
A critical analysis of Gogol's fiction and drama discusses the development of his literary style and examines his works' major themes in the context of Russian culture.

Nikolai Gogol, Russia's greatest comic writer, is a literary enigma. His masterworks--'The Nose, ' 'The Overcoat, ' 'The Inspector General, Dead Souls'--have attracted contradictory labels over the years, even as the originality of his achievement continues to defy exact explanation...

Nikolai Gogol, Russia's greatest comic writer, is a literary enigma. His masterworks--"The Nose," "The Overcoat," The Inspector General, Dead Souls--have attracted contradictory labels over the years, even as the originality of his achievement continues to defy...