|
|
|
Dead Souls |
Book
Dead Souls is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. Gogol himself saw it as an epic poem in prose, and within the book as a ovel in verse. Despite supposedly completing the trilogys second part, Gogol destroyed it shortly before his death. Although the novel ends in mid-sentence (like Sternes Sentimental Journey), it is usually regarded as complete in the extant form.TitleIn the Russian Empire, before the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, landowners were entitled to own serfs to farm their land. Serfs were for most purposes considered the property of the landowner, and could be bought, sold or mortgaged, as any other chattel. To count serfs (and people in general), the measure word soul was used: e.g., six souls of serfs. The plot of the novel relies on dead souls (i.e., dead serfs) which are still accounted for in property registers. On another level, the title refers to the dead souls of Gogols characters,...view more
|
|
|
|
|