In the proposed chapter-by-chapter version, the text is presented in a very in detail, if you were looking for more compact content, see below:
Dead souls - a very brief summary.
We all know that the work DEAD SOULS consists of two volumes, or rather, it should have consisted of volume 2 Gogol burned in the oven, and therefore the story remained incomplete.
The action of the poem “Dead Souls” takes place in a small town, which the author calls NN. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov comes to the city. He wants to purchase the dead souls of serfs from local landowners. With his appearance, Chichikov disrupts the regularity of local life.
VOLUME 1
Chapter 1
Chichikov checks into a hotel. During lunch, Chichikov finds out from the innkeeper who the most influential officials and landowners in the city are. At a reception with the governor, he personally meets many of them. Landowners Sobakevich and Manilov invite Chichikov to visit. Chichikov also pays a visit to the vice-governor, the prosecutor, and the tax farmer. Chichikov is gaining a positive reputation in the city.
Chapter 2
Chichikov decided to pay a visit to Manilov, who lives outside the city. The village of Manilov was a boring sight. Manilov himself was a little strange - most often he was in his dreams. In conversation he was sickly pleasant. Manilov was surprised by Chichikov's offer to sell him the souls of dead peasants. They decided to make a deal at their next meeting in the city. Chichikov left, and Manilov for a long time I was perplexed by the guest’s strange proposal.
Chapter 3
Chichikov goes to the landowner Sobakevich. On the way the weather turned bad. Chichikov lost his way and decided to spend the night in a nearby estate. As it turned out, the house belonged to the landowner Korobochka, a businesslike housewife. Korobochka received Chichikov’s request to sell dead souls with surprise, but then became inspired and began to bargain with the main character. The deal was completed. Chichikov continued on his way.
Chapter 4
Chichikov decided to stop by the tavern. Here he met the landowner Nozdryov. Nozdryov was a gambler, he played dishonestly and therefore often took part in fights. Nozdryov did not appreciate Chichikov’s request to sell dead souls. The landowner suggested it would be better to play checkers for the dead souls. The game almost ended in a fight. Chichikov escaped.
Chapter 5
Chichikov came to Sobakevich. He was a large and solid man. The landowner took the offer to sell dead souls very seriously and bargained. We decided to finalize the deal when we met in the city.
Chapter 6
Chichikov goes to the village to visit the landowner Plyushkin. Both the village and Plyushkin’s estate looked poor, but not because Plyushkin was poor, but because of his stinginess.
Plyushkin sold his dead souls with joy, considering Chichikov a fool. Chichikov hurried back to the hotel.
Chapter 7-8
The next day, Chichikov formalized transactions for the purchase of dead souls with Sobakevich and Plyushkin. News of the strange transactions spread throughout the city. Everyone was surprised at his wealth, not knowing what souls he was actually buying. Chichikov became a welcome guest at all local receptions. However, the secret was soon revealed by Nozdryov.
Chapter 9
Korobochka, having arrived in the city, also confirmed that Chichikov was not buying peasants, but dead souls.
New rumors began to spread throughout the city that Chichikov did not want to kidnap the governor’s daughter. He was forbidden to appear on the threshold of the governor's house. None of the residents knew who Chichikov was. To clarify this issue, it was decided to meet with the police chief.
Chapter 10-11
The issue remained unresolved. Everyone began to avoid Chichikov and suspect him of making counterfeit money etc.
VOLUME 2
Chichikov visits the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tententikov. Then, on the way to a certain general, he ends up visiting Colonel Koshkarev, and then Khlobuev. Chichikov's misdeeds and forgeries become known, and he ends up in prison. A certain Murazov advises the Governor General to let Chichikov go, and this is where the story ends. (Gogol burned the second volume in the stove)
Chapter first
The action takes place in the provincial town of NN, where collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives. He is a middle-aged man of average build and good appearance. His servants arrived with him - the footman Petrushka and the coachman Selifan. The time of the events described is several years after the War of 1812.
Chichikov checks into a hotel, has lunch at a tavern and interviews a servant there about the surrounding landowners. He is also interested in whether there was some kind of epidemic in these places, from which many people died. Chichikov's goal is to buy dead peasant souls.
The next day the official pays visits to important persons. At the governor's party, he meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, who invite Chichikov to their estates. And at the police chief, Pavel Ivanovich makes acquaintance with another landowner - Nozdryov. The city society is delighted with Chichikov.
Chapter two
Pavel Ivanovich, accompanied by Petrushka and Selifan, leaves the city to visit Manilov and Sobakevich. The first on his way is the village of Manilovka, the owner of which greets Chichikov with great joy.
Gogol characterizes Manilov as a characterless person - “neither this nor that,” and in communication also “sugary.” Manilov constantly talks about his unrealizable and unnecessary ideas. He is a bad owner, just like his wife. No one here takes care of either the house or the fields. Servants without the master's eye steal, idle and get drunk.
After dinner, Chichikov explains to Manilov the reason for his arrival: he wants to buy peasants who are still listed as alive, but have already died. The owner does not understand why the guest needs this. But, wanting to do something nice, he agrees. To register the deed of sale, they agree to meet in the city. After Chichikov's departure, Manilov remains perplexed for a long time.
Chapter Three
On the way to Sobakevich, the hero gets caught in a rainstorm and gets lost on the road. The seeker of dead souls is forced to spend the night in the first place he comes across, which turns out to be the estate of the landowner Korobochka.
In the morning, Chichikov examines the estate and notes the thoroughness and thriftiness in everything. The elderly widow Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka was a slow-witted woman and completely impossible to talk to. Only after long explanations does Chichikov manage to buy dead souls from the landowner. True, I had to promise to buy lard and feathers from Korobochka in return. Nastasya Petrovna doubts for a long time: did she sell herself short in this deal?
Chapter Four
Chichikov stops by at a tavern, where he meets Nozdryov, and then accepts the landowner’s invitation to visit his village. Nozdryov, according to Gogol, was a historical man because he constantly found himself in various stories. He is an incorrigible talker, a liar, a gossip, a carouser, a reckless driver and a braggart. Nozdryov loves cards and other gambling games. At the table he constantly cheats and is often beaten for it, but remains on friendly terms with everyone.
Chichikov expresses to Nozdryov his request for dead souls. The owner does not want to sell the peasants, but offers to play cards or exchange them. Having quarreled with Nozdryov, Pavel Ivanovich goes to bed. But in the morning the owner again offers to play for dead souls, now in checkers. During the game, Nozdryov openly cheats. A scandal breaks out and turns into a fight. Suddenly the police captain appears with a message about a lawsuit against Nozdryov. His visit saves Chichikov from beatings. Without stopping for a minute, Pavel Ivanovich rushes out and orders the coachman to drive at full speed.
Chapter Five
On the way, Chichikov's chaise collides with a carriage in which an elderly lady and a lovely girl are traveling. All the way to Sobakevich's estate, Pavel Ivanovich indulges in dreams of a beautiful stranger.
Sobakevich is a thorough owner. He himself is large and clumsy like a bear, he surrounds himself with the same strong and durable things. Pavel Ivanovich sets out his case, Sobakevich bargains desperately, but in the end the deal is concluded. The parties agree to arrange everything in the city. In a conversation with Sobakevich, Chichikov learns about the landowner Plyushkin, whose serfs are “dying like flies.” Pavel Ivanovich goes with his proposal to the new owner.
Chapter Six
The village of Plyushkina evokes a depressing impression: desolation and ruin reign everywhere. In the courtyard of a completely decrepit manor house, Chichikov meets a strange creature of unknown gender. Pavel Ivanovich at first mistakes him for the housekeeper, but it turns out that this is the owner of the house - Plyushkin. Chichikov is shocked by the old man's beggarly appearance. Having a huge estate, colossal reserves of provisions and various goods, Plyushkin walks around the village every day and collects various little things: strings, feathers, etc. He puts all this in his room.
Chichikov easily bargained with the miser for 120 dead souls and another 70 fugitives. Having refused the treat, which has long since turned into something fossilized, happy Pavel Ivanovich returns to the hotel.
Chapter Seven
The next day, as agreed, the hero meets with Sobakevich and Manilov to finalize the deal. They also concluded a deed of sale for the peasants of Plyushkin. They began to celebrate the deal and make a lot of toasts. Don't forget to drink for future wife newly minted landowner. Chichikov shared his plans to take the purchased peasants to the Kherson province.
Chapter Eight
The rumor about Chichikov's purchases quickly spreads throughout the city, everyone calls the hero a “millionaire.” A big stir begins among the ladies. Pavel Ivanovich even receives an anonymous love letter, and also an invitation to the governor’s ball.
Chichikov is in a great mood. At the ball he is surrounded by ladies, among whom Pavel Ivanovich is trying to guess the one who sent the letter. It turns out that the young lady who captivated his imagination is the daughter of the governor. Chichikov is shocked unexpected meeting and neglects other ladies, which causes their displeasure. To top off the troubles, Nozdryov appears and tells how Chichikov traded dead souls with him. And although no one believes Nozdryov for a long time, Pavel Ivanovich begins to worry, he leaves the ball in confusion. At this time, the landowner Korobochka arrives in the city. She is going to find out how much dead souls are today.
Chapter Nine
In the morning, rumors spread around the city that Chichikov, with the help of Nozdryov, wants to kidnap the governor’s daughter. The gossip reaches the governor's wife, and she subjects her daughter to strict interrogation. Chichikov was ordered not to be allowed on the threshold. Society is puzzled by the question: who is Pavel Ivanovich? To understand and discuss everything, the city elite gathers with the police chief.
Chapter Ten
Here officials discuss Chichikov and the oddities associated with him for a long time. The postmaster talks about Captain Kopeikin, suggesting that this is Pavel Ivanovich.
During the War of 1812, Captain Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg. He turned to St. Petersburg with a request for a pension. While officials were delaying the matter, Kopeikin ran out of money. In desperation, the captain decided to seize the ministry, but he was caught and expelled from the city. Two months later, a gang of robbers led by Kopeikin began to hunt in the forests.
After listening to the story, society protested: Kopeikin was disabled, but Chichikov’s arms and legs were intact. It was decided to send for Nozdryov and question him thoroughly. Nozdryov immediately declares Chichikov a counterfeiter, a kidnapper of the governor's daughter and a spy. These rumors upset the prosecutor so much that he dies.
Now Pavel Ivanovich is not received by the governor. The situation is clarified by Nozdryov, who came to Chichikov at the hotel. Having learned that the official is accused of forging banknotes, the failed kidnapping of the governor's daughter, as well as the death of the prosecutor, Chichikov decides to urgently flee the city.
Chapter Eleven
We learn the story of the main character. Chichikov was from poor nobles, his mother died early, and his father was often ill. He took little Pavlusha to study in the city. The boy did not shine with his abilities, but he graduated from college with an award for diligent behavior. From an early age, he showed a talent for finding ways to make money.
Chichikov had barely graduated from college when his father died, leaving Pavel a penny inheritance. The young man zealously took up the service, but without patronage he could only get a seedy place. However, Chichikov came up with a cunning plan and wooed the boss’s ugly daughter. As soon as he was appointed to a good place, the groom immediately pretended that he had not promised anything.
After changing several positions, where he slowly took bribes, Pavel Ivanovich got a job at customs. There he became known as a terror for smugglers. When the authorities, convinced of the loyalty of their employee, gave Chichikov full powers, he conspired with the smugglers. After several scams, Pavel Ivanovich became incredibly rich. However, while drunk, he quarreled with one of his accomplices, who handed him over to justice. Chichikov still managed to avoid prison, but almost nothing was left of his huge fortune.
Pavel Ivanovich again began to earn money from lower positions. One day Chichikov learned that dead peasants, who, according to the audit fairy tale, were still alive, could be appointed to the guardianship council. So he came up with the idea of acquiring dead souls.
And now Chichikov’s chaise, drawn by three horses, rushes on.
Volume two
As you know, Gogol burned the second volume of his work. Only a few drafts survived, from which it was possible to restore some of the chapters.
Chapter first
The author describes the magnificent landscape that opens from the balcony of landowner Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, a very lazy man. He rubs his eyes for two hours in the morning, sits for the same amount of time over tea and writes a global work on the structure of Russia. But which year has not advanced even a page in this essay.
And the young man started out quite worthy, showing great promise. But when his teacher died, Tentetnikov was disappointed in his further studies. Having entered the service under patronage, Andrei Ivanovich initially wanted to benefit the state, but soon became disillusioned with the service. He retired and returned to his estate.
One day, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov appears in his lonely house and lingers there for some time. Having learned about the owner’s quarrel with his neighbor, the general, whose daughter was intended to be Tentetnikov’s bride, Chichikov volunteers to settle the matter and goes to the military man.
Chapter two
Pavel Ivanovich meets the general and his daughter, manages to reconcile the old man with Tentetnikov and composes a fable about his uncle in order to buy dead souls from the general...
This is where the text of the chapter ends.
Chapter Three
Chichikov goes to Colonel Koshkarev, but ends up in a completely different estate - to Pyotr Petrovich Rooster. The hospitable owner turns out to be a food lover. Just in time for dinner, his neighbor Platon Mikhailovich Platonov arrives - a handsome man, languishing in the village from boredom. Chichikov has the idea of taking Plato on his travels. He agrees, but first demands to stop by his estate for a while.
The next day, the heroes go to the village, which belongs to Platonov’s son-in-law Konstantin Konstanzhoglo. This is an amazingly economical person whose estate is thriving. Chichikov is so impressed that he asks Konstanzhoglo to teach him his wits and tell him how to successfully conduct business. The owner of the estate advises Chichikov to go to Koshkarev, and then return and live with him for a couple of days.
Koshkarev is considered crazy, not without reason. His village is a massive construction site. New, official-looking houses have signs like “Depot for agricultural implements.” Every business with Koshkarev goes through a lot of paperwork. Even oats cannot be given to horses without a whole bunch of bureaucratic permits.
Realizing that it will not be possible to buy dead souls here due to the terrible disorder and bureaucracy, Chichikov returns to Konstanjoglo in irritation. Over lunch, the owner shared his experience of farming and told how you can start a profitable business from any waste. The conversation also turns to the richest tax farmer Murazov, who started from scratch and now has a fortune of millions. Chichikov goes to bed with a firm determination to buy an estate and start a farm like Konstanzhoglo’s. He hopes to purchase the neighboring Khlobuev estate.
Chapter Four
Chichikov, Platonov and Konstanzhoglo go to Khlobuev to negotiate the sale of the estate. The village and the owner's house are in severe desolation. We agreed on 35 thousand rubles. Then we went to Platonov, where Chichikov met his brother Vasily. It turns out that he is in trouble - his neighbor Lenitsin has captured the wasteland. Pavel Ivanovich volunteers to help with this problem and talk with the offender. At Lenitsin's, Chichikov starts his signature conversation about buying dead souls. The owner has doubts, but then his wife appears with their one-year-old son. Pavel Ivanovich begins to play with the child, and he “marks” Chichikov’s new tailcoat. To hush up the trouble, Lenitsin agrees to a deal.
DEAD SOULS
Gogol called his work a “poem”; the author meant “a lesser kind of epic... Prospectus for a textbook of literature for Russian youth. The hero of the epic is a private and invisible person, but significant in many respects for observing the human soul.” The poem nevertheless contains features of a social and adventure novel. The composition of “Dead Souls” is built on the principle of “concentric circles” - the city, the estates of the landowners, all of Russia as a whole.
Volume 1
CHAPTER 1
A carriage drove into the gates of a hotel in the provincial town of NN, in which sits a gentleman “not handsome, but not of bad appearance, not too fat, not too thin; I can’t say that I’m old, but I can’t say that I’m too young.” This gentleman is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At the hotel he eats a hearty lunch. The author describes the provincial town: “The houses were one, two and one and a half floors, with an eternal mezzanine, very beautiful, according to the provincial architects.
In some places these houses seemed lost among the streets as wide as a field and endless wooden fences; in some places they huddled together, and here the movement of people and liveliness was more noticeable. There were signs almost washed away by the rain with pretzels and boots, in some places with painted blue trousers and the signature of some Arshavian tailor; where there is a store with caps, caps and the inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov”... Most often, the darkened double-headed state eagles were noticeable, which have now been replaced by a laconic inscription: “Drinking House”. The pavement was pretty bad everywhere.”
Chichikov pays visits to city officials - the governor, vice-governor, chairman of the chamber * prosecutor, police chief, as well as the inspector of the medical board, the city architect. Chichikov builds excellent relationships with everyone everywhere and with the help of flattery, gaining the trust of each of those he visited. Each of the officials invites Pavel Ivanovich to visit them, although they know little about him.
Chichikov attended the governor’s ball, where “he somehow knew how to find his way around everything and showed himself to be an experienced socialite. Whatever the conversation was about, he always knew how to support it: whether it was about a horse factory, he talked about a horse factory; did they talk about good dogs, and here he reported very practical comments; whether they interpreted the investigation carried out by the treasury chamber, he showed that he was not unaware of the judicial tricks; whether there was a discussion about the billiard game - and in the billiard game he did not miss; they talked about virtue, and he talked about virtue very well, even with tears in his eyes; he knew about the production of hot wine, and Tsrok knew about hot wine; about customs overseers and officials, and he judged them as if he himself were both an official and an overseer. But it’s remarkable that he knew how to dress it all up with some kind of sedateness, he knew how to behave well. He spoke neither loudly nor quietly, but absolutely as he should.” At the ball he met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, whom he also managed to win over. Chichikov finds out what condition their estates are in and how many peasants they have. Manilov and Sobakevich invite Chichikov to their estate. While visiting the police chief, Chichikov meets the landowner Nozdryov, “a man of about thirty, a broken fellow.”
CHAPTER 2
Chichikov has two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter reads a lot and everything, while he is not occupied with what he reads, but with putting letters into words. In addition, Parsley has a “special smell” because she very rarely goes to the bathhouse.
Chichikov goes to Manilov's estate. It takes a long time to find his estate. “The village of Manilovka could lure few people with its location. The master's house stood alone on the jura, that is, on a hill, open to all the winds that could possibly blow; the slope of the mountain on which he stood was covered with trimmed turf. Two or three flower beds with lilac and yellow acacia bushes were scattered on it in English style; Five or six birches in small clumps here and there raised their thin, small-leaved tops. Under two of them was visible a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: “Temple of Solitary Reflection”; Below is a pond covered with greenery, which, however, is not unusual in the English gardens of Russian landowners. At the bottom of this elevation, and partly along the slope itself, gray log huts were darkened along and across...” Manilov was glad to see the guest’s arrival. The author describes the landowner and his farm: “He was a prominent man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you won’t say anything, and the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away; If you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom. You won’t get any lively or even arrogant words from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch an object that bothers him... You can’t say that he was involved in farming, he never even went to the fields, farming somehow went on by itself. .. Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and the pond, he talked about how good it would be if suddenly an underground passage was built from the house or a stone bridge was built across the pond, on which there would be shops on both sides, and so that Merchants sat there and sold various small goods needed by the peasants... All these projects ended with just words. In his office there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years. There was always something missing in his house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, which was probably quite expensive; but there wasn’t enough for two armchairs, and the armchairs were simply covered with matting... In the evening, a very dandy candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a dandy mother-of-pearl shield, was placed on the table, and next to him was placed some simple copper invalid, lame, curled up to the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner, nor the mistress, nor the servants noticed this.”
Manilov's wife suits his character very well. There is no order in the house because she doesn't keep track of anything. She is well brought up, she received her education in a boarding school, “and in boarding schools, as is known, three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for making pleasant moments for the spouse, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.”
Manilov and Chichikov show inflated courtesy towards each other, which leads them to the point that they both squeeze through the same doors at the same time. The Manilovs invite Chichikov to dinner, which is attended by both of Manilov’s sons: Themistoclus and Alcides. The first one has a runny nose and bites his brother's ear. Alcides, swallowing tears, covered in fat, eats a leg of lamb.
At the end of lunch, Manilov and Chichikov go to the owner’s office, where they have a business conversation. Chichikov asks Manilov for revision tales - a detailed register of peasants who died after the last census. He wants to buy dead souls. Manilov is amazed. Chichikov convinces him that everything will happen in accordance with the law, that the tax will be paid. Manilov finally calms down and gives away the dead souls for free, believing that he has done Chichikov a huge service. Chichikov leaves, and Manilov indulges in dreams, in which it comes to the point that for their strong friendship with Chichikov, the Tsar will reward both with the rank of general.
CHAPTER 3
Chichikov goes to Sobakevich's estate, but gets caught in heavy rain and gets lost on the road. His chaise overturns and falls into the mud. Nearby is the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, where Chichikov comes. He goes into a room that “was hung with old striped wallpaper; paintings with some birds; between the windows there are old small mirrors with dark frames in the shape of curled leaves; Behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old deck of cards, or a stocking; a wall clock with painted flowers on the dial... it was impossible to notice anything more... A minute later the hostess entered, an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners, who cry over crop failures and losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile, little by little they collect money in colorful bags placed in dresser drawers...”
Korobochka leaves Chichikov to spend the night in his house. In the morning, Chichikov starts a conversation with her about selling dead souls. Korobochka can’t understand what he needs them for, so he offers to buy honey or hemp from her. She is constantly afraid of selling herself short. Chichikov manages to convince her to agree to the deal only after he tells a lie about himself - that he conducts government contracts, promises to buy both honey and hemp from her in the future. The box believes what was said. The bidding went on for a long time, after which the deal finally took place. Chichikov keeps his papers in a box, which consists of many compartments and has a secret drawer for money.
CHAPTER 4
Chichikov stops at a tavern, to which Nozdryov’s chaise soon arrives. Nozdryov is “of average height, a very well-built fellow with full rosy cheeks, teeth white as snow and jet-black sideburns. It was fresh, like blood and milk; his health seemed to be dripping from his face.” He said with a very satisfied look that he had lost, and not only lost his money,
I but also the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is present right there. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his place and promises a delicious treat. He himself drinks in the tavern at the expense of his son-in-law. The author characterizes Nozdryov as a “broken fellow,” from that breed of people who “even in childhood and at school are reputed to be good comrades and, for all that, they are painfully beaten... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, as they already say "you" to you. They will make friends, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the person who has become friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly party. They are always talkers, carousers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he was at eighteen and twenty: a lover of a walk. Marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon went to the next world, leaving behind two children who he absolutely did not need... He could not sit at home for more than a day. His sensitive nose heard him several dozen miles away, where there was a fair with all sorts of conventions and balls; in the blink of an eye he was there, arguing and causing chaos at the green table, for, like all such people, he had a passion for cards... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical man. Not a single meeting he attended was complete without a story. Some story would certainly happen: either the gendarmes would lead him out of the hall by the hand, or his friends would be forced to push him out... And he would lie completely unnecessarily: he would suddenly tell that he had a horse of some kind of blue or pink wool, and similar nonsense, so that those listening finally all leave, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.”
Nozdryov is one of those people who have a “passion to spoil their neighbors, sometimes for no reason at all.” His favorite pastime was exchanging things and losing money and property. Arriving at Nozdryov’s estate, Chichikov sees an unprepossessing stallion, about which Nozdryov says that he paid ten thousand for it. He shows a kennel where a dubious breed of dog is kept. Nozdryov is a master of lying. He talks about how there are fish of extraordinary size in his pond, and that his Turkish daggers bear the mark of a famous master. The dinner to which this landowner invited Chichikov is bad.
Chichikov begins business negotiations, saying that he needs dead souls for a profitable marriage, so that the bride’s parents believe that he is a wealthy man. Nozdryov is going to donate dead souls and, in addition, is trying to sell a stallion, a mare, a barrel organ, etc. Chichikov flatly refuses. Nozdryov invites him to play cards, which Chichikov also refuses. For this refusal, Nozdryov orders that Chichikov’s horse be fed not with oats, but with hay, to which the guest is offended. Nozdryov does not feel awkward, and the next morning, as if nothing had happened, he invites Chichikov to play checkers. He rashly agrees. The landowner begins to cheat. Chichikov accuses him of this, Nozdryov starts fighting, calls the servants and orders them to beat the guest. Suddenly, a police captain appears and arrests Nozdryov for insulting the landowner Maximov while drunk. Nozdryov refuses everything, says that he does not know any Maksimov. Chichikov quickly leaves.
CHAPTER 5
Through Selifan's fault, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise in which two ladies are traveling - an elderly one and a very sixteen-year-old beautiful girl. The men gathered from the village separate the horses. Chichikov is shocked by the beauty of the young girl, and after the chaises have left, he thinks about her for a long time. The traveler approaches the village of Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich. " Wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof and dark or, better, wild walls - a house like the ones we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during its construction the architect constantly struggled with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner wanted convenience and, apparently, as a result, he boarded up all the corresponding windows on one side and screwed in their place one small one, probably needed for a dark closet. The pediment also did not fit in the middle of the house, no matter how hard the architect struggled, because the owner ordered one column on the side to be thrown out, and therefore there were not four columns, as was intended, but only three. The yard was surrounded by a strong and excessively thick wooden lattice. The landowner seemed to be concerned a lot about strength. For the stables, barns and kitchens, full-weight and thick logs were used, determined to stand for centuries. The village huts of the peasants were also built in a marvelous way: there were no brick walls, carved patterns or other tricks, but everything was fitted tightly and properly. Even the well was lined with such strong oak, the kind that is used only for mills and ships. In a word, everything he looked at was stubborn, without swaying, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.”
The owner himself seems to Chichikov to look like a bear. “To complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, the sleeves were long, the trousers were long, he walked with his feet this way and that, constantly stepping on other people’s feet. The complexion had a red-hot, hot complexion, like what happens on a copper coin..."
Sobakevich had a manner of speaking straightforwardly about everything. He says about the governor that he is “the first robber in the world,” and the police chief is a “swindler.” At lunch Sobakevich eats a lot. He tells the guest about his neighbor Plyushkin, a very stingy man who owns eight hundred peasants.
Chichikov says that he wants to buy dead souls, which Sobakevich is not surprised by, but immediately begins bidding. He promises to sell 100 steering wheels for each dead soul, and says that the dead were real masters. They trade for a long time. In the end, they agree on three rubles apiece and draw up a document, since each fears dishonesty on the part of the other. Sobakevich offers to buy dead female souls cheaper, but Chichikov refuses, although it later turns out that the landowner did include one woman on the deed of purchase. Chichikov leaves. On the way, he asks a man how to get to Plyushkina. The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! and if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and posterity, he will drag it with him into service, and into retirement, and to Petersburg, and to the ends of the world... What is accurately spoken, is the same as what is written, cannot be cut down with an ax . And how accurate is everything that came out of the depths of Rus', where there are no Germans, no Chukhons, or any other tribes, and everything is a nugget itself, a lively and lively Russian mind that does not reach into its pocket for a word, does not hatch it , like a mother hen chicks, but it sticks right away, like a passport on an eternal sock, and there is nothing to add later, what kind of nose or lips you have - you are outlined with one line from head to toe! Just as a countless number of churches, monasteries with domes, domes, and crosses are scattered throughout holy, pious Rus', so a countless number of tribes, generations, and peoples crowd, motley, and rush about the face of the earth. And every nation, bearing within itself a guarantee of strength, full of the creative abilities of the soul, its bright characteristics and other gifts, each in its own way distinguished itself with its own word, with which, expressing any object, it reflects part of its own character in its expression. The word of a Briton will echo with heart knowledge and wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and spread like a light dandy; the German will intricately come up with his own, not accessible to everyone, clever and thin word; but there is no word that would be so sweeping, that would burst out so smartly from under the very heart, that would boil and vibrate as well as an aptly spoken Russian word.”
CHAPTER 6
The chapter begins with a lyrical digression about travel. “Before, long ago, in the years of my youth, in the years of my irrevocably flashed childhood, it was fun for me to drive up for the first time to an unfamiliar place: it didn’t matter whether it was a village, a poor provincial town, a village, a settlement - I discovered a lot of curious things in there is a childish curious look. Every building, everything that bore the imprint of some noticeable feature - everything stopped me and amazed me... Now I indifferently approach any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; It’s unpleasant to my chilled gaze, it’s not funny to me, and what would have awakened in previous years a lively movement in the face, laughter and silent speech, now slides past, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! oh my freshness!
Chichikov heads to Plyushkin’s estate, but for a long time cannot find the owner’s house. Finally he finds a “strange castle” that looks like a “decrepit invalid”. “In some places it was one floor, in others it was two; on the dark roof, which did not always reliably protect his old age, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already shaky, devoid of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house were cracked in places by the bare plaster lattice and, apparently, had suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rain, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Only two of the windows were open; the others were covered with shutters or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also weak-sighted; on one of them there was a dark stick-on triangle made of blue sugar paper.” Chichikov meets a man of indeterminate gender (he cannot understand whether he is a man or a woman). He decides that this is the housekeeper, but then it turns out that this is the rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin. The author talks about how Plyushkin came to such a life. In the past, he was a thrifty landowner; he had a wife who was famous for her hospitality, and three children. But after the death of his wife, “Plyushkin became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy.” He cursed his daughter because she ran away and married an officer of a cavalry regiment. The youngest daughter died, and the son, instead of studying, joined the military. Every year Plyushkin became more and more stingy. Very soon the merchants stopped taking goods from him, because they could not bargain with the landowner. All his goods - hay, wheat, flour, linen - everything rotted. Plyushkin saved everything, and at the same time picked up other people’s things that he did not need at all. His stinginess knew no bounds: for all of Plyushkin’s servants there are only boots, he stores crackers for several months, he knows exactly how much liqueur he has in the decanter, since he makes marks. When Chichikov tells him what he came for, Plyushkin is very happy. Offers the guest to buy not only dead souls, but also runaway peasants. Bargainable. The received money is hidden in a box. It is clear that he will never use this money, like others. Chichikov leaves, to the great joy of the owner, refusing the treat. Returns to the hotel.
CHAPTER 7
The narrative begins with a lyrical digression about two types of writers. “Happy is the writer who, past boring, disgusting characters, striking with their sad reality, approaches characters that demonstrate the high dignity of a person who, from the great pool of daily rotating images, chose only a few exceptions, who never changed the sublime structure of his lyre, did not descend from his peak to his poor, insignificant brothers, and, without touching the ground, he plunged entirely into his own, far removed from it and exalted images... But this is not the destiny, and another fate of the writer who dared to call out everything that is every minute before his eyes and of which indifferent eyes do not see - all the terrible, stunning details that entangle our lives, all the depth of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters with which our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring path teems, and with the strong force of an inexorable cutter daring to expose them convexly and brightly on the eyes of the people! He will not receive popular applause, he will not experience the grateful tears and unanimous delight of the souls excited by him... Without division, without answer, without participation, like a familyless traveler, he will remain alone in the middle of the road. His field is harsh, and he will feel his loneliness bitterly.”
After all the deeds of sale have been completed, Chichikov becomes the owner of four hundred dead souls. He reflects on who these people were when they were alive. Coming out of the hotel onto the street, Chichikov meets Manilov. They go together to complete the deed of sale. In the office, Chichikov gives a bribe to the official Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo to speed up the process. However, the bribe is given unnoticed - the official covers the note with a book, and it seems to disappear. Sobakevich is sitting with the boss. Chichikov agrees that the deed of sale will be completed within a day, since he supposedly needs to leave urgently. He gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin, in which he asks him to be an attorney in his case, to which the chairman happily agrees.
The documents are drawn up in the presence of witnesses, Chichikov pays only half of the fee to the treasury, while the other half was “attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner.” After a successfully completed transaction, everyone goes to lunch with the police chief, during which Sobakevich eats a huge sturgeon alone. The tipsy guests ask Chichikov to stay and decide to marry him. Chichikov informs those gathered that he is buying peasants for removal to the Kherson province, where he has already acquired an estate. He himself believes in what he says. Petrushka and Selifan, after sending the drunken owner to the hotel, go for a walk to the tavern.
CHAPTER 8
City residents discuss what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to their place. Among the proposals are a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible riot, and education of the serfs. A description of the city residents follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated themselves in a completely friendly manner, and their conversations bore the stamp of some special simplicity and brevity: “Dear friend Ilya Ilyich,” “Listen, brother, Antipator Zakharyevich!”... To the postmaster, whose name was Ivan Andreevich, they always added: “Sprechen zadeich, Ivan Andreich?” - in a word, everything was very family-like. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart Zhukovsky’s “Lyudmila,” which was still big news at that time... The postmaster delved more deeply into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung’s “Nights” and “The Key to the Mysteries of Nature "Eckartshausen, from which he made very long extracts... he was witty, flowery in words and loved, as he himself put it, to embellish his speech. The others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some “Moskovskie Vedomosti”, some didn’t even read anything at all... As for appearances, it is already known, they were all reliable people, there was no one consumptive among them. They were all of the kind to whom wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg capsules, chubby, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, juju, and so on. But in general they were kind people, full of hospitality, and a person who ate bread with them or spent an evening playing whist already became something close...”
The city ladies were “what they call presentable, and in this respect they could safely be set as an example to everyone else... They dressed with great taste, drove around the city in carriages, as prescribed by the latest fashion, with a footman swaying behind them, and a livery in gold braiding ... In morals, the ladies of the city of N. were strict, filled with noble indignation against everything vicious and all temptations, they executed all kinds of weaknesses without any mercy... It must also be said that the ladies of the city of N. were distinguished, like many ladies in St. Petersburg, by extraordinary caution and decorum in words and expressions. They never said: “I blew my nose,” “I sweated,” “I spat,” but they said: “I relieved my nose,” “I managed with a handkerchief.” In no case could one say: “this glass or this plate stinks.” And it was even impossible to say anything that would give a hint of this, but instead they said: “this glass is not behaving well” or something like that. In order to further refine the Russian language, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation, and therefore it was very often necessary to resort to the French language, but there, in French, it’s a different matter: there were words allowed that were much harsher than those mentioned.”
All the ladies of the city are delighted with Chichikov, one of them even sent him a love letter. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. Before the ball, he spends a long time spinning in front of the mirror. At the ball, he is the center of attention, trying to figure out who the author of the letter is. The governor's wife introduces Chichikov to her daughter - the same girl he saw in the chaise. He almost falls in love with her, but she misses his company. The other ladies are outraged that all of Chichikov's attention is going to the governor's daughter. Suddenly Nozdryov appears, who tells the governor about how Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from him. The news spreads quickly, and the ladies convey it as if they don’t believe it, since everyone knows Nozdryov’s reputation. Korobochka comes to the city at night, interested in the prices of dead souls - she is afraid that she has sold too cheap.
CHAPTER 9
The chapter describes the visit of a “pleasant lady” to a “lady pleasant in every way.” Her visit comes an hour earlier than the usual time for visits in the city - she is in such a hurry to tell the news she heard. The lady tells her friend that Chichikov is a robber in disguise, who demanded that Korobochka sell him dead peasants. The ladies decide that the dead souls are just an excuse; in fact, Chichikov is going to take away the governor’s daughter. They discuss the girl’s behavior, herself, and recognize her as unattractive and mannered. The husband of the mistress of the house appears - the prosecutor, to whom the ladies tell the news, which confuses him.
The men of the city are discussing the purchase of Chichikov, the women are discussing the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. The story is replenished with details, they decide that Chichikov has an accomplice, and this accomplice is probably Nozdryov. Chichikov is credited with organizing a peasant revolt in Borovki, Zadi-railovo-tozh, during which assessor Drobyazhkin was killed. On top of everything else, the governor receives news that a robber has escaped and a counterfeiter has appeared in the province. A suspicion arises that one of these persons is Chichikov. The public cannot decide what to do.
CHAPTER 10
Officials are so concerned about the current situation that many are even losing weight out of grief. They call a meeting with the police chief. The police chief decides that Chichikov is Captain Kopeikin in disguise, an invalid without an arm and a leg, a hero of the War of 1812. Kopeikin received nothing from his father after returning from the front. He goes to St. Petersburg to seek the truth from the sovereign. But the king is not in the capital. Kopeikin goes to the nobleman, the head of the commission, for an audience with whom he waits for a long time in the reception room. The general promises help and offers to come over one of these days. But the next time he says that he cannot do anything without the special permission of the king. Captain Kopeikin is running out of money, and the doorman will no longer let him see the general. He endures many hardships, eventually breaks through to see the general, and says that he can’t wait any longer. The general very rudely sends him away and sends him out of St. Petersburg at public expense. After some time, a gang of robbers led by Kopeikin appears in the Ryazan forests.
Other officials nevertheless decide that Chichikov is not Kopeikin, since his arms and legs are intact. It is suggested that Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. Everyone decides that it is necessary to interrogate Nozdryov, despite the fact that he is a known liar. Nozdryov says that he sold Chichikov several thousand worth of dead souls and that already at the time when he was studying with Chichikov at school, he was already a counterfeiter and a spy, that he was going to kidnap the governor’s daughter and Nozdryov himself helped him. Nozdryov realizes that he has gone too far in his tales, and possible problems scare him. But the unexpected happens - the prosecutor dies. Chichikov knows nothing about what is happening because he is sick. Three days later, leaving home, he discovers that he is either not received anywhere or is received in some strange way. Nozdryov tells him that the city considers him a counterfeiter, that he was going to kidnap the governor’s daughter, and that it was his fault that the prosecutor died. Chichikov orders things to be packed.
CHAPTER 11
In the morning, Chichikov cannot leave the city for a long time - he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod. It is possible to leave only in the late afternoon. On the way Chichikov meets funeral procession- the prosecutor is buried. All the officials follow the coffin, each of them thinking about the new governor-general and their relationship with him. Chichikov leaves the city. Next is a lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful distance I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; the daring divas of nature, crowned by the daring divas of art, cities with many-windowed high palaces grown into the cliffs, picture trees and ivy grown into houses, in the noise and eternal dust of waterfalls will not amuse or frighten the eyes; her head will not fall back to look at the boulders of stone endlessly piled up above her and in the heights; through the dark arches thrown one upon the other, entangled with grape branches, ivy and countless millions of wild roses, the eternal lines of shining mountains, rushing into the silver clear skies, will not flash through them in the distance... But what incomprehensible, secret power attracts you? Why is your melancholy song, rushing along your entire length and width, from sea to sea, heard and heard incessantly in your ears? What's in it, in this song? What calls and cries and grabs your heart? What sounds painfully kiss and strive into the soul and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible connection lies between us? Why are you looking like that, and why has everything that is in you turned its eyes full of expectation on me?.. And a mighty space threateningly embraces me, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!.."
The author talks about the hero of the work and the origin of Chichikov. His parents are nobles, but he is not like them. Chichikov's father sent his son to the city to visit an old relative so that he could enter college. The father gave his son instructions, which he strictly followed in life - to please his superiors, hang out only with the rich, not to share with anyone, to save money. No special talents were noticed in him, but he had a “practical mind.” Chichikov, even as a boy, knew how to make money - he sold treats, showed a trained mouse for money. He pleased his teachers and superiors, which is why he graduated from school with a gold certificate. His father dies, and Chichikov, having sold his father’s house, enters the service. He betrays the teacher who was expelled from school, who was counting on the fake of his beloved student. Chichikov serves, trying to please his superiors in everything, even caring for his ugly daughter, hinting at a wedding. Gets a promotion and doesn't get married. Soon Chichikov joins the commission for the construction of a government building, but the building, for which a lot of money has been allocated, is being built only on paper. Chichikov's new boss hated his subordinate, and he had to start all over again. He enters the customs service, where his ability to conduct searches is discovered. He is promoted, and Chichikov presents a project to capture smugglers, with whom at the same time he manages to enter into an agreement and receive a lot of money from them. But Chichikov quarrels with the comrade with whom he shared, and both are put on trial. Chichikov manages to save some of the money and starts everything from scratch as an attorney. He comes up with the idea of buying dead souls, which in the future can be pledged to a bank under the guise of living ones, and, having received a loan, escape.
The author reflects on how readers might relate to Chichikov, recalls the parable about Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, son and father. The father's existence is turned into a speculative direction, while the son is rowdy. Kifa Mokievich is asked to calm his son down, but he does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then don’t let them know about it from me, don’t let me give him away.”
At the end of the poem, the chaise travels quickly along the road. “And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” “Oh, three! bird three, who invented you? You know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes. And not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily equipped and assembled alive by an efficient Yaroslavl man with only an ax and a hammer. The driver is not wearing German boots: he has a beard and mittens, and sits on God knows what; but he stood up, swung, and began to sing - the horses like a whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed into one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and a pedestrian who stopped screamed in fear - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed!.. And there you can already see in the distance, like something is gathering dust and drilling into the air.
Aren't you, Rus, like a brisk, unstoppable troika, rushing along? The road beneath you smokes, the bridges rattle, everything falls behind and is left behind. The contemplator, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: was this lightning thrown from the sky? What does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power is contained in these horses, unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what kind of horses! Are there whirlwinds in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear burning in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once tensed their copper breasts and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into just elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes!.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything on earth flies past,
and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give her way.”
In a letter to Zhukovsky, Gogol writes that his main task in the poem is to depict “all of Rus'.” The poem is written in the form of a journey, and individual fragments of Russian life are combined into a common whole. One of Gogol’s main tasks in “Dead Souls” is to show typical characters in typical circumstances, that is, to reliably depict modernity - the period of the crisis of serfdom in Russia. The key orientations in the depiction of landowners are satirical description, social typification, and critical orientation. The life of the ruling class and peasants is presented by Gogol without idealization, realistically.
Here is a summary of chapter 1 of the work “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol.
A very brief summary of “Dead Souls” can be found, and the one presented below is quite detailed.
Chapter 1 – summary.
A small chaise with a middle-aged gentleman of good appearance, not fat, but not thin either, drove into the provincial town of NN. The arrival did not make any impression on the inhabitants of the city. The visitor stopped at a local tavern. During lunch, the new visitor asked the servant in detail who used to run this establishment and who now, how much income there was and what the owner was like. Then the visitor found out who is the governor of the city, who is the chairman of the chamber, who is the prosecutor, i.e. “ did not miss a single significant official ».
Portrait of Chichikov
In addition to the city authorities, the visitor was interested in all the major landowners, as well as the general condition of the region: whether there were any epidemics in the province or widespread famine. After lunch and a long rest, the gentleman wrote down his rank, first and last name on a piece of paper to report to the police. Coming down the stairs, the floor guard read: “ Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, according to his needs ».
Chichikov devoted the next day to visiting all city officials. He even paid his respects to the inspector of the medical board and the city architect.
Pavel Ivanovich showed himself to be a good psychologist, since he left the most favorable impressions of himself in almost every home - “ very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone " At the same time, Chichikov avoided talking about himself, but if the conversation turned to him, he got off with general phrases and somewhat bookish phrases. The newcomer began to receive invitations to the houses of officials. The first was an invitation to the governor. While getting ready, Chichikov very carefully put himself in order.
During the reception, the city guest managed to show himself as a skilled interlocutor; he successfully complimented the governor’s wife.
The male society was divided into two parts. Thin men hung around the ladies and danced, and the fat ones mostly concentrated at the gaming tables. Chichikov joined the latter. Here he met most of his old acquaintances. Pavel Ivanovich also met the rich landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, about whom he immediately made inquiries from the chairman and postmaster. Chichikov quickly charmed both of them and received two invitations to visit.
The next day the visitor went to the police chief, where they played whist from three o'clock in the afternoon until two o'clock in the morning. There Chichikov met Nozdrev, “ broken guy, who after three or four words began to tell him you " In turn, Chichikov visited all the officials, and in the city there was a general impression of him. good opinion. In any situation he could show himself to be a secular person. Whatever the conversation was about, Chichikov was able to support it. Moreover, " he knew how to dress it all up with some kind of sedateness, he knew how to behave well ».
Everyone was pleased with the arrival of a decent man. Even Sobakevich, who was rarely satisfied with his surroundings, recognized Pavel Ivanovich “ most pleasant person " This opinion in the city persisted until one strange circumstance led the inhabitants of the city of NN into bewilderment.
Chichikov could not recover from Nozdrev’s visit for a long time. Selifan was also dissatisfied with the landowner because the horses were not given oats. The britzka flew at full speed until it collided with a carriage with six horses and the screams of the ladies and the swearing of the coachman were heard almost overhead. Although Selifan felt his mistake, he began to argue with the stranger’s coachman.
At this time, the ladies sitting in the chaise - an old woman and a young fair-haired girl - watched everything that was happening with fear. Chichikov stared at the sixteen-year-old beauty. Finally they began to disperse, but the horses stood rooted to the spot against each other and did not want to disperse. The men who came running from a nearby village took care of them. While they were bred in different sides horses, Pavel Ivanovich looked at the young stranger and even wanted to talk to her, however, while he was getting ready, the carriage drove away, taking the beauty with it.
Since Chichikov had long since passed the age when one instantly falls in love and then stands for a long time, following his beloved with a pained gaze, he ordered to move on. However, he thought about the stranger, deciding that she was good because she had just come from the boarding school. Very little time will pass, and finding herself in the care of various mothers and aunties, she will learn to lie and “will finally begin to lie all her life.”
Soon Sobakevich’s village appeared, and Chichikov’s thoughts returned to the usual subject. The estate was large, with two forests stretching to the right and left - birch and pine. The house with a mezzanine resembled a military settlement of German colonists. The courtyard was surrounded by a thick wooden lattice. The landowner was more concerned about strength than beauty. Even village houses were solid and solid, without any patterned decorations.
The owner himself looked like an average bear. Nature didn’t think long here: “she grabbed it with an ax once and her nose came out, she grabbed it again and her lips came out, she picked out her eyes with a large drill and, without scraping them, released her into the light, saying: “he lives!”
Seeing the guest, Sobakevich briefly said: “Please!” - and led him into the inner chambers.
The owner's living room was hung with full-length paintings of Greek commanders. Chichikov met Sobakevich’s wife, Feodulia Ivanovna, a tall lady, straight as a palm tree.
There was silence for about five minutes, after which the guest was the first to start talking about the chairman of the chamber, to which he heard in response that the chairman was “such a fool as the world has ever seen.”
Listing city officials, Sobakevich scolded each one and gave each one an unflattering definition. At dinner, the owner praised the dishes served and scolded the cuisine of other landowners and city officials.
Sobakevich tells Chichikov about Plyushkin, who has eight hundred souls, but lives and dines worse than some shepherd. Pavel Ivanovich learns that Sobakevich's neighbor is a rare miser, he starved all his peasants to death, and others ran away on their own.
Carefully, the guest found out in which direction and where Plyushkin’s estate was located.
After a hearty dinner, the host and guest retired to the living room, where Chichikov began talking about his business. Sobakevich quickly realized that buying dead souls would bring some benefit to the guest, so he immediately charged a hundred rubles per soul. When Pavel Ivanovich became indignant, the owner began to list the merits of each deceased peasant. In the process of tough bargaining, they agreed on two rubles and a half for each soul. The guest asked for a list of the peasants he had purchased, and Sobakevich began to copy down the dead souls in his own hand, by name, indicating the commendable qualities. When the note was ready, the owner also demanded a deposit of fifty rubles from Chichikov. The new friends began to bargain again and agreed on twenty-five rubles. Having received the money, Sobakevich looked at the banknotes for a long time and complained that one of them was old.
