'Family of Noblemen' Summary

The Golovliov family, a wealthy landowning clan, embodies the decadence and moral decay of the Russian gentry in the turbulent years surrounding the emancipation of serfs. The novel opens with the aging matriarch, Arina Petrovna, clinging to her dwindling wealth and maintaining a strict grip on her family. Her children, each embodying a different vice – greed, hypocrisy, and cruelty – are incapable of managing their own affairs and instead engage in petty squabbles and destructive pursuits. The novel follows the decline of the family and their estate, as their wealth dwindles and their morals plummet. Through the lens of this dysfunctional family, Saltykov-Shchedrin explores the hypocrisy of the aristocracy, the consequences of their actions, and the plight of the oppressed peasantry. The novel's sharp wit and satirical portrayals expose the societal ills of 19th-century Russia, highlighting the complexities of social change and the clash between traditional values and the modern world.