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A review by stefo
The Diary of a Madman, the Government Inspector, and Selected Stories by Nikolai Gogol
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Here’s some scattered thoughts about each piece featured in this anthology:
- Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt – A story about a neurodivirgent man and his controlling aunt, nothing much of interest here except the dream sequence at the end and the cheeky closing sentence.
- How Ivan Ivanovic Quarrelled With Ivan Nikiforovich – Or, the state is scared to get involved in some gay drama.
- Nevsky Prospect – Two tales vaguely connected to a location in St. Petersburg, I probably missed a lot of the satire here because of that, the stories themselves felt very real however, like some gossip you’d hear in the city center, so that was nice. Other than that I’m just okay with this one, nothing really stuck out as fascinating.
- The Nose - By far the most proto-absurdist almost surrealist tale I've read by Gogol, segmented in 4 parts that ultimately end with a reflection on fiction (it's "importance" and sharing a frustration with dogmas and principles) by the author himself. Great short story.
- The Overcoat – I remember that we were actually taught this story in school back in the day and I honestly think It was way too early for anyone to understand the satire of socioeconomic status and the subtle absurd humor in it. Good, concise story.
- Diary of a Madman - An impressively “lol random” story that actually manages to be decently funny, unlike a lot of humorous writings of the according age, fun diary-entry-rule-breaking structure due to the main character that is quite ahead of its time and a somewhat terrifying conclusion. Very good short story.
- The Carriage - Unfortunately I didn't find this one interesting at all, there's barely a story here and it ends rather abruptly. Significantly less funny (if funny at all) than the other pieces and in general I'm really confused why this short story is even included in this anthology.
- The Government Inspector – An alright play that could have benefited from fewer acts and more cacophony (since it includes so many characters). Although it was a bit predictable and kind of overstayed its welcome it still surprised me with its metanarrative final act (with the whole spiel of the happenings being written about).
Overall I’m pleasantly surprised by this anthology, having a good amount of works without it being too scattered and I genuinely enjoyed Gogol’s proto-modernist antics a lot. Ultimately I’m glad I finally found a Russian classic writer that I like.
- Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt – A story about a neurodivirgent man and his controlling aunt, nothing much of interest here except the dream sequence at the end and the cheeky closing sentence.
- How Ivan Ivanovic Quarrelled With Ivan Nikiforovich – Or, the state is scared to get involved in some gay drama.
- Nevsky Prospect – Two tales vaguely connected to a location in St. Petersburg, I probably missed a lot of the satire here because of that, the stories themselves felt very real however, like some gossip you’d hear in the city center, so that was nice. Other than that I’m just okay with this one, nothing really stuck out as fascinating.
- The Nose - By far the most proto-absurdist almost surrealist tale I've read by Gogol, segmented in 4 parts that ultimately end with a reflection on fiction (it's "importance" and sharing a frustration with dogmas and principles) by the author himself. Great short story.
- The Overcoat – I remember that we were actually taught this story in school back in the day and I honestly think It was way too early for anyone to understand the satire of socioeconomic status and the subtle absurd humor in it. Good, concise story.
- Diary of a Madman - An impressively “lol random” story that actually manages to be decently funny, unlike a lot of humorous writings of the according age, fun diary-entry-rule-breaking structure due to the main character that is quite ahead of its time and a somewhat terrifying conclusion. Very good short story.
- The Carriage - Unfortunately I didn't find this one interesting at all, there's barely a story here and it ends rather abruptly. Significantly less funny (if funny at all) than the other pieces and in general I'm really confused why this short story is even included in this anthology.
- The Government Inspector – An alright play that could have benefited from fewer acts and more cacophony (since it includes so many characters). Although it was a bit predictable and kind of overstayed its welcome it still surprised me with its metanarrative final act (with the whole spiel of the happenings being written about).
Overall I’m pleasantly surprised by this anthology, having a good amount of works without it being too scattered and I genuinely enjoyed Gogol’s proto-modernist antics a lot. Ultimately I’m glad I finally found a Russian classic writer that I like.