"Notes of a Madman": a brief summary. "Notes of the Madman" in the work of Gogol

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with one interesting work of the Russian classic, read his summary. "Notes of a Madman" is a story written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1834. She first appeared in the collection "Arabesques" in 1835. Later the work was included in another collection of this writer called "Petersburg Stories". "Notes of a Madman" are summarized in this article.

Abstract: The beginning of the story

Aksenti Ivanovich Poprischin, on whose behalf the narrative is conducted, is a titular counselor for 42 years. He started his diary entries about four months ago.

We now describe the first events of the work, their brief content. "Notes of a Madman" opens the next episode. On October 3, 1833, on a rainy day, the main character goes to an old-fashioned overcoat, late, to a service he does not like, to one department of the St. Petersburg department in the hope of getting a little money from the treasurer out of salary. He notices on the way the carriage that drove up to the store, from which comes the beautiful daughter of the director of the department.

The hero overhears the conversation between Meji and Fidelka

Poprishchin eavesdrops accidentally talking between Meji, the daughter's dog, and the dog Fidelka, who belongs to two ladies who passed by. The hero, marveling at this fact, sends instead of service to women and learns that they live on the fifth floor of a house belonging to Zverkov, located at Kokushkin's bridge.

Aksenti Ivanovich penetrates the director's house

The summary is continued . "Notes of the Madman" constitute the following further events. Aksentiy Ivanovich on the next day in the director's office, peeling off his feathers, meets accidentally with his daughter, who is increasingly captivating him. He gives the girl a handkerchief that falls to the floor. His dreams and immodest behavior within a month about this lady are finally visible to others. Podschchinu reprimands even the head of the department. But he still sneaks into the director's house and, wanting to learn something about the subject of his adoration, enters with the little dog Meji into conversation. She avoids it.

Aksenti Ivanovich penetrates into Zverkov's house

What is the continuation of the summary? "Notes of a Madman" tells of the following further events. Aksenti Ivanovich comes to the house of Zverkov, rises up to the sixth (the error of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol) floor where Fidelka lives with his mistresses, and steals a heap of papers from her corner. It was, as the protagonist supposed, the correspondence of two doggies-girlfriends, from which he finds out a lot of important things: that the director of the department was awarded the next order, that he is courted by Teplov, Cadet, and even about the country itself, like a perfect monster like "turtle in a sack," seeing that the girl can not help laughing.

Correspondence between Meji and Fidelka

These notes, like the rest of Gogol's prose, are full of various references to random characters like Bobrov, who looks like a stork in his jabot, or Lidina, sure that her eyes are blue while they are actually green, or dogs with A neighboring courtyard named Trezor, which is lovely to the heart of Meji. Poprishchin learns from them that the case with the girl with Thermal is clearly for the wedding.

Poprishchin thinks himself a Spanish king

Finally, the unfortunate love of the main character is damaged , as well as the alarming reports of various newspapers. Excites Popriscina attempt in connection with the death of the Spanish king to abolish the throne. And what if he is a secret heir, a noble person, who is respected and loved by others? Mavra, a chukhonka, who works in Poprishtina, learns the news first. This "Spanish king" finally comes to his office after a three-week absence, does not stand up to the director, puts the signature "Ferdinand VIII" on paper, and then makes his way to the apartment of his boss, tries to explain himself to the girl, while making the discovery that the ladies fall in love Only in a feature.

Poprichina taken to a psychiatric clinic

Gogol "Notes of a Madman" ends as follows. Tense anticipation is the main protagonist of the arrival of Spanish MPs by their appearance. However, very strange is the land, where it is taken. It is home to many different grandees, whose heads are shaved, they drip cold water on the crown and beat with sticks. Here, apparently, the great Inquisition rules, Poprishchin decides, and it prevents him from doing his great discoveries worthy of his post. The main character writes a tearful letter to his mother asking for help, but his meager attention is distracted by a cone located near the Algerian bei under his very nose.

Thus ends Gogol "Notes of a Madman". According to psychiatrists and psychologists, the author did not set out to describe madness as such. Gogol ("Notes of a Madman") analyzes the state of society. He only showed the misery of spirituality and morals of the secular and bureaucratic environment. These notes of crazy people, of course, would look different, although the writer clearly and plausibly described the delirium of the main character.

The nature of the insanity of an official, as experts say, refers to the megalomania that happens in the so-called paranoid form of the course of schizophrenia, paranoia and syphilitic paralysis. With progressive paralysis and schizophrenia, the idea of megalomania is much poorer intellectually than with paranoia. Consequently, the delirium of the hero is paranoid in nature.