We suggest you familiarize yourself with one interesting work of the Russian classic, read its summary. "Notes of a Madman" is a novel written by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol in 1834. She first appeared in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. Later, the work was included in another collection of this writer, entitled "St. Petersburg Tales." The âNotes of a Madmanâ is summarized in this article.
Summary: the beginning of the story
Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin, on behalf of whom the narration is being conducted, is a titular adviser of 42 years. He began his diary entries about four months ago.
Let us now describe the first events of the work, their summary. âNotes of a Madmanâ opens the next episode. On October 3, 1833, on a rainy day, the protagonist sets off in an old-fashioned greatcoat, being late, for a service he does not like, in one branch of the Petersburg department in the hope of receiving a little money from the treasurer in advance from his salary. He notices a carriage on the way that drove up to the store, from which the beautiful daughter of the director of the department leaves.
The hero overhears a conversation between Medzhi and Fidelka
Poprishchin inadvertently eavesdrops on the conversation that took place between Medzhi, a daughter's dog, and the dog Fidelka, which belongs to two ladies who passed by. The hero, surprised at this fact, goes instead of serving for women and finds out that they live in the fifth floor of the house belonging to Zverkov, located at Kokushkinâs bridge.
Aksenty Ivanovich enters the directorâs house
A summary is ongoing. The âNotes of a Madmanâ comprise the following further events. Aksenty Ivanovich the next day in the directorâs office, fixing feathers, meets by chance with his daughter, who captivates him more and more. He hands the girl a handkerchief that has fallen to the floor. His dreams and indiscreet behavior for a month regarding this lady finally become noticeable to others. Even the head of the department pronounces the field. But he all the same secretly enters the directorâs house and, wanting to find out something about the subject of his adoration, enters into conversation with the dog Medzhi. She evades him.
Aksenty Ivanovich gets into the Zverkov house
How does the summary go on? "Notes of a Madman" tells of the following further events. Aksenty Ivanovich comes to Zverkovâs house, rises up to the sixth (Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogolâs mistake) floor, where Fidelka lives with her mistresses, and steals a pile of pieces of paper from her corner. It was, as the protagonist had supposed, the correspondence of two little dogs-friends, from which he finds out a lot of important things: that the director of the department was awarded the next order, that Sophie (his daughterâs name is) was taken care of by Teplov, the camera a junker, and even about the Pryshchyna itself, as if it were a perfect freak like a "tortoise in a sack", seeing which the girl was unable to resist laughing.
Correspondence of Medzhi with Fidelka
These notes, like the rest of Gogolâs prose, are full of various references to random characters like Bobrov, who looks like a stork in his frill, or Lidina, confident that her eyes are blue, while in fact they are green, or dogs with a neighboring courtyard named Trezor, which is sweet to the heart of Medji. Poprishchin learns from them that the girlâs case with Teplov is clearly going to the wedding.
Poprishchin imagines himself a Spanish king
Finally, the main characterâs mind is damaged by unhappy love, as well as disturbing reports from various newspapers. Attempting the Poprischina in connection with the death of the Spanish king to abolish the throne. What if he is a secret heir, a noble man whom people around him respect and love? Mavra, the Chukhonka serving the Poprishchina, learns the news first. This âSpanish kingâ after a three-week absenteeism finally comes to his service, does not stand in front of the director, puts the signature âFerdinand VIIIâ on paper, and then sneaks into his bossâs apartment, tries to communicate with the girl, while making the discovery that the ladies fall in love just to hell.
The field is taken to a psychiatric clinic
The Gogol of âNotes of the Madmanâ ends as follows. The intense expectation of the protagonist of the arrival of the Spanish deputies by their appearance is allowed. However, the land where it is taken is very strange. It is home to many different grandees, whose heads are shaved, they are dripped with cold water on the crown and beat with sticks. Here, obviously, the great Inquisition rules, Poprishchin decides, and it is precisely this that prevents him from making great discoveries worthy of his post. The main character writes to his mother a tearful letter asking for help, but his meager attention is distracted by a bump located near the Algerian bei under his nose.
Thus ends Gogol's Notes of the Madman. According to psychiatrists and psychologists, the author did not set a goal to describe the craziness as such. Gogol (Notes of a Madman) analyzes the state of society. He only showed the squalor of spirituality and mores of the secular and bureaucratic environment. True notes of crazy people, of course, would have looked different, although the writer vividly and believably described the main characterâs nonsense.
The nature of the madness of the official, as experts say, refers to megalomania, which happens with the so-called paranoid form of the course of schizophrenia, paranoia and syphilitic paralysis. With progressive paralysis and schizophrenia, the idea of megalomania is significantly poorer intellectually than with paranoia. Consequently, the heroâs delirium is precisely paranoid in nature.