Summary of the novel by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City”
The novel begins with an appeal to the reader from the last chronicler-archivist.
Then follows the story of how the Foolovites settled down. Previously, they were dumbheads, because they had a habit of treading on their heads with everything that comes in their way. Once they decided to call on the kingdom of a wise ruler. Wandered for a long time, finally saw on the river bank a man who dipped gingerbread and ate in water. They asked him to “draw” them. He agreed, saying: “I am stupid, and you are even more stupid.” Opens a gallery of biographies of the city’s duma’s chiefs Dementy Varlamovich Brudasty, who, as soon as he galloped into the city, on the very border carved a lot of coachmen. In his head, instead of the brain, there is an organ mechanism that can only play two words: “I’ll ruin!” and “I will not tolerate!”, which then broke down, and the master Baibakov tried to repair his watch and organ affairs.
In the city, a struggle for power began. The riot and disorder was stopped by the new mayor, Semyon Konstantinovich Dvokurov.
Dvokurov accomplished a lot. He paved the streets: the Noble and the Big, collected arrears, patronized the sciences and applied for the establishment of an academy in the city of Foolov. But his main merit was that he introduced a mustard and a laurel leaf. All his goals he achieved by the fact that infinitely sec fools.
After the death of Dvokurov, the town governor was Vasilisk Semyonovich Borodavkin, who struck everyone with administrative lightness. Mikoladze and Benevolensky felt a special passion for the publication of laws. For example, even the law on the baking of pies was published. When Grustilov appeared various soothsayers and sorcerers.
The last governor of Glupov was Ugryum-Burcheev. It was a dictator-reactionary who established a totalitarian regime in the city of Foolov. He always walked in boots and only in a straight line, he slept on bare ground, and in frosts – in the hayloft. I came up with a project, according to which houses should be built only in a straight line, windows in the front garden, and residents – go to work. Ugryum-Burcheev decided to block the flow of the river, turn it back. As a result, he ordered to record all the fools in special books, that is, to compile a dossier on them.
Finally, the Foolovites were struck by an unheard-of spectacle: the north darkened and covered with clouds, a tornado, rain began. An insane horror swept the inhabitants. Turning to the crowd, Ugryum-Burcheev said: “He’ll come,” but he did not have time to finish the sentence – there was a crash, and the mayor disappeared. History stopped its flow.
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