Night before Christmas gogol mythological semantics of the plot. N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas": description, characters, analysis of the work. Composition about the Devil

State Institution "Zatobol Secondary School No. 1"

Kostanay region, Kostanay district

Literature lesson summary
V6 classroom
« images of the lower Slavic mythology

in the story of N.V. Gogol

"Christmas Eve".

The image of the devil » .

prepared

teacher of Russian language and literature

Ragulina Ksenia Nikolaevna

With. Zatobolsk, 2013

Topic: Images of lower Slavic mythology in N.V. Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas". The image of the trait.

Grade:6

Goals:

Disclosure of the image of the devil in Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas". Acquaintance of students with the traditions and rituals, with the life and beliefs of the Slavic peoples through the era reflected in the story "The Night Before Christmas"; contribute to the formation of concepts: "image-symbol"

Creating conditions for the development of students' skills of comparative analysis, work in creative groups, finding information in different sources and processing it.

Raising students' interest in folk traditions, national culture;

During the classes.

Call. 2 minutes.

Creation of a collaborative environment.

Teacher's word. Hello guys and dear guests! I am glad to welcome you to the lesson. Let me congratulate you all on the upcoming holy holidays. 'Cause it's coming soon New Year, Christmas. On the eve of these holidays, it is customary to make your most cherished wishes, there is a belief that they will come true! You have shining stars on your tables, look at them, make a wish to yourself, raise them higher, look around. What a wonderful picture! Doesn't she remind you of anything?

Students: N.V. Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas" begins with a description of such a picture, a starry night.

SLIDE: The last day before Christmas has passed. A clear winter night has come. Stars looked. The moon rose majestically into the sky to shine kind people and to the whole world, so that everyone would have fun caroling and glorifying Christ.

Teacher: right! And today we will continue to work on this story. Your active work will take place in groups. And we will start with a little warm-up on the knowledge of the text of a work of art.

Work on revealing knowledge of the content of a literary text. 3 minutes.

You have several pictures scattered in a chaotic manner, you need to collect them correctly and consistently, according to the composition of the story! Who among you knows the text better and can do it faster?

The group that coped the fastest comes out to check on the board, the rest check on the board. (CONTAINER)

Guys, who did not have any difficulties and mistakes, put your first “+” on the self-assessment sheet.

Making sense.

Teacher: well done! You did a great job! And we can turn to the topic of the lesson. And what it will be, and what goals we will have in the lesson, you will answer on your own if you connect the key concepts of the lesson: SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY, STORY, "THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS", DEVIL. 2 minutes.

Students: today in the lesson we will consider the image of the devil, a character from Slavic mythology, in Gogol's story "The Night Before Christmas".

Teacher: absolutely right! Write the topic down in your notebook.

Theatricality: all of a sudden the devil himself appears with an appeal to the guys.

CRAP: dear guys, help me! There are many different opinions about my image, someone considers me very harmful and evil, someone, on the contrary, is funny! I ask you to be as attentive as possible and fully reveal my image. This table will help you with this:

Teacher: that's how! Let's help the hero of our lesson. We already know with you how the devil is represented in Slavic mythology. Let's remember?

Student responses. The students talk about the mythological hero, the rest fill in the column of the table "The image of the devil in Slavic mythology."

The devil is an evil spirit in Slavic mythology. DEVIL - creatures covered with black hair, with horns, tails and hooves. The very origin of evil spirits is associated with the myth of the fallen angels (DEVIL - angels tired of praising God): thrown from the sky, they fell into the water, some into the forest, some into the field, turning into the spirits of individual tracts.

The DEVIL in folk beliefs constantly interferes with life of people, cause minor troubles, coerce into unjustified acts (“introduce into sin”), send havoc, make drunks stray, provoke a crime, try to get a person’s soul;

DEVIL can also send bad weather, a blizzard, they themselves turn into a whirlwind, tearing off roofs, bringing illness, whirlwinds - raging DEVIL, damn matchmakers (“the devil marries a witch”); DEVIL are especially dangerous in "unclean" places and at certain times of the day or year, for example, at Christmas time and on the eve of Ivan Kupala.

Teacher: well done! Done with the first column of the table! Mark yourself on the self-assessment sheet. Let's move on to the second column of the table.Work on the analysis of the image of the trait in the work. Each group is given a certain episode from the text with the participation of the devil. Questions for analysis are given for the episode, the task is to compose a syncwine. A3 sheets with the image of the devil were distributed in advance. Students get acquainted with the episode and compose a synquen in the image of the devil, decorate the image of the hero, then explaining the choice of colors.

Cinquain is not a simple poem, but a poem written according to the following rules:

1 line - one noun expressing the main themecinquain.

Line 2 - two adjectives expressing the main idea.

Line 3 - three verbs describing actions within the topic.

Line 4 - a phrase that carries a certain meaning.

Line 5 - conclusion in the form of a noun (association with the first word).

Composecinquain is very simple and interesting. And besides, work on the creation of syncwine develops imaginative thinking.

Crap

Cunning, grasping

Spinning, sneaking, hiding

"Despite all the failures, the cunning devil did not leave his pranks."

"Provincial Solicitor"

Literary reception: comparison (completely German; the muzzle ended, like our pigs,; real provincial attorney); many verbs are used that convey the activity of the hero.

solicitor, m. 1

Province -

Students: We chose black because this episode, the hero acts as a prankster who wants to harm Vakula.

Crap

small, beautiful

Whispers, caresses, imagines

“Erysipelas, as Foma Grigoryevich says, is an abomination with an abomination, but he also builds love chickens!”

Cavalier

Students: we chose red, because in this episode the devil appears before us as a hero in love, and red is considered the color of love and passion.

Literary reception: antithesis - opposition (imagines himself handsome, while the figure looks ashamed);

Crap

Confident, cunning

He flew out, ran across, began to tear.

“And the devil flew back into the chimney, in the firm belief that Chub would return with his godfather back.”

prankster

Students: we chose the red-brown color, as we thought that it indicates the cunning of the hero.

Literary reception: epithet – artistic definition(nimble dandy; With goat's beard; stolen month)

Students: we chose two colors: turquoise and black, because we think that in our episode, at first the devil appears as a very brave and boastful hero, but then he becomes cowardly and quiet like a lamb.

Literary reception: epithet - artistic definition (dog snout); antithesis - opposition (hidden, the concepts of friend-enemy, brave-cowardly are opposed).

Teacher: you did a very good job with this task, now I will ask you to highlight the main, key, similar points of all groups and fill in the second column. What did you get? Tell me, is there anything similar between Gogol's devil and a man?

Student responses: yes, the devil in the work behaves like a person, he freezes, flirts with Solokha, experiences human feelings, but at the same time, he knows how to reincarnate, and has an appearance corresponding to the mythological hero.

The image of the devil in Slavic mythology.

The image of Gogol's devil

An image that came to life on a screen

Creatures covered with black hair, with horns, tails and hooves.

Intervening in people's lives send bad weather, a blizzard, cause minor trouble.

Ugly, but considers himself beautiful.

Confident in some situations. Always trying to cheat. Very active, tenacious. But it is boastful. In the last episode, such a character trait as cowardice is manifested.

The image of the devil combines real human features with fantastic ones. He "jumps from one hoof to another and blows his fist, wanting to somehow warm his frozen hands."

The devil is shown as a cunning prankster.

The devil has human qualities, so we perceive it as real.

Like all fairy-tale heroes, he knows how to reincarnate: he flies through the sky, “the devil flew over the barrier, turned into a horse ...” The devil looks like the most ordinary provincial official, capable only of minor dirty tricks.

Teacher: ok, but we have one more column called "The Image Comes to Life on the Screen". How can you complete it?

Students: if we watch the video.

Teacher: look and fill in the third column.Viewing a video clip.

Conclusions on the main part of the lesson. Guys, we have donegreat jobto identifyand analysis of the image of such a mysterious character in different sources. I think you are ready to draw some conclusions from this part of the lesson. I suggest that you present your conclusions in the form of an essay, essay-reflection based on the materials of the lesson, they are all in your table.

An essay may begin with the words:

As D. Merezhkovsky noted, “Gogol was the first to see the devil without a mask, he saw his real face……

N.V. Gogol actively used images from Slavic mythology in his works...

V. G. Belinsky noted: “Gogol does not write, but draws; his images breathe the colors of reality. You see and hear them….

The writer draws the image of the devil, which in Slavic mythology is an evil spirit.

Include the following expressions:

The image of the demon in the story, specific features, the author explains, endows him with charm, the image does not cause us a feeling of disgust or fear.

And end like this:

Such is the image of the devil, which combines real human features with fantastic ones.

Reflection.

Evaluation. Our lesson has come to an end, you did a very good job, the whole lesson filled out self-assessment sheets, count your pluses and rate yourself! (Grading in the journal).

Summary of the lesson. You noticed that since the beginning of the lesson, the same stars have been hanging on this board as on your desks - these are my wishes to you! (Some students come up, take pictures and read aloud, the rest will take them off when they leave the classroom)!

Annex 1.

Group 1. Episode 1. How the devil stole the month.

Suddenly, from the opposite side, another speck appeared, increased, began to stretch, and it was no longer a speck. From the front, he was completely German: the narrow muzzle, constantly twirling and sniffing everything that came across, ended, like our pigs, in a round patch, the legs were so thin that if Yareskov's head had such, he would have broken them in the first Cossack. But on the other hand, behind him he was a real provincial attorney in uniform, because his tail hung as sharp and long as the coat-tails of today; only by the goat's beard under his muzzle, by the small horns sticking out on his head, and that he was no whiter than a chimney sweep, could one guess that he was neither a German nor a provincial attorney, but simply a devil. Meanwhile, the devil crept slowly towards the moon and was already stretching out his hand to grab it, but suddenly pulled it back, as if burned, sucked his fingers, dangled his foot and ran from the other side, and again jumped back and pulled his hand away. However, despite all the failures, the cunning devil did not leave his pranks. Running up, he suddenly grabbed the moon with both hands, grimacing and blowing, tossing it from one hand to the other, like a peasant who takes out a fire for his cradle with his bare hands; Finally, he hurriedly put it in his pocket and, as if he had never happened, ran further.

solicitor, m. 1 . In Muscovite Rus' - a courtier who serves to carry out various household duties (historical).

Province - the highest unit of administrative-territorial division in Russia

Tasks: 1. Read the text. 2. Highlight the main idea. 3. Make a cinquain. 4. Explain what literary device the author uses to create an image? 5. Decorate the character. 6. Explain the choice of colors.

Group 2. Episode 2. How the devil looked after the witch. In this way, as soon as the devil hid his moon in his pocket, it suddenly became so dark all over the world that not everyone would find the way to the tavern, not only to the clerk. The witch, seeing herself suddenly in the darkness, cried out. Then the devil, riding up like a little demon, grabbed her by the arm and set off to whisper in her ear the same thing that is usually whispered to the entire female race. Wonderfully arranged in our world! You can bet that it will seem surprising to many to see the devil set off in the same place for himself. The most annoying thing of all is that he probably imagines himself handsome, while as a figure - to look ashamed. Erysipelas, as Foma Grigoryevich says, an abomination is an abomination, but he also builds love chickens! But it became so dark in the sky and under the sky that it was no longer possible to see what was going on between them.

Group 3. Episode 3. How the devil interfered with the travelers.

The devil, meanwhile, when he was still flying into the chimney, somehow accidentally turned around, saw Chub, arm in arm with his godfather, already far from the hut. In an instant, he flew out of the stove, crossed their path and began to tear heaps of frozen snow from all sides. A blizzard has risen. The air turned white. The snow tossed back and forth in a net and threatened to close the eyes, mouths and ears of pedestrians. And the devil flew back into the chimney, firmly convinced that Chub would return with his godfather, find the blacksmith and treat him so that he would not be able to pick up a brush and paint offensive caricatures for a long time.At the time when the nimble dandy with a tail and a goat's beard was flying out of the chimney and then back into the chimney, the little palm hanging in a sling at his side, in which he hid the stolen moon, somehow accidentally caught in the stove, the moon also dissolved, using In this case, he flew out through the chimney of Solokhina's hut and smoothly rose through the sky. Everything lit up. Blizzards as never happened.

Group 4. Episode 4. How the devil made a deal with Vakula.

The devil, leaning his dog snout on his right ear, said:

- It's me - your friend, I will do everything for a comrade and friend! I'll give you as much money as you want, - he squeaked into his left ear. “Oksana will be ours today,” he whispered, turning his snout back over his right ear.

The devil clasped his hands and began to gallop with joy on the blacksmith's neck. “Now the blacksmith has been caught! - he thought to himself, - now I will take out on you, my dear, all your painting and fables, cocked on devils! Here the devil laughed with joy, remembering how the whole tailed tribe would tease in hell, how the lame devil, who was considered among them the first to invent, would rage. - I'm ready! - said the blacksmith. - Here he put his hand back - and grab the devil by the tail. - Wait, dove! - shouted the blacksmith, - but how does it seem to you? - At this word, he created a cross, and the devil became as quiet as a lamb - Have mercy, Vakula! - the devil groaned plaintively, - I will do everything that is necessary for you, only let your soul go to repentance: do not lay a terrible cross on me!

Annex 2. Self-assessment sheet.

FI___________________________________________

Completion mark
Text Knowledge
Determining the objectives and topic of the lesson
Filling in the column "The image of the devil in mythology"
Filling in the column "Image of Gogol's devil" I read and retold the episode I made "Sinquain" I chose colors I explained the choice of colors I presented the work to the class




Filling in the column "Image, image that came to life on the screen"

Bibliography.

Vislenko L.P. Literature. Grades 5-7: Methodological guide.- St. Petersburg: Parity, 2001.- p.84-87

"Literature at school" No. 10, 2006

Belinsky V.G. Collected works: In 9 vols. - M., 1976. - T. 1. -S. 121.

www. nikolaygogol. org. Ru

en.wikipedia.org

www.liveinternet.ru , Illustration for the story The night before Christmas.

www.a4format.ru , Illustrations. "Christmas Eve".

Literature lesson. "Christmas Eve". Heroes of the story. Mythical images and their role in the work.

Target:

continue acquaintance with the story of N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas", its heroes, mythical characters, to show their role in the work;

develop thinking, speech, ability to creative perception of the text;

develop respect for cultural heritage, love for literature, artistic word.

During the classes

Organizational stage

Update

Workbook, task 48*.

Which of the characters in the story can be attributed to evil spirits? How do they differ from traditional representatives of evil spirits?

Workbook, task 46.

Find out the characters in the story from their descriptions.

"Slim, tall, in a short sheepskin coat, a man with an overgrown beard,

showing that for more than two weeks a fragment of a scythe, with which men usually shave their beards for lack of a razor, has not touched it.

She sat down on the bench and looked again in the mirror and began to correct her

head with their braids. She looked at her neck, at a new shirt embroidered with silk, and subtle self-satisfaction expressed itself on her lips, on her fresh cheeks, and shone in her eyes.

“She was neither good nor bad. It's hard to be good in such

of the year. However, she knew how to charm the most sedate Cossacks and knew how to skillfully deal with them.

“Despite his small stature, he was quite weighty in width. Moreover

the trousers he wore were so wide that, no matter how big a step he took, his legs were completely invisible, and it seemed that the distillery was moving along the street.

“He saw a woman standing in front of him, even somewhat portly, powdered, with blue eyes, and at the same time with that majestically smiling look that was so able to conquer everything ...” The formation of new concepts and methods of action.

Workbook, task 49.

Before, I used to be able to bend and unbend in one hand a copper nickel and a horseshoe; and now I won’t lift bags of coal

Formation of new concepts and methods of action.

Workbook, task 49.

To which character in the story do these lines belong?

Go away, your hands are tougher than iron. Yes, you smell like smoke. I

I think I've been smeared all over with soot.

Before, I used to be able to bend and unbend a copper nickel in one hand and

horseshoe; and now I won’t lift sacks of coal.

It's me - your friend, I will do everything for a comrade and friend. How much money will I give

you want, - he squeaked into his left ear. - Oksana will be ours today.

His Serene Highness promised to introduce me today to my people, whom I

still haven't seen it yet.

It's me, good man! I came to you for fun to carol a little before

windows.

Conversation.

Which of the characters personifies goodness in the story?

Name the heroes who embody evil? Intermediaries between good and evil?

What features in the description of the trait are typical for a mythological character, and which ones are added by the author? Is the evil spirit depicted in the story terrible?

She is rather humorous. Sometimes the devil even seems pathetic. Solokha looks like a windy, cunning woman, smart and attractive, which causes envy and gossip of the village gossips. Patsyuk also does not make an intimidating impression. He is lazy, gluttonous, though not stupid. He knows all the devils and has the glory of a healer. Acts as an intermediary between Vakula and the devil.

How do the devil and the witch try to harm the "good people"? Why can't they do it?

Which of the heroes casts out evil spirit outside the farm and from the souls of heroes?

Why does Chub leave home on Christmas night?

He is invited to the clerk at kutya.

Who is trying to interfere with his plans and why?

The devil steals the month and causes a snowstorm so that Chub does not go anywhere, but sits at home and guards his daughter Oksana. The devil really wanted to annoy Vakula, preventing him from meeting his beloved girl.

Why does Chub still leave home? What traits of his character are manifested in this case?

It was unpleasant for Chub to leave the house on such a night, but he acted in defiance of his godfather, who suggested that he stay at home. Chuba seemed to be pulled by something to go against the grain. This shows the stubbornness and self-will of Chub.

Why did Solokha quarrel with her son Vakula with Chub?

She wanted to marry Chub and take over his household. If Vakula married Chub's daughter Oksana, her plans could not come true.

What role does the blizzard play in the fate of Chub?

The blizzard, which the devil arranged, confused Chub, powdered his eyes, confused the road and led instead of the deacon's house to Solokha's house.

How does Chub behave when he gets out of the bag? Why?

Chub pretends to have deliberately played a godfather by climbing into a bag. And only when the clerk was pulled out of the bag, he was amazed and decided that Solokha "had 2 people in each bag."

What happened to Solokha's suitors? Why did Chub and the head start talking about the weather and boots?

The forelock and the head were confused, they did not expect to see each other. Both found themselves in a stupid position that did not correspond to their authority.

What significance did the incident with the sacks have for the fate of Oksana and Vakula?

Chub was convinced of the windiness of Solokha, and it became impossible for him to marry her.

Application. Formation of skills and abilities.

Determine who in question in these descriptions.

The narrow, incessantly twirling and sniffing everything that came across, the muzzle ended in a round patch, the legs were thin. Behind him hung a sharp and long tail. He had a goat beard under his muzzle and small horns on his head.

Together with the smoke from the chimney, she rose astride a broomstick. She rose so high that only one black speck flickered above. Soon she scored stars full sleeve.

Work with text.

Which words are used figuratively in these sentences? What is a metaphor?

The snow caught fire in a wide silver field, all sprinkled with crystal stars;

Cheeks burn from the cold.

Homework Information Ethan

Find examples of the comic in the story (humor, irony).

Prepare a retelling of the episode "Vakula in the Palace".

Ethan reflection

Introduction. general description story, main idea.

"The Night Before Christmas" - an outstanding story by Gogol, was filmed many times and sincerely fell in love with the domestic reader. Included in the cycle of stories "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". Incredible fantastic events and lively language of description make the story bright and eye-catching. It is literally saturated with folklore, folk tales and legends.

The ideological meaning of the work can be most fully understood by analyzing the views of Gogol. At that time, he thought more and more about the greatness of democracy over the blind patriarchal way of contemporary Russia. It was fueled by progressive trends in the field of literature and science. The life of the landowners, their slow-wittedness and adherence to old ideals irritated Gogol, and over and over again he ridiculed their miserable lifestyle and primitive thinking.

It is very important that in "The Night Before Christmas" good triumphs over evil, and light prevails over darkness. Vakula is courageous and generous, he is not a coward and does not fold his arms in the face of difficulties. It was precisely such, similar to the brave epic heroes, that Gogol wanted to see his contemporaries. However, the reality differed sharply from his idealized ideas.

The author tries to prove, using the example of Vakula, that only by doing good deeds, leading a righteous lifestyle, one can become happy man. The power of money and the trampling of religious values will bring a person to the very bottom, make him an immoral rotting person, doomed to a joyless existence.

All description is permeated with deep author's humor. Just remember with what mocking irony he describes the court environment of the empress. Gogol depicts the cloisters of the Petersburg Palace as ingratiating and servile people, looking into the mouths of their superiors.

History of creation

The book "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" was published in 1831, at the same time "The Night Before Christmas" was written. The stories of the cycle were born in Gogol quickly and naturally. It is not known for certain when Gogol began work on the story, and when he first had the idea of creating it. There is evidence that he put the first words on paper a year before the book was published. Chronologically, the events described in the story fall on a period of about 50 years earlier than real time, namely the reign of Catherine II and the last deputation of the Cossacks.

Analysis of the work

Main plot. Features of the compositional structure.

(Illustration by Alexander Pavlovich Bubnov to N.V. Gogol "The Night Before Christmas")

The plot is tied to the adventures of the protagonist - the blacksmith Vakula and his love for the eccentric beauty Oksana. The conversation of young people serves as the plot of the story, the first beauty in the village promises Vakula marriage in exchange for royal little boots. The girl is not at all going to fulfill her word, she laughs at the young man, realizing that he will not be able to fulfill her instructions. But, according to the construction of the fairy tale genre, Vakula manages to fulfill the desire of the beauty, the devil helps him in this. Vakula's flight to Petersburg for an appointment with the Empress is the climax of the story. The denouement is the wedding of young people and the reconciliation of Vakula with the father of the bride, with whom they had a broken relationship.

In terms of genre, the story gravitates more towards the fabulous type of addition. According to the laws of a fairy tale, we can see a happy ending in the end of the story. In addition, many heroes originate precisely from the origins of ancient Russian legends, we observe the magic and power of dark forces over the world of ordinary people.

Images of the main characters

Blacksmith Vakula

Main characters - real characters, a resident of the farm. The blacksmith Vakula is a real Ukrainian man, quick-tempered, but at the same time exceptionally decent and honest. He is a hard worker, a good son for his parents and, for sure, will become an excellent husband and father. He is simple in terms of mental organization, does not hover in the clouds and has an open, rather kind disposition. He achieves everything thanks to the firmness of character and unbending spirit.

Black-eyed Oksana is the main beauty and enviable bride. She is proud and arrogant, due to her youth has a quick temper, is not serious and windy. Oksana is constantly surrounded by male attention, loved by her father, tries to dress in the most elegant dresses and endlessly admires her own reflection in the mirror. When she learned that the lads in chorus proclaimed her the first beauty, she began to behave in a proper manner, constantly annoying everyone with her whims. But such behavior only amuses young suitors, and they continue to run after the girl in a crowd.

In addition to the main characters of the story, a lot of no less vivid secondary characters are described. actors. Vakula's mother, the witch Solokha, who also appeared in the Sorochinskaya Fair, is a widow. Attractive in appearance, a flirtatious lady, twisting tricks with the devil. Despite the fact that she personifies a dark force, her image is described very attractively and does not repel the reader at all. Just like Oksana, Solokha is full of admirers, including an ironically depicted clerk.

Conclusion

The story immediately after the publication was recognized as unusually poetic, exciting. Gogol so skillfully conveys the whole flavor of the Ukrainian village that the reader seems to be able to stay there himself and immerse himself in this Magic world while reading the book. Gogol draws all his ideas from folk legends: the devil who stole the month, the witch flying on a broom, and so on. With his characteristic artistic manner, he reworks the images in his own poetic way, making them unique and vivid. Real events are intertwined with fabulous ones so closely that the thin line between them is completely lost - this is another feature of Gogol's writer's genius, which permeates all his work and gives it characteristic features.

Gogol's work, his stories and novels filled with the deepest meaning are considered to be exemplary not only in domestic, but also in world literature. He so captured the minds and souls of his readers, managed to find such deep strings human soul that his work is deservedly considered ascetic.

The story "The Night Before Christmas" was written by N.V. Gogol in 1830 - 1832. The first edition of the work was published in 1832 in the printing house of A. Plushard. The story is included in the famous cycle of the writer "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". In The Night Before Christmas, Gogol humorously portrayed the poeticized rural life on a holiday, unfolding the plot around the love story of the blacksmith Vakula and the daughter of a wealthy Cossack Oksana.

Main characters

Vakula- a blacksmith, "a strong man and a kid anywhere", in free time was engaged in “painting”, was in love with Oksana and flew to St. Petersburg on the line in order to get the tsarina’s slippers for her.

Oksana- the daughter of the Cossack Chub, beloved of Vakula, she "was not yet seventeen years old", "she was capricious, like a beauty."

Crap- Disliked Vakula because he painted him in a bad light, took the blacksmith to St. Petersburg.

Other characters

Forelock- a rich Cossack, widower, Oksana's father.

Solokha- the witch, the mother of Vakula, "had no more than forty years of age."

Pot-bellied Patsyuk- a healer, a former Cossack who has been living in Dikanka for many years.

Head, clerk, godmother Panas, Empress Catherine.

In Dikanka, a clear winter night came before Christmas. Suddenly, a witch on a broom flew out of the chimney of one of the huts and, rising to the sky, began to collect stars in her sleeve.

On the other hand, a devil appeared in the sky. He hid the moon in his pocket, and the surroundings immediately became dark. The devil did this so that the Cossack Chub would be too lazy to walk in the dark and stay at home, and therefore the blacksmith Vakula could not come to his daughter Oksana. So the devil wanted to take revenge on the blacksmith, who painted him ashamed in the picture with the Last Judgment.

Chub, together with Panas, waiting for a "good drink" at the deacon's, leave the Cossack's hut and see that the moon has disappeared from the sky, and it has become completely dark on the street. After hesitating, they still decide to continue on their way.

While Chub left, Oksana, who was left alone at home, admired herself in front of the mirror. Behind this case, Vakula, who came to her, finds the girl. The blacksmith turns to Oksana with gentle speeches, but she only laughs and mocks him. Annoyed, Vakula decides that the girl does not love him.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the blacksmith went to open it.

The frost increased, so the devil and the witch went down through the chimney to her hut. The witch was none other than Vakula's mother, Solokha. She knew how to charm men in such a way that many Cossacks of the village went to her, while not one of them knew about her rivals. Among all the admirers, Solokha singled out the rich Cossack Chub.

Meanwhile, when the devil was descending into the chimney, he noticed Chub and made a strong snowstorm, thus trying to bring him home.

And indeed - not seeing anything because of the snowstorm, Chub decided to go back and he and his godfather went in different directions. Having reached his hut, the Cossack knocked, but, hearing Vakula's indignant cry, he decided that this was not his house, and changed his voice. Not recognizing Chub in the newcomer, the blacksmith beat the Cossack. Then Chub, reasoning that if Vakula was here, then he was not at home, he went to Solokha.

While the devil was flying out of the chimney and back, the moon flew out of the "ladunka" hanging on its side and rose into the sky. “Everything lit up. Blizzards like never before." Crowds of caroling lads and girls with sacks appeared in the street.

The girls hurried to Chub's house. Oksana noticed new slippers on one of the girls and felt sad that she had no one to get a beautiful new thing. Then Vakula himself volunteered to get "such little laces as a rare lady wears." Jokingly, Oksana said that only those worn by the queen herself would suit her, and if the blacksmith got them, she would marry him.

A hefty head suddenly comes to Solokha, who was sitting with the devil. While the woman was opening the doors, the unclean man hid in a sack. The head had only time to drink a glass of vodka and say that because of the snowstorm he did not get to the deacon, when there was another knock on the door - it was the deacon himself. Solokha hid her head in the second bag. However, the conversation between the woman and the deacon was soon interrupted - the Cossack Chub came to Solokha. The hostess hid the clerk in the third sack, and soon Chub, who did not want to see Vakula, who came to his mother, turned out to be in the same sack.

While Solokha went to the next visitor, the blacksmith takes away all three bags and, saddened by Oksana's bullying, does not even notice their weight.

On the street, Vakula meets carolers. Oksana, laughing, again repeats her condition in front of everyone. Frustrated, Vakula threw the bags on the ground and, taking the smallest one with him, said goodbye to everyone and ran away.

Vakula decides to go to the local healer - Pot-bellied Patsyuk - "he, they say, knows all the devils and will do whatever he wants." Having caught Patsyuk eating first dumplings, and after dumplings, which themselves flew into the mouth of the owner, Vakula asks him how to find the devil in order to ask him for help. To this the sorcerer replied to him: "He does not need to go far, who has the devil behind him." Frightened by a quick dumpling flying into his mouth, Vakula runs away from Patsyuk.

Hearing the words of the blacksmith, the devil immediately jumped out of the bag and offered to conclude a contract, signing it with blood. However, Vakula grabbed the devil by the tail. Baptizing the unclean, the blacksmith saddled him and forced him to take him to St. Petersburg to the queen.

Oksana notices the bags left by Vakula and offers to pick them up. While the girls were fetching the sled, the sack with Chub and the clerk was carried away by the godfather who had left the tavern. During a quarrel between Panas and his wife over the contents of the bag, Chub and the clerk crawled out of it, explaining that they decided to joke like that.

The girls took the remaining bag to Oksana. At this time, Chub returned home and, finding an embarrassed head in a bag, was outraged by Solokha's cunning.

Having flown to Petersburg, the devil turned into a horse, and then, at the behest of Vakula, decreased and hid in his pocket. The blacksmith finds familiar Cossacks, and with the help of the unclean gets the consent to go with them to the queen.

In the palace of the Cossacks, Potemkin met Vakula, and then the queen herself. When Catherine asked the Cossacks with what request they came to her, the blacksmith immediately fell at the feet of the queen, asking for his wife the same beautiful little laces as hers. Catherine was amused by his innocence, and she ordered to bring the most expensive shoes with gold. Praising the legs of the queen, the blacksmith, pushed by the Cossacks, stepped back and the devil instantly transferred him already “behind the barrier”.

At that time, rumors were already circulating in Dikanka that Vakula had either drowned or hanged himself. Hearing about this, Oksana was very upset - after all, he loved her, and now, perhaps, he left the village forever or disappeared altogether. Vakula did not appear even after mass.

The blacksmith got back even faster, and, after weighing the devil three blows with a twig, let him go. Entering the house, Vakula immediately fell asleep and slept until mass. Waking up, the blacksmith took with him the queen's shoes for Oksana and a hat and belt for Chub, and went to the Cossack. After her father agreed to the matchmaking, the embarrassed girl said that she was ready to marry Vakula "and without little laces."

Having married, the blacksmith painted over his entire hut, and in the church he depicted the devil in hell - "so nasty that everyone spat when they passed by."

Conclusion

In the story "The Night Before Christmas" Gogol reveals the theme folk life, depicting a number of typical rural characters - the dexterous and strong blacksmith Vakula, the beautiful and narcissistic Oksana, the stupid and rich Chuba, the cunning Solokha and others. Introducing mythical characters (witch, devil, healer) into the narrative, the author brings the plot of the work closer to the fairy tale, thus intertwining the techniques of realism and romanticism in the story.

A brief retelling of "The Night Before Christmas" describes the main plot of the work, but for a better understanding of the story, we advise you to familiarize yourself with its full version.