Revenant

Author: Gogol (Russia) / Pan Jinxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-20
Features: Gogol's masterpiece, "Dead Souls," is the cornerstone of the development of Russian critical realism literature and the pinnacle of Gogol's realistic creative achievements. Belinsky highly praised it as a "landmark work in Russian literary history," a work that "stands above all other works in Russian literature, past and present," and is both "national" and "highly artistic." The novel depicts the story of a speculator and con artist—Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a sixth-class official—buying dead souls. Chichikov arrives in a certain city and spends more than a week building connections with officials from the governor down to the municipal architect. Then, he goes to the suburbs to buy serfs who have died but whose records have not yet been canceled, intending to use them as living collateral for the supervisory committee to a large deposit. He visits one after another, engaging in fierce haggling, and manages to purchase a large number of dead souls. When he happily completes the legal transaction with the help of his well-established connections, his criminal activities are exposed, and the inspector is rumored to have died of fright. Chichikov is forced to flee in a hurry. The publication of "Dead Souls" shook the entire Russia. With the sharp pen of the author, the horrifying realities of various greedy and ignorant landlords, corrupt and decadent officials, and the miserable plight of the serfs are exposed in full. Thus, with its profound ideological content, clear critical tendencies, and immense artistic power, it became a foundational masterpiece of Russian critical realism literature and a model of satirical works in both Russian and world literature.