Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gogol's masterpiece of 19th century Russian literature is actually only the first part of a planned three part epic "poem" of the life of Chichikov -- a charming and crafty mid-level bureaucrat with a eye to raise himself up in Russian society. We meet Chichikov as the rest of a small village meets him: a substantial looking stranger who quickly charms us by doing and saying exactly what we would want him to do or say. As we spend more time with our hero, we begin to travel out to property owners in the area where Chichikov offers to purchase "dead souls" -- that is, peasants on the property owners rolls who have died, but not yet been reported as dead to the authorities. This all seems very mysterious to both the reader and a portion of the property owners, but we still can't help liking that Chichikov. Along the way, Gogol hilariously satirizes Russian society, with each visit forming almost a stand-alone story of a different type of provincial Russian. As you might expect, it is possible to be *too* charming, and this weird plan eventually backfires and sets Chichikov and his two servants back out on the road.
After the first part of his masterwork was published, Gogol set to work on the second part (wherein our hero is taught a lesson) and looked forward to the third (a Christian redemption), but struggled with his writing. He burnt an early version of the manuscript, wrote another one, and then fell in with a priest who ordered him to burn the sinful pages. Gogol did and died soon after as a result of extreme fasting. The editor of this volume puts together a partial second and third part of the work from earlier drafts and notes -- they are rough, but do give you an idea of the arc of the story.
While Gogol came to a tragic end, Chichikov can live happily ever after (pre-downfall and pre-redemption), stuck at the end of part 1 of the masterpiece, riding off into the sunset with his lists of dead souls.
After the first part of his masterwork was published, Gogol set to work on the second part (wherein our hero is taught a lesson) and looked forward to the third (a Christian redemption), but struggled with his writing. He burnt an early version of the manuscript, wrote another one, and then fell in with a priest who ordered him to burn the sinful pages. Gogol did and died soon after as a result of extreme fasting. The editor of this volume puts together a partial second and third part of the work from earlier drafts and notes -- they are rough, but do give you an idea of the arc of the story.
While Gogol came to a tragic end, Chichikov can live happily ever after (pre-downfall and pre-redemption), stuck at the end of part 1 of the masterpiece, riding off into the sunset with his lists of dead souls.
This was a hard book to get through. The language, the translation from russian was not always clear in meaning. I pushed myself to finish this book due to traveling through Ukraine and wanting to know more about the history, however I don't think I accomplished this goal here. It was boring at times, funny, and clever at other times. I would only recommend this if you are a lover if classic literature. Otherwise, there are better options.
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Review of the Vintage Classics English language translation (by [a:Larissa Volokhonsky|3358|Larissa Volokhonsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1301560740p2/3358.jpg] & [a:Richard Pevear|3357|Richard Pevear|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1301560792p2/3357.jpg]) paperback (1997) of the Russian language original "Мёртвые души" (1842)
What a parade of despicables.
While reading, I had assumed all the "missing pages" was a deliberate writing choice - shockingly meta for 1842. But no, Books Two and Three are merely what was rescued from Gogol's fireplace. A bitter end.
While reading, I had assumed all the "missing pages" was a deliberate writing choice - shockingly meta for 1842. But no, Books Two and Three are merely what was rescued from Gogol's fireplace. A bitter end.
A very interesting read. I enjoyed this greatly despite its flaws (and missing parts)
I marked this as a fave but only gave it four stars, as there may have been so much of the manuscript missing to affect my understanding of it, but as well, it seems to fall apart at the end and I wasn't quite sure what was going on. nevertheless, an enchanting and entertaining read - so glad to have discovered Gogol.
YES!!!!!!!!!
A hilarious tale, the mirror that Gogol aims at his motherland is somehow terribly bent and true all at the same time and the narrative is as unpredictable as a heart-dropping roller coaster.
A hilarious tale, the mirror that Gogol aims at his motherland is somehow terribly bent and true all at the same time and the narrative is as unpredictable as a heart-dropping roller coaster.
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes