Khlestakovism - what does it mean? "Khlestakovshchina" as a moral phenomenon Khlestakovshchina as a social phenomenon.

The concept of "Khlestakovism" appeared thanks to the famous comedy by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "The Inspector General", the main character of which was a middle-aged man Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov. It was thanks to him that this concept appeared. Ivan Alexandrovich was greedy, stingy, and also loved to lie and embellish. It is easy to guess that "Khlestakovism" are people prone to hypocrisy, lies, flattery, and, of course, selfishness, just like our hero. Such people, as a rule, are liars, their material condition and appearance are important for them.

Thus, "Khlestakovism" is dishonest and hypocritical people who love to walk around secular companies and events, they are also quite cunning and know how to take advantage of the situation, although they are empty inside (in terms of moral qualities). The name of this generalizing concept comes from the name of the protagonist. With the help of his convincing lies, he makes local officials tremble in front of an insignificant person. Khlestakov does not possess, as such, the intelligence and impressiveness of the figure, but even so he received unexpected success. This image has become typical. In these people, Gogol showed the eternal problems of Russia.

Updated: 2017-01-26

Attention!
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Thus, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.

Thank you for your attention.

The main idea of ​​Gogol's comedy "The Government Inspector" is to denounce the vices of Russian bureaucracy. The county town where the events of the work take place is a mirror of the country, a typical, not a special case. The order of the city of N is a consequence of the bureaucratic system of the modern Russian writer, when they served individuals, and not the cause, when everyone, or almost everyone, while in the service, tried to deceive the other. Bribes, doing nothing were in the order of things, remember, for example, that, currying favor with the false auditor, the mayor deftly slips Khlestakov four hundred instead of two hundred rubles and rejoices when he takes the money. Gogol himself defined the idea of ​​The Inspector General as follows: “In The Inspector General I decided to put together everything bad in Russia, which I knew for sure, all the injustices ... and at one time laugh at everyone. In this regard, the unusual social conflict of The Inspector General is connected, which is expressed in the disclosure of internal inconsistency, inconsistency and absurdity of the social structure. The originality of the comedy conflict lies in the fact that there is no positive hero in the play. The positive ideal of the author is formed on the basis of the negative: denial of the realities of Russian life, denunciation and ridicule of vices. The main action of the play unfolds around one event - an auditor from St. Petersburg is going to the county town, and he is going incognito. This news excites officials: “How is the auditor? There was no care, so give it! , and they begin to fuss, hiding their "sins" for the arrival of the inspector. The mayor is especially trying - he is in a hurry to cover up especially large "holes and holes" in his activities. A petty official from St. Petersburg, Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov, is mistaken for an auditor. Khlestakov is windy, frivolous, “somewhat stupid and, as they say, without a king in his head,” and the very possibility of mistaking him for an auditor is absurd. This is precisely the originality of the intrigue of the comedy The Inspector General. At first, Khlestakov does not even understand that he is being mistaken for a high-ranking civil servant. He does nothing to deceive the provincial officials, they deceive themselves ("whipped themselves"). The only important thing for officials is that their "sins" are not revealed. The episodes are comical, where each of the city officials comes to Khlestakov and focuses on the sins of the other, trying to hide his own. The imaginary auditor has no choice but to behave in accordance with the conditions set. In the society of the mayor and officials, he feels more and more free: he easily dines with the mayor, takes care of his wife and daughter, “borrows” from officials, accepts “offerings” from “ordinary” petitioners. Gradually, Khlestakov gets a taste: if at first he timidly begs for dinner, then from Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky he demands “do you have any money?” , invents a fantastic career and life. The concept of Khlestakovism is associated with the image of Khlestakov. This is the embodiment of the desire to play a role higher than the one that is intended for you. In addition, it is also the embodiment of the emptiness of existence, a nonentity raised to the nth degree, as Gogol said: "a void that has arisen to the highest degree."

The concept of Khlestakovism came to us from the immortal comedy by N.V. Gogol's The Inspector General, which was written in 1835. The author himself spoke of his comedy as follows: “In The Government Inspector, I decided to put together everything bad in Russia ... and laugh at everything at once.” The central character of the play N.V. Gogol called Khlestakov. So who is he, Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov, and why did his surname begin to be used as a common noun?

N.V. Gogol managed to create a collective and somewhat exaggerated image of a vulgar and worthless little man. Once passing through a district town, Khlestakov plays cards and is left penniless in his pocket. City officials take him for an auditor from St. Petersburg. At first, Khlestakov is surprised by their behavior, but then, having entered the role, he himself begins to consider himself a "significant person." Under the influence of circumstances, he grows in his own eyes, so he lies more and more boldly (the author uses the grotesque technique when creating the image of the hero). From a collegiate registrar who simply rewrites papers, in a matter of minutes he grows almost to a “field marshal”, who “goes to the palace every day” and “on a friendly footing with Pushkin”. At the reception at the mayor’s, his boasting takes on truly fantastic proportions: “thirty-five thousand one couriers” are looking for him through the streets, because there is no one else to manage the department, “soup in a saucepan came straight from Paris right on the ship”, and in the front he has “ counts and princes jostle." Khlestakov speaks and acts without any thought. His speech is broken and vulgar.

Since then, impudent, unrestrained, falsely frivolous boasting has been disparagingly called Khlestakovism. The Khlestakovs have always been, at all times. But only after the release of The Inspector General, this phenomenon received a name, got into dictionaries. In the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, edited by Ozhegov, we read: “Khlestakovism is shameless, unbridled boasting.” So what is the essence of this vice? This phenomenon is tenacious and very many-sided. Khlestakovism is stupidity, spiritual emptiness, primitiveness, opportunism. Such people like to splurge, they want to seem more significant than they really are. These are braggarts, braggarts and fanfarons. Probably, we are all sometimes whiplash, because we so want to seem more significant, to grow in our own eyes. Gogol wrote: “Everyone, even for a minute ... has become or is becoming a whiplash ... In a word, rarely will anyone not be at least once in their life ...”

Comedy NV Gogol's The Inspector General had a huge impact on Russian society of that time. More than a century and a half has passed since then, and the Khlestakovs still exist today, this concept has not become archaic, which means that the comedy of the great writer is still relevant today.

Khlestakov is the central figure in Gogol's comedy The Inspector General. This hero is one of the most characteristic in the writer's work. Thanks to him, even the word Khlestakovism appeared, which denotes a phenomenon generated by the Russian bureaucratic system. To understand what Khlestakovism is, you need to get to know the hero better. Khlestakov is a young man who likes to take a walk, who squandered money and therefore constantly needs them. By chance, he ended up in a county town, where he was mistaken for an auditor. When local officials vying with each other try to offer money to Khlestakov, he is surprised. But, realizing what was the matter, he decides to turn the situation in his favor. With the help of lies, this “wick” pretends to be a “significant” person, makes all officials tremble. And at the end of the play, he calmly leaves, leaving all the officials in the cold together with the mayor. But he is not alone in his lies. "Everyone, even for a minute ... was or is being made by Khlestakov." This can be seen in every character in the play. The mayor dreams of vendace and smelt, which he will eat in Paris. How similar it is to the soup that arrived from Paris for Khlestakov. And remember the Gorodnichiy’s monologue about how horses are given to him everywhere at the stations, and “everyone is waiting: all these titular ones ...” And he is having lunch somewhere with the governor. And suddenly this monologue is interrupted by a lot of talking “... and there - stop, mayor! Doesn't this remind you of the monologue of the lying Khlestakov? “And it’s curious to look into my hallway ... counts and princes. And suddenly: “As you run up the stairs to your fourth floor ...” Both Khlestakov and the Governor will look at the real themselves - and let's compose again. And the monologue of Khlestakov's servant Osip is another version of lies. Let's listen to his words: “... living in St. Petersburg is the best. Life is thin: theaters, dogs dance for you. » On the street they shout to Osip: “Venerable! "Oh, how it resembles Khlestakov's: "There, they say, Ivan Alexandrovich is coming! Osip became somewhat like his master in his soul. In everyone who comes into contact with Ivan Alexandrovich, something “Khlestakov” appears. And that is why the words of the presumptuous hero sound so symbolic: “I know myself. I am everywhere, everywhere. ""Everyone, even for a minute ... was or is being made by Khlestakov." Khlestakovism inevitably corrupts everyone. This is a product of Russian society, in which greed, lies, hypocrisy, cowardice, and servility reigned. Gogol's talent revealed to us the essence of this phenomenon. This is a lie, phrase-mongering, selfishness, infantilism, a desire to splurge. This is both mannerism and simple-minded selfishness. And this phenomenon is dangerous because it can be hidden under a rather attractive guise.

Khlestakov is the central figure in Gogol's comedy The Inspector General. This hero is one of the most characteristic in the writer's work. Thanks to him, even the word Khlestakovism appeared, which denotes a phenomenon generated by the Russian bureaucratic system.

To understand what Khlestakovism is, you need to get to know the hero better. Khlestakov is a young man who likes to take a walk, who squandered money and therefore constantly needs them. By chance, he ended up in a county town, where he was mistaken for an auditor. When local officials vying with each other try to offer money to Khlestakov, he is surprised. But, realizing what was the matter, he decides to turn the situation in his favor. With the help of lies, this “wick” pretends to be a “significant” person, makes all officials tremble. And at the end of the play, he calmly leaves, leaving all the officials in the cold together with the mayor.

But he is not alone in his lies. "Everyone, even for a minute ... was or is being made by Khlestakov." This can be seen in every character in the play.

The mayor dreams of vendace and smelt, which he will eat in Paris. How similar it is to the soup that arrived from Paris for Khlestakov. And remember the Gorodnichiy’s monologue about how horses are given to him everywhere at the stations, and “everyone is waiting: all these titular ones ...” And he is having lunch somewhere with the governor. And suddenly this monologue is interrupted by a lot of talking “... and there - stop, mayor! Doesn't this remind you of the monologue of the lying Khlestakov? “And it’s curious to look into my hallway ... counts and princes. And suddenly: “As you run up the stairs to your fourth floor ...” Both Khlestakov and the Governor will look at the real themselves - and let's compose again.

And the monologue of Khlestakov's servant Osip is another version of lies. Let's listen to his words: “... living in St. Petersburg is the best. Life is thin: theaters, dogs dance for you. » On the street they shout to Osip: “Venerable! "Oh, how it resembles Khlestakov's: "There, they say, Ivan Alexandrovich is coming! Osip became somewhat like his master in his soul. In everyone who comes into contact with Ivan Alexandrovich, something “Khlestakov” appears. And that is why the words of the presumptuous hero sound so symbolic: “I know myself. I am everywhere, everywhere. »

"Everyone, even for a minute ... was or is being made by Khlestakov." Khlestakovism inevitably corrupts everyone. This is a product of Russian society, in which greed, lies, hypocrisy, cowardice, and servility reigned. Gogol's talent revealed to us the essence of this phenomenon. This is a lie, phrase-mongering, selfishness, infantilism, a desire to splurge. This is both mannerism and simple-minded selfishness. And this phenomenon is dangerous because it can be hidden under a rather attractive guise.

• The name of the official The area of ​​city life that he manages Information about the state of affairs in this area Characteristics of the hero according to the text Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky Mayor: general management, police, ensuring order in the city, landscaping Takes bribes, condones other officials in this, the city is not comfortable , public money is plundered “He speaks neither loudly nor quietly; neither more nor less”; facial features are rough and hard; crudely developed inclinations of the soul. “Look, my ear […]
• In a letter to Pushkin, Gogol makes a request, which is considered to be the beginning, the starting point of The Inspector General: “Do yourself a favour, give some plot funny or not funny, but Russian is purely an anecdote. The hand trembles to write a comedy in the meantime. Do me a favor, give me a plot, the spirit will be a five-act comedy, and I swear it will be funnier than the devil. And Pushkin told Gogol about the story of the writer Svinin, and about the incident that happened to him when he went to Orenburg for materials for the “History […]
• The period of creativity of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol coincided with the dark era of Nicholas I. After the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissidents were severely persecuted by the authorities. Describing reality, N.V. Gogol creates literary works of genius, full of life's realities. All layers of Russian society become the theme of his work - on the example of the customs and everyday life of a small county town. Gogol wrote that in The Inspector General he finally decided to put together all that bad in Russian society, which […]
• N.V. Gogol is not in the top 10 of my favorite writers. Maybe because a lot has been read about him as a person, about a person with character flaws, sores, numerous interpersonal conflicts. All these biographical data have nothing to do with creativity, however, they greatly influence my personal perception. And yet one must give Gogol his due. His works are classics. They are like the tablets of Moses, made of solid stone, gifted with letters and for ever and ever […]
• Explaining the meaning of The Inspector General, N.V. Gogol pointed to the role of laughter: “I am sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play. Yes, there was one honest, noble face that acted in it throughout its entire duration. That honest, noble face was laughter. A close friend of N.V. Gogol, wrote that modern Russian life does not provide material for comedy. To which Gogol replied: “Comedy lies everywhere… Living among it, we don’t see it… but if the artist transfers it to art, to the stage, then we are above ourselves […]
• The comedy in five acts of the greatest satirical author of Russia, of course, is a landmark for all literature. Nikolai Vasilievich finished one of his greatest works in 1835. Gogol himself said that this was his first creation, written for a specific purpose. What is the main thing the author wanted to convey? Yes, he wanted to show our country without embellishment, all the vices and wormholes of the Russian social system, which still characterize our Motherland. "Inspector" - immortal, of course, […]
• Khlestakov is the central character of the comedy "The Government Inspector". A representative of the youth of his time, when they wanted to quickly grow their careers without making any effort for this. Idleness gave rise to the fact that Khlestakov wanted to show himself from the other, winning side. Such self-affirmation becomes painful. On the one hand, he exalts himself, on the other, he hates himself. The character is trying to imitate the mores of the capital's bureaucratic leaders, imitates them. His boasting sometimes scares others. It seems that Khlestakov himself begins [...]
• By the beginning of the fourth act of the comedy The Inspector General, the mayor and all the officials were finally convinced that the auditor sent to them was a significant state person. By the power of fear and reverence for him, the “wick”, “dummy”, Khlestakov became the one whom they saw in him. Now you need to protect, protect your department from revisions and protect yourself. Officials are convinced that the inspector needs to be given a bribe, “slipped” in the way it is done in a “well-ordered society”, i.e. “between four eyes, so that ears do not hear”, […]
• N.V. Gogol built his comedy "The Inspector General" on the plot basis of an everyday anecdote, where, due to imposture or an accidental misunderstanding, one person is mistaken for another. This plot was of interest to A. S. Pushkin, but he himself did not use it, losing it to Gogol. Working diligently and for a long time (from 1834 to 1842) on The Inspector General, reworking and rearranging, inserting some scenes and throwing out others, the writer developed the traditional plot with remarkable skill into an integral and coherent, psychologically convincing and […]
• The silent scene in N.V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is preceded by the denouement of the plot, Khlestakov's letter is read, and the officials' self-deception becomes clear. At this moment, that which bound the characters throughout the entire stage action, fear, leaves, and the unity of people disintegrates before our eyes. The terrible shock that the news of the arrival of the real auditor produced on everyone again unites people with horror, but this is no longer the unity of living people, but the unity of lifeless fossils. Their dumbness and frozen poses show […]
• The great artistic merit of N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" lies in the typicality of its images. He himself expressed the idea that the "originals" of most of the characters in his comedy "are almost always in front of my eyes." And about Khlestakov, the writer says that this is “a type of much scattered in different Russian characters ... Everyone, even for a minute ... was or is being made by Khlestakov. And a dexterous officer of the Guards will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and a statesman will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and our sinful brother, a writer, […]
• A feature of Gogol's comedy "The Government Inspector" is that it has a "mirage intrigue", that is, officials are fighting against a ghost created by their bad conscience and fear of retribution. Anyone who is mistaken for an auditor does not even make any deliberate attempts to deceive, to fool the officials who have fallen into error. The development of the action reaches its climax in act III. The comic fight continues. The mayor deliberately goes towards his goal: to force Khlestakov to “let slip”, “tell more” in order to […]
• N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" has a peculiar character of a dramatic conflict. There is neither a hero-ideologist in it, nor a conscious deceiver who leads everyone by the nose. The officials themselves are deceiving themselves, imposing on Khlestakov the role of a significant person, forcing him to play it. Khlestakov is in the center of events, but does not lead the action, but, as it were, involuntarily involved in it and surrenders to its movement. The group of negative characters, satirically depicted by Gogol, is opposed not by a positive hero, but by the flesh of the flesh […]
• N.V. Gogol wrote about the concept of his comedy: “In The Inspector General I decided to collect in one measure all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are done in those places and those cases where the most is required from a person justice, and at once laugh at everything. This determined the genre of the work ─ socio-political comedy. It deals not with love affairs, not with the events of private life, but with the phenomena of the public order. The plot of the work is based on a commotion among officials, […]
• The era reflected by N.V. Gogol in the comedy "The Inspector General" is the 30s. XIX century, during the reign of Nicholas I. The writer later recalled: “In the Inspector General, I decided to collect in one measure all the bad things in Russia that I knew then, all the injustices that are done in those places and those cases where it is most required from a man of justice, and at once laugh at everything. N.V. Gogol not only knew reality well, but also studied many documents. And yet the comedy The Inspector General is a fictional […]
• Plyushkin is an image of a moldy cracker left over from the Easter cake. Only he has a life story, Gogol depicts all the other landowners statically. These heroes, as it were, have no past that would at least somehow differ from their present and explain something in it. Plyushkin's character is much more complicated than the characters of other landowners represented in Dead Souls. Features of manic stinginess are combined in Plyushkin with painful suspicion and distrust of people. Saving the old sole, a clay shard, […]
• What is the image of a literary hero? Chichikov is the hero of a great, classic work created by a genius, a hero who embodied the result of the author's observations and reflections on life, people, and their actions. An image that has absorbed typical features, and therefore has long gone beyond the framework of the work itself. His name has become a household name for people - crafty careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly "pretty", "decent and worthy". Moreover, other readers' assessment of Chichikov is not so unambiguous. Comprehension […]
• The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fell on the dark era of Nicholas I. These were the 30s. XIX century, when in Russia, after the suppression of the uprising of the Decembrists, reaction reigned, all dissidents were persecuted, the best people were persecuted. Describing the reality of his day, N.V. Gogol creates the poem “Dead Souls”, brilliant in depth of reflection of life. The basis of "Dead Souls" is that the book is a reflection not of individual features of reality and characters, but of the reality of Russia as a whole. Myself […]
• The legendary Zaporizhzhya Sich is the ideal republic that N. Gogol dreamed of. Only in such an environment, according to the writer, mighty characters, courageous natures, real friendship and nobility could be formed. Acquaintance with Taras Bulba takes place in a peaceful home environment. His sons, Ostap and Andriy, have just returned from school. They are a special pride of Taras. Bulba believes that the spiritual education that his sons received is only a small part of what a young man needs. "It's all rubbish, what stuff […]
• At the lesson of literature, we got acquainted with the work of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This poem has become very popular. The work was repeatedly filmed both in the Soviet Union and in modern Russia. Also, the names of the main characters became symbolic: Plyushkin - a symbol of stinginess and storage of unnecessary things, Sobakevich - an uncouth person, Manilovism - immersion in dreams that have no connection with reality. Some phrases have become catchphrases. The main character of the poem is Chichikov. […]