In Nikolai Gogol’s short story “Nevsky Prospect” (1835), setting illuminates the theme of lies and deception. The setting of the story is the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg was custom-built as a distinctly European-style capital. The replication of European architecture gives St. Petersburg an artificial feel, which can be seen in the setting of Gogol’s story. The story’s setting is more than just a city; it is a character of its own. The setting of the story is initially presented with the introduction of Nevsky Prospect, the city’s main street. Then, the story moves deeper in the streets of St. Petersburg as the story follows the journey of two men, Piskarev and Pirogov, after two women. As the story progresses, setting teeters …show more content…
Exaggerated descriptions of Nevsky Prospect and physical appearances of the people that walk the streets demonstrate the artificial and fictional nature of the setting. In the first line of the story, the narrator states that “there is nothing better than Nevsky Prospect, at least not in Petersburg; for there is everything” (Gogol 245). The narrator quickly establishes Nevsky Prospect as a utopian-like setting where people promenade and forget about whatever needs to be done. As the fawning portrayal of Nevsky Prospect becomes more obvious, it becomes evident that the narrator’s exaggerations are implications of the street’s fantastic nature. Moreover, the narrator describes the different people one will meet while on Nevsky Prospect. Watching the exhibition of people walking along Nevsky Prospect, he points out a person displaying “a foppish frock coat with the best of beavers,” another with “a wonderful Greek nose,” the third bearing “super side-whiskers,” the fourth with “pretty eyes and an astonishing little hat” (Gogol 249). The narrator describes the individuals by only a small aesthetic feature of their appearance. St. Petersburg, represented by Nevsky Prospect, is being portrayed as a superficial place where “there is a host of such people as, when they meet you, unfailingly look at your shoes, and, when you pass by, …show more content…
Piskarev initially deceives himself by mistaking the prostitute on the street for a “very noble lady” (Gogol 251) by looking of the coat she is wearing. Piskarev’s misconception of the woman is then revealed to be false by the setting. Entering the house of the woman, Piskarev notices that “the rather nice furniture was covered with dust; a spider spread its web over a molded cornice; in the half-open doorway to another room, a spurred boot gleamed and the red piping of a uniform flitted; a loud male voice and female laughter rang out unrestrainedly” (Gogol 255). The setting indicates that Piskarev has entered a brothel, showing him that his conception of her as a noble lady is false. But, Piskarev refuses to believe that the woman he followed is that type of woman. He begins “studying the objects that filled the room more attentively; but the bare walls and curtainless windows showed no presence of a thoughtful housewife” (Gogol 255). The setting, once more, shows Piskarev the reality of the house as brothel, revealing the true nature of the woman as a prostitute. The setting shows the realistic aspect the
The role of the Gogolian narrator is an unassuming revealer of what is hidden in the world. Revelations can be the world’s evils, morality, or a nation’s ultimate purpose. Gogol’s narrator is merely a puppet of his imagination and is kept within certain boundaries. Sometimes the narrator’s lack of transparency can make a story seem like a parable or folk tale like in “The Nose” and “Nevsky Prospect.” We can see this in what limited information the narrator is allowed to reveal to the reader and I will examine this theme in Gogol’s “Nevsky Prospect,” “The Nose,” and Dead Souls.
In describing the setting, the general locale is the prison in the coldest part of Russia- Siberia, geographically but socially depicting the social circumstances in the prison, but draws analogies to the general social, political and economic circumstances of Russia during the Stalinist era (form 1917 revolution up to 1955). The symbolic significance of the novel and the film (genres) reflects experiences, values and attitudes of the Russian society. The genres reflect the origins of the Russian social disorders and massive counts of political misgivings which watered down real communism in Russia. We are constantly reminded of the social and cultural heritage and originality of Russian ethnic groups through those different levels of meanings
The short story, “Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt”, explicates the life of a man named Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka. We see him briefly in his young years, followed by his life in the army, and his return to the farm where his strong characterized aunt resides. We can see immediately that this man lives in constant cleanliness and dutiful paranoia; these are some of his desires that he wishes to exhibit to others. We can also see his fears, which reside in the confiscation of his masculinity and independence. This short story has many elements that resemble others in the Nikolai Gogol collection.
The Art of the Chekhovian Language escapes from the personal intentions. Reality is neither embellished nor blackened, altered or "signified" through a restrictive conceptual vision.
Dostoyevsky's writing in this book is such that the characters and setting around the main subject, Raskolnikov, are used with powerful consequences. The setting is both symbolic and has a power that affects all whom reside there, most notably Raskolnikov. An effective Structure is also used to show changes to the plot's direction and Raskolnikov's character. To add to this, the author's word choice and imagery are often extremely descriptive, and enhance the impact at every stage of Raskolnikov's changing fortunes and character. All of these features aid in the portrayal of Raskolnikov's downfall and subsequent rise.
In the opening of In Cold Blood, Capote introduces the village of Holcomb as a simple and unexciting place. “a lonesome area...The land is flat...the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved.” Capote uses vivid imagery to create a tone of fascination to give the reader an impression that many secrets are hidden behind this charmingly primitive location and it also allows the reader to be open minded and to imagine things. At one end, the town is described as old and isolated. “one end of the town stands a stark old stucco-structure...but the dancing has ceased and the advertisement has been dark for several years.” Capote emphasises that the town is separated from the rest of the world and causes the reader to be suspicious for what might be hidden in this mysterious town.
Dostoevsky’s St. Petersburg is a large, uncaring city which fosters a western style of individualism. As Peter Lowe notes, “The city is crowded, but there is no communality in its crowds, no sense of being part of some greater ‘whole.’” Mrs. Raskolnikov initially notices a change in her son marked by his current state of desperate depression, but she fails to realize the full extent of these changes, even after he is convicted for the murder. The conditions and influences are also noticed by Raskolnikov’s mother who comments on the heat and the enclosed environment which is present throughout the city. When visiting Raskolnikov, she exclaims "I'm sure...
The building was to represent modernity and the wonderful things that humankind can accomplish. It was a beautiful jewel in the crown of the Industrial Revolution. Dostoyevsky stuck his tongue out at this modernist thinking and pointed out that such a place can never exist, man would destroy it out of boredom. Whereas Bentham and Chernyshevsky sought out the good and wellbeing of humankind, Dostoyevsky saw the opposite and destructive side of
The arena for this ideological contest is Petersburg, full of slums, revolutionary students and petty titular councilors. Scientifically and artificially constructed in the midst of marshland, the city itself is a symbol of the incompatibility of logical planning with humankind's natural sensibilities. The city did not grow randomly or organically, but entirely by czarist decree. Nonetheless, it is a dank and depressing place to live, at least for those in the vicinity of Haymarket Square, where the story takes place. Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky's biographer, says of ...
This story mostly takes place in a vacation spot called Yalta. Throughout the whole story Yalta is explained as peaceful, romantic and with magical surroundings. The weather is warm and the scenery consists of white clouds over the mountaintops. The flowers smell of sweat fragrance and there is a gold streak from the moon on the sea. The two main character’s Gurov and Anna visit this vacation spot to get away from the lives that they are unhappy with. Both are unhappily married. The author explains Gurov as a women’s man, women are always attracted to him. However he thinks of women as the lower race. Knowing that women liked him, he always just played the game. He was always unfaithful to his wife. When he sees’s Anna walking around in Yalta with her dog he thought of it as just another fling. The character Anna is a good honest woman. When she is unfaithful to her husband for the first time she starts to cry to Gurov. She explains how she despises herself for being a low woman. This was the first time a person was not happy with Gurov. The soon realizes that she is unlike other women and describes her as strange and inappropriate. The story then takes a twist and Anna is to return home to her husband who is ill. This was their excuse that they need to part ways forever and stop this affair. Yet when Gurov returned home to Moscow he found himself lost without her. The
Nikolai Gogol has been widely recognized as one of the most inspiring and remarkable authors of the Russian Empire and the one who produced an enormous impact on literary work of countless contemporaries and successors, both in the Tsarist Russia and abroad. Particularly, Gogol’s literary legacy is praised for his exceptional ability to deploy humor as a means of expression and the way to convey the message. In this respect, the short story The Overcoat written during the St. Petersburg period of Gogol’s activity is a very important work which balances between tragic and humorous elements and presents a brilliant specimen of satire. In this work, Gogol builds up the powerful criticism of the contemporary Russian society with its social hierarchy,
When Evgeny’s successful marriage is tested by Stepanida’s trap he is sickened with himself because he is not able to control his yearning for another woman when he already has the perfect one. “‘How can I not be a scoundrel, when I, Liza’s husband, Liza’s! – you must know her purity, her love – when I her husband, want to betray her with a peasant wench!’” (Tolstoy 199). Liza is the 19th century stereotypical ideal woman characterized as a housewife that provides a family, while adhering to her husband’s needs; she is Evgeny’s
A. The Epic of Russian Literature. New York: Oxford University Press, 1950. 309-346. Tolstoy, Leo. "
Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard projects the cultural conflict of the turn of the twentieth century of Russia. With a historical allusion, Chekhov exhibited the changing Russia with "slice of life" in his play. The Cherry Orchard is not only a depiction of Russian life but also an understatement of changing traditional value. Cultural conflict itself is an abstraction. To explain it, it is the traditional culture that is unable to resist the invading one. In the play, each character has his or her own personality, which symbolizes their individual social levels of Russian society. But these characters distinguish themselves into two sides, which are conservators and investors; therefore, they conflict each other in opinion. The following developments will begin with an outlook of The Cherry Orchard to acknowledge the basic concept of the play. The second part is culture in change that explains historical background of modern Russia. Third by a contrasting method, the main idea of this part is an illustration of conflict. And, in the fourth section, explaining symbolic meaning of The Cherry Orchard is an approach to highlight the conflict. Finally, the prospective development of different groups of characters is another contrast that echoes their attitudes in the beginning.
“Mother” is a masterpiece of Maxim Gorky where he depicts a revolution against the bourgeois society. Being greatly influenced by the thoughts and philosophy of Lenin, Maxim Gorky is greatly shocked and frustrated by the ignorance, poverty and sufferings of his country people. He wants to establish the equal rights of the people in the society. In this novel Pavel is a character portrayed with a revolutionary spirit and Maxim Gorky shows his philosophy and dreams through the character of Pavel in this novel.