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Review of Мертвые души (Dead Souls) by Nikolai Gogol


"Dead Souls" (Мертвые души) is a novel that was written by Nikolai Gogol in 1842. The novel is separated into two parts. The first part has 11 chapters, and the second part has 4 chapters. Below there are links to the original Russian accompanied by photos and an English translation of the entire novel. Be sure to check out the chapter summaries before you read this post!


 
 
 

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol (Николай Васильевич Гоголь) was born on April 1st,1809. Is regarded as having "significantly influenced the direction of Russian literature." Gogol was born in the Ukrainian countryside. At the age of 12, he was sent to the high school in the city of Nezhin. There he began to distinguish himself as a talented writer. Once he completed high school, he moved to St. Petersburg in hopes of entering the civil service. Unfortunately, without money or connections, he would have to "fight hard for a living." His life was in disarray, and he did not know what to do. First, he tried to become an actor, but this venture was unsuccessful. Then, he publishes a poem he wrote in high school in an attempt to gain notoriety as a poet. After that failed, he debated emigrating to the United States, but ultimately chose to embezzle money from his mother to pay for a boat to the German city, Lübeck. He quickly ran out of money and returned to St. Petersburg where he got a Government post with a small salary. At the same time, he continued to write about childhood memories. He went on two write romantic stories of the past that included realistic events from the present. In 1832, he published Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka which was written in "lively" prose, something that was new to Russian literature. He gained fame very quickly and was admired by famous poets, Alexander Pushkin and Vasily Zhukovsky. At that time, he taught history in a boarding school for girls. In 1834, he became the assistant professor of Medival History at St. Petersburg University but left after just one year. He continued to publish novels including the likes of, Mirgorod, How the Two Ivans Quarreled, and more. As he continued to write, he developed a great friendship with Pushkin. This would evidently be beneficial as Pushkin gave him the themes of his most famous works, The Inspector General and Dead Souls. The Inspector General was a comedy that criticized the corruption under Tsar Nicholas I. This resulted in Gogol leaving Russia for Rome, Italy for his own safety. There he completed most of Dead Souls, and published the novel in 1842. Pushkin passed away in 1837, and following the publication of Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol was regarded as the head of Russian Literature. He then decided he wanted to model the story on Dante's Divine Comedy, with the first part that was already published acting as the "Inferno," the second would be "Purgatory," and the third and final part would be "Paradise." This was all to show Russia "the righteous way to live in an evil world." Unfortunately, his writing thereafter was plagued by a decline in creativity. It took him 10 years to complete Part 2 of Dead Souls. However, during this writing process, he felt that he had lost "G*d's favor" and moved to Moscow where he came under the influence of a priest by the name of Matvey Konstantinovsky. Konstantinovsky ordered him to burn the supposedly completed Part 2 of Dead Souls. He passed away 10 days after he burned the manuscript "on the verge of semi madness." Only the first 4 chapters survived the cremation, but have several "hiatuses" in the text. Chapter 4 of Part 2 also ends mid-sentence.


Gogol achieved notoriety due to the fact that he was one of the first authors to "reveal Russia to itself," and subsequently started the "realism" movement in Russian Literature. At the time, many people in Russia were calling for writers to address the social problems of Russian under Nicholas I, namely serfdom. Russian "realism" is an exploration of the human condition "in a spirit of serious inquiry." In other words, it was a movement that exposed the issues with Russian society and explored the human condition philosophically. The imagery of people's poor living conditions in the mid-nineteenth-century was abundant throughout Russian"realism. For example, in Gogol's description of the peasant village in Chapter 6, Gogol paints an accurate picture of the dire circumstances that many peasants endured by using the following language to describe Plushkin's village: "a look of decay about the buildings of the village ... many of their roofs were riddled with holes." There was a stark contrast between Gogol's "realism" and the prominent "romanticism" that was notably employed by Pushkin at the time. Gogol's "realism" was later built upon by legendary authors, Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky with the goal to "transcend 'mere literature.'"


Dead Souls follows Paul Ivanovitch Chichikov on his journey as he attempts to climb the social latter via a "Get Rich Quick" scheme. Unfortunately, the scheme breaks the law and he is eventually apprehended for his actions. Then, as a result of powerful friendships, Chichikov is bailed out of jail and escapes a potential exile to Siberia. The story then comes to an abrupt end mid-sentence in an unfinished chapter, but is still regarded as a completed work and "one of the world's finest satires." Throughout the novel, Gogol employs various literary techniques including, imagery and irony, but relies on symbolism to deepen the relationship between the story and Russian mid-nineteenth-century life. An important symbol is the "dead souls" themselves. Gogol could have labeled the novel, "dead serfs" as Chichikov buys dead serfs throughout the novel, but instead chose "dead souls" to represent that these were once lives, but are now nothing more than a "bargaining chip." Gogol provides extensive detail to paint an accurate picture of life in early-nineteenth-century Russia. Through the depiction of cobblestone streets, carriage riding characters, and serf villages, the reader is transported back in time to experience what life might have been like through Gogol's eyes. Gogol also employed a unique storytelling method, he does not inform the reader of Chichikov's motives until the end of the novel. This creates a theme of suspense which is carried out through the entirety of the novel. Gogol also provided eloquent detail to describe the surroundings of Chichikov, but never mentions a specific name for any of the locations that Chichikov visits.


Dead Souls includes several themes focused on morality that are still relevant in modern society. The first theme focuses on money and wealth. Chichikov is a man that views material wealth as the most important aspect of life. This causes him to take immoral actions to become what he views as "successful." Throughout the novel, Chichikov purchases "dead souls" to mortgage them with little regard for who the souls were. He only views them as a name on a paper and an opportunity to increase his funds. Towards the end of the novel, it is also revealed that prior to this scheme, Chichikov was a part of a scam when he worked in a customs office. At the end of Part 1, Gogol asks readers if they see any part of Chichikov in themselves. Chichikov represents greed which is a vital feature of the human condition. Gogol also highlights corruption, specifically in the government. This is most notably seen at the end of the novel when the Prince gives a big speech to other government officials against corruption. Gogol includes this as a result of corruption in the tsarist rule of Nicholas I. In the modern world, greed and corruption are still some of the biggest challenges that society faces. The political corruption, greed for power, and expression of dissent experienced under Nicholas I continued into the early 20th century, notably with a perceived power grab by Rasputin. He was later poisoned and assassinated. Interestingly, this type of political behavior persists to this day. Putin, Russia's current president, is suspected to have poisoned several political opponents in recent years. Gogol clearly shows us in Dead Souls, corruption and greed are part of human nature and lead to the destruction of civil liberties.



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