"Dead Souls": the meaning of the name. Poem of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

In May 1842, the first volume of Gogol's Dead Souls was published. The work was conceived by the author during his work on the "Inspector". In "Dead Souls" Gogol addresses the main theme of his work: the ruling classes of Russian society. The writer himself said: "My creation is great and great, and not soon its end." Indeed, "Dead Souls" is an outstanding phenomenon in the history of Russian and world satire.

"Dead Souls" - a satire for serfdom

"Dead Souls" is a work of critical realism. In this Gogol is the successor of Pushkin's prose. He himself speaks about this in the pages of the poem in a lyrical digression about two types of writers (Chapter VII). Here is a feature of Gogol's realism: the ability to reveal and show close-up all the flaws of human nature that are not always evident. The "Dead Souls" reflected the basic principles of realism:

1. Historicism. The work is written about the modern writer of time - the turn of the 20-30s of the XIX century - then serfdom was experiencing a serious crisis.
2. Typical characters and circumstances. The landlords and officials are depicted satirically with a pronounced critical orientation, the main social types are shown. Gogol pays special attention to the details.
3. Satirical typification. It is achieved by the author's characterization of characters, comic situations, appeal to the past of heroes, hyperbolization, use of comparative turns and proverbs in speech.

The meaning of the name: literal and metaphorical

Gogol conceived to write a work of three volumes. As a basis, he took the "Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. Similarly, the "Dead Souls" were to consist of three parts. Even the title of the poem refers the reader to Christian principles.

Why "Dead Souls"? The name itself is an oxymoron, a comparison of the incommensurable. The soul is a substance that is inherent in the living, but not in the dead. Using this method, Gogol gives hope that not all is lost, that a positive beginning in the mutilated souls of landlords and officials can be revived. This was supposed to be the second volume.

The meaning of the title of the poem "Dead Souls" lies in several planes. On the very surface - a literal meaning, because it is dead souls called the dead peasants in bureaucratic documents. Actually, this is the essence of Chichikov's machination: to buy up the dead serfs and take money from them as collateral. In the circumstances of selling peasants and showing the main characters. "Dead Souls" are the landlords themselves and the officials Chichikov faces, because there is nothing human, alive in them. They are ruled by a greed for gain (officials), scantiness (Box), cruelty (Nozdrev) and rudeness (Sobakevich).

The deep meaning of the name

All new aspects are opened as the poem "Dead Souls" is read. The meaning of the name, concealed in the depths of the work, makes one think that any person, a simple philistine, can eventually turn into Manilov or Nozdrev. It is enough to settle in his heart one small passion. And he will not notice how the vice will grow there. To this end, in the eleventh chapter, Gogol calls on the reader to look deep into the soul and check: "Is not there any part of Chichikov in me?"

Gogol laid in the poem "Dead Souls" the meaning of the title is multifaceted, opening up to the reader not at once, but in the process of comprehending the work.

Genre peculiarity

When analyzing "Dead Souls", one more question arises: "Why does Gogol position the work as a poem?" Indeed, the genre peculiarity of the creation is unique. In the course of work on the work Gogol in letters shared his creative findings with friends, calling "Dead Souls" and a poem, and a novel.

On the title page of the first edition it was written: "Chichikov's Adventures, or Dead Souls" (on the first part insisted on censorship) - and then the subtitle "Poem" was prominently highlighted. The writer himself insisted that the "Dead Souls" should be created in this way. The meaning of the title of the work by the poem boils down to the fact that Gogol planned to continue the work, and in the second and third volumes to show the revival of vicious heroes. And then "Dead Souls" from satire will turn into a poem.

This does not exhaust the genre features of the work Dead Souls. The meaning of the title of his poem is explained by Nikolai Vasilyevich himself in the manual on literature. There he calls the genre a poem intermediate between epic and novel. In the center of this genre should be a hero - an ordinary man, through the adventures of which show the mores of his modern era. In the example, Gogol quotes Don Quixote by Cervantes.

In addition, Dead Souls have one more aspect, thanks to which the work is considered a poem - these are numerous lyrical digressions, characteristic of this genre.

In addition to the listed qualities, "Dead Souls" closely border on the picaresque and even social novel. But to attribute the work to this genre is not necessary in view of the absence of love intrigue.

Heroes and antiheroes in the poem

In the first volume of "Dead Souls" ("Hell" for Dante) Gogol conceived to show evil - vicious bureaucracy and the landlord class. It was realized through a system of images. Heroes-dead souls are those officials and landlords whom Chichikov meets, performing his cunning fraud.

The images of the landlords are presented in process of increasing spiritual decline and moral baseness. In describing each of them, Gogol emphasizes that this is not a special case, but a type of people: "Manilov belongs to people so-so"; Box - "One of those mothers"; "People like Nozdrev had to meet many people." Such morally impoverished people are born by the social environment. In the poem, a verdict was handed down to both the landowners and the entire feudal system as a whole.

Another negative image of the poem "Dead Souls" is officialdom. In the city there is ruin and a mess. The bureaucratic apparatus is the place where you can profitably profit. The process of obtaining bribes is put on stream. Let us recall the episode when Chichikov gives a bribe to Ivan Antonovich. The actions of an official are brought to automaticity: to see a bill - to cover with a piece of paper - to pretend that everything is in order.

Negative characters form the meaning of the title of the poem - "Dead Souls." However, according to Gogol, not everything is so bad: he gives two heroes a chance to improve. The process of resurrection from the dead is related to the category of movement. Two characters of the poem are shown in the development process: a biography of Chichikov and Plyushkin is given. This Gogol hints that they are able to change in the future.

Undoubtedly, the positive hero in the poem is the author, revealed through lyrical digressions. He understands and loves Russia, sees great potential in the Russian people. In addition, Gogol emphasizes the positive qualities of the Russian people: a lush language, diligence, honesty, originality, ingenuity. This will allow Russia to change and become a fairy-tale bird.

On the second volume of "Dead Souls"

In a state of deep creative crisis for ten years, Gogol writes the second volume of Dead Souls. In his correspondence, he often complains to his friends that the matter is very tight and does not particularly satisfy him.

Gogol appeals to the harmonious, positive image of the landlord Kostanzhoglo: judicious, responsible, using scientific knowledge in the arrangement of the estate. Under his influence, Chichikov reconsiders his attitude to reality and changes for the better.

Seeing in the poem "life's untruth", Gogol burned the second volume of "Dead Souls".