One of the great books written by N.V. Gogol is Dead Souls. The reviews of many contemporaries of Nikolai Vasilievich, those who knew him closely, indicate that the writer did not leave a sense of his own significance. He perceived himself as a person who was called to some great cause.
The first volume of the poem and its copy
It was this book that became his great contribution to the history of literature. Gogol began working on it as early as the 1880s, immediately after the success of his stories. This is the time of intensive communication between the writer and Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, who suggested the plot of Dead Souls.
Nikolai Vasilievich received censorship permission to publish the first volume in the forty-second year of the 19th century, not without difficulty. Some amendments were made to the text against the will of the author. The title of the poem was changed. Nevertheless, the book still came to the reader.
It was published at the printing house of Moscow University. The writer himself called the book Dead Souls, or Chichikovās Adventures. This gave some features of the adventure novel to the work. Gogol even managed to come up with the appearance of his publication.
The clerical copy is still stored in the scientific library, which is autographed by Nikolai Vasilyevich himself, which confirms the authenticity of this text. And any reprint of the work is verified with this particular instance, which is stored in the walls of Moscow University.
The work "Dead Souls". Reviews of contemporaries and genre
Since the book was published under the title āChichikovās Adventures, or Dead Souls,ā it seemed to be in many ways reminiscent of an adventure, light novel that did not set the reader up to anything high. So thought the censors and those who decided to change the title.
And modern literary researchers studying the work "Dead Souls" (their feedback is much more objective than the opinion of editors living in the Gogol era), first of all, note that the work has a rather unusual designation - this is a poem. A nineteenth-century reader is accustomed to the fact that this genre should be written in verse like "Demon" or "Prisoner of the Caucasus." And Nikolai Vasilievich offers it in prose. Just as Alexander Sergeyevich previously presented his equally unique creation "Eugene Onegin", which is a novel, but in verse. These are two special works that have their own genre that doesnāt look like anything.
But there were also ancient poems, and designating his book by this genre, Gogol was guided precisely by antique samples. In his mind there was a large-scale, global design of the great work, which was to consist of three volumes.
Large-scale design and domestic problems of the characters
To date, many are familiar with this magnificent work, which was written by N.V. Gogol. Dead Souls is a rather epoch-making, lyre-epic creation in which the author sought to sing all of Russia and the greatness of its national spirit. But most of the readers were struck by the inconsistency of two things: on the one hand, the large-scale scope of the work, and on the other, some insignificant everyday events from modern Russian life.
It seems that one does not fit with one another. Even the very beginning of the poem sets in an indefinite and alarming way, when the plot is discussing some minor details about the entry into the city of the character of the book.
The meaning of the title of the work
What underlies the title of the book that Gogol created (Dead Souls)? After all, the soul cannot be dead, it is immortal. Such a title carries a paradox. But there is another motive very important for Nikolai Vasilievich - this is the sale of the soul. At the same time, an association with the deal with the devil immediately arises.
Temptation, evil and the demonic principle in life - this is what is present in the most ordinary events. This is precisely what the writer wanted to emphasize in his work Dead Souls, the content of which at first glance does not set the reader up for serious thought. In order to understand the authorās intention, it is necessary to familiarize himself with his writing style in detail.
Capitalist system or the intervention of the devil
The satirical nature of Gogolās narrative in Dead Souls was quickly accepted by both contemporaries and descendants. But for himself, Nikolai Vasilyevich was primarily a mystical writer. For him it is more important what happens on the wrong side of being.
Of course, he represents Chichikov as the devil. One who buys souls. And, for example, the landowners in Dead Souls, which are generously scattered throughout this book, become inconspicuous hellish characters. Or the "pitcher snout" - an expression that has teased officials for a century. Description quite clearly fits the look of the line with a piglet.
That is very important. Gogol not only criticizes the capitalist consciousness in Russia, he stresses that such a system is a direct intervention of hell in people's lives. And the images in Dead Souls are direct proof of this.
Selling Dead Souls
All events occurring in the work, as if obeying the law. That is, until a new census of the serf population has taken place, no one knows that these people are dead. Therefore, they are completely legally acquired alive.
Despite the inhumanity of such procedures, they were carried out all the time. And people passed from one hand to another, like things. This is exactly what Gogol wanted to emphasize. Dead Souls is a work that criticizes not only the inequality of individuals, but also the very imperfection of the system, which was present in Russia at that time.
Lack of logic, or the Phantasmagoric world
Several inconsistencies entail a lack of logic in events. From the very first pages, the reader plunges into some kind of phantasmagoric world, where it is completely unclear whether the laws of logic, reality, or if it is not Russia, but its shadow. A certain transcendental, otherworldly space where everything is recognizable and at the same time upside down. Thus, the great plan, which N.V. embodied in his creation, is confirmed. Gogol. The Dead Souls were to consist of three volumes, and each of them would display a specific instance: hell, purgatory and paradise. And the first volume is the hellish, otherworldly, wrong side of Russia.
Unusual characters
And immediately the question arises: "What kind of people live in such a world?" It is quite difficult to answer it. Many characters in the work have no names at all, others have, but they are speaking, referring the reader to comedies.
Gogol presents a whole gallery of types of people. Each of them represents a property of a human character. For example, Manilov - reverie, Nozdrev - rollicking, meaningless breadth, Plyushkin - avarice. But the landowners in "Dead Souls" reflect mainly the most base qualities that are present in society.
The presence of a biography among the heroes of the work
Gogolās very much depends on whether the hero has a biography or not. First of all, its characteristic depends on this. "Dead Souls" has a huge number of characters, but not everyone has their own background.
About Manilov, the author says that he has been married for about eight years. About Sobakevich a little more, but about Chichikov and Plyushkina described in great detail. Not only about what they are now, but also about their past, and even about childhood. They fell below the other heroes of the work, but according to the philosophy of Nikolai Vasilyevich, this means that they can still be saved, they have a depth. That is what provided them with a biography in the work.
If we take those readers who first got acquainted with the work "Dead Souls", their reviews and opinions agree that Chichikovās character is the most mysterious. Either this is a petty adventurer, or the personification of a hellish temptation. Definitely very difficult to say.
Lyrical digressions in the creation of Gogol
The lyrical digressions present in the book of Nikolai Vasilievich are quite important, as are the direct addresses of the narrator to the reader. And one of the most striking is at the end of the first volume of Dead Souls.
The famous Gogolian question sounds here: "Russia, where are you rushing!" But there is no answer to this remark. And this default is a very loud chord at the end of the work. The further path of Russia is incomprehensible. And how can it be predicted if it is a country where hellish and righteous, real and fantastic are so bizarrely intertwined.
This work caused the most controversial responses, because in Russia at that time the need for reforms, the abolition of serfdom and corporal punishment was already acutely felt . And Nikolai Vasilyevich loudly declared the need for moral education of each member of society.