersburg premiere. The Emperor really liked the production; moreover, according to critics, the positive perception of the crowned special risky comedy subsequently had a beneficial effect on the censorship fate of Gogol’s work. Gogol's comedy was initially banned, but after an appeal it received the highest permission to be staged on the Russian stage.

Gogol was disappointed by public opinion and the unsuccessful St. Petersburg production of the comedy and refused to take part in the preparation of the Moscow premiere. At the Maly Theater, the leading actors of the troupe were invited to stage “The Inspector General”: Shchepkin (mayor), Lensky (Khlestakov), Orlov (Osip), Potanchikov (postmaster). Despite the absence of the author and the complete indifference of the theater management to the premiere production, the performance was a huge success.

The comedy “The Inspector General” did not leave the stages of Russian theaters both during the USSR and in modern history is one of the most popular productions and enjoys success with the audience.

Notable productions

Film adaptations

“The Inspector General” - director Vladimir Petrov
“Incognito from St. Petersburg” - director Leonid Gaidai
“The Inspector General (film-play)” - director Valentin Pluchek
“The Inspector General” - director Sergei Gazarov

Artistic Features

Before Gogol, in the tradition of Russian literature, in those works that could be called the forerunner of Russian satire of the 19th century (for example, Fonvizin’s “The Minor”), it was typical to depict both negative and goodies. In the comedy “The Inspector General” there are actually no positive characters. They are not even outside the scene and outside the plot.

The relief depiction of the image of city officials and, above all, the mayor, complements the satirical meaning of the comedy. The tradition of bribery and deception of an official is completely natural and inevitable. Both the lower classes and the top of the city's bureaucratic class cannot imagine any other outcome other than bribing the auditor with a bribe. A nameless district town becomes a generalization of all of Russia, which, under the threat of revision, reveals the true side of the character of the main characters.

Critics also noted the peculiarities of Khlestakov’s image. An upstart and a dummy, the young man easily deceives the highly experienced mayor. The famous writer Merezhkovsky traced the mystical origins in comedy. The auditor, like an otherworldly figure, comes for the mayor’s soul, repaying for sins. " Main strength the devil is the ability to appear to be something other than what he is,” this explains Khlestakov’s ability to mislead about his true origin.

Cultural influence

Comedy had a significant influence on Russian literature in general and drama in particular. Gogol's contemporaries noted her innovative style, depth of generalization and prominence of images. Gogol's work was immediately admired by Pushkin, Belinsky, Annenkov, Herzen, and Shchepkin after its first readings and publications.

Some of us also saw “The Inspector General” on stage then. Everyone was delighted, like all the young people of that time. We repeated by heart […] whole scenes, long conversations from there. At home or at a party, we often had to enter into heated debates with various elderly (and sometimes, to shame, not even elderly) people who were indignant at the new idol of youth and assured that Gogol had no nature, that these were all his own inventions and caricatures that there are no such people in the world at all, and if there are, then there are much fewer of them in the whole city than here in one comedy. The fights were hot, prolonged, to the point of sweat on the face and palms, to sparkling eyes and dull hatred or contempt, but the old men could not change a single feature in us, and our fanatical adoration of Gogol only grew more and more.

The first classical critical analysis of The Inspector General was written by Vissarion Belinsky and was published in 1840. The critic noted the continuity of Gogol’s satire taking its toll creativity in the works of Fonvizin and Moliere. Mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky and Khlestakov are not carriers of abstract vices, but the living embodiment of moral decay Russian society generally.

In The Inspector General there are no better scenes, because there are no worse ones, but all are excellent, as necessary parts, artistically forming a single whole, rounded out by internal content, and not by external form, and therefore representing a special and closed world in itself.

Gogol himself spoke about his work like this:

In “The Inspector General,” I decided to put together all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are being done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and at one time laugh at everything.”

Phrases from the comedy became catchphrases, and the names of the characters became common nouns in the Russian language.

The comedy The Inspector General was part of the literary school curriculum even during the times of the USSR and to this day remains key work Russian classical literature of the 19th century century, compulsory for study in school.

Notes

Works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol
Poems	Hanz Kuchelgarten · Dead souls
Stories and stories	« Evenings on a farm near Dikanka » (Sorochinskaya fair · The evening before Ivan Kupala · May Night, or the Drowned Woman · Missing certificate · Christmas Eve · Terrible revenge · Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his aunt · Enchanted place) · « Mirgorod "(Old world landowners · Taras Bulba · Viy · The story of how Ivan Ivanovich quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich) · « Petersburg stories » (Nevsky Prospekt · Nose · Portrait · Overcoat · Notes of a Madman) · Stroller
Dramaturgy	Marriage · Auditor · Players · Morning of a business man · Litigation · Lakeyskaya · Excerpt · Theater tour after the presentation of a new comedy
Journalism	Woman · "Boris Godunov", poem by Pushkin · About Kozlov's poetry · Sculpture, painting and music · About the Middle Ages · About teaching general history · A look at the composition of Little Russia · A few words about Pushkin · About the architecture of the present time · Al-Mamun · Life · Schlozer, Miller and Herder · About Little Russian songs · Thoughts on Geography · Last day of Pompeii · On the movement of peoples at the end of the 5th century · On the movement of magazine literature in 1834 and 1835 · Petersburg Notes of 1836 · Reviews from Sovremennik · Reviews not included in the “contemporary” · Review for “Moskvityanin” (Morning Dawn) · About Sovremennik · Selected places from correspondence with friends · About estates in the state · Author's confession · Reflections on the Divine Liturgy
Unpreserved and excerpts	Vladimir third degree · Rome · Nights at the villa · Alfred · Getman · “The Scary Boar” (Little Russian story) · Excerpts from unknown plays · Outline of a drama from Ukrainian history ·