The History of a Town

Main Ideas

• Satirical depiction of 19th-century Russian reality.
• Critique of autocracy and bureaucracy.
• Parody of historical chronicles and annals.
• The town as a microcosm of Russia.
• Ridicule of the stupidity and cruelty of authorities.
• The problem of despotism and arbitrariness in governance.
• The idea of the cyclical nature and repetition of historical events.
• Depiction of the people as a passive and enduring mass.