Masterful execution of Gogol's story The Enchanted Place. Retelling of the story “The Enchanted Place” by N.V. Gogol

The great Russian classic N.V. Gogol, although he was a very religious person, he had a certain passion for writing stories about all sorts of “unclean” deeds - horror stories that old people loved to tell in the evening on a farm, under a torch or near a fire, yes so that later everyone who listened to them, both old and young, would shudder in horror.

Gogol knew such stories in huge numbers. “The Enchanted Place” (a brief summary of this work will be presented below) is one of these works. It is part of the two-volume series of stories “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. This one was first printed in 1832 in the second volume.

Gogol, "The Enchanted Place". Heroes and plot

Old grandfather Thomas was also a storyteller, and everyone pestered him: tell me, tell me. It was impossible to get rid of them. And so he began his next story with the fact that if the devilish power wants to make someone faint, it will definitely do it. When he was still a boy of about eleven, his father, taking his three-year-old brother with him, went to the Crimea to trade tobacco. The grandfather, mother, Thomas and his two brothers remained to live on the bashtan (a field with watermelons, melons and various vegetables). A road stretched nearby, and one evening, Chumakov transport workers passed by, who were traveling to the Crimea to buy goods - salt and fish. Grandfather recognized his old acquaintances among them. The guests settled down in the hut, lit the cradles and began to help themselves to melons. And then they began to remember the past. In the end it all came down to dancing.

Continuation of Gogol's work "The Enchanted Place"

The grandfather made his grandchildren dance - Foma and his brother Ostap, and even started dancing and ordered pretzels, but as soon as he reached the smooth place where the cucumber bed was, his legs stopped obeying him and stood up, he could not move them. Then the grandfather began to swear at the unclean woman, believing that these were her tricks. And then someone giggled behind him, he looked back, and behind him there were no Chumakov, no fields with vegetables.

What does Gogol talk about next? “The Enchanted Place” has a brief summary: the grandfather began to take a closer look at the area, and recognized the priest’s dovecote and the fenced plot of land of the volost clerk. Having found his bearings a little, he went to his garden, but saw that not far from the road there was a grave with a candle burning. The grandfather immediately thought it was a treasure and regretted that he did not have a shovel. He noticed this place so that he could return later, put a branch on the grave and went home.

Treasured treasure

Gogol’s “Enchanted Place” continues interestingly. The summary tells that the next day, late in the evening, as soon as it got dark, the main character went to look for the treasured grave with a mark. On the way, he saw the priest's dovecote, but for some reason there was no clerk's garden. When he stepped aside, the dovecote immediately disappeared. He realized that all this was the work of the evil one. And then it started to rain, the grandfather returned to his place.

In the morning he went to work in the beds with a shovel and, passing by that mysterious place where his legs stopped obeying him in the dance, he could not restrain himself and hit it with a shovel. And lo and behold, he is again in the place where his mark and grave are. Grandfather was glad that now he had a tool and would definitely dig up his treasure now. He approached the grave, and there was a stone lying there. The old man moved it and wanted to sniff the tobacco. But then someone sneezed nearby and even sprayed him. Grandfather realized that the devil did not like his tobacco. He began to dig and came across a pot. He exclaimed with joy: “There you are, my dear.” And then these words echoed, the bird's beak, the ram's head and the bear's snout shouted from the tree. Grandfather immediately began to tremble. He decided to run away, but still took the bowler hat with him.

Gogol’s “Enchanted Place” brings us to an intriguing point. The summary is gaining momentum.

The machinations of the evil one

Everyone at home had lost their grandfather and had already sat down and had dinner. The mother went out to pour the slop into the yard, and then she saw the cauldron moving along the path on its own; out of fear, she threw all the hot slop on it. In fact, it was the grandfather who was walking with a cauldron, and all the slop in the form of skins of melons and watermelons hung on his head. The mother, of course, got it from him, but then the grandfather, having calmed down, told his grandchildren that soon they would be wearing new caftans. However, when he opened the cauldron, he found no gold there.

From that time on, the grandfather taught the children not to trust the devil, since he will always deceive, and that he does not have a penny of truth. Now every time he crossed places that seemed strange to him. And the grandfather fenced off that enchanted plot and no longer cultivated it, only throwing all kinds of garbage there. Then, when other people sowed watermelons and melons on it, nothing worthwhile grew there anymore. This is where Gogol's story “The Enchanted Place” ended.

The story “The Enchanted Place” by N.V. Gogol is included in the cycle of stories “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”. At the beginning of the entire cycle, N.V. Gogol says that he did not come up with these stories himself. The beekeeper Panko told him about them. And the beekeeper heard these stories from different people. It turns out that the true narrator of the story about the enchanted place is the beekeeper. But when you start reading the story, you find out that it was told to the beekeeper Panko by one sexton. Himself
the clerk was also not a participant in the events. Everything that happens in the story was told to him by his grandfather. After all, when all this happened, the clerk was only eleven years old. The story talks about an enchanted place. One day Grandfather Maxim was dancing and accidentally fell into an enchanted place. He immediately thought that there was a treasure there. He tried to dig it out several times. When he managed to do this, grandfather Maxim ran home. He climbed over the fence and was doused with slop. But he was still pleased. After all, he found a treasure. But when the boiler was opened, there was all sorts of nonsense. From then on, Grandfather Maxim bequeathed to everyone not to play with the devil. I think that if there had not been a hero-narrator, Grandfather Maxim, in this story, it would have turned out that all the events were true. And it turns out that the author talks about them as if from a third person. First, grandfather Maxim told the clerk, then the clerk told the beekeeper Panko, and only then Gogol wrote a story about it. It seems to me that the author does not believe this story is true. But he shows us the thoughts of the heroes of the story, what they believe. That’s why he came up with the figure of the beekeeper Panko. The fact that the story “The Enchanted Place” is constructed as a “story within a story” makes it possible not only to convey the thoughts and feelings of the characters, but also to recreate the atmosphere in which such stories were invented and told. It seems as if you hear the voice of the narrator and are immersed in the world of the heroes of N.V.’s story. Gogol.

An enchanted place in a 5th grade lesson. This work is the final story of the second part of the famous Evenings on a farm near Dikanka. This story is told by the sexton Thomas, and the story is about how the devil’s power can easily faint anyone, just as his grandfather fainted. Let's get acquainted with the retelling of The Enchanted Place to get acquainted with the essence of the work.

Enchanted place summary

The sexton's story takes us back to his childhood. He was then about eleven years old. His grandfather was still alive, strong and able to do household chores. And so, when Foma’s father left with his younger brother for the Crimea to sell tobacco, his grandfather and mother and he and his two brothers remained at home. At this time, the grandfather plants a tower tree near the road, where there was everything that the soul desired. There are cucumbers, peas, melons, turnips, and watermelons. He himself built a kuren near the tower so that he could guard it. It was a fun time then. A lot of Chumaks passed along the road during the day and shared stories. You will listen. It was especially interesting to listen to my grandfather’s acquaintances, who, as they remembered the past, would spill themselves.

One day, the old man’s acquaintances were passing by the tower. They stopped with us, sat down near the smoking area and, having lit their cradles, let’s tell stories, you can’t stop them. The afternoon tea has already arrived. The grandfather treats everyone to melons, and tells his grandchildren to dance the Cossack girl, but he couldn’t resist and started dancing himself. He danced so much in front of his friends that only the smoker could stand, only in one place his legs became wooden. And no matter how hard the grandfather tried to dance some of his own things, it didn’t work. He would reach the enchanted place and everything would be rooted to the spot, but he didn’t want to disgrace himself in front of his friends. The old man began to curse Satan. Grandfather even heard laughter and thought that one of the Chumaks was laughing. I turned around, and he was in a completely different place. There is no one and it’s not day at all, but already evening. I started looking around and it turned out that he was at the other end of the village. Grandfather found a path and went home. On the way I saw some kind of grave where a candle was lit, and then a second one. According to legend, a treasure is buried in such a place. So the old man noticed the place, throwing a branch on the grave to return again. Grandfather came to the kuren and, without even eating, went to bed.

Early in the morning the grandfather went in search of the very place where he was yesterday, but did not find it. And then it started to rain. In a word, the old man, angry and wet, returned to the kuren and for a long time spoke unflattering words towards the evil spirits who laughed at him. On a new day, the grandfather woke up, as if nothing had happened, wandered around the tower, minding his business.

In the evening, grandfather wanted to dig a new place for a pumpkin. However, passing by the enchanted place, I could not resist, went out into the middle and stamped my foot. And again I found myself in the same place where I ended up yesterday. Here is the grave, and the dovecote, and the threshing floor. The old man began to dig and reached the pot. At the same time, he kept imagining strange things, either a ram’s head, or a bear, or some kind of bird, or even some kind of unclean monster. And the night turned out to be without stars and a month. In a word, it became creepy, the old man wanted to leave the boiler, but suddenly everything was as before, and it seemed like there was nothing strange around. The grandfather thought that the evil spirits were having fun with him. Grandfather grabbed the cauldron and let's run, only in the garden was the priest able to catch his breath.

At this time, the mother came to the children and brought dinner, but the grandfather was still not there. I had to eat without it. The woman cleaned up after dinner, but there was nowhere to empty the slop. Then he sees a barrel approaching, apparently the guys are playing pranks and pushing it. The woman poured the slop into this barrel. It turned out that it was the grandfather, who was now standing all drenched. He himself decided to show off the treasure and gave a cauldron, in which there was rubbish and squabbles.

When the narrator, old Thomas, was still small, an unusual story happened to his grandfather. He claims that evil spirits will make anyone faint. Here's how it happened.

My father went to Crimea to sell tobacco. Grandfather and Foma went to live on a bashtan (plot of land) where watermelons, melons and various vegetables grew. Bashtan was located not far from the road. Chumaks passed by (that’s what they called the transport workers going to the Crimea for fish and salt).

One day, among the passing Chumaks, the grandfather met his acquaintances. They settled down at the kuren (a hut made of straw). There were conversations and memories of the past. Then the grandfather forced Foma and his brother Ostap to dance. And he himself couldn’t stand it and started dancing. He danced well. But this time, having reached half of the smooth place, I was about to show off my thing with my legs, when suddenly I couldn’t move them properly.

The grandfather began to scold Satan, since this was his obsession. And he sees that he is standing in some unfamiliar place. I began to take a closer look and recognized the dovecote in the garden of the priest and the threshing floor of the volost clerk. Coming out onto the path, the grandfather headed towards his tower. But on the side of the road, on a grave, he saw the light of a candle. Treasure! And he has neither a spade nor a shovel with him. He decided to at least notice the place. He put a branch on the grave and went home.

The next day, as soon as it was getting dark, the grandfather went to the mark. But when he came to the priest’s garden, he saw a dovecote, but did not see a threshing floor. I walked a little to the side and the dovecote disappeared. Again the devil began to joke with him. Then it began to rain, and the grandfather returned to his kuren.

The next day he went out into the field with a spade to dig a new bed. Passing by an enchanted place where he could not dance, the grandfather could not resist and hit him with a spade. He looks - again he is in the place where he put the mark. And the grave is here, and his mark lies. Grandfather was glad that now he had a spade. He approached the grave, and there lay a huge stone. The old man rolled it up and decided to take a sniff of tobacco.

But before he could even bring it to his nose, someone sneezed next to him. He was sprayed all over. Grandfather thought that the devil didn’t like tobacco. And he began to dig. Soon I came across a boiler. "Where are you!" – he said joyfully. These words were echoed by the bird's nose, the ram's head and the bear. The old man got scared and said that it was scary here. And again the bird's nose, the ram's head and the bear repeated everything after him. And then the stump turned into a terrible face. The nose is huge, like a blacksmith’s bellows, the lips are like chopping blocks, and the eyes are red and burning with fire. Rozha sticks out her tongue and teases her grandfather. He decided to quickly get out of this place. He grabbed the bowler hat and started to run.

And Foma and Ostap lost their grandfather. Their mother had already brought them dinner, they had already had time to have dinner, but he was still not there. The mother washed the dishes and began to look for somewhere to pour the slop. He looks, and a tub is moving towards the smoking area, as if someone was hiding behind it and pushing it forward. She decided to pour the slop there.

It turned out that my grandfather had brought the boiler. He began to swear at his mother and wipe his face. And then he joyfully tells the guys that soon they will be eating bagels and walking around in golden zhupans (ancient outerwear). And he opened the boiler. And there is no trace of gold there. Just dirt and rubbish. Grandfather spat and washed his hands. From that time on, he himself did not believe the devil and always taught the guys not to believe him. Grandfather said that the devil is the enemy of man, he will deceive. He doesn't have a penny's worth of truth. And every time he encounters a troubled place, he begins to baptize it.

And the grandfather decided not to cultivate the area where he couldn’t dance anymore. He fenced it off and ordered all rubbish to be thrown there. Others later sowed watermelons and melons in this place. But nothing good grew there.

Drafts of Gogol's story "Enchanted Place" have not survived, so the exact date of its creation is unknown. It was most likely written in 1830. The story “The Enchanted Place” was included in the second book of the collection “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka.”

The works in this collection have a complex hierarchy of narrators. The subtitle of the cycle indicates that “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” was published by a certain beekeeper Rudy Panko. The stories “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala”, “The Missing Letter” and “The Enchanted Place” were told by the sexton of one church. This removal of the author from the participant in the events allowed Gogol to achieve a double effect. Firstly, to avoid accusations of inventing “fables”, and secondly, to emphasize the folk spirit of the story.

Plot The story is really based on the traditions of folklore, which were well known to the writer from childhood. Tales about “cursed places” and treasures are typical for the myth-making of many peoples. In Slavic legends, treasures were often sought in cemeteries. The desired grave was indicated by a suddenly lit candle. Traditional for folk stories and motive turning ill-gotten wealth into trash.

The originality of the story is manifested in the bright and rich language, which is generously dotted with Ukrainian words: "Chumaks", "kuren", "bashtan", "lads"... An extremely accurate depiction of folk life, as well as the writer’s sparkling humor, create a special Gogolian atmosphere, full of poetic fantasy and slyness. It seems to the reader that he himself is among the sexton’s listeners. This effect is achieved through the narrator’s apt comments.

Main character story - grandfather Maxim. The author describes it with kind irony. This is a lively, cheerful and active old man who loves to brag, dances dashingly and is not afraid of the devil himself. Grandfather really likes to listen to the stories of the Chumaks. He scolds his grandchildren and calls them "dog children", but it is clear that the old man dotes on the tomboys. And they make fun of their grandfather in a friendly manner.

An important element of the story is the enchanted place itself. In our time it would be called an anomalous zone. Grandfather accidentally discovers "bad place" while dancing. As soon as the old man gets to his border “near the cucumber bed”, so the legs stop dancing on their own. And inside the enchanted place, strange things happen with space and time, which the grandfather attributes to the action of evil spirits.

The transition between the real and unreal world is depicted in the form of distorted space. The landmarks that the grandfather marks for himself in the anomaly zone do not appear in the real world. He just can’t find the point from which the priest’s dovecote and the hair clerk’s threshing floor are visible.

Damn place has "one's own character". It does not like strangers, but does not harm uninvited guests, but only frightens them. There is also no particular damage from the penetration of irrational forces into the real world. The land in the anomalous zone simply does not produce crops. The enchanted place is not averse to playing with grandfather. Either he doesn’t allow you to come to him, despite all your efforts, then suddenly he opens up easily. The anomalous zone has many unusual means in its arsenal: suddenly bad weather, the disappearance of the month from the sky, monsters. Fear forces the old man to abandon his find for a while. But the thirst for profit turns out to be stronger, so otherworldly forces decide to teach the grandfather a lesson. In the cauldron, which was obtained with such difficulty in a cursed place, there were not jewelry, but “rubbish, squabbles and ashamed to say what it is”.

After such science, the hero of the story became very religious, swore to deal with evil spirits himself and punished all his loved ones. The grandfather takes revenge in his own way on the devil who fooled him so much. The old man fences off the enchanted place with a fence and throws out all the garbage from the tower there.

Such an ending is natural. Gogol shows that such treasures do not bring good. The grandfather receives not a treasure as a reward, but ridicule. Thus, the writer affirms the idea of ​​the illusory nature of any wealth acquired by dishonest labor.

Pushkin, Herzen, Belinsky and other contemporaries of Gogol enthusiastically accepted The Enchanted Place. And today, with a smile and great interest, readers are immersed in a wonderful world where wit, poetry and fantasy reign, and the very soul of the people comes to life.

• “The Enchanted Place”, a summary of Gogol’s story
• “Portrait”, analysis of Gogol’s story, essay
• “Dead Souls”, analysis of Gogol’s work