SMC103Y1 Lecture Notes - Eugenius Warming, Russian Literature, Russian Proverbs
Document Summary
He learned this tactic from english lit, but had gone out of style. So, russian lit, catching up, we get a playful self aware narrator who draws our attention to the artifice of what he"s doing. Instead of trying to make us forget that what we"re reading is an invention; gogol draws our attention to the difference. The characters are presented to us as puppets created by the narrator to emphasize the artificialy of the story. Its as if we are walking a long hall with portraits on either side. Each character occupies a type; a psychological and moral type. Opposed to dante, each circle represents a type of sin. Manilov - complacency and extreme fantasy which justifies inaction. Entices us, but if we try to walk towards that fantasy, we see smoke. Smoke is one of the motifs of manilov"s presentation. When he hears the way manilov speaks, he exploits this speech style.
