Gogol old world landowners very brief summary. "Old World Landowners"

The main characters of the work are landowners from Little Russia Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna Tovstogub. This elderly childless couple lives on their small estate. Afanasy Ivanovich is a tall old man of 60 years old with a constant kind smile. Pulcheria Ivanovna turned fifty-five. This lady looks serious, hardly laughs, but her face and eyes radiate kindness. The author, with gentle irony and love, talks about the life and habits of this family.

In his youth, Afanasy Ivanovich was a military man. At the age of thirty, he wooed Pulcheria Ivanovna, but her parents did not want to give their daughter to a retired second major. Then Afanasy Ivanovich very cleverly took away his future wife. The venerable couple hardly remembered these stormy events and never spoke about them.

The Tovstogubs address each other exclusively as “you” and by their first and patronymic names, politely and caringly. They are very hospitable hosts and always welcome guests with great pleasure. Afanasy Ivanovich loves to ask the guest about his affairs and problems, is completely sincerely interested in the world around him, listens carefully to stories about various innovations and fashion trends. At the same time, he, unlike most old people, does not grumble that in his youth everything was better and more rationally arranged, does not indulge in lengthy memories and does not conduct long moralizing conversations.

Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna live in a small, low house. Nearby are a garden, a forest, and rickety peasant huts. Tovstogubs love warmth very much, so each room has a large stove that is constantly heated. Unusually, the guests are stuffy and hot, but the comfort, delicious food and cordiality of the owners still attract neighbors and acquaintances to them. Every guest here is certainly allowed to spend the night, even though he has to travel three or four miles home.

In Pulcheria Ivanovna’s room there are many chests and drawers. A bunch of different little things are stored here, which, according to the owner, might come in handy someday.

Afanasy Ivanovich hardly does any housekeeping. He only occasionally goes out into the field to watch the work of the reapers and mowers. Pulcheria Ivanovna is busy around the house, preparing all sorts of jams, dried mushrooms and fruits for future use. The clerk and the village headman, who in these parts are called a voit, manage at their own discretion and steal shamelessly. But the land is generous, and the needs of the elderly are minimal, so there is enough for everyone.

Tovstogubs love to eat. Early in the morning they drink coffee, then have breakfast. An hour before lunch, Afanasy Ivanovich has a snack and drinks a glass of vodka. At twelve o'clock the couple has dinner, and the owner goes to rest. An hour later, his wife brings him fruit, and the couple go for a walk in the garden. Then Pulcheria Ivanovna leaves on business, and Afanasy Ivanovich sits in the shade and watches the bustle of the household. Soon he's snacking again. The Tovstogubs have dinner at half past nine and immediately go to bed. But it happens that at night Afanasy Ivanovich complains of stomach pain, which is eliminated by another snack.

The old man loves to make fun of his wife. Starts a conversation, for example, about what they will do if the house burns down, or threatens to go to war. Pulcheria Ivanovna has a gray cat. The old lady is used to it, pets it often and loves to look after the animal. At this time, Afanasy Ivanovich talks about the uselessness of a cat, comparing it with a dog.

It all started because of this cat. One day she ran away. She must have been lured into the forest by wild cats. Pulcheria Ivanovna has been looking for the cat for several days, but to no avail. After some time, the cat returns on her own, thin and shabby. The old woman gives her meat and milk, the cat eats everything and quickly runs away.

For some reason, Pulcheria Ivanovna decides that death was coming for her. Not paying attention to her husband’s entreaties, she gives orders on what and how to do at the funeral, and orders the housekeeper to look after Afanasy Ivanovich. The old man cries bitterly, but Pulcheria Ivanovna is adamant in her confidence about his imminent death.

Indeed, after a few days she can no longer get out of bed and soon dies. The old woman is buried exactly according to her instructions. Afanasy Ivanovich is in some kind of daze. Returning home from the cemetery, he sees that the house is empty and sobs bitterly.

Five years pass. The author argues that during this time even the deepest heart wound heals. He tells of an acquaintance who was so grieved by the death of his lover that he twice tried to commit suicide. Both times he miraculously remained alive, and five years later the author met him. The former sufferer was calmly playing cards, with his new young wife standing nearby.

But Afanasy Ivanovich did not forget about his Pulcheria Ivanovna. When the author comes to visit him, he is surprised at the desolation that has occurred on the estate. There is no one to look after the household, the peasants' houses are completely askew, the servants have become lazy. The old man is hunched over and looks completely decrepit. Those pickles are no longer on the table; the owner brings the spoon to his nose instead of his mouth, and pokes the decanter with a fork.

Afanasy Ivanovich listens to the guest with the same kind smile, but his eyes remain empty. Suddenly he remembers his wife and begins to cry bitterly. The author is shocked: is habit really stronger than passion?

Soon after this visit, he learns that Afanasy Ivanovich has died. The old man went out for a walk in the garden and suddenly heard a voice calling him. There was no one around, and Afanasy Ivanovich decided that it was Pulcheria Ivanovna calling him to her. From that day on, he withers, melts and orders himself to be buried next to his wife. His wish is fulfilled.

The clerk and the voight are taking away what little remains. Suddenly an heir appears, who quickly brings the estate to complete ruin.

“Old World Landowners”, analysis of Gogol’s story

Old men Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna live alone in one of the remote villages, called old-world villages in Little Russia. Their life is so quiet that to a guest who accidentally drops by at a low manor house, immersed in the greenery of a garden, the passions and anxious worries of the outside world seem not to exist at all. The small rooms of the house are filled with all sorts of things, the doors sing in different tunes, the storerooms are filled with supplies, the preparation of which is constantly occupied by the servants under the direction of Pulcheria Ivanovna. Despite the fact that the farm is robbed by the clerk and lackeys, the blessed land produces such quantities that Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna do not notice the thefts at all.

The old people never had children, and all their affection was focused on themselves. It is impossible to look without sympathy at their mutual love, when with extraordinary care in their voices they address each other as “you,” forestalling every desire and even an affectionate word that has not yet been spoken. They love to treat - and if it were not for the special properties of the Little Russian air, which helps digestion, then the guest, without a doubt, would find himself lying on the table after dinner instead of a bed. Old people love to eat themselves - and from early morning until late evening you can hear Pulcheria Ivanovna guessing her husband’s wishes, offering first one dish or another in a gentle voice. Sometimes Afanasy Ivanovich likes to make fun of Pulcheria Ivanovna and will suddenly start talking about a fire or a war, causing his wife to be seriously frightened and cross herself, so that her husband’s words could never come true. But after a minute, the unpleasant thoughts are forgotten, the old people decide that it’s time to have a snack, and suddenly a tablecloth and those dishes that Afanasy Ivanovich chooses at the prompting of his wife appear on the table. And quietly, calmly, in extraordinary harmony of two loving hearts, days go by.

A sad event changes the life of this peaceful corner forever. Pulcheria Ivanovna's beloved cat, who usually lay at her feet, disappears in the large forest behind the garden, where wild cats lure her. Three days later, having lost her feet in search of a cat, Pulcheria Ivanovna meets her favorite in the garden, emerging from the weeds with a pitiful meow. Pulcheria Ivanovna feeds the feral and thin fugitive, wants to pet her, but the ungrateful creature throws herself out the window and disappears forever. From that day on, the old woman becomes thoughtful, bored and suddenly announces to Afanasy Ivanovich that it was death that came for her and they were soon destined to meet in the next world. The only thing the old woman regrets is that there will be no one to look after her husband. She asks the housekeeper Yavdokha to look after Afanasy Ivanovich, threatening her entire family with God's punishment if she does not fulfill the lady's order.

Pulcheria Ivanovna dies. At the funeral, Afanasy Ivanovich looks strange, as if he does not understand all the savagery of what happened. When he returns to his house and sees how empty his room has become, he sobs heavily and inconsolably, and tears flow like a river from his dull eyes.

Five years have passed since then. The house is decaying without its owner, Afanasy Ivanovich is weakening and is bent twice as much as before. But his melancholy does not weaken with time. In all the objects surrounding him, he sees a deceased woman, he tries to pronounce her name, but halfway through the word, convulsions distort his face, and the cry of a child escapes from his already cooling heart.

It’s strange, but the circumstances of Afanasy Ivanovich’s death are similar to the death of his beloved wife. As he slowly walks along the garden path, he suddenly hears someone behind him saying in a clear voice: “Afanasy Ivanovich!” For a minute his face perks up, and he says: “It’s Pulcheria Ivanovna calling me!” He submits to this conviction with the will of an obedient child. “Place me near Pulcheria Ivanovna” - that’s all he says before his death. His wish was fulfilled. The manor's house was empty, the goods were taken away by the peasants and finally thrown to the wind by the visiting distant relative-heir.

From the very beginning of the story, Gogol confesses his love for Little Russia: its nature, morals, customs, people... The heroes, the old man and the old woman, live simply, thinking only about food, fearing change. A frequent guest in their house, Nikolai Vasilyevich sympathizes with the death of the old woman Pulcheria, who imagined that in the form of her roaming cat, death itself came to her. Without his wife, old man Afanasy lives for another ten years in a neglected house, but he cannot come to terms with the sad thought. Gogol cites, for contrast, the story of a young man who, because of the death of his beloved, stubbornly tried to commit suicide, but after a while he calmed down, got married, and lived happily... Devotion should not always be associated with youth and ardor.

the main idea

A story about the simple beauties of a place and people, about loyalty to the memory of someone who is gone. There are no clear answers here, who is right - the old or the young, the romantics or the realists, this is the mystery.

Read the summary Gogol Old World Landowners

The descriptions with which the story begins are very beautiful and appetizing. Food is practically the only thing that old people care about. All life is subordinated to it: in the morning we ate this or that, then we snacked on this... From what the old woman offers for lunch, they always choose both options. And at night in a hot room the old man groans - his stomach hurts. So the treatment is again in eating: I drank sour milk and immediately felt better. Indeed, liqueurs, for example, are perceived by me as medicines. This one is for itching, that one is for aching.

If guests come, then the old people have a feast. They treated the author, revealing all their secrets: pickles, drinks... He ate too much, but it was simply impossible to restrain himself. The guest was always left to spend the night, frightened by robbers. By the way, my grandfather loved to scare his quiet wife. For example, what happens if their house burns down? And Pulcheria Ivanovna was so afraid of losing peace - their peaceful life.

And there were so many supplies in the house that, even though all the servants ate until they were sick, stole, and took it to guests, there was still plenty. The old people seemed to be trying to control economic processes, but were content with external ones. They believed the deceivers who stole their timber and everything else.

One day, the cat that Pulcheria was pampering ran away. A few days later she returned feral. She ate and disappeared again. And for some reason Pulcheria decided that the time had come. Apparently, it really has come, since I came up with such a thing. She began to methodically prepare for death: she gave instructions about the housework, collected her dress, and said goodbye to the old man. Pulcheria has a unique understanding of what’s next; she said, “Do it my way, otherwise I’ll be next to Christ, so I’ll tell him everything about you if you disobey.” And she fell ill, and within a few days she was burned. Afanasy Ivanovich could not believe in her death. Everything became indifferent to him, he could not, like a small child, eat without getting dirty. At that time, Gogol came to see him and sympathized with the dramatically aged Afanasy, who could not talk about Pulcheria without tears. Gogol was not surprised that the old man soon died. By the way, before his death, he allegedly heard his dead wife calling him in the garden. His departure was similar to what happened to his wife.

For contrast, the writer cites the story of a young man whose beloved was taken away by death early. Nothing else interested him. His family locked him up at home and hid sharp objects from him. And yet, a couple of times he tried to commit suicide... But years passed, the crippled hero married again, he is happy and cheerful. It may be right that the young man has not lost his taste for life, but this makes the author sad. Sometimes simpler, down-to-earth people display more elevated feelings.

This story became the first in Gogol’s “Mirgorod” cycle.

Picture or drawing of Old World landowners

The everyday life of the old gluttons

Critics and writers reacted differently to the story “Old World Landowners” by N.V. Gogol. The summary of this work can be summarized as follows: there are no worries in the lives of two old people, and therefore the main thing in their lives is eating.

However, in the lives of Gogol’s heroes there is suffering, loss, and loneliness. The writer exposed common human vices, but did it for a single purpose. Namely, to make humanity better. The story “Old World Landowners,” a summary of which is presented below, can be called a parable about death, love, and old age. This work is filled with sadness and charm.

“Old World Landowners”: a summary of the chapters

The story consists of two parts. In the first, the author describes in detail the manor house and the lifestyle of the main characters. Here the writer characterizes Afanasy Ivanovich and Pulcheria Ivanovna. The landscape also plays an important role in the narrative, which is worth mentioning when making an artistic analysis. The summary of “Old World Landowners” in this article is presented according to the following plan:

Manor's house.
Hospitable owners.
Disappearance of a cat.
Death of Pulcheria Ivanovna.
Five years later.
The death of the old landowner.

Manor's house

Before proceeding with the summary, it is worth mentioning an important feature of the work. From the very narration, the author confesses his love for Little Russia: its nature, morals, customs, people... This is an amazingly colorful and poetic work, although created in the genre of realism.

The small rooms of the manor's house are filled with various things. The doors creak and “sing in different tunes.” The pantry is filled with dishes, in the preparation of which all the servants are involved. The culinary process is managed by Pulcheria Ivanovna. The farm is regularly robbed by the clerk, but the land in the village where the heroes of the story live is fertile. She produces everything in the same quantity. Afanasy Ivanovich and his wife do not notice the thefts.

The descriptions with which the story begins are very beautiful. Food is practically the only thing that old people care about. Her whole life is subordinated to her: in the morning we ate, then had a snack, after lunch... Of the two dishes that the old woman offers for the meal, her husband invariably chooses both options. And at night in a hot room he groans and his stomach hurts. The treatment for any ailment lies, again, in eating: drinking sour milk and immediately feeling better. The liqueurs are used exclusively as medicine.

Hospitable hosts

If guests come, then the old people have a feast. The narrator, who had visited this hospitable house more than once, was treated to a meal, revealing all the secrets of preparing pickles and drinks. He ate too much, but couldn’t control himself. The guest was always left to spend the night, frightening them with robbers. By the way, my grandfather loved to instill fear in his quiet wife. For example, what will happen if their house burns down? And Pulcheria Ivanovna was so afraid of losing her peace.

There were a lot of supplies in the house. Although all the nobles ate until they were sick and stole shamelessly, the provisions were not transferred to the pantry. The old people seemed to be trying to control economic processes, but they did it very ineptly.

Disappearance of a cat

One day, Pulcheria's favorite ran away. A few days later she returned wild. She ate, disappeared again. And Pulcheria decided that her time had come. The cat returned emaciated and angry. The old woman decided that death had come to her in the form of an animal.

Death of Pulcheria

The old woman began to methodically prepare for death: she gave instructions about the housework, collected her dress, and said goodbye to the old man. Her idea of the afterlife was unique. So, she said: “Do it my way, otherwise I will be next to Christ, so I will tell him everything about you if you disobey.” Pulcheria fell ill and “burned out” in a few days.

Five years later

The story is told from the perspective of a frequent guest of the elderly. The narrator comes to Afanasy Ivanovich after the death of Pulcheria only five years later. And he sees a tragic change in the appearance of the old widower. He sympathizes with the death of Pulcheria, a kind and simple woman who imagined that death itself was coming to her in the form of her runaway cat.

Afanasy Ivanovich could not believe in her death. Everything became indifferent to him. In everyday life he was like a child: he could not have lunch without getting dirty.

Death of the old landowner

Without his wife, old man Afanasy lived for another ten years in a neglected house, but he could not come to terms with the sad thought. Before his death, the old man seemed to hear his dead wife calling him in the garden. His departure was as mysterious as the death of Pulcheria.

For contrast, the writer cites the story of a young man whose beloved died early. Nothing else interested him. His relatives locked him up at home and hid sharp objects from him. And yet, a couple of times he tried to commit suicide... But years passed, the hero married again, he is happy and cheerful. It may be right that the young man has not lost his taste for life, but the author is sad about this. Sometimes simple, down-to-earth people show more elevated feelings.

The first work of the “Mirgorod” cycle was “Old World Landowners”. There is no need to limit yourself to a brief summary. After all, N. Gogol’s figurative, colorful language will not convey any presentation.

As already mentioned, the main literary critic of the 19th century saw in the work a satire on the soulless landowner world. Perhaps he is right, but the story is permeated with extraordinary tenderness and love for his native land. Landscape here plays a more important role than satire. The author feels sympathy and compassion for his characters.

The author of “Old World Landowners” makes the reader think about the meaning of life and inevitable old age. Not everyone is destined to leave a bright mark on this earth. The writer believed that there was nothing reprehensible in a provincial reclusive life.

OLD CITY LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE Afanasy Ivanovich Tovstogub and his wife Pulcheria Ivanovna are two old men of the “past century”, tenderly loving and touchingly caring for each other. Afanasy Ivanovich was tall, always wore a sheepskin coat, and almost always smiled. Pulcheria Ivanovna almost never laughed, but “there was so much kindness written on her face and in her eyes, so much readiness to treat you to everything that was best for them, that you would probably have found the smile too sugary for her kind face.” They had no children. Afanasy Ivanovich never criticizes modernity and does not praise his past; on the contrary, it shows a keen interest in the events of the lives of other people, including young people. “Pulcheria Ivanovna’s room was all lined with chests, boxes, drawers and chests. Many bundles and bags with seeds, flowers, garden and watermelon, hung on the walls. Many balls of multi-colored wool, scraps of old dresses, sewn over half a century, they were placed in the corners of chests and between chests. Pulcheria Ivanovna was a great housewife and collected everything, although sometimes she herself did not know what it would be used for later.” Afanasy Ivanovich does little housekeeping; the reins of government are in the hands of Pulcheria Ivanovna. She constantly makes jam, dries fruit, distills vodka, pickles mushrooms and cucumbers; all this is then stolen by the courtyard girls, but this is even for the best, otherwise the mistress’s reserves would be enough for several years. The clerk robs the Tovstogubs; Pulcheria Ivanovna constantly discovers that hundred-year-old oaks are disappearing in the forest, but is quite satisfied with answers like “it was struck by thunder and the worms drained away.” Afanasy Ivanovich is a hunter of good food; He also has only one remedy for stomach pain - an additional meal. The worst thing a couple can imagine is a fire in their house. But even here, discussing the possibility of such a disaster, they do not lose heart: Afanasy Ivanovich is ready to go to the servants’ room, and Pulcheria Ivanovna to the pantry. “But the old people seemed most interesting to me at the time when they had guests. Then everything in their house took on a different look. These good people, one might say, lived for the guests. Everything that was best for them, all this was bearable... in all their helpfulness there was no cloyingness. This cordiality and readiness were so meekly expressed on their faces, so approaching them that one involuntarily agreed to their requests. They were the result of the pure, clear simplicity of their kind, ingenuous souls.” One day, Pulcheria Ivanovna’s cat was “lured” by wild cats, and she went into the forest with them. The owner regrets the loss of the cat for three days, then calms down. Suddenly a cat appears; she became very thin and wild. Despite the fact that Pulcheria Ivanovna feeds her, the cat, having eaten, runs away again into the forest. Pulcheria Ivanovna decides that it was her death that was coming for her.

Pulcheria Ivanovna decides that it was her death that was coming for her. She announces this to her husband and shares with him her premonitions of an imminent death. Although she has no apparent reason to worry, the old woman begins to melt day by day. She announces her last will and begins to prepare for her own funeral. She feels more sorry for herself than Afanasy Ivanovich, who after her death will remain completely alone and there will be no one to look after him with loving care. Not sick in any way, but firmly convinced of her imminent death, a few days later Pulcheria Ivanovna actually dies. Afanasy Ivanovich is so amazed that he cannot even cry at the funeral; it seems like he doesn't quite understand what happened. When the coffin is already covered with earth, Afanasy Ivanovich helplessly asks the question: “So you already buried her! Why!” Returning to the empty house, "Afanasy Ivanovich sobs for a long time and inconsolably. Five years pass. Afanasy Ivanovich has become very old and hunched over, has become sloppy and inattentive. He is unable to recover from the terrible misfortune that befell him. He listens absentmindedly, as if absent. His attention is drawn to the dish that his deceased wife always prepared and served. He is not even able to pronounce her name and bursts into uncontrollable tears. “God! - I thought, looking at him, - five years of all-destroying time - an old man already insensitive, an old man whose life seemed to consist only of sitting on a high chair, of eating dried apples and pears, of good-natured stories - and such a long, such hot sadness! What is stronger over us: passion or habit?" Soon after this, Afanasy Ivanovich died. Not long before, while walking in the garden, he hears someone calling him by name, although there is no people around. Afanasy Ivanovich's face is bright and (like once a wife) begins to melt, dry up, die. “It’s Pulcheria Ivanovna calling me!” says Afanasy Ivanovich and asks to bury himself next to his wife.

The landowners' house is described as a Garden of Eden, and this is not only because of the abundance of food and other decorations. It's just a spirit created by the author. In the story, the old people eat constantly. Afanasy Ivanovich eats even at night. He wakes up from the stuffiness, tosses and turns, groans, Pulcheria Ivanovna lists dishes that can satisfy her husband’s hunger.

A closed space, fenced with a palisade, through which not a single desire flew. Inside, time is still, in these small, low rooms. Here comes a meaningless, aimless, animal existence.

For the heroes there is no world around, their life is limited to each other and their everyday life. Even a child would be superfluous in their world.

Time moves linearly until the death of Pulcheria Ivanovna. Then there is a gap of 5 years. The narrator thinks that after 5 years Afanasy Ivanovich has calmed down, but he is mistaken.

There is nothing to be learned from this story. Here you just enjoy the way Gogol writes. It's simply written "deliciously".

Through time and space, we understand how to evaluate the characters and the situation.

Bakhtin described chronotope of the threshold- some kind of plot situation about which you can say: before it it was like this, after it it completely changed. After the threshold boundary, time begins to move faster.