Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a classic, known to each of us since school days. This is a brilliant writer and a talented publicist, to whose work interest has not waned to this day. In this article, we will turn to what Gogol managed to write in his short life. The list of the author's works inspires respect, let's consider it in more detail.
About creativity
All the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a single inseparable whole, united by the same themes, motives and ideas. Lively bright style, unique style, knowledge of the characters found in the Russian people - that's what Gogol is so famous for. The list of the author's works is very diverse: there are sketches from the life of farmers, and descriptions of landowners with their vices, the characters of serfs are widely represented, the life of the capital and the county town is shown. Truly, Gogol describes the whole picture of the Russian reality of his time, making no distinction between estates and geographical location.
Gogol: list of works
We list the main works of the writer. For convenience, the stories are grouped into cycles:
- cycle "Mirgorod", which includes the story "Taras Bulba";
- "Petersburg Tales" includes the story "The Overcoat";
- cycle "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", which includes one of Gogol's most famous works - "The Night Before Christmas";
- the play "Inspector";
- the cycle "Arabesques", which stands out strikingly against the background of everything written by the author, as it combines journalism and artistry;
- poem "Dead Souls"
Now let's take a closer look at the key works in the writer's work.
Cycle "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka"
This cycle became Nikolai Vasilyevich and came out in two parts. The first was published in 1831, and the second only a year later.
The stories of this collection describe stories from the life of farmers that occurred in different time periods, for example, the action of "May Night" takes place in the 18th century, and "Terrible Revenge" - in the 17th. All the works are united in the image of the narrator - uncle Foma Grigorievich, who retells the stories he once heard.
The most famous story of this cycle is "The Night Before Christmas", written in 1830. Its actions take place during the reign of Catherine II in Ukraine, in the village of Dikanka. The story is fully sustained in the romantic tradition with its mystical elements and extraordinary situations.
"Inspector"
This play is considered Gogol's most famous work. This is due to the fact that from the moment it was first staged in the theater (1836), it has not left the stage to this day, not only in our country, but also abroad. This work was a reflection of the vices, arbitrariness and limitations of county officials. This is how Gogol saw the provincial towns. It is impossible to make a list of the author's works without mentioning this play.
Despite the social and moral overtones and criticism of autocracy, which are well guessed under the cover of humor, the play was not banned either during the life of the author himself, or later. And its success can be explained by the fact that Gogol was able to depict the vicious representatives of his time with unusual accuracy and aptness, which, unfortunately, are still encountered today.
"Petersburg Tales"
Gogol's stories included in this collection were written at different times - approximately from the 30s to the 40s of the 19th century. What unites them is a common place of action - St. Petersburg. The uniqueness of this collection lies in the fact that all the stories included in it are written in the spirit of fantastic realism. It was Gogol who managed to develop this method and so brilliantly embody it in his cycle.
What is it This is a method that allows you to use the techniques of grotesque and fantasy in the depiction of reality, while maintaining the topicality and recognizability of images. So, despite the absurdity of what is happening, the reader can easily recognize the features of the real Northern Palmyra in the image of a fictional Petersburg.
In addition, one way or another, the hero of each work of the cycle is the city itself. Petersburg in the view of Gogol acts as a force that destroys a person. This destruction can occur on a physical or spiritual level. A person can die, can lose his individuality and turn into a simple layman.
"Overcoat"
This work is included in the collection "Petersburg Tales". At the center of the story this time is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, a petty official. N. V. Gogol tells about the life and dream of the “little man” in this work. The overcoat is the limit of the protagonist's desires. But gradually this thing grows, becomes larger than the character himself, and eventually absorbs him.
A certain mystical connection is formed between Bashmachkin and the overcoat. The hero seems to give part of his soul to this piece of clothing. That is why Akaki Akakievich dies a few days after the disappearance of the overcoat. After all, with her, he lost a part of himself.
The main problem of the story is the harmful dependence of people on things. The subject has become the determining factor in the judgment of a person, and not his personality - this is the horror of the surrounding reality, according to Gogol.
Poem "Dead Souls"
Initially, the poem, according to the author's intention, was to be divided into three parts. The first describes a kind of "hell" of reality. In the second - "purgatory", when the hero had to realize his sins and set foot on the path of repentance. In the third - "paradise", the rebirth of the character.
In the center of the story is the former customs officer Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. This gentleman all his life dreamed of only one thing - to make a fortune. And now, in order to fulfill his dream, he embarked on an adventure. Its meaning was to buy up the dead peasants who were listed alive according to the last census. Having acquired a certain number of such souls, he could borrow a decent amount from the state and leave with it somewhere in warmer climes.
About what adventures await Chichikov, and tells the first and only volume of Dead Souls.
