In 1835, N.V. Gogol's collection, Mirgorod, was published, which opened a new page in the writer's work.
From the fiction and romantic mood of "Evenings ..." he went on to depict real life pictures. The poet of reality and the satirist, skillfully exposing the vices of mankind, is Gogol here.
"Old World Landowners" is a story that opened the collection and caused a lot of conflicting assessments. But almost all the reviews converged to one thing - this is a work about the genuine and deep attachment of the heroes to each other.
Prototypes of the Four Tovstogubs
The scene of the story "Old World Landowners" is associated with Vasilyevka - the family estate of Gogol, where the writer spent his childhood and youth. As an adult, he often came to his father's house to visit his parents and sisters.
Pulcheria Ivanovna and Afanasy Ivanovich also have their own prototypes. This is Afanasy Demyanovich and Tatyana Semenovna (maiden name Lizogub) Gogol-Yanovsky - the grandfather and grandmother of Nikolai Vasilyevich. The story of their marriage and life together is very reminiscent of the story of Gogol. Old-world landowners also married against the will of their parents. Afanasy Ivanovich at the end of the Theological Academy in Kiev secretly took his beloved.
The literary critic P.E. Schegolev also drew a parallel between the heroes of the story and Gogol's parents. In his opinion, although the lives of the latter were not as calm and serene as those of the Tovstogubs, and they did not live to old age together, the relations between the spouses were always as warm, filled with love and tenderness as those of Pulcheria Ivanovna and Afanasy Ivanovich . These are the main human qualities that Gogol draws the attention of the reader to.
"Old World Landowners": a summary of the exposition
The story can be divided into several parts:
- acquaintance with the estate;
- a story about the measured, calm life of the heroes and the idyllic relationship between them;
- Pulcheria Ivanovna’s death and its consequences.
The story begins with a description of a typical old Russian estate and the narrator’s thoughts about the warmth and friendly hospitality, always blowing from these cozy little houses, the gardens surrounding them and the good-natured hosts, which Gogol portrays of the Tovstogubov spouses.
Old-world landowners created a cozy home. Their home is a full bowl. There is plenty of everything, and the work on cooking, salting, and preparing something is constantly in full swing. Their land gave birth to so much all good that the theft of servants was not at all noticeable. Many small details help outline their lifestyle. This and the numerous boxes and chests stored in the room of the heroine and filled with all sorts of good. And the old doors “singing” in different ways. And solid natural furniture. And a feeling of warmth, and even heat in small rooms. As a result, a picture of the limited world of the estate inhabitants arises.
Spouse relationship
Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulkheria Ivanovna lived soul to soul. They had no children, and the whole world revolved around themselves. With genuine tenderness, always at “you,” they turned to each other, trying to forestall every desire. Afanasy Ivanovich — tall, usually smiling, who loved warmth and therefore was dressed in a sheepskin coat — loved to play a trick on his wife. Pulcheria Ivanovna, on the contrary, almost never laughing, had such a kind expression that it was enough to express constant cordiality and readiness to treat her husband or guest with anything. This was the main feature that N.V. Gogol emphasized in the heroine.
Old-world landowners spent the same days all days. In the morning we drank coffee. Then Afanasy Ivanovich talked with the clerk - he learned about the affairs and gave orders (which were poorly executed). Then they had a snack twice and sat down to dinner at 12 o’clock (the table was certainly full of many different dishes). After an hour's rest and afternoon tea, a joint walk in the garden followed. Then Pulcheria Ivanovna was doing household chores, and Afanasy Ivanovich, sitting in the shade of a canopy, watched what was happening in the yard. The day ended with dinner at half past nine.
Thus, the whole life of the landowners was devoted to the daily concerns of each other and of the household. Despite the limited and even useless for society society, the heroes, the author and the readers are attracted to them by sincere, sincere relations, opposed to the bustle and bitterness of the city.
Everything for guests
Another good trait of the spouses is Gogol. Old-world landowners were very hospitable. As soon as an outsider appeared in the house, he immediately found himself in the spotlight. They got all the best dishes, vying with each other offered by the owners. But the main thing was not even that. The atmosphere itself was amazing - friendly, warm, welcoming. And all this did not come from a desire to flatter or please. The old men absolutely did not know how to pretend. Therefore, every traveler was glad to see Tovstogubov, tell them about the news and certainly taste the most delicious dishes.
Tragic omens
Very sadly ends his story N.V. Gogol. Old-world landowners are dying, and their estate and all acquired good go to ashes.
Once the cat Pulcheria Ivanovna disappeared - stray cats were taken away, who lived in the neighboring forest. After a while, the animal returned. The cat was in very unsightly form. The hostess immediately began to feed her, and already wanted to stroke as she jumped out the window and ran away again. For Pulcheria Ivanovna, her whole life changed at that moment - for some reason she decided that her death was coming. The power of auto-suggestion was so great that soon it really went down and died.
Gogol continues the story with bitterness. The old-world landowners were so attached to each other that Athanasius Ivanovich could not reconcile with the death of his wife. When the narrator again came to him after 5 years, he was amazed at what he saw. The once peppy and smiling owner turned into a bent old man. Even after the passage of time, he could not pronounce the name of his wife - immediately began to strangle tears. And in all around, traces of decline and neglect were visible.
Afanasy Ivanovich died just like Pulcheria Ivanovna, —he heard her voice, lay down and quickly died away. Before his death, he only asked to be buried next to his wife.
Idea of ​​the work
The story of Gogol's "Old World Landowners" and her characters cause an ambiguous attitude. Some critics saw in the Tovstogubov couple idly living "non-smokers." They noted their limited nature, focusing only on food and “the state of animal peace” (I. A. Vinogradov). Others, for example, I.F. Annensky, M.N. Boyko, admired Pulcheria Ivanovna’s spiritual purity and warmth, mutual love and devotion. In any case, the characters with their naturalness, somewhere even childish immediacy arouse admiration and sympathy among the reader.