The Village of Stepanchikovo
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
 Sergey Aleksandrovich (Сергей Александрович), the narrator, is summoned from Saint Petersburg to the estate of his uncle, Colonel Yegor Ilich Rostanev (Егор Ильич Ростанев), and finds that a middle-aged charlatan named Foma Fomich Opiskin (Фома Фомич Опискин) has swindled the nobles around him into believing that he is virtuous despite behavior that is passive aggressive, selfish, and spiteful. Foma obliges the servants to learn French, and gets furious when they are caught dancing the kamarinskaya. Uncle Yegor asks Serguey to marry the poor young girl Nastasha. It turns out Uncle Yegor is in love with her himself, but Foma wants him to marry the wealthy but mentally retarded Tatyana Ivanova instead. This Tatyana has several other suitors, including Mizinchikov, who confides in Sergey about his plans to elope with her. The next morning Tatyana has eloped, not with Mizinchikov but by Obnoskin, who acted under the influence of his mother. After a pursuit Tatyana returns voluntarily. At Stepantchikovo Foma Fomitsj is furious because Uncle Yegor has been caught red-handed during a date in the garden with Nastasha. Foma leaves, but falls into a ditch. The inhabitants beg him to come back. A general reconciliation follows after Foma, manipulating as ever, gives his blessing to a marriage between Uncle Yegor and Nastasha.