The writings of the satirist Saltykov-Shchedrin at all stages were aimed at opening the eyes of contemporaries to ignorance, stupidity, bureaucracy and lawlessness flourishing in Russia at that time.
Fairy tales for "fair age children"
In the most difficult years of reaction and strict censorship, which created simply unbearable conditions for the continuation of his literary activity, Saltykov-Shchedrin found a brilliant way out of this situation. It was at this time that he began to write his works in the form of fairy tales, which allowed him to continue to castigate the vices of Russian society despite the frenzy of censorship.
Fairy tales became a kind of economical form for the satirist, which allowed him to continue the themes of his past work. Hiding the true meaning of his writing from censorship, the writer used Aesopian language, grotesque, hyperbole and antithesis. In fairy tales for "children of fair age" Saltykov-Shchedrin, as before, spoke of the plight of the people and ridiculed their oppressors. Bureaucrats, city governors-pompadours and other hard-hitting characters appear in fairy tales in the form of animals - an eagle, a wolf, a bear, etc.
Lived - trembled, and died - trembled
According to the spelling norms of the 19th century, the word "gudgeon" was spelled with "and" - "gudgeon".
One of these works is the textbook fairy tale "The Wise Piskar", written by Saltykov-Shchedrin in 1883. The plot of a fairy tale, which tells about the life of the most ordinary gudgeon, is known to any educated person. Having a cowardly character, the gudgeon leads a secluded life, tries not to protrude from his hole, shudders from every rustle and flickering shadow. So he lives until his death, and only at the end of his life comes to him the realization of the worthlessness of his miserable existence. Before his death, questions arise in his mind that concern his whole life: "Whom did he regret, whom did he help, what did he do good and useful?" The answers to these questions lead the gudgeon to rather sad conclusions: that no one knows him, no one needs him, and hardly anyone will remember him at all.
In this plot, the satirist in a caricature form clearly reflects the mores of modern bourgeois Russia. The image of a gudgeon has absorbed all the impartial qualities of a cowardly, withdrawn man in the street, constantly shaking his skin. “Lived - trembled, and died - trembled” - such is the moral of this satirical tale.
The expression "wise gudgeon" was used as a common noun, in particular, by V. I. Lenin in the struggle against the liberals, the former "left Octobrists" who went over to support the right-liberal model of constitutional democracy.
Reading the tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin is quite difficult, some people still cannot understand the deep meaning the writer puts into his works. The thoughts that are set forth in the tales of this talented satirist are still relevant in Russia, which is mired in a series of social problems.
