Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol - Book Summary, Analysis, Review

Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get more people talking about books! The 1842 classic "Dead Souls" up for a talk today! Only the first of an unfinished trilogy due to Nikolai Gogol passing away before he could finish it. Let's talk about commerce, Russia, and Frank O'Connor's comments on "The Little Man" in regards to Chichikov in this poem. Our copy was translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

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#NikolaiGogol
#DeadSouls
#RussianLiterature

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 Introductions
0:49 Spoiler Free Chat
6:07 Spoiler Chat
30:51 Wrap Up and Ratings

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====Copyright Info====
Song: Infinite
Artist: Valence
Licensed to YouTube by: AEI (on behalf of NCS); Featherstone Music (publishing), and 1 Music Rights Societies

[TheCodeXCantina]

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
0:00 Spoiler Free Chat
6:07 Spoiler Chat
30:51 Wrap Up and Ratings

[naastyaaaaaaaaa]

If you want a wee bit of context😊
1. ManIlov comes from "manit' " ("to lure")
2. KorObochka comes from.. "korobochka" ("a little box/jewelry box" type of thing)
3. NozdryOv comes from "nOrdryi" ("nostrils")
4. SobakiEvich comes from "sobAka" (a dog)
5. Pl'ooshkin comes from "pl'ooshka" (a kind of.. bagel/doughnut)
Dunno 'bout Chichikov though.
He's just kind of.. there.) I guess it was one of the ways to keep his personality as mysterious as possible for as long as needed))

[SophiaClef]

Dead Souls will always have a special place in my heart because I bought it in St. Petersburg. I read what remained from part 2 as well, but part 1 is definitely superior to it. I expected it to be darker because of the title, but what I got instead was 10 times better than what I expected.

[Jelenicza]

They are real people. All the characters are contemporary types of people, that's what make this masterpiece eternal. In a way it's very Ecclesiastical.
It was a tradition in Russia to seal deals with hand shakes. Russian merchants went to the local pubs to discuss business transactions and trusted each other without any written contracts. The word was more important. SobaKEvich. The emphases on the "E".

[Elis_veta]

I just recently finished 1st volume of Dead Souls and the Nozdrev's part was really funny.

[naastyaaaaaaaaa]

Honestly... I found Manilov extremely attractive as a character!
Like, I never really understood why people counted him as one of those "dead souls", like, why put him in the same line as Sobakevich or Nozdryov? Yes, his smile is sugary sweet, but.. do you remember how - after Chichikov left his mansion - Manilov just sat there in his room, smiling, thinking about how NICE of a person Chichikov was? His feelings were genuine! Plus, he has a great relationship with his wife; he doesn't abuse his men; he has two adorable kids (I'm ready to argue with anyone who thinks they're bland and dumb - they're kids! They're not supposed to be the greatest scholars to ever exist yet!); he just.. a generally nice and sweet person.

I'm taking my lit exam in a few days and this is one of a few things that still haunt me. Why do people think Manilov is a bad person?...
PS: It's ManIlov))) (it's referencing a russian word " manit' " which basically means "to lure")

[madebyPure]

Thanks for this discussion. Nice getting some different perspectives after just having read the book. Cheers

[dariabatrin]

Puting this book in context makes it more valuable.Thanks!

[naastyaaaaaaaaa]

You NAILED the author's name this time!)))

[Jimd]

I love to hear Americans talking deep about literature, and given its ’Russian’, it smashes all the silly stereotypes about American ignorance. I love American and Russian literature equally. I’m from Ireland — our culture of words stands out. Thanks for this video

[Senecavit]

19:54 👏
"heart of the poem - concept of greed,
👆 taking thing you don't need"

[ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

Chichikov is going to be running along behind our livestream, collecting all the Russian names we murder.

[eddiejohnston]

I finished reading this book tonight.
I can relate to Kostanzhoglo above everyone else. But I really admire professor Alexander Petrovich, who happens to be what MY professor was like in college.

[Starscreamlive]

I loved that you threw in the Ric Flair quote in the video too!

[Vintagevanessa]

Almost finished this i will listen to this with interest .

[TheNerdyNarrative]

These names just roll right off your tongue, Una.
Hmm. You have almost convinced me to read this at some point. We’ll see if the livestream pushes me over the edge to put it on the calendar.

I will totally refer to that Chechkov character as Cheech.

[wigzy.]

In part 1 Chichikov seems fully committed to the pursuit of money, in part 2 i think we start to see him begin to change, he still pursues money but also looks to gain knowledge from people and is at times enraptured by wisdom. In a part 3 it would seem a logical and interesting development to see him try and establish himself a simple and moral life in a world where some people are still like the chichikov of part one, looking to take advantage of his attempts goodness, will he relapse on immorality or try and impart on the others what his misfortunes have taught him?

[BookishTexan]

You guy’s might be convincing me to read some Russian lit. Interesting discussion.

[dierkrieger]

This is a free Audiobook for Audible members. It's a great book.

[bennguyen]

On the recent Clear and Vivid podcast, Mel Brooks says Dead Souls was the book that educated him on humor writing?!