Arts & Entertainment, Literature
"Old-world landlords": a brief summary. "Old-world landowners" Gogol
In 1835 N. Gogol wrote the first story from the cycle "Mirgorod" under the title "Old-World Landlords". Its main characters were two spouses who owned a large farm and lived a soul in the soul for many years. This work tells of the touching mutual concern of the characters, while ironically at their limitations. We give here a brief summary. "Old-world landlords" is a story that still causes ambiguous emotions of readers.
Familiarity with the main characters
In one of the remote villages in Little Russia there are old people Tovstoguba: Pulcheria Ivanovna, a serious kind of hassle, and Afanasy Ivanovich, a lover of making fun of his mistress. They own quite a large farm. Their life is quiet and calm. Everyone who visits this blessed place is amazed at how all the disturbances of the raging world cease to prevail over the minds and souls of people here. It seems that this little lordly house, drowning in greenery, lives some special life of its own. For days on end supplies are prepared, jam and jelly, jelly and pastila are cooked, mushrooms are dried.
Mutual affection of the elderly
Athanasius Petrovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna do not have children. All their unspent tenderness and warmth they turned to each other.
Hospitality of the Old Believers
Very fond of these old people to eat. As soon as the morning came, the house was already singing creaky doors in every way. The girls in the striped underwear ran around the kitchen and cooked all sorts of food. Pulcheria Ivanovna walked everywhere, controlling and controlling, ringing keys, incessantly opening and closing numerous locks of barns and closets. The owners' breakfast always began with coffee, followed by crusts with lard, pies with poppy seeds, salted salmon, a glass of vodka with dried fish and fungi for Afanasy Ivanovich and so on. And how hospitable were these dear and kind old men! If they had to stay with a person, they were treated hourly with the best dishes of home cooking. The hosts listened to the stories of the pilgrims with attention and pleasure. It seemed that they lived for guests.
The death of Pulcheria Ivanovna
The life of the dear old people was serene. It seemed that this will always be so. However, soon with the mistress of the house, one incident occurred that had tragic consequences for the couple. Pulcheria Ivanovna had a white cat, of which the kind old lady was very cared. Once she disappeared: they smuggled local cats. Three days later the fugitive appeared. The landlady immediately ordered to give her milk and tried to caress the animal. But the pussy was miserable, and when Pulcheria Ivanovna extended her hand to her, the ungrateful creature threw herself into the window and fled. No one saw a cat. From that day on, the dear old lady became bored and thoughtful. On her husband's questions about her well-being, she answered that she had a premonition of death. All Afanasy Ivanovich's attempts to cheer up his wife ended in failure. Pulcheria Ivanovna kept repeating that it was probably her death that came in the form of her kitty. She convinced herself so much that she soon went blind and, after some time, really died.
Loneliness of Afanasy Ivanovich
The deceased was washed, dressed in the dress she had prepared herself and put in a coffin. Afanasii Ivanovich looked at all this blankly, as if this had not happened to him. The poor fellow could not recover from such a blow and believe that his dear beloved wife is no more. Only when the grave was razed to the ground, he broke free and said: "Are they buried? Why then? "After that loneliness and melancholy with a head covered the merry old man. Arriving from the cemetery, he sobbed loudly in the room of Pulcheria Ivanovna. Yard began to worry about how he would have done something with himself. At first they hid knives and all sharp objects from which he could hurt himself. But soon they calmed down and ceased to follow the owner of the house on their heels. And he immediately took out a gun and shot himself in the head. He was found with a crushed skull. The wound was not lethal. They called a doctor who put the old man on his feet. But as soon as the domestic people calmed down and again stopped following Afanasy Ivanovich, he rushed under the wheels of the crew. He injured his arm and leg, but he again survived. Soon it was already seen in the crowded hall of the entertainment institution playing cards. Behind the back of his chair stood, smiling, his young wife. All these were attempts to drown out grieving anguish and sorrow. To feel all the hopelessness that has seized the protagonist of the story, you can, even by reading its brief content. "Old-world landlords" is a work about the boundless tenderness and affection of people who have lived together all their lives.
Sad final
Five years after the events described, the author returned to this farm to visit the owner of the house. What did he see here? In a once-rich economy, desolation reigns. The huts of the peasants almost collapsed, and they themselves drank themselves and counted for the most part on the run. The hedge near the manor house almost fell. Everywhere felt the absence of a master's hand. And the owner of the house was now almost unrecognizable: he hunched and walked, barely moving his legs.
We got acquainted with one of the stories of VN Gogol. Here is its summary. "Old-world landlords" - one of the favorite works of the great classics for many decades.
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