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Dead SoulsIntroduction of the ebook: Dead Souls
Đánh giá : 3.98 /5 (sao)
Dead Souls is eloquent on some occasions, lyrical on others, and pious and reverent elsewhere. Nicolai Gogol was a master of the spoof. The American students of today are not the only readers who have been confused by him. Russian literary history records more divergent interpretations of Gogol than perhaps of any other classic.
In a new translation of the comic classic of Dead Souls is eloquent on some occasions, lyrical on others, and pious and reverent elsewhere. Nicolai Gogol was a master of the spoof. The American students of today are not the only readers who have been confused by him. Russian literary history records more divergent interpretations of Gogol than perhaps of any other classic.
In a new translation of the comic classic of Russian literature, Chichikov, an enigmatic stranger and conniving schemer, buys deceased serfs’ names from their landlords’ poll tax lists hoping to mortgage them for profit and to reinvent himself as a likeable gentleman. …more
Review ebook Dead Souls
The book goes way back to 1842, before Russian serfs were emancipated in 1861. It’s considered a picaresque novel; Don Quixote-ish – a journey with a lot of satire and absurd situations with a rascal as a main character, a man who always has a get-rich-quick scheme going. He’s kind of happy-go-lucky – a drinker, gambler, liar. There are more than 2,000 reviews on GR so I’ll be brief.
In this story the main character is buying “dead souls” – papers from other property owners whose serfs died (own The book goes way back to 1842, before Russian serfs were emancipated in 1861. It’s considered a picaresque novel; Don Quixote-ish – a journey with a lot of satire and absurd situations with a rascal as a main character, a man who always has a get-rich-quick scheme going. He’s kind of happy-go-lucky – a drinker, gambler, liar. There are more than 2,000 reviews on GR so I’ll be brief.
In this story the main character is buying “dead souls” – papers from other property owners whose serfs died (ownership of serfs went with the property). The point was to reduce his tax burden, since serfs were taxed unless he had papers showing they had died.
In the process we learn about life in Russia at the time: masters and peasants He travels by coach with two servants and goes to a lot of taverns gambling. Each negotiation to buy serfs is different. We attend high society balls. The author comments a lot on language – Russian and French; the provinces vs. the cities and “we Russians” vs. French, British, Germans and English. There’s humor but ultimately hopelessness of ever changing the conditions of serfdom.
A Russian classic.
Painting: A Peasant Leaving His Landlord on Yuriev Day, by Sergei V. Ivanov, 1908.
Russian stamp honoring the author from previews.123rf.com/images/artnana/art… …more
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