Gogol

The belonging of the Dead Souls to the genre of the epic (ancient and medieval) poem about wars and wanderings (including the world beyond the grave) is the original author's installation, and not only Chichikov's "Adventures", but also the military theme in its various aspects is an immanent component text. Chichikov - the bearer of an alien, non-Russian mentality, invading Russian realities, and therefore the parallel between Chichikov and Napoleon is consistently carried through the entire text of the poem.

The article examines the evolution of Chernyshevsky's ideas about the hero of Gogol's "Overcoat" (from the apologetics of the humanistic feeling to the "one who needs protection", to the denial of his right to sympathy, to the utterance of "unprofitable truth" about him) in order to show the relapse of such an interpretation of a small man in the domestic czech.

The article highlights the ways of more detailed comparison of the dual reality motif in the creative systems of Nikolay Gogol and Vladimir Dal. The key conclusions are made on the basis of the plot line and composition peculiarities of the texts, folklore symbolism and parallel review of the characters.

The article researches how Khlestakov’s image that has become a household name has impacted the oeuvre of the later play writers. The images of the so-called Khlestakov-like characters are considered in the works of Gogol himself, of Sukhovo-Kobylin, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Ostrovsky.

The article discusses the literary fate of M. A. Tarlovsky, his place in the Russian poetry, as well as some peculiarities of his perception of the characters of the comedy «Auditor».

The article deals with different instances of Germany being mentioned in Gogol’s cycle «Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka», as well as the issue of the author’s understanding of the word «German» while working on his stories, and some parallels with the works of other writers.

The article considers the motive of rumor in its spatial and time expression based on the cycle of «Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka» by N. V. Gogol. The stylistic functions of the rumor motive in the novels’ plots and the internal link with the folk tradition are researched.

The article regards different occurrences of Germans and Germany in Gogol’s poem Dead Souls and, consequently, the author’s own perception of German mentality during the time when he was working on the poem.

In the article Petersburg stories are analyzed in terms of the motive of the steadfast gaze. The process of visual «completion» of reality by Gogol’s characters is described.