Nikolai Gogols Dead Souls - 1200 Words

Nikolai Gogol’s novel Dead Souls is the story of a man, named Tchitchikov, who arrives in the town of N and starts to make acquaintances among the elite of the society. He uses his charm to try to convince his newfound friends to sell him the souls of serfs who have died since the last census. By doing this he will be considered a wealthy citizen and can buy larger amounts of land. Gogol lived during the reign of Nicholas I were popular literature flourished but so did censorship and the book was his way to criticize what he felt was wrong with society. Nikolai Gogol was born March 19 1809 in Sorochintsy, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He moved to St. Petersburg and persued many different artistic endeavors in hopes of achieving fame. When they all failed he got a job working a menial government position. While working for the government he continued to write about his childhood in Ukraine mixed with old fairytales. When they were published he quickly ascended into fame. Many of his works including Dead Souls are satirical representations of what life was like under the Russian bureaucracy (lavrin). From reading the Preface in which Gogol addresses his readers the purpose of his work is revealed. In the second paragraph of his preface Gogol states, â€Å"Him I have taken as a type to show forth the vices and failings, rather than the merits and the virtues, of the commonplace Russian individual; and the charcters which revolve around him have also beenShow MoreRelated Digression in Nikolai Gogols Dead Souls Ess ay1728 Words   |  7 Pages Nikolai Gogols masterpiece novel, Dead Souls, remains faithful to the Gogolian tradition in terms of absurdity, lavish detail, and abundant digressions. Although these three literary techniques coexist, interact, and augment each other-the focus of this analysis is to examine how Gogol (or the narrator) deviates from the plotline, the significance of it, and what aesthetic purpose comes from the digression. Although Gogols marriage to elaboration is at times strenuous-in fact, it is theRead MoreChinua Gogol s Dead Souls1356 Words   |  6 PagesDegrading the People In Society Nikolai Gogol’s Dead Souls is a response to the degrading society that the peculiar characters live in and also what our modern day society experiences. Gogol documents the main character Chichkov and the recurring dilemma of exposing the society and its residents for the the cynical and malicious people they are. In reaching an understanding of the perspective the people are experiencing and realizing that our society is eerily similar to the society inRead MoreSatire and Critique in Dead Soul by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol1062 Words   |  5 Pagesmessages. For centuries, authors have used satires as devices to not only ridicule, but to expose and criticize people’s stupidity and vices, often so in the context of character and demeanor. 19th century Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was undoubtedly no different. Considered Gogol’s greatest work, Dead Souls is both an exemplar of intellectual Russian critique and side-splitting comedy gold, making it a satire worth crowning its author as one of the greatest writers of his time. Through the protagonist, PavelRead MoreGogol And Turgenev : The Structure Of The Russian Society3351 Words   |  14 Pagesnew classes (raznochintsy) during the nineteenth century. Many authors have reflected and emphasized this component of change in the structure of pre-emancipation Russian society. This paper will examine how two writers: Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev, in their novels, Dead Souls and Fathers and Sons depict the society’s constantly changing nature through the relationships between their characters and the development in their beliefs and ideas. Although both the novels explore societal change duringRead MoreA Brief Look at Nikolai Gogol1070 Words   |  4 PagesNikolai Gogol has been crowned as the father of Russian Realism on various popular forums, and this titular position of his can be justified through the subtle balance his writing strikes between generic complexity and social responsibility. Gogol has consistently satirized bureaucracy and lamented the consequential dehumanization, The General Inspector and Dead Souls are known for their satirical critique of the Russian aristocratic mentality and character. This paper seeks to approach and appreciateRead MoreLiterary Criticism of The Namesake8108 Words   |  33 PagesGogols Namesake: Identity and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiris The Namesake Author: Judith Caesar Allusions to Nikolai V. Gogol and his short story The Overcoat permeate Jhumpa Lahiris novel The Namesake, beginning with Gogols being the name the protagonist is called through most of the book. Yet few of the reviewers of the novel mentioned Nikolai Gogol at all in their discussions of the novel, except to describe the protagonist Gogols loathing of his name, or to quote without comment orRead MorePoor Liza Character in 20th Century Russian Literature Essay3143 Words   |  13 Pageswork that sets off a chain reaction that causes the occurrence of subsequent characters in Russian literature. This character can particularly be found in works such as Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, Griboyedov’s Woe from Wit, and even briefly in Gogol’s Dead Souls. At the time that Karamzin published Poor Liza, Russia had recently seen the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1741-1761) who played a great role in shaping Russia’s identity and culture. Through a close reading of those Ru ssian texts which includeRead More Dostoevsky as Performer Essay4297 Words   |  18 Pagesemotionally charged, profoundly Russian and memorably expressive--in which, in time, his worldfamous books would be written (10). Joseph Frank attributes these storytellers tales of the saints with feeding Dostoevskys unshakable conviction that the soul of the Russian peasant was imbued with the Christian ethos of love and selfsacrifice (1976, 49). The Dostoevsky children were also entertained and educated with oral readings by their parents, especially during the long evenings of the RussianRead MoreMagical Realism As A Sense Of Psychological Mystery And Wonder3415 Words   |  14 Pagesworks; one of the most known ones being â€Å"The Dead Man,† or â€Å"El Muerto†. 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