Сухово-Кобылин

The article studies the motif of waiting for game situation that often occurs in the story-line of the XIXth century Russian comedies, gives ground for its essential importance for the plot-building and creating the characters of the plays, points to the connection of this intertextual situation with the reality of the Russian society, its social, moral and psychological climate.

The article studies inter-textual links of comediography of A. V. Sukhovo- Kobylin with N. V. Gogol’s literary legacy, the functions of Gogol’s allusions used by Sukhovo-Kobylin in the context of the formation of Russian realistic drama are being researched.

The article deals with the images of General Varravin and Rasplyuev and examines their relationships. The researcher shows how the state, represented by Varravin, creates a monster, which at some point becomes a danger not only for the city inhabitants, but also for its own creators.

The article regards the character of General Varravin – the main and only character moving the scheme forward in the drama «The Case» by A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin. The ambiguity and inconsistency of this character are specifically highlighted.