Gogol’s story “The Nose” caused a lot of discussion and angry criticism towards the author. Summary tells of a fantastic story that under no circumstances could have actually happened. Due to the unrealistic nature of the plot, not all magazines agreed to publish this work; the writer even had to make changes to his story several times. Few of Gogol’s contemporaries understood that “The Nose” has a double meaning. Describing the absurd situation, Nikolai Vasilyevich wanted to show the shortcomings of the society of his time.
Missing nose
An amazing incident occurred on March 25, it was then in the morning that the barber Ivan Yakovlevich found the nose of his client, the collegiate assessor Kovalev, in the bread baked by his wife. The man decides to get rid of such a find, but constantly drops it, as others point out to him. In the end, the barber throws his nose into the Neva. Meanwhile, Kovalev wakes up and goes to the mirror to look at the one who has jumped up, but does not even find his nose.
The fact that the collegiate assessor is in dire need of decent appearance is told (this is, in fact, stated in the work itself) in a brief summary. The nose destroys all his hopes, because Kovalev came to the capital with the goal of finding a good job and getting married. The loss of such a significant part of the body makes the assessor powerless and useless to anyone.
Meeting with the nose
The summary of Gogol’s story “The Nose” tells that, somehow covering his face, Kovalev goes to the chief of police, but on the way he meets his lost part of the body. Nose, dressed in a hat with a plume, a uniform embroidered with gold, with the rank of state councilor, gets into a carriage and goes to the Kazan Cathedral to pray. The major goes after him, at first Kovalev even becomes shy at the sight of such a noble official. When asked to go back, the nose pretends that it does not understand what it is about and the collegiate assessor does not succeed in his intentions.
Chief Police Chief Kovalev is not at home, so he goes to advertise in the newspaper about the missing part of the body, but even there he fails - this is what the summary of the work tells about. A decent person’s nose cannot just disappear, so the private bailiff only listens to the major’s complaint with irritation and does nothing to help.
Upset, Kovalev comes home and begins to think about the reason for his misfortune. And then it occurs to him that perhaps staff officer Podtochina is to blame for everything, having hired some witches, because the collegiate assessor was in no hurry to marry her daughter. When the policeman brings a nose wrapped in paper, Kovalev is overcome with joy - this is what the summary conveys to us. The nose, meanwhile, doesn’t even think about sticking to its place.
Happy ending
Rumors spread throughout the capital that the nose of the collegiate assessor was strolling along Nevsky Prospekt, walking in Junker's store. But on April 7, everything fell into place - Kovalev woke up and discovered the loss in its rightful place.
The summary of “The Nose,” although brief, still contains the story that in just one day the major managed to visit many places: a pastry shop, a department, and was even lucky enough to meet Podtochina and his daughter. And the author interrupts the description of the happy Kovalev in the story with the admission that this story is made up. Gogol is even surprised that some writers take such stories as the basis for their works.
The story "The Nose" is one of the most fun, original, fantastic and unexpected works of Nikolai Gogol. The author did not agree to publish this joke for a long time, but his friends persuaded him. The story was first published in the Sovremennik magazine in 1836, with a note by A.S. Pushkin. Since then, heated debates have not subsided around this work. The real and the fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" are combined in the most bizarre and unusual forms. Here the author reached the pinnacle of his satirical skill and painted a true picture of the morals of his time.
Brilliant grotesque
This is one of N.V.’s favorite literary devices. Gogol. But if in early works it was used to create an atmosphere of mystery and mystery in the narrative, then in a later period it turned into a way of satirically reflecting the surrounding reality. The story "The Nose" is a clear confirmation of this. The inexplicable and strange disappearance of the nose from Major Kovalev’s face and his incredible independent existence separately from his owner suggest the unnaturalness of the order in which a high status in society means much more than the person himself. In this state of affairs, any inanimate object can suddenly acquire significance and weight if it acquires the proper rank. This is the main problem of the story "The Nose".
Features of realistic grotesque
In the late work of N.V. Gogol is dominated by realistic grotesque. It is aimed at revealing the unnaturalness and absurdity of reality. Incredible things happen to the heroes of the work, but they help to reveal the typical features of the world around them, to reveal the dependence of people on generally accepted conventions and norms.
Gogol's contemporaries did not immediately appreciate the writer's satirical talent. Only V.G. Belinsky, who did a lot for a correct understanding of Nikolai Vasilyevich’s work, once noted that the “ugly grotesque” that he uses in his work contains “an abyss of poetry” and “an abyss of philosophy”, worthy of “Shakespeare’s brush” in its depth and authenticity.
“The Nose” begins with the fact that on March 25, an “extraordinarily strange incident” happened in St. Petersburg. Ivan Yakovlevich, a barber, discovers his nose in freshly baked bread in the morning. He throws him off the St. Isaac's Bridge into the river. The owner of the nose, the collegiate assessor, or major, Kovalev, waking up in the morning, does not find an important part of the body on his face. In search of the loss, he goes to the police. On the way he meets his own nose in the garb of a state councilor. Pursuing the fugitive, Kovalev follows him to the Kazan Cathedral. He tries to return his nose to its place, but he only prays with “the greatest zeal” and points out to the owner that there can be nothing in common between them: Kovalev serves in another department.
Distracted by an elegant lady, the major loses sight of the rebellious part of the body. After making several unsuccessful attempts to find the nose, the owner returns home. There he gets what he lost back. The police chief grabbed his nose while trying to escape using someone else's documents to Riga. Kovalev's joy does not last long. He cannot put the body part back in its original place. The summary of the story "The Nose" does not end there. How did the hero manage to get out of this situation? The doctor can't help the major. Meanwhile, curious rumors are creeping around the capital. Someone saw the nose on Nevsky Prospekt, someone - in the Tauride Garden. As a result, he himself returned to his original place on April 7, which brought considerable joy to the owner.
Theme of the work
So what is the point of such an incredible plot? The main theme of Gogol's story "The Nose" is the character's loss of a piece of his self. This probably happens under the influence of evil spirits. The organizing role in the plot is given to the motive of persecution, although Gogol does not indicate the specific embodiment of supernatural power. The mystery captivates readers literally from the first sentence of the work, it is constantly reminded of it, it reaches its climax... but there is no solution even in the finale. Covered in the darkness of the unknown is not only the mysterious separation of the nose from the body, but also how he could exist independently, and even in the status of a high-ranking official. Thus, the real and the fantastic in Gogol’s story “The Nose” are intertwined in the most unimaginable way.
Real plan
It is embodied in the work in the form of rumors, which the author constantly mentions. This is gossip that the nose regularly promenades along Nevsky Prospekt and other crowded places; that he seemed to be looking into the store and so on. Why did Gogol need this form of communication? Maintaining an atmosphere of mystery, he satirically ridicules the authors of stupid rumors and naive belief in incredible miracles.
Characteristics of the main character
Why did Major Kovalev deserve such attention from supernatural forces? The answer lies in the content of the story "The Nose". The fact is that the main character of the work is a desperate careerist, ready to do anything for a promotion. He managed to receive the rank of collegiate assessor without an exam, thanks to his service in the Caucasus. Kovalev’s cherished goal is to marry profitably and become a high-ranking official. In the meantime, in order to give himself more weight and significance, he everywhere calls himself not a collegiate assessor, but a major, knowing about the superiority of military ranks over civilian ones. “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but he did not forgive in any way if it related to rank or title,” the author writes about his hero.
So the evil spirits laughed at Kovalev, not only taking away an important part of his body (you can’t make a career without it!), but also endowing the latter with the rank of general, that is, giving it more weight than the owner himself. That's right, no need to turn up your nose! The real and the fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" makes us think about the question "what is more important - the personality or its status?" And the answer is disappointing...
Hints from a brilliant author
Gogol's story contains many satirical subtleties and transparent hints at the realities of his contemporary time. For example, in the first half of the 19th century, glasses were considered an anomaly, giving the appearance of an officer or official some inferiority. In order to wear this accessory, special permission was required. If the heroes of the work strictly followed the instructions and corresponded to the form, then the Nose in the Uniform acquired importance for them significant person. But as soon as the police chief “logged out” of the system, broke the strictness of his uniform and put on glasses, he immediately noticed that in front of him was just a nose - a part of the body, useless without its owner. This is how the real and the fantastic intertwine in Gogol’s story “The Nose”. No wonder the author’s contemporaries were engrossed in this extraordinary work.
Many writers noted that “The Nose” is a magnificent example of fantasy, Gogol’s parody of various prejudices and people’s naive belief in the power of supernatural forces. Fantastic elements in the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich are ways of satirically displaying the vices of society, as well as affirming the realistic principle in life.
December 25, 2014The story "The Nose" is one of the most fun, original, fantastic and unexpected works of Nikolai Gogol. The author did not agree to publish this joke for a long time, but his friends persuaded him. The story was first published in the Sovremennik magazine in 1836, with a note by A.S. Pushkin. Since then, heated debates have not subsided around this work. The real and the fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" are combined in the most bizarre and unusual forms. Here the author reached the pinnacle of his satirical skill and painted a true picture of the morals of his time.
Brilliant grotesque
This is one of N.V.’s favorite literary devices. Gogol. But if in early works it was used to create an atmosphere of mystery and mystery in the narrative, then in a later period it turned into a way of satirically reflecting the surrounding reality. The story "The Nose" is a clear confirmation of this. The inexplicable and strange disappearance of the nose from Major Kovalev’s face and his incredible independent existence separately from his owner suggest the unnaturalness of the order in which a high status in society means much more than the person himself. In this state of affairs, any inanimate object can suddenly acquire significance and weight if it acquires the proper rank. This is the main problem of the story "The Nose".
Features of realistic grotesque
In the late work of N.V. Gogol is dominated by realistic grotesque. It is aimed at revealing the unnaturalness and absurdity of reality. Incredible things happen to the heroes of the work, but they help to reveal the typical features of the world around them, to reveal the dependence of people on generally accepted conventions and norms.
Gogol's contemporaries did not immediately appreciate the writer's satirical talent. Only V.G. Belinsky, who did a lot for a correct understanding of Nikolai Vasilyevich’s work, once noted that the “ugly grotesque” that he uses in his work contains “an abyss of poetry” and “an abyss of philosophy”, worthy of “Shakespeare’s brush” in its depth and authenticity.
“The Nose” begins with the fact that on March 25, an “extraordinarily strange incident” happened in St. Petersburg. Ivan Yakovlevich, a barber, discovers his nose in freshly baked bread in the morning. He throws him off the St. Isaac's Bridge into the river. The owner of the nose, the collegiate assessor, or major, Kovalev, waking up in the morning, does not find an important part of the body on his face. In search of the loss, he goes to the police. On the way he meets his own nose in the garb of a state councilor. Pursuing the fugitive, Kovalev follows him to the Kazan Cathedral. He tries to return his nose to its place, but he only prays with “the greatest zeal” and points out to the owner that there can be nothing in common between them: Kovalev serves in another department.
Distracted by an elegant lady, the major loses sight of the rebellious part of the body. After making several unsuccessful attempts to find the nose, the owner returns home. There he gets what he lost back. The police chief grabbed his nose while trying to escape using someone else's documents to Riga. Kovalev's joy does not last long. He cannot put the body part back in its original place. The summary of the story "The Nose" does not end there. How did the hero manage to get out of this situation? The doctor can't help the major. Meanwhile, curious rumors are creeping around the capital. Someone saw the nose on Nevsky Prospekt, someone - in the Tauride Garden. As a result, he himself returned to his original place on April 7, which brought considerable joy to the owner.
Theme of the work
So what is the point of such an incredible plot? The main theme of Gogol's story "The Nose" is the character's loss of a piece of his self. This probably happens under the influence of evil spirits. The organizing role in the plot is given to the motive of persecution, although Gogol does not indicate the specific embodiment of supernatural power. The mystery captivates readers literally from the first sentence of the work, it is constantly reminded of it, it reaches its climax... but there is no solution even in the finale. Covered in the darkness of the unknown is not only the mysterious separation of the nose from the body, but also how he could exist independently, and even in the status of a high-ranking official. Thus, the real and the fantastic in Gogol’s story “The Nose” are intertwined in the most unimaginable way.
Real plan
It is embodied in the work in the form of rumors, which the author constantly mentions. This is gossip that the nose regularly promenades along Nevsky Prospekt and other crowded places; that he seemed to be looking into the store and so on. Why did Gogol need this form of communication? Maintaining an atmosphere of mystery, he satirically ridicules the authors of stupid rumors and naive belief in incredible miracles.
Characteristics of the main character
Why did Major Kovalev deserve such attention from supernatural forces? The answer lies in the content of the story "The Nose". The fact is that the main character of the work is a desperate careerist, ready to do anything for a promotion. He managed to receive the rank of collegiate assessor without an exam, thanks to his service in the Caucasus. Kovalev’s cherished goal is to marry profitably and become a high-ranking official. In the meantime, in order to give himself more weight and significance, he everywhere calls himself not a collegiate assessor, but a major, knowing about the superiority of military ranks over civilian ones. “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but he did not forgive in any way if it related to rank or title,” the author writes about his hero.
So the evil spirits laughed at Kovalev, not only taking away an important part of his body (you can’t make a career without it!), but also endowing the latter with the rank of general, that is, giving it more weight than the owner himself. That's right, no need to turn up your nose! The real and the fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" makes us think about the question "what is more important - the personality or its status?" And the answer is disappointing...
Hints from a brilliant author
Gogol's story contains many satirical subtleties and transparent hints at the realities of his contemporary time. For example, in the first half of the 19th century, glasses were considered an anomaly, giving the appearance of an officer or official some inferiority. In order to wear this accessory, special permission was required. If the heroes of the work strictly followed the instructions and corresponded to the form, then the Nose in the Uniform acquired for them the importance of a significant person. But as soon as the police chief “logged out” of the system, broke the strictness of his uniform and put on glasses, he immediately noticed that in front of him was just a nose - a part of the body, useless without its owner. This is how the real and the fantastic intertwine in Gogol’s story “The Nose”. No wonder the author’s contemporaries were engrossed in this extraordinary work.
Many writers noted that “The Nose” is a magnificent example of fantasy, Gogol’s parody of various prejudices and people’s naive belief in the power of supernatural forces. Fantastic elements in the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich are ways of satirically displaying the vices of society, as well as affirming the realistic principle in life.
Everyone knows that the brilliant Ukrainian and Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol won the respect of readers thanks to his subtle humor and observation, as well as the fantastic and incredible plots that he so skillfully created in his works. We will now analyze the story “The Nose,” which undoubtedly belongs precisely to such masterpieces of the writer. But before we move directly to the analysis of the story, let's look very briefly at the plot.
The plot of the story "The Nose" is very brief
This work contains three parts that tell the story of the incredible thing that happened to a certain collegiate assessor Kovalev. But the story should begin with a description of the meal of the city St. Petersburg barber Ivan Yakovlevich. One day, taking a loaf of bread, he sees that there is a nose in it. Later it becomes known that this is the nose of a very respected person. The barber gets rid of this nose by throwing it off the bridge. At the same time, in the morning Kovalev notices that his nose is not in place, and, going out into the street, covers himself with a scarf. Suddenly, that same nose, already dressed in a uniform, catches Kovalev’s eye. He travels around St. Petersburg and even goes into the cathedral to pray.
A very brief presentation of the plot of the story "The Nose", the analysis of which we are conducting, will help to more accurately give the necessary characteristics to the characters. Kovalev continues his search and makes efforts to catch the nose. To do this, he goes to the police and even asks to print an ad in the newspaper, but is refused - this is too unusual a matter. And scandalous. Kovalev begins to suspect who could have arranged such an opportunity, and decides that this is the work of headquarters officer Podtochina. Most likely, she is taking revenge on Kovalev for refusing to marry her daughter. The official takes a pen to write to her everything he thinks about Podtochina, but upon receiving the letter, she is perplexed.
Very soon, rumors about this whole story spread throughout the city, and one policeman manages to catch the nose and deliver it to the owner. True, the nose just doesn’t want to go back into place, and even the doctor can’t help. About two weeks pass - Kovalev wakes up and realizes that his nose is back in place.
Analysis of the story "The Nose"
Of course, in terms of its literary genre, this story is fantastic. It is clear that Gogol wants to show a person who lives in hustle and bustle, spends empty and meaningless days, while he cannot look beyond his nose. He is immersed in routine and everyday hassles, but they are not really worth it. And the only thing that helps such a person find peace is that he feels himself again in a familiar environment. What else can you say when analyzing the story "The Nose"?
What is this work about? We can say with complete confidence that this story tells about an official whose pride does not allow him to look at those of lower rank. He is indifferent to ordinary people. Such a personality can be compared to a severed smelling organ dressed in a uniform. He cannot be persuaded or asked for anything, he simply does his usual thing.
Gogol came up with an original fantasy storyline and created wonderful characters to encourage the reader to think about those in power. The author describes in vivid language the life of an official and his eternal, but meaningless worries. Is it really only his nose that such a person should care about? Who will deal with the problems of the common people, over whom the official is placed?
An analysis of Gogol's story "The Nose" reveals hidden ridicule, with the help of which the author draws attention to a large and pressing problem of certain sections of society. On our website you can read
The history of the creation of “The Nose” is a satirical absurdist story written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1832-1833. This work is often called the most mysterious story. In 1835, the Moscow Observer magazine refused to publish Gogol’s story, calling it “bad, vulgar and trivial.” But, unlike “The Moscow Observer,” Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin believed that there was “so much unexpected, fantastic, funny and original” in the work that he persuaded the author to publish the story in the Sovremennik magazine in 1836.
(Gogol and Nose. Caricature) The story “The Nose” was subjected to severe and repeated criticism, as a result a number of details in the work were redone by the author: for example, the meeting of Major Kovalev with the Nose was moved from the Kazan Cathedral to Gostiny Dvor, and the ending of the story was changed several times.
Brilliant grotesque This is one of N.V.’s favorite literary devices. Gogol. But if in early works it was used to create an atmosphere of mystery and mystery in the narrative, then in a later period it turned into a way of satirically reflecting the surrounding reality. The story Nose is a clear confirmation of this. The inexplicable and strange disappearance of the nose from Major Kovalev’s face and his incredible independent existence separately from his owner suggest the unnaturalness of the order in which a high status in society means much more than the person himself. In this state of affairs, any inanimate object can suddenly acquire significance and weight if it acquires the proper rank. This is the main problem of the story Nose.
Theme of the work So what is the meaning of such an incredible plot? The main theme of Gogol's story Nose is the character's loss of a piece of himself. This probably happens under the influence of evil spirits. The organizing role in the plot is given to the motive of persecution, although Gogol does not indicate the specific embodiment of supernatural power. The mystery captivates readers literally from the first sentence of the work, it is constantly reminded of it, it reaches its climax... but there is no solution even in the finale. Covered in the darkness of the unknown is not only the mysterious separation of the nose from the body, but also how he could exist independently, and even in the status of a high-ranking official. Thus, the real and the fantastic in Gogol's story Nose are intertwined in the most unimaginable way.
Characteristics of the main character Main character works - a desperate careerist, ready to do anything for a promotion. He managed to receive the rank of collegiate assessor without an exam, thanks to his service in the Caucasus. Kovalev’s cherished goal is to marry profitably and become a high-ranking official. In the meantime, in order to give himself more weight and significance, he everywhere calls himself not a collegiate assessor, but a major, knowing about the superiority of military ranks over civilian ones. “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but he did not forgive in any way if it related to rank or title,” the author writes about his hero
N.V. Gogol’s wonderful story “The Nose” consists of three parts and tells about the amazing events that happened to the collegiate assessor Kovalev... Contents On the twenty-fifth of March, the St. Petersburg barber Ivan Yakovlevich discovers his nose in freshly baked bread. Ivan Yakovlevich is surprised to learn that the nose belongs to one of his clients, the collegiate assessor Kovalev. The barber tries to get rid of the nose: he throws it away, but they constantly point out to him that he dropped something. With great difficulty, Ivan Yakovlevich manages to throw his nose off the bridge into the Neva.
It seems that it was not for nothing that Gogol made the setting of the story Nose Petersburg. In his opinion, only here the indicated events could have happened, only in St. Petersburg they do not see the man himself behind the rank. Gogol brought the situation to the point of absurdity - the nose turned out to be a fifth-class official, and those around him, despite the obviousness of his inhuman nature, behave with him as with a normal person, in accordance with his status. (Kovalev and Nos)
Meanwhile, the collegiate assessor wakes up and can’t find his nose. He is shocked. Covering his face with a handkerchief, Kovalev goes out into the street. He is very upset by what happened, since now he will not be able to appear in society, and besides, he has many acquaintances of ladies, some of whom he would not mind pursuing. Suddenly he meets his own nose, dressed in a uniform and trousers, the nose gets into the carriage. Kovalev hurries to follow his nose and ends up in the cathedral. (The nose comes out of the carriage)
The nose behaves as befits a significant person with the rank of state councilor: he makes visits, prays in the Kazan Cathedral with an expression of the greatest piety, visits the department, and plans to leave for Riga using someone else’s passport. Nobody cares where he came from. Everyone sees him not only as a person, but also as an important official. It is interesting that Kovalev himself, despite his efforts to expose him, approaches him with fear in the Kazan Cathedral and generally treats him as a person.
The grotesque in the story also lies in surprise and, one might say, absurdity. From the very first line of the work we see a clear indication of the date: March 25th - this does not immediately imply any fiction. And then there’s the missing nose. There was some kind of sharp deformation of everyday life, bringing it to complete unreality. The absurdity lies in the equally dramatic change in the size of the nose. If on the first pages he is discovered by the barber Ivan Yakovlevich in a pie (that is, he has a size quite corresponding to a human nose), then at the moment when Major Kovalev first sees him, the nose is dressed in a uniform, suede trousers, a hat and even has a himself a sword - which means he is the height of an ordinary man. (Missing nose)
The last appearance of the nose in the story - and it is small again. The quarterly brings it wrapped in a piece of paper. It didn’t matter to Gogol why the nose suddenly grew to human size, and it didn’t matter why it shrank again. The central point of the story is precisely the period when the nose was perceived as a normal person
The plot of the story is conventional, the idea itself is absurd, but this is precisely what Gogol’s grotesque consists of and, despite this, is quite realistic. Chernyshevsky said that true realism is possible only by depicting life in the forms of life itself.
Gogol unusually expanded the boundaries of convention and showed that this convention remarkably serves the knowledge of life. If in this absurd society everything is determined by rank, then why can’t this fantastically absurd organization of life be reproduced in a fantastic plot? Gogol shows that it is not only possible, but also quite advisable. And thus the forms of art ultimately reflect the forms of life.
Hints from a brilliant author In Gogol's story there are many satirical subtleties, transparent hints at the realities of his contemporary time. For example, in the first half of the 19th century, glasses were considered an anomaly, giving the appearance of an officer or official some inferiority. In order to wear this accessory, special permission was required. If the heroes of the work strictly followed the instructions and corresponded to the form, then the Nose in the Uniform acquired for them the importance of a significant person. But as soon as the police chief logged out of the system, broke the strictness of his uniform and put on glasses, he immediately noticed that in front of him was just a nose - a part of the body, useless without its owner. This is how the real and the fantastic intertwine in Gogol’s story The Nose. No wonder the author’s contemporaries were engrossed in this extraordinary work.
Literary excursion The barber who found in baked bread nose, lives on Voznesensky Prospekt, and gets rid of it on St. Isaac's Bridge. Major Kovalev's apartment is located on Sadovaya Street. The conversation between the major and the nose takes place in the Kazan Cathedral. A flower waterfall of ladies pours down the sidewalk of Nevsky from the Policeman to the Anichkin Bridge. Dancing chairs danced on Konyushennaya Street. According to Kovalev, it is on the Voskresensky Bridge that traders sell peeled oranges. Students of the Surgical Academy ran to the Tauride Garden to look at the nose. The major buys his medal ribbon at Gostiny Dvor. The “twin nose” of the St. Petersburg version is located on Andreevsky Spusk in Kyiv. The literary lantern “Nose” is installed on the street. Gogol in Brest.
Kovalev’s nose was installed in 1995 on the facade of house No. 11 on Voznesensky Prospekt, St. Petersburg)