Project Gutenberg 1997-10-01 Public domain in the USA. 1514 Gogol, Nikolai Vasilevich 1809 1852 Gogol, Nikolay Vasilyevich Гоголь, Николай Васильевич Gogol, Nikolaj Hogarth, D. J. Mertvye dushi. English Dead Souls John Bickers, and David Widger "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is a novel written in the early 19th century, recognized as a significant piece in Russian literature. The story follows the enigmatic main character, Pavel Ivanovitch Chichikov, as he embarks on a peculiar journey throughout provincial Russia with the intention of acquiring "dead souls"—the deceased serfs that landowners are still taxed for, thus exposing the absurdities of social and bureaucratic systems in Tsarist Russia. The opening of "Dead Souls" introduces Chichikov as he arrives at a humble inn in a provincial town, drawing little attention yet demonstrating the quiet confidence of a man with ulterior motives. As he settles in, the narrative provides a vivid depiction of the typical Russian inn and the townspeople's brief observations on him and his carriage. Chichikov's mannerisms and inquiries reveal his broader interests in the social dynamics of the region, as he collects information about local officials and the landowners’ holdings, setting the stage for his unfathomable scheme to purchase the dead serfs. The chapter establishes an ironic tone, hinting at themes of social critique and the exploration of human nature, all while weaving rich imagery of the Russian landscape and its characters. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Satire Humorous stories Russia -- Social life and customs -- 1533-1917 -- Fiction Swindlers and swindling -- Russia -- Fiction PG Text Best Books Ever Listings Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 979980 980111 2024-09-01T08:25:04.365526 2023-10-01T07:47:13.157825 text/html text/html 967373 2024-06-08T13:34:41 text/html 620075 2024-09-01T08:25:14.160439 application/epub+zip 634004 2024-09-01T08:25:06.224503 application/epub+zip 634004 2024-09-01T08:25:05.159517 application/epub+zip 1545127 2024-09-01T08:25:20.699440 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1505475 2024-09-01T08:25:13.418482 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 640611 2022-09-01T09:32:10.775127 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 856957 856989 2024-09-01T08:25:03.038532 2023-10-01T07:47:11.947819 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 837228 2024-06-08T13:34:41 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18012 2024-09-01T08:25:20.846399 application/rdf+xml 35938 2024-09-01T08:25:05.560496 image/jpeg 4528 2024-09-01T08:25:05.354500 image/jpeg 1161055 2024-09-01T08:25:04.456514 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia fi.wikipedia de.wikipedia