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[S.l.] Edito-Service s.d.
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Description
Shinel (meaning The Overcoat, or Greatcoat) - which is generally acknowledged as the finest of Gogol's memorable Saint Petersburg stories - is the tale of absurd and misplaced obsessions. Its petty and pathetic hero, Akakii Akakievich, has become one of the emblematic figures of Russian literature. With its idiosyncratic skaz style, its grotesque characterisation and its mixture of black humour and pathos, this work continues to attract avid critical attention.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Gogol is a master of the short story and "The Overcoat" is widely seen to be one his masterpieces. There is a merger of humor and humanity. It's pre-Modernist so the moralistic ending with the bad guys getting their due, but Gogol makes an unsympathetic weakling character into someone of importance
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because of his humanity - radical in an age of serfs and princes. Some things are lost in translation, it helped me to read the "Interpretation" section first at Wikipedia which explained the significance of the name Akaky Akakievich. It would be hard to image a better narration then the performance by Bob Neufeld at Librivox. Show Less
LibraryThing member madhuri_agrawal
This story is a story of poverty, and a description of what one coat can mean to a poor man. How it can change him and disrupt his calm undisturbed existence.
Sometimes I wonder - did Russia really see so much poverty and apathy as its writers indicate?
Sometimes I wonder - did Russia really see so much poverty and apathy as its writers indicate?
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
I went through a "Russian" phase decades ago, and this is the one that shines in my memory. It's a masterpiece.
LibraryThing member Ellesee
It probably deserves more than a 4, but I've never really comprehended the literary magnitude of Russian literature. It's very morose and fatalistic. Perhaps that is what makes it "great". Anyway, I read it as a follow-up to reading Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I will need to ponder the relationship
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between this story and the novel, since it was featured prominently. Show Less
LibraryThing member berthirsch
How can a story written in the 1840's read like a modern tale?
Gogol captured the inner life of a civil servant , meager in his lifestyle, happy to be employed in the simple task of copying documents in his beautiful script.
yet when his bare thread coat gives way to the cold Russian winters he is
can a simple addition to his wardrobe change his perspective and those of others?
these basic questions are all answered and illuminated as is the tragic ending to this timeless tale.
Gogol captured the inner life of a civil servant , meager in his lifestyle, happy to be employed in the simple task of copying documents in his beautiful script.
yet when his bare thread coat gives way to the cold Russian winters he is
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forced into an almost existential crisis: how does he sacrifice to purchase a new coat? How do his coworkers respond to his predicament?can a simple addition to his wardrobe change his perspective and those of others?
these basic questions are all answered and illuminated as is the tragic ending to this timeless tale.
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LibraryThing member jonfaith
I first read this about a hundred years ago. Someone gave a smart little leather bound copy and yesterday was an opportunity to place it in my jacket. I enjoyed such while my wife was inside at a hair appointment.
The story regards the plight of a clerk, an Everyman, a copyist by trade and largely
The story regards the plight of a clerk, an Everyman, a copyist by trade and largely
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oblivious to the world around him. He has no grasp of social mechanics and lives modestly without vice or hobby. It is to his horror that he discovers that his overcoat is disintegrating. He goes to a tailor, who is himself an amazing literary construction. Our clerk must economize and saves for a new coat. Upon completion it is a sartorial marvel and suddenly our Everyman has an unexpected status from his peers, but not the skills to navigate such. He attends a party and loses himself in champagne. What follows is simple street crime. Gogol then displays the absence of recourse or justice in the contemporary bureaucracy. Matters go a bit supernatural and the reader can only marvel at the deft skill displayed. Show Less
LibraryThing member la2bkk
In true Gogol style, another humorous and somewhat absurd look at the life of a common worker in the bureaucracy of 19th century Russia. This short novel starts a bit slowly but quickly becomes entertaining and absorbing.
I would have rated the work even higher but for the inexplicably odd ending
I would have rated the work even higher but for the inexplicably odd ending
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which is not only unnecessary but also diminishes the power of Gogol's insights. Show Less
Awards
Original publication date
1842