Summary Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow

The narrative begins with an appeal to Alexei Mikhailovich Kutuzov. In this kind of blessing for work, the narrator explains his feelings that forced him to write this book.

At first, the author-narrator says goodbye to his friends in St. Petersburg and suffers from parting with them. On the road, he dreams that he is completely alone, but he comes across a pothole, the shock of which wakes him up. It turns out that they arrived at some postal station.

He tried to get horses from the stationmaster, but he refused him, saying that it was already very late and there was not a single horse, although there were more than twenty of them in the stable. The traveler had to bribe the coachmen, then they harnessed the troika and the journey continued. Along the way, the cab driver sang a mournful song, and the traveler reflected on the character of the Russian people.

Here he reflects on the terrible road that is impossible to travel on in the summer rains. In the station hut he meets an unsuccessful writer who is trying to impose on him his work about the loss of privileges by nobles. The traveler, taking pity, gives coppers, and wants to give the literary work to peddlers for wrappers, since it is good for nothing else.

Heading from Tosny to Lyuban, he meets a poor peasant working as hard as he can even on Sunday. The peasant understood that it was a sin to work on a holiday, but in order to feed a large family he had to work on the lord’s land both on weekends and at night. The hero privately reproaches the cruel landowners, although he himself has a servant, Petrusha.

Here the author meets his friend Chelishchev, who hastily left St. Petersburg. He says that he decided to take a ride on a twelve-oar boat from Kronstadt to Sisterbeck, but a terrible storm arose and he almost died. The boat, sandwiched between rocks, filled with water. When he got ashore, he immediately ran to the local chief for help for the other rowers. However, he was already asleep, and the servant did not dare to disturb him on such issues. It was still possible to save the unfortunate rowers with the help of other people. And then Chelishchev reproached the boss for inaction, to which he replied that this was not part of his position. The narrator’s friend was outraged to the core and almost “spit in the face” of the impudent man. When he told this story to his St. Petersburg acquaintances, he did not find sympathy or understanding for his action. After that, I decided to leave the city forever.

Spasskaya Polest

On the way to Spasskaya Polest, the traveler got caught in the rain and stopped in a hut to wait. There he heard a story about an official who really loves oysters. For the delivery of this delicacy, he is ready to generously reward from the state treasury. Continuing his journey, he met a traveler who asked him for a ride. The traveler told him his sad story. Once, when he was still a merchant, he trusted his dishonest partner, who brought him to justice. The traveler's pregnant wife gave birth due to anxiety ahead of schedule and died a few days later. The premature baby also died. Friends helped him run wherever he could. The hero, touched by this story, ponders how to bring this matter to the supreme power, since only she can be impartial. Wanting to help the traveler, the narrator even imagines in a dream that he is a ruler whom everyone praises. Then he sees how the people actually treat the king, as a deceiver, a hypocrite and a comedian. By this the author shows reverse side authorities. It would seem that the authorities are obliged to uphold the law and justice, but in fact this is just a dream.

Podberezye

At the Podberezye station, the narrator meets a young seminarian student who is going to St. Petersburg to visit his uncle to study. Student complains about existing system education and hopes that it will be better for future generations. The traveler begins to reflect on the work and science of the writer, whose task is to educate and praise virtue.

Novgorod

In Novgorod, the traveler reflects on the past of this majestic city, and how Ivan the Terrible “appropriated” it. He wonders if the ruler had the right to do this. And what is the right if you can use force? Then the narrator goes to have dinner with his friend Karp Dementievich, who was formerly a merchant, and has now become an eminent citizen. When it comes to the new bill system in trade, the traveler understands that this is not for the sake of honesty, but for theft and easy money.

At the post yard, the narrator met his longtime friend Krestyankin, who once served in the criminal chamber and has now retired. He realized that he could not bring any benefit to the people. At my work I encountered only bribery, cruelty and injustice. One day, the son of a local landowner raped a young peasant woman. Then the girl’s fiancé, defending her, broke the scoundrel’s head. Several other peasants took part in this, and according to the law of the criminal chamber, Krestyankin had to sentence them to death or life imprisonment in hard labor. He, on the contrary, tried to justify them, seeing justice in this, but no one supported him. It was after this incident that Krestyankin resigned.

In Krestsy, the traveler witnesses a father’s farewell to his sons who are leaving for service. This incident makes him think that he will soon be separated from his eldest son. The man urges his sons not to lose their common sense, under any circumstances, to follow the prescribed laws and not to servile to anyone. He also notes that in the service everyone cares about their pockets, and not about the fatherland. Turning to the traveler, he asks if he then educated them, raised them, cared for them, taught them sciences, in order to now part with them. As a parting word, he wishes his sons not to stray from the true path and not to lose their pure souls.

Yazhelbitsy

In Yazhelbitsy, driving past the cemetery, the hero witnesses a heartbreaking scene. The father rushes at his son's coffin and does not allow him to be buried. Crying, he asks to be buried with his son, because he considers himself to blame for the fact that he was born sick and weak, and suffered as much as he lived. At the same time, the traveler wonders whether he himself passed on some “stenchful” disease to his children, since in his youth he got mixed up with public women. Such reflections lead him to the idea that the state is to blame for everything, opening the way to vices.

This city was known to everyone for its unmarried and shameless girls. The hero recalls the legend about one Iveron monk who was in love with a Valdai girl. One day, when he was swimming across the lake on the way to his beloved, a fierce storm arose and the monk drowned. The next morning his body was found on a distant shore.

Here the hero meets many elegant women and girls. Unlike the St. Petersburg ladies who tighten their bodies into corsets and then die during childbirth, these girls looked healthy. In Yedrovo he meets a young peasant woman, Annushka. At first she behaves sternly, but after talking, she tells the traveler about her family and fiance Vanyukha. It turned out that her father had died, and she lived with her mother and sister. Annushka wants to get married, but for this she needs a hundred rubles. Her lover wants to go to St. Petersburg to earn money. But the traveler says not to let him go there, otherwise he will learn to drink and get out of the habit of working. In an attempt to help Annushka, he wants to give money to Ivan, but he refuses, saying that he has legs and arms, he will earn it himself. The traveler is surprised by the nobility of the local peasants and reflects on existing marriage customs.

Khotilovo

Here the hero talks about the injustice of serfdom, saying that “enslavement is a crime.” Along the way, he finds notes from another traveler, even more progressive in his views than him. These notes describe a project for the future - the liberation of peasants from slavery and the destruction of all ranks. Reading them, he is once again convinced that he was right about serfdom, considering it a destructive and brutal custom that prevents the “reproduction of the people.”

Vyshny Volochok

The traveler admires the man-made canals and talks about one rich landowner who starved the peasants, and they worked for him all day long. He calls on the peasants to rebel and destroy the estate of this non-human, who treats them worse than oxen.

Vydropusk

Here the narrator again turns to other people's notes. He says that the kings imagine themselves to be gods and think that they are benefiting the fatherland. In fact, the order needs to be changed, since the future lies in enlightenment. Only education can equalize people and bring justice.

In Torzhok, the traveler meets a man who wants to open a free printing house, free from censorship. He is on his way to St. Petersburg to get permission to open his office there. They talk about the dangers of censorship and that society itself should be the censor. Here the author, based on the notes of his traveler, talks about the emergence of censorship.

Continuing to read the notes of his new acquaintance, the traveler sees a round dance of young girls, and then there is a description of the public sale of people after the ruin of some landowner, among whom is an old man of about seventy-five, and his wife, and a widow of forty, and the uncle of a young master, and a young woman of about eighteen, and a baby. And none of them knows what fate is in store for them and into whose hands they will fall.

The narrator is having a conversation with the tavern interlocutor at dinner. They talk about the poetry of Lomonosov, Sumarokov, etc. A friend reads excerpts from the ode “Liberty,” which he himself wrote. The traveler liked the ode, but he did not have time to say so, as he hastily left.

Gorodnya

In this village, the narrator observes the recruitment process and the crying of the crowded people. He learns about many violations and lawlessness happening here. The yard servant Vanka tells the traveler his story. As it turned out, he was raised and trained on a par with the young master. He was even sent abroad with him, not as a slave, but as a comrade. However, if the old master loved Vanka, the young master hated and envied. When the old man died, the master married a terrible woman. She immediately hated Vanka and even wanted to marry the dishonored girl. Ivan was indignant and was sent to the army. But he is glad of this fate. Then the traveler met three peasants whom the landowner sold for a carriage.

Zavidovo

Here the traveler meets a warrior in a grenadier's cap, who demands horses from the headman, threatening him with a whip. As a result, the headman ordered the horses to be taken away from the traveler and given to the warrior. Our narrator is outraged by this order of things, but what can you do, there is lawlessness all around.

In Klin, a traveler gives a ruble to a singing blind man. He is grateful, but says that he is more glad to have a piece of pie than a ruble, since money is a temptation, because it can be stolen. Then the traveler takes the scarf from his neck and gives it to the poor man.

In Peshki, the hero encounters a very poor peasant hut, the resident of which asks for a piece of sugar for her baby. The traveler treats the child with sugar and reproaches the landowner for cruelty, urging him to come to his senses, because God's punishment is just around the corner.

Black mud

Here the narrator meets a wedding, but very sad train. The newlyweds go down the aisle on the orders of the master.

The story ends with “The Tale of Lomonosov.” The hero says that the notes came to him from the “Parnassian judge” during lunch in Tver. It is said about Lomonosov that he had a great influence on Russian literature and was the “first” in Russian literature. The traveler's conclusion is that Lomonosov was great in all matters because he studied and strived for knowledge.

And now it’s Moscow!

Probably every schoolchild is interested in summary Radishchev's story “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” The chapter “Lyuban” of this work is the fourth part of the prose work of the famous Russian writer. This is exactly what we will talk about in our article.

Moreover, from the summary of “Lyuban” it is clear that the author raises in his work serious and topical (especially at that time) issues. They show that the writer is not indifferent to the people around him, that he wants to change the world and make it better through his words. Moreover, a detailed analysis of “Lyuban” shows that the issues raised in this chapter are relevant to this day.

What can we learn from storytelling? What pressing topics did Radishchev raise in “Lyuban”? What does the author's worldview encourage readers to do? A detailed retelling of the chapter “Lyuban” will answer these and many other questions.

The childhood and youth of the writer

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev, who wrote the story “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” was born in August 1749, in a small village in the Saratov province. The family of the future literary figure was wealthy and eminent, had several estates and many serfs.

At first, the writer was raised by his father, a deeply religious and educated man who knew several languages ​​and basic scientific disciplines. Then the boy was taken to the capital to live with his uncle (on his mother’s side), where he learned science, learned languages, and learned the rules of court life.

And at the age of twelve, the matured Sasha received the position of page under Catherine the Second and entered the St. Petersburg Page Corps, which trains secular servants of the royal person.

Four years later he was honored, along with some other young men, to go to Germany to study law there.

It was there that the future writer realized the importance of social and political life. It was there that he realized that he had to live not only on entertainment, but also on thoughts about the common people, about other people, about new transformations.

Service in St. Petersburg

Having returned to Russia, Alexander Nikolaevich, who had already experienced the world, began to look differently at the objects around him.

Since 1771, Radishchev has served in the public sphere, first in the Senate as a titular adviser, then as chief auditor on the staff of Bruce, the general-in-chief. After a short break associated with his marriage, he returns to service again, but this time to the board of trade and industrial affairs, where he meets Count Vorontsov. This acquaintance played an important role in the life of the writer - Alexander Romanovich, out of old friendship, would many times help his less well-born comrade.

Then Radishchev got a job at the city customs, where ten years later he took the place of chief.

Literary and political sensation

Around the 1780s, Alexander Nikolaevich began working on his most famous work, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” Radishchev put his whole soul into this work, the idea of ​​which he had been carrying around since his return from Germany in 1771.

In the spring of 1790, Alexander Nikolaevich first printed it in his home printing house. Thus, the most criticized and most topical book of that time was published.

The book immediately began to sell out and delighted many leading people of the time.

What happened after the release of the work

However, this could not go unpunished. Reflections on serfdom, descriptions of cruel humiliations and inhuman abuse to which serfs were subjected, a bold denunciation of the order existing in those days - all this could not but entail sad consequences not only for the work itself, but also for its author.

Empress Catherine, reading “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” made notes in the margins and ridiculed not only the writer, but also the situations themselves described in the narrative. She called the story outrageous and offensive, destroying peace and diminishing respect for authority, filled with harmful ideas and inciting ordinary people to revolt.

Radishchev was arrested and tried. He was sentenced to death as a man who had attempted the life of the empress and was plotting treason. However, Catherine changed her anger to mercy, replacing the death sentence with a ten-year deportation to Siberia.

The book's circulation was almost completely destroyed.

Life after pardon

Six years after his exile, Alexander Nikolaevich was returned from exile by Catherine’s son, Paul the First, with the condition that his permanent place of residence would be a small estate in the Kaluga region.

Five years after his return, immediately after the accession to the throne of Alexander the First, Radishchev was summoned to Tsarist Petersburg as an experienced statesman to participate in the drafting of new laws and the Constitution. Russian Empire. Of course, it was not by chance that such an honor was entrusted to the exiled writer - Count Vorontsov put in a good word for him before the emperor.

The mystery of the death of a statesman

Until now, scientists and literary scholars cannot figure out the cause of the writer’s death. The matter is complicated by the fact that Alexander Nikolaevich’s grave has been lost.

According to the chronicle, there are at least two versions of his death:

1. Suicide. Radishchev and the Chairman of the Commission, Count Zavadovsky, did not agree on the provisions of the law drawn up by the writer. Zavadovsky severely condemned the writer for his excessive liberalism and hinted at his Siberian exile as a threat. Excited and frightened, Alexander Nikolaevich hurried home, where he took the poison with his own hands and died in terrible agony.
2. Accident. Radishchev accidentally drank a poisonous solution intended for household purposes. Since his health was undermined by exile, the writer’s body was unable to overcome the poison, and Radishchev died surrounded by his family.
3. Official version. According to the burial data, Alexander Nikolaevich died of consumption (or tuberculosis).

It was very important to carry out a short excursion into the biography of Radishchev, since his personal life and his own worldviews were reflected in the story “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” The chapter “Lyubani” is a vivid example of the theme of the entire work.

However, before getting acquainted with it, let's briefly find out what impact Radishchev's work had on subsequent generations.

Social message for centuries

It is noteworthy that the influence that the story had on the further history of the Russian Empire is truly impressive. Many Decembrists admitted during interrogations that they gleaned their first freedom-loving thoughts from the pages of a repressed book.

Radishchev's contemporaries, such as the historian and writer Karamzin and the publicist and critic Vyazemsky, argued that Alexander Nikolaevich was not just a free-thinking person, but also virtuous, sincere and truthful.

Opinions of famous writers

Pushkin spoke of Radishchev as an amateur, criticizing some of his fanaticism that reigns on the pages of the story. Also, the author’s exaggerations, the far-fetched plot, and caricature caused a sharp assessment of the great poet.

Dostoevsky considered the idea of ​​the work fragmentary and unfinished, copied from the works of French enlighteners.

What kind of work is this - “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”? Before reading the summary of “Lyuban” (the fourth chapter of the story that interests us), let’s learn more about the work itself.

Briefly about the main work

“Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” was written in a genre popular at that time, called sentimental travel. Strictly adhering to the European canon, Radishchev even gave the chapters titles that corresponded not to the essence of the topics raised in them, but to the names of cities and villages. That is why the censorship allowed the story to pass without resorting to reading it. They thought that the work contained brief information about the Russian hinterlands.

The theme of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” however, like the theme of the chapter “Lyuban,” is the situation of serfs in Rus', their hardships and enslavement. The book exposed the ruthlessness and atrocities of the landowners, who shamelessly exploited and oppressed the peasants, realizing themselves with impunity.

The work also raised the question of whether some people have the right to enslave others? Why is it customary that someone serves, and someone lives in luxury?

Moreover, in his work Radishchev raised the topic of not only the powerless people, but also the immorality of the autocracy. Condemnation of the absolute monarchy runs like a red thread through all the pages of the story.

What is the story “Lyuban” by Radishchev? Let's find out.

Briefly about the narrative of the section

In the center of the chapter “Lyuban” is a dialogue with a peasant conducted by an idle and rich traveler. What could people so different in mentality and social status talk about? From the summary of “Lyuban” it is clear when this dialogue took place and what was its main topic.

Hot Summer. Plowing time. Holiday. This is how the author, on behalf of his hero, describes the circumstances that served as the reason for his dialogue with the peasant.

After a long and uncomfortable journey, a tired traveler (a wealthy aristocratic landowner) decides to walk along the road to take a break from the shaking in the wagon. Suddenly he notices a peasant plowing quickly and carefully, from which he concluded that at the moment the man was working not for the master, but for himself.

The traveler was surprised that the peasant was plowing in Christian holiday, so he decided to ask why he was doing this.

From the plowman’s answer it follows that he is a sincere Orthodox believer, but he does not consider himself guilty of violating church rules. God, as the worker himself notes, is on his side, since he needs to feed his family.

Then the traveler asks why he plows on a holiday, and even at noon. Can't he work another day?

Such ignorance of the traveler suggests that he had not previously thought about the life of ordinary people, their hardships and problems. Therefore, further, in his story “Lyubani,” Radishchev cites a short history peasant life and backbreaking labor.

The serf has a large family - six children, of whom the eldest is only ten years old. He must dress them, put them in shoes, feed them, and also pay the master a dues.

Working for a landowner is hard - six days a week, from early morning until late evening. There is only a small amount of time and energy left for your family and your needs - at night and on Sundays and holidays.

The peasant also points out another social problem - the disunity of the common people, dividing them into forced and free, as well as another horror and arbitrariness of the corvee - the sale of people or renting them out to another owner.

This is the story of the serf. Answering the master briefly and monosyllabically, he continued his hard, exhausting work in the field.

Author's thoughts

Only by thoughtfully reading the peasant’s words can one understand the meaning of “Lyuban”, put into the story by the writer himself. Moreover, Radishchev gives his own thoughts about what is happening among the people.

After a conversation with the serf, the traveler was inflamed with righteous anger against all the cruel landowners-enslavers. And at the same time, he realized that he himself was also wrong, since he was using the labor of others, practically powerless peasants.

And although main character does not flog his people and takes care of their basic needs, yet he is also unfair to them, believing that he has the right to punish for wrongdoing or give a slap in the face.

Remembering the details of his communication with his valet Petrusha, the traveler feels ashamed that he allowed himself some liberties and lordly manners.

“Lyubani” and modernity

And although now there is no corvee and quitrent, the questions raised in the story are still relevant and pressing. Why is there such a huge gap between rich and poor? Who gave the right to some to put themselves above others? Will the time come when all people will be equal not only before God, but also before each other?

According to reviews of “Lyuban”, these questions require prompt resolution and answer. At one time, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” left an indelible impression on the hearts and minds of reflective people. The work inspired them to take action and bring about social and political change.

Can we achieve universal equality and justice by learning from the negative examples of the past? Who knows.

Humanity is developing and moving forward. The landowner system has already sunk deep into oblivion. We may soon no longer hear about social injustice or racial inequality.

Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev

"Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow"

Having gone to Moscow after dinner with friends, the hero woke up only at the next postal station - Sofia. Having difficulty waking up the caretaker, he demanded horses, but was refused due to the night time. I had to give the coachmen some vodka, they harnessed it, and the journey continued.

In Tosna, the hero meets a lawyer who was engaged in composing ancient genealogies for young nobles. On the way from Tosny to Lyuban, the traveler sees a peasant who was plowing “with great diligence,” despite the fact that it was Sunday. The plowman said that six days a week his family cultivates the master’s land and, in order not to die of hunger, he is forced to work on holidays, even though this is a sin. The hero reflects on the cruelty of the landowners and at the same time reproaches himself for the fact that he also has a servant over whom he has power.

In Chudov, the hero is caught up by his friend Ch. and tells why he had to quickly leave St. Petersburg. Ch., for fun, sailed on a twelve-oar boat from Kronstadt to Sisterbeck. Along the way, a storm broke out, and the boat was pinched between two rocks by the raging waves. It was filling with water, and it seemed that death was inevitable. But two brave rowers made an attempt to climb over the rocks and swim to the shore, which was a mile and a half away. One succeeded, and, having got ashore, he ran to the house of the local chief so that he could urgently dispatch boats to rescue those remaining. But the chief deigned to rest, and the sergeant, his subordinate, did not dare to wake him up. When, through the efforts of others, the unfortunate people were nevertheless saved, Ch. tried to reassure the boss, but he said: “That’s not my position.” Indignant, Ch. “almost spat in his face and walked out.” Finding no sympathy for his actions among his St. Petersburg acquaintances, he decided to leave this city forever.

On the road from Chudov to Spasskaya Polest, a fellow traveler sits down with the hero and tells him his sad story. Having trusted his partner in ransom matters, he was deceived, lost his entire fortune and was put on criminal trial. His wife, experiencing what had happened, gave birth prematurely and died three days later, and the premature baby also died. Friends, seeing that they had come to take him into custody, put the unfortunate man in a wagon and told him to go “wherever his eyes looked.” The hero was touched by what his fellow traveler told him, and he thinks about how to bring this case to the attention of the supreme power, “for it can only be impartial.” Realizing that he is unable to help the unfortunate man in any way, the hero imagines himself as the supreme ruler, whose state seems to be flourishing, and everyone sings his praises. But then the wanderer of Straight-Gaze ​​removes the thorn from the ruler’s eyes, and he sees that his reign was unrighteous, that bounties were poured out on the rich, flatterers, traitors, and unworthy people. He understands that power is the duty to uphold the law and justice. But all this turned out to be just a dream.

At Podberezye station the hero meets a seminarian who complains about modern education. The hero reflects on science and the work of the writer, whose task he sees is enlightenment and praise of virtue.

Arriving in Novgorod, the hero remembers that this city in ancient times had popular rule, and questions the right of Ivan the Terrible to annex Novgorod. “But what is right when there is force?” - he asks. Distracted from his thoughts, the hero goes to dine with his friend Karp Dementievich, formerly a merchant, and now an eminent citizen. A conversation turns to trading matters, and the traveler understands that the introduced bill of exchange system does not guarantee honesty, but, on the contrary, contributes to easy enrichment and theft.

In Zaitsev, at the post office, the hero meets an old friend of Mr. Krestyankin, who served in the criminal chamber. He resigned, realizing that in this position he could not bring any benefit to the fatherland. He saw only cruelty, bribery, injustice. A peasant told a story about a cruel landowner whose son raped a young peasant woman. The girl's groom, defending the bride, broke the rapist's head. Together with the groom there were several other peasants, and according to the code of the criminal chamber, the narrator should have sentenced all of them to death or lifelong hard labor. He tried to justify the peasants, but none of the local nobles supported him, and he was forced to resign.

In Krestsy, the hero witnesses the separation of a father from his children going off to serve. The father reads instructions to them about the rules of life, calls on them to be virtuous, to fulfill the requirements of the law, to restrain passions, and not to servile to anyone. The hero shares his father’s thoughts that the power of parents over children is insignificant, that the union between parents and children should be “based on the tender feelings of the heart” and that a father cannot see his son as his slave.

In Yazhelbitsy, driving past the cemetery, the hero sees that a burial is taking place there. The father of the deceased is sobbing at the grave, saying that he is the murderer of his son, since he “poured poison into his beginning.” The hero thinks that he hears his condemnation. He, indulging in lust in his youth, suffered from a “stenchful disease” and is afraid

will it pass on to his children? Reflecting on who is causing the spread of the “stenchful disease,” the traveler blames the state for this, which opens the way to vices and protects public women.

In Valdai, the hero recalls the legend of a monk of the Iversky Monastery who fell in love with the daughter of a Valdai resident. Just as Leander swam across the Hellespont, so this monk swam across Lake Valdai to meet his beloved. But one day the wind rose, the waves raged, and in the morning the monk’s body was found on a distant shore.

In Edrovo, the hero meets a young peasant girl Anyuta, talks with her about her family and fiance. He is surprised at how much nobility there is in the way of thinking of the villagers. Wanting to help Anyuta get married, he offers her fiance money to get married. But Ivan refuses to take them, saying: “I, master, have two hands, I will run the house with them.” The hero reflects on marriage, condemning the still existing customs when an eighteen-year-old girl could be married to a ten-year-old child. Equality is the basis family life, he thinks.

On the way to Khotilovo, the hero is visited by thoughts about the injustice of serfdom. The fact that one person can enslave another he calls a “brutal custom”: “enslavement is a crime,” he says. Only those who cultivate the land have rights to it. And a state where two-thirds of citizens are deprived of civil rank cannot “be called blessed.” Radishchev’s hero understands that forced work produces less fruit, and this prevents the “reproduction of the people.” In front of the postal station, he picks up a paper that expresses the same thoughts, and learns from the postman that the last person passing through was one of his friends. He apparently forgot his essays at the post station, and the hero takes the forgotten papers for some reward. They defined a whole program for the liberation of peasants from serfdom, and also contained a provision for the destruction of court officials.

In Torzhok, the hero meets a man who sends a petition to St. Petersburg for permission to establish a printing press in the city, free from censorship. They talk about the harmfulness of censorship, which “like a nanny, leads a child on a leash,” and this “child,” that is, the reader, will never learn to walk (think) independently. Society itself must serve as censor: it either recognizes the writer or rejects it, just as recognition for a theatrical performance is provided by the public, and not by the theater director. Here the author, referring to a notebook received by the hero from a person he met, talks about the history of the emergence of censorship.

On the way to Mednoe, the traveler continues to read the papers of his friend. It talks about the auctions that take place if a landowner goes bankrupt. And among other property, people are being auctioned. An old man of seventy-five, the uncle of a young master, an old woman of eighty, his wife, a nurse, a widow of forty, a young woman of eighteen, her daughter and granddaughter of the elderly, her baby - they all do not know what fate awaits them, into whose hands they will fall.

The conversation about Russian versification that the hero has with a friend at a tavern table brings them back to the topic of liberty. A friend reads excerpts from his ode with that title.

In the village of Gorodnya, a recruitment process is taking place, which caused the sobs of the crowd of people. Mothers, wives, brides are crying. But not all recruits are unhappy with their fate. One “master’s man,” on the contrary, is glad to get rid of the power of his masters. He was raised by a kind master along with his son, and traveled abroad with him. But the old master died, and the young one got married, and the new lady put the slave in his place.

In Pawns, the hero surveys a peasant hut and is surprised by the poverty that reigns here. The housewife asks him for a piece of sugar for the child. The author, in a lyrical digression, addresses the landowner with a condemning speech: “Hard-hearted landowner! look at the children of the peasants under your control. They are almost naked." He promises him God's punishment, since he sees that there is no righteous judgment on earth.

The “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” ends with “A Word about Lomonosov.” The hero refers to the fact that these notes were given to him by the “Parnassian judge” with whom he dined in Tver. The author focuses on the role of Lomonosov in the development of Russian literature, calling him “the first in the path of Russian literature.”

The novel “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by Alexander Radishchev is one of the important works of Russian literature of the 18th century. The writer works in the travel genre, which was discovered by L. Stern. It is known that he was a prominent representative of sentimentalism, so he assessed the person accordingly. He believed that man is not so cruel, unlike the beast, and therefore can regret and sympathize.

The main feature of the novel “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” is that the writer, having resorted to the travel genre, filled the work with rich content. In the novel, the main character is not particularly sensitive; he is concerned about social issues. The main task of the narrator is to serve the public good.

So, the reader is presented with one of the first Russian ideological novels. The author especially focuses the reader's attention on the hero's political tasks, but not on the artistic ones. This is a certain type of ideology. The book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” laid a historical foundation that was directly related to Russian reality in the last third of the 18th century.

The appearance of this work was not without reason; the writer came up with the idea to create it thanks to the “Manifesto on the Freedom of the Nobility.” It is known that Catherine II mainly supported the rights and interests of the nobility, and later the merchants. Alexander Radishchev argued that as long as the peasant is burdened by the law, he is dead. And this is a fact, because such instructions were given by the government, and the peasants were used as slaves. The attitude towards them was rude and even inhumane.

In the chapter “Lyuban”, the writer many times forces his reader to draw attention to the lack of rights, where there was no law that would talk about the size of the corvee and quitrent of the peasant. On the next pages of the novel “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” the writer talks about himself and other characters who have become unhappy. Now, the reader seriously thinks about the injustice of the world, about its cruelties between people. The ability to understand and accept this fact is characteristic only of an honest person, as the author-narrator appears to the reader.

In each new chapter of the novel “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” the reader witnesses pictures of ordinary ugliness, lies and tyranny. However, the most important thing is that all offenders remain unpunished. They get away with absolutely all their illegal actions: feudal landowners rob and torture their peasants. Now the reader’s impressions are not so rosy and naive. The novel is filled with a huge amount of suffering and pain of the enslaved peasantry.

In “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” the reader does not observe “prosperous villages.” Of course, sometimes the positive qualities of some heroes slip through, but their qualities cannot change anything in the existing situation. Radishchev is on the side of the serfs, who started a rebellion against the landowners. The reader sees how the author himself calls on them to fight serfdom and not retreat.

Depiction of landowners in the work “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” Contemporaries about the book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” A story about the creative history of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” New literary genre - Radishchev’s “journey” "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" in the artistic and ideological context of the era Artistic originality The artistic originality of A. N. Radishchev’s “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” and its influence on the progressive thought of the era

“It is possible for everyone to be an accomplice in the prosperity of their own kind” - it was this thought that prompted Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev to write a story called “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” He, “whose soul has become wounded by the suffering of humanity,” wanted to pour out his thoughts on paper in order to depict in one book the life of the ordinary Russian people in all its ugliness.

The main characters of the story

A storyteller, or traveler, is a person who travels the world in search of the truth. Alas, driving through villages and cities, he sees the extreme poverty of the common people, their oppression by the nobles and nobility. With all his heart he wants to help the unfortunate, but he does not have the authority to do so. The hero of the story is a kind, honest man, his heart is open to the needs of the people. Just remember the episode with Annushka, who could not marry her loved one unless the ransom was paid. The traveler readily wanted to help the girl. In the image of his hero, the thoughts that disturb him are expressed by the author himself, who is fighting for fair treatment of the peasants.
The author of the “project in the future” is a person with even more progressive views than the narrator himself. He left papers in which he outlined brilliant ideas on how to help poor and suffering people.

Departure

The narration is told in the first person. After dinner with his friends, the narrator left the city. Sad thoughts overwhelmed him. Finally, he and the cab driver stopped at the post office. "Where are we?" - he asked. - In Sofia! - was the answer.

Sofia

We arrived in Sofia at night. The sleepy commissar flatly refused to issue new horses needed to continue the journey, lying that there were none. The author had no choice but to turn to the coachmen for help, and they harnessed the horses for a small tip. The narrator hit the road again.

Tosna

At first, the road from St. Petersburg seemed smooth and even, but later the travelers were convinced of the opposite: it was completely impossible to drive along the streets, washed out from the rains. Therefore, we had to stop at the post office. Here the narrator met a man who was sorting out some papers. It was a lawyer who was traveling to St. Petersburg. During a conversation with the official, it turned out that, while serving as a registrar at the discharge archive, he collected the genealogy of Russian clans, which he was very proud of and boasted about, thinking that “the Great Russian nobility should have bought this work, paying for it as much as they do not pay for any other product.” ..." However, the hero of the novel considers all this stupidity and recommends selling these papers to peddlers for wrappers.

Lyubani

The narrator rode and rode, perhaps in winter and summer. One day, tired of the carriage, he decided to walk. And suddenly I saw a peasant plowing in his field in the hot weather, and on Sunday at that.

The hero of the story was surprised: is there really no time to work on weekdays and leave the day off for rest? It turned out that the peasant had six children who needed to be fed, and since he worked for the landowner all week, the only time left to provide his family with necessities was at night, on holidays and Sundays. “It’s the most diabolical invention to give your peasants to someone else to work for them,” the peasant laments, but he can’t do anything. The narrator, who witnessed blatant injustice, is also upset. Suddenly he remembered that he himself sometimes behaved badly towards his servant Petrusha - and he was ashamed.

Miracle

The sound of a postal bell rang out, and the threshold of the hut where the hero of the story had just entered was crossed by his friend Ch, who had previously remained in St. Petersburg. He began to talk about an unsuccessful boat trip, because the ship on which they sailed almost sank. In the face of death, the boundaries dividing people into rich and poor disappeared. The ruler of the ship showed himself especially heroic, deciding either to save everyone or die himself. He got out of the boat and, “moving from stone to stone, directed his procession to the shore,” accompanied by the sincere prayers of the passengers. Soon another joined him, but “with his feet he stopped motionless on the stone.” Fortunately, the first one managed to get ashore, but indifferent people refused to help: the boss was sleeping, and the subordinate was afraid to wake him up. Moreover, Pavel—that was the name of the man who saved people on the ship—was struck by the commander’s answer: “This is not my position.” Then, in despair, Pavel ran to the guardhouse where the soldiers were. And I was not mistaken. Thanks to the disposition of these people, who immediately agreed to provide boats to rescue the drowning, everyone remained alive.
But Ch., deeply outraged by the boss’s action, left the city forever.

Spasskaya Polest

The narrator, no matter how hard he tried, failed to bring back his friend. While spending the night at the station due to inclement weather, he overheard a conversation between two spouses. The husband was a juror and told about an official who, for fulfilling a whim - delivering oysters - was rewarded from the state treasury.

Meanwhile, the rain passed. The hero of the story decided to move on, but an unfortunate man asked to be his traveling companion, and on the way he told a very sad story: he was a merchant, however, having trusted wicked people, he was put on trial. Because of her anxiety, the wife gave birth prematurely and died three days later. The newborn also died. And the former merchant was almost taken into custody; it’s good that kind people helped him escape.

This story shocked the narrator so much that he was thinking about how to bring what had happened to the supreme power. However, an unexpected dream prevented good intentions. The hero of the story first sees himself as a great ruler, and is sure that things are going well in the state. However, in the crowd he notices a woman calling herself Truth, who removes the veil from the ruler’s eyes, and he is horrified at how bad and terrible everything really is. Alas, this is just a dream. In reality, there are no good kings.

Podberezye

When the hero woke up from sleep, he could not continue his journey further. The head was heavy, and since there was no suitable medicine, the narrator decided to drink coffee. But there was a lot of drink, and he wanted to treat it to the young man sitting next to him. They started talking. A new acquaintance was studying at the Novgorod seminary and was going to St. Petersburg to see his uncle. During the conversation, from the student’s complaints, the hero of the story realized that the level of training leaves much to be desired. Having said goodbye, the seminarian did not notice how he dropped a small bunch of paper. The traveler took advantage of this because the young man’s thoughts were interesting to him.

Here, for example, are words that are worth thinking about: “Christian society was at first humble, meek, hiding in deserts and dens, then it grew stronger, raised its head, withdrew from its path, and gave in to superstition...”

The seminarian is upset that the truth is being trampled upon among the people, and instead ignorance and extreme delusion reign. The author completely agrees with him.

Novgorod

Tormented by sad thoughts, the hero of the story entered Novgorod. Despite the greatness, the many monasteries, and the success in trade affairs, the author understood the deplorable state of this city, captured by Ivan the Terrible. But before, Novgorod was ruled by the people, had its own letter and bell, and, although they had princes, they had little influence. What right did a neighboring king have to ruin a prosperous city to the ground? Why can the one who is stronger control the destinies of others? These thoughts haunt the author.

After lunch with the merchant Karp Dementievich, the hero of the story is convinced of the uselessness of the bill of exchange system, which does not at all guarantee honesty, but, on the contrary, promotes theft and enrichment in easy ways.

Bronnitsy

Here the wanderer prays to God: “...I can’t believe it, O Almighty! so that a person sends the prayer of his heart to some other creature, and not to You..."

He bows before His power and understands that the Lord gave life to man. “You are looking, O all-generous Father, for a sincere heart and an immaculate soul; they are open everywhere for your coming...” exclaims the narrator.

Zaitsevo

At the postal yard in Zaitsevo, the hero of the work meets an old friend named Krestyankin. Conversations with a friend, although rare, were still distinguished by frankness. And now Krestyankin opened his soul to someone whom he had not seen for so many years. The injustice towards ordinary peasants was so blatant that after one incident he, who was called a philanthropic boss, was forced to resign. And this is what happened. One man of low fortune, who, however, received the rank of collegiate assessor, bought a village where he settled with his family. He cruelly mocked the peasants, considering them brutes. But a more inhuman act was committed by the son of this newly minted nobleman when he tried to rape the bride of one of the peasants just on the eve of her wedding. The embittered groom rescued the girl, but broke the skull of one of his sons, which became the impetus for new aggression by the father, who decided to cruelly punish the perpetrators. And then the peasants rebelled against such injustice, rebelling against the family of fanatics and killing everyone. Naturally, after this they were subjected to trial, execution, or eternal hard labor. When passing the sentence, no one except Krestyankin took into account the circumstances that led to such a crime.

Sacrums

In Krestsy, the hero of the story witnessed the separation of his father and his sons, who were going to military service. The narrator discusses what the children of nobles become after the army, because you need to begin your service with mature morals, otherwise “...what good can you expect from such a commander or mayor?”

It’s hard for a father to let go of his young offspring, but he considers it a necessity, giving instructions on how to act correctly in a given situation. The sons listened for a long time to this speech, pronounced with a feeling of strong anxiety for them. Finally, the time has come to part ways. The young men sobbed loudly as they sat in the cart, and the old man knelt down and began to fervently pray to the Lord that He would preserve them and strengthen them in the paths of virtue.

Yazhelbitsy

In Yazhelbitsy, the narrator drove past a cemetery, but when he heard the cry of a man tearing out his hair, he stopped. This was the father of the deceased son. In great despair, he said that he himself was the killer of the young man, because “he had prepared his death before his birth, giving him a poisoned life...” Alas, this man’s child was born sick. The author laments that “the stinking disease causes great devastation,” and this happens too often.

Valdai

Valdai is a town that has been inhabited since the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich by captive Poles, where flushed girls shamelessly indulge in debauchery, dragging travelers into the web of love pleasures. The narrator, having described the local morals, parted with this extremely dissolute city with pain in his heart.

Edrovo

Having reached the city of Edrovo, the narrator saw a crowd of thirty women. Their attractiveness did not escape his gaze, but he was disturbed by thoughts about the bleak future of these beautiful peasant women.

Suddenly the hero of the story met one of them on the road and decided to start a conversation. Anna – that was the girl’s name – at first warily answered his questions, thinking that the traveler, like others, wished harm, but when she saw that the stranger was disposed towards her, she was very surprised, because she was not used to polite treatment. Finally, believing in the sincere intentions of the traveler, she opened up and told her sad story. It turned out that Annushka’s father had recently died, and she was left with her mother and little sister. The girl has a fiancé, Vanya, but it is not possible to marry him until a ransom of one hundred rubles is paid. Then the narrator decides to help the young couple. He asks Anya to take him to his mother, but, entering their house, he sees Ivan. It turns out that there is no need for ransom anymore, because the groom's father has decided to let him go, and the wedding is expected on Sunday. No matter how hard Anna’s new acquaintance tried to give money for the needs of the future family, nothing was accepted from him.

The narrator admires the chastity of the peasant girl and reflects on this on the way to Khotilov, the next town.

Khotilov (future project)

It is written from the perspective of another traveler who is even more progressive in his views. A traveler, passing by, finds papers left by his old friend in front of the post office. In them, serfdom is called evil, crime, slavery, because “to the lack of food and clothing they added work to the point of exhaustion.” The author of the letter calls for the abolition of serfdom, for all people to consider each other as brothers, so that they internally feel how generous the Father of all, God, is to them.

Vyshny Volchok

“In Russia, many farmers do not work for themselves; and so the abundance of land in many parts of Russia proves the aggravated lot of its inhabitants” - this thought frightens the narrator, who, passing a city called Vyshny Volchok, is surprised at its wealth. It is impossible to build happiness on the tears and blood of oppressed peasants, the author is convinced. The prosperity of some at the expense of the misfortune of others is a blatant injustice.

Vydropusk

The narrator again begins to re-read the papers of his friend, who wrote “a project for the future” and fully agrees that the consequences of the actions of kings who surround themselves with luxury are disastrous. The author uses amazing figures of speech in this regard: “in place of nobility of soul and generosity, servility and self-distrust have been sown,” “true misers for great things”... He sincerely regrets this state of affairs and calls for moderation of desires to be an example for future posterity.

Torzhok

Here the narrator meets a man who wants to achieve the right to free printing in the city, free from censorship, and in connection with this sends a petition. He is outraged by the fact that censorship harms free thought, and expresses it directly: it is necessary for writers to be controlled by society. The author also talks about the history of censorship.

Copper

On the way to Mednoe, the narrator reads his friend's papers again and again. And, delving into the text, he sees a glaring problem: if some landowner goes bankrupt, his peasants are sold at auction, and forced people cannot even know what fate awaits them. This is a great evil.

Tver

The author and his friend argue that versification was crushed in the bud, not allowing it to come into force. They talk about poetry and gradually come to the topic of freedom. The narrator’s friend, who goes to St. Petersburg to ask for the publication of the author’s book of poems, reads excerpts from an ode of his own composition with a similar title.

Gorodnya

There was a cry in this city, the cause of which was recruitment. Tears are shed by mothers, wives, and brides. One of the serf boys goes into the army, forced to leave his mother alone; the girl, his bride, is also crying, not wanting to part with the groom, because they were not even allowed to get married. Hearing their cry, the guy tries to console the people he loves. And only one man of about thirty named Ivan rejoices at such a change in circumstances. He is a slave to his mistress, and hopes that the army will be a liberation from the heavy oppression of an imperious and cruel mistress, who forced him to forcibly marry a pregnant maid.

Zavidovo

A traveler in Zavidovo saw a sad picture. The poor elder cringed before the warrior in a grenadier’s cap, hearing angry shouts: “Hurry up the horses!” and seeing the whip hanging over him. His Excellency's arrival was expected. However, there were not enough horses. Finally, they ordered the narrator's horses to be unharnessed, despite his indignation. Many who imagine themselves to be high ranks are unworthy of the respect and respect that is shown to them, the traveler is sure.

Wedge

Here the traveler meets a blind old man sitting near the post office, who sings a sad song. Everyone around him gives him alms. The hero of the story also took pity, giving a ruble to the unfortunate man and was surprised by what he said: “...What do I need it for now? I don’t see where to put it; He will, perhaps, give rise to a crime...” He refused such a generous alms and told the story of his life. The blind man is convinced that he lost his sight for his sins, because during the war he “did not give forgiveness to the unarmed.”

Pawns

At the end of the journey, the wanderer entered one of the huts, wanting to have lunch. Seeing that the guest was putting sugar in his coffee, the poor peasant woman asked to give some of this delicacy to the child. They got to talking, and the unfortunate woman began to lament that the bread they were eating consisted of three-quarters chaff and one part unsowed flour. The traveler was struck by the extremely poor furnishings of the woman’s home: walls covered with soot, a wooden cup and mugs called plates. Alas, those whose sweat and blood earned the boyars lived in such poverty. White bread. The hero of the story is outraged by what is happening and says that their atrocities are seen by the Fair Heavenly Judge, who is impartial.

Black mud

And finally, the traveler witnessed a wedding, but a very unusual one, because those entering into marriage were very sad and joyless. Why did this happen? Why were the newlyweds, although they hated each other, forced to enter into an alliance? Because this was done not according to their will, but at the whim of the same nobles.

A word about Lomonosov

In the very last chapter, the author talks about the significant contribution of Mikhail Lomonosov to science and culture. This brilliant man, born in poverty, was able to decisively leave home and receive the education he needed beyond its walls. “Persistent diligence in learning languages ​​made Lomonosov a fellow citizen of Athens and Rome...” And such diligence was generously rewarded.

“Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” - A. N. Radishchev. Brief content

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Many works were dedicated to the Russian peasantry. Some authors glorified the village, others tried to find the truth beyond the windows of the brilliant palaces of St. Petersburg. The most truthful work of the late 18th century is “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” The narrative is imbued with the severity of the situation of the serf peasantry.

In contact with

Who wrote the work

Radishchev A.N. born on August 20, 1749 in Upper Ablyazovo, Saratov province. Childhood years were spent under the supervision of his father. He owned an estate on the territory of the Kaluga province.

Education

Initial training was conducted using the Book of Hours and the Psalter, but the father, who was fluent in both foreign languages, could pass on some of the knowledge to his son.

In 1756, the future writer was entrusted to his maternal uncle, who was the brother of the first rector of Moscow University. Proximity to academic circles gave me the opportunity to study with prominent teachers at the gymnasium.

Six years later, Radishchev received the title of page at, the next place of study was the Corps of Pages. Here they were not taught to reveal the secrets of nature, on the contrary, to slavishly serve the imperial person.

Since 1766, he was a student at the University of Leipzig (Germany), studying law. Europe introduced the young man to free-thinking.

Service

Returning to , Alexander Nikolaevich held the positions of titular adviser, chief auditor under General Bruce, and an employee of the Commerce Collegium. An employee of the St. Petersburg customs, after 10 years (1790) he became its head. The first echoes of the future work arose there, and the main characters had to show the plight of the peasant population.

Literary and publishing field

Radishchev worked on translations foreign classics, published anonymously in the magazine “Zhivopiets”. The flourishing of the ideas of freedom and independence (the American and French revolutions) created favorable conditions for the work of Radishchev’s entire life - “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” (May 1790). The author wrote about the cruelty of serfdom and highlighted the sad pages of the social life of the then empire.

Further fate

For anti-government activities and “attacks on the sovereign’s health,” Radishchev faced execution by hanging. If it had been performed, no one would have known who wrote “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” The final verdict was 10 year exile.

He was a member of the legislative commission, but poor health interrupted the life of the great statesman in the fifty-third year of his life (September 12, 1802). According to one version, he did not recover after burning out the epaulettes of his eldest son, others point to natural death, as reported by written sources.

Interesting! After reading the essay, Empress Catherine II was so outraged by the impudence of Alexander Nikolaevich that she said the following words: “A rebel is worse! Even though he pretended to be a tsar, he professed a monarchical system, but this one decided to create a republic in Rus' through a revolution.” This suggests that the genre of the work was not to the liking of the ruling person.

Genre and structure of the essay

Alexander Nikolaevich was inspired by the Russian Empress’s travels around Novorossiya and Crimea. Specially prepared villages were supposed to show the high standard of living of the peasantry. The writer decided to make his own trip in order to study the true state of affairs. The nature of the presentation has become a screen for the censor, who considered the essay a guide.

The genre of the work is a sentimental journey, one of the most popular literary movements of the late 18th century. The structure of the essay consists of disconnected fragments of the narrative. The main characters are both ordinary serfs and landowners and service people.

The chapter titles correspond settlements that came across the anonymous traveler's path.

The creator managed to paint a plausible picture of the destructive impact of serfdom on provincial life. Some lines are harshly condemning autocracy, self-will of the landowner class.

Thus, the anonymous narrator is faced with bad roads (Kresttsy), widespread bribes, and narrow-minded people. Some serfs must work on Sundays to support themselves. Others are sold after the ruin of their landowner, ending in a wedding procession filled with grief. Young people marry at the behest of the owner, and not at the will of the heart.

The epigraph of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” is lines from Trediakovsky’s poem. The words “The monster is loud, mischievous, huge, yawning and barking” describe the “rotting” of the upper class of that time.

The main character of the essay

Radishchev gives an example of the first intelligent nobleman of the middle class, capable soberly assess the situation, observe and draw conclusions. It is very important for the author, because the chapter “Spasskaya Polist” shows the opposite side of the nobility of that time.

From fragmentary phrases it is easy to understand that the main character is an anonymous traveler who regrets his imminent departure from St. Petersburg. Apparently he is a widower, but has grown children, being a middle-class nobleman. His youth has taught him to have a quarrelsome attitude towards others; he is a favorite of public women. The heroes of the work carefully try to express the thoughts, ideas and aspirations of the author.

Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Illustration for the plot

Condensed narrative in parts

As mentioned above, the titles of the chapters of “Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow” are towns and villages located on the nobleman’s route. So, let's get to the summary:

1. Introduction – a middle-aged intellectual leaves the walls of the capital in a wagon.
2. Sofia - in need of fresh horses, the nobleman asks the commissar for help, he is too lazy to work at night. He says that there are no horses, but the coachmen, for a piece price, harness the “found” four-legged ones for the traveler. A miracle is just around the corner.
3. Tosna – angry at the quality of the roads, the traveler meets with a research official. He wrote a work that makes it possible to prove the antiquity of the family to any nobleman. The thought sounds " Bragging about an ancient breed is evil.
4. Lyuban – the walk ends with a meeting with a “sinful” serf, who is plowing a field on a Sunday afternoon. To a silent question, the peasant replies that he is forced to work for the landowner for six days, but he needs to feed himself somehow. The narrator is ashamed of belonging to his class.
5. Miracle - here the hero meets his friend. He talks about a terrible walk on the sea. Underwater rocks have caught the hull of the ship, and it slowly sinks to the bottom. The helmsman Pavel volunteered to swim to the shore for help. They refused to listen to him, since the boss deigned to sleep. The sailor was nevertheless found by caring people, and Mr. Ch was saved. Having expressed his complaints to the boss, he heard that according to his rank he was not obliged to save drowning people.
6. Spasskaya Polist - the chapter talks about self-will high-ranking official . He loves oysters, so he sends his subordinates to buy seafood, giving them promotions. The clatter of hooves rocks the author, in a dream he sees himself as a ruler who is satisfied with the state of affairs of the sovereign's affairs. However, the healer Truth removes the “blindfold” from his eyes, and the arbitrariness of the landowners and the unfortunate people become reality.
7. Podberezye - here the hero meets a seminarian who is eager to study in St. Petersburg. He complains about the quality of education. The young man’s dropped notes talk about Martinism; the author speaks negatively about the mystic Freemasons.
8. Novgorod - a nobleman reflects on the greatness of the beginnings of a democratic society. Did he have the right to destroy the republican stronghold in Rus'?
9. From the Novgorod Chronicle - the writer visits the house of a merchant-swindler who does not send paid goods. Main laws don't work, trading require amendments.
10. Bronnitsy - on the site of an ancient temple, Radishchev says that man is God’s creation, but everyone creates their own destiny.
11. Zaitsovo is a story about a cruel master who was beaten to death by starving, exhausted peasants. The chairman of the criminal chamber, Krestyankin, did not find a crime, but his superiors demand that the perpetrators be punished.
12. The sacrums are one of the most touching scenes for Radishchev. In Krestsy we see how mature sons say goodbye to their father, for whom difficult days of loneliness are coming.
13. Yazhelbitsy - in the cemetery the writer sees his father at the funeral of his own son. The old man in tears blames himself, since the child was born sick. An intellectual remembers his “venereal disease”, reflects on methods fight against depravity.
14. Edrovo - to the accompaniment of the wedding of the peasant woman Anna and Vanyusha, the traveler speaks out about unequal marriages, defends human rights to personal happiness.
15. Khotilov, the traveler, finds papers where his friend shows a negative attitude towards autocracy and serfdom, as the epigraph tells us.
16. Higher Volochok - against the backdrop of earing fields and an abundance of goods, the narrator recalls the landowners' atrocities against the peasants. Radishchev does not understand how society can praise such egoists.
17. Vydropusk - a project for new ranks at court, lost by his friend, becomes the subject of study. The main message of the story is that the ruler is characterized by not luxury and a crowd of courtiers, but his actions.
18. Torzhok - an unknown citizen is trying to achieve the abolition of censorship in his native land. He believes that society is the best censor for any book.
19. Mednoye - shows the sale of peasants after the ruin of their landowner. Some families are divided between different owners, the law is on their side.
20. Tver - as in Chudovo, here the “newfangled poet” complains about the literary wretchedness of his contemporaries. He is concerned about the development of poetry.
21. Gorodnya - we see the farewell of peasants to the army. Some were forced by need, others were given away by their owners, and others were looking for glory.
22. Zavidovo - against the backdrop of the insolence of “His Excellency’s” assistant, the hero regrets the people’s habit of humiliating themselves before “high ranks.” Rural people are a bargaining chip (Mednoe).
23. Klin - a blind old man is singing at the station, he refuses to accept a ruble from a nobleman. The old man asks for something warm; the scarf he received was with him until his death.
24. Pawns - while dining in a peasant hut, the traveler sees the gravity of the situation of the serfs. Main thought - people cannot afford goods that they produce themselves.
25. Black mud is a wedding ordered by a landowner. The young people hate each other, but they know who is at the origins of their marriage. A traveler speaks out about the crime of forced marriage.
26. The word about Lomonosov is a farewell chord to the chapters; Radishchev reflects on the significance of the Russian scientist in literature and literature.