Showing results by author "Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol" in All Categories

A lowly government clerk, Akay Akakiyevich, must scrimp and save to purchase a new coat for the cold Russian winter in “The Overcoat”. But after one night of basking in the warmth of his new coat and the respect of his colleagues, Akaky’s one-of-a-kind overcoat is stolen. In his pursuit of justice, Akaky receives no help and is consumed by the loss of his prized possession. In “The Viy”, Gogol recounts a popular folk story in which a monstrous creature, known to Little Russia as the king of gnomes, helps a witch get revenge on a young student who escaped from her trap.

In a small provincial town in Russia, the Governor and his officials are in a state of panic. Word has spread that a Government Inspector is on his way, prompting them to scramble to hide their corruption and incompetence. When a man arrives at the Inn refusing to pay for his meals, they jump to the conclusion that he must be the dreaded Inspector! Enter Khlestakov, a down-on-his-luck clerk from St. Petersburg who has lost all his money gambling. Desperate and confused, he tries to bully the Inns landlord into giving him free meals. But when the Governor confronts him, Khlestakovs penchant for...

Chichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in a provincial town with a bizarre but seductive proposition for local landowners. He proposes to buy the names of their serfs who have died but who are still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them. But what collateral will Chichikov receive for these "souls"?