Dead Souls
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol
Gogol in the years 1837-8 and published in 1842, is the greatest humorous novel in the Russian language. It is the most popular book in Russia, and its appeal is world-wide. Even those who have but the remotest idea of Russia and Russian life are frankly amused when they read it. Because of its literary form it has been likened to Don Quixote, Gil Bias, Tom Jones, for it is the story of the adventures of a man wandering from house to house and town to town along the ways of his country. But it has a deeper human appeal than any of these volumes. It is more broadly humorous, but it is also more tender, more serious. Though it is largely a satire there is not a line ol cynicism in the book, not a sneer, not a phrase inspired by the authors vanity or by selfish indifference to the life of the outside world. It was in reality a passionate expression of Gogol slove of his country, and though it is so pleasant to read, the writing of it broke Gogol sheart. In his black grief he even burned the whole of the volume that was to have been the sequel to Dead Souls what is sometimes referred to as the second part. In one of the wonderful conversations given in Turgeniev s Smoke, there is an occasion when some one says that if you speak to an Englishman the conversation sooner or later comes to sport, if to a Frenchman sooner or later to woman, and that when you speak to a Russian the conversation always comes round to Russia is she not a wonderful country, what a destiny her people have, will they not work out in Russia something entirely new, and so on. This is a true observation. Russia is the beloved theme of the Russians. All Russians have opinions about their own country; Russians more than people of other nationality live for their country, are ready to suffer for it, feel personal joy or pain, happiness or grief, according to its daily history. Anxiety as to what(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)