The story "The Nose" is one of the most fun, original, fantastic and unexpected works of Nikolai Gogol. The author did not agree to the publication of 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 mores of his time.

Brilliant grotesque

This is one of the most favorite literary devices of N.V. 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 satirical reflection of the surrounding reality. The story "The Nose" is a clear confirmation of this. The inexplicable and strange disappearance of the nose from the physiognomy of Major Kovalev and its incredible independent existence separately from the owner suggest the unnatural 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 its proper rank. This is the main problem of the story "The Nose".

Features of realistic grotesque

In the late works of N.V. Gogol, the realistic grotesque prevails. It aims to reveal 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 people's dependence on generally accepted conventions and norms.

Gogol's contemporaries did not immediately appreciate the satirical talent of the writer. Only having done a lot for a correct understanding of the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich, he once noticed that the "ugly grotesque" that he uses in his work contains the "abyss of poetry" and "the abyss of philosophy", in its depth and authenticity worthy of "Shakespeare's brush".

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, 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 a different department.

Distracted by the graceful lady, the major loses sight of the rebellious part of the body. Having made several unsuccessful attempts to find the nose, the owner returns home. There he is returned the loss. The police chief grabbed his nose while trying to escape to Riga on someone else's documents. Joy Kovalev does not last long. He cannot put the body part back in its original place. Summary The story "The Nose" does not end there. How did the hero manage to get out of this situation? The doctor can do nothing to help the major. In the meantime, curious rumors are creeping around the capital. Someone saw the nose on Nevsky Prospekt, someone - in 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 loss by the character of a piece of his "I". Probably, this happens under the influence of evil spirits. An organizing role in the plot is assigned to the motive of persecution, although Gogol does not indicate the specific embodiment of supernatural power. The mystery captures readers literally from the first phrase of the work, it is constantly reminded of, it reaches its climax ... but there is no clue even in the finale. Covered in obscurity is not only the mysterious separation of the nose from the body, but also how it 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 unthinkable way.

Real Plan

It is embodied in the work in the form of rumors, which the author mentions all the time. This is gossip that the nose regularly makes a promenade along Nevsky Prospekt and other crowded places; about how he seemed to be looking into the store and so on. Why did Gogol need such a 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 main character works - a desperate careerist, ready to do anything for a promotion. He managed to get the rank of collegiate assessor without an exam, thanks to his service in the Caucasus. The cherished goal of Kovalev 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 advantage of military ranks over civilian ones. “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but did not apologize 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 from him (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, there is nothing real and fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" makes you think about the question "what is more important - a person or his status?". And the answer is disappointing...

Hints of a brilliant author

There are many satirical subtleties in Gogol's story, transparent allusions to 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 kind of inferiority. In order to wear this accessory, a special permit was required. If the heroes of the work exactly followed the instructions and corresponded to the form, then the Nose in uniform acquired for them the importance of a significant person. But as soon as the police chief "left" the system, violated the severity 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 are intertwined in Gogol's story "The Nose". No wonder the author's contemporaries read 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 faith in the power of supernatural forces. Fantastic elements in the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich are ways of satirically depicting the vices of society, as well as affirming a realistic beginning in life.

Known as the author of mystical and fantastic works. But not only mysticism interested Nikolai Vasilyevich. So in many works the author also touches on the theme of the “little” person. But he does it in such a way that satire denounces the structure of society and the disenfranchised position of a person in this society. It is known that for the first time the story "The Nose" was published in 1836. In this article, you can find both the characteristics of the main characters of the work, and its brief retelling. The "nose" is studied at school, so this article will be useful for students to familiarize themselves with.

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History of the creation of the story

Nikolai Vasilyevich in 1835 sent his new story in the Moscow Observer magazine, but it was not published, considering it bad and vulgar. Alexander Pushkin had a completely different opinion about Gogol's work, who considered this work fun and fantastic. The famous poet persuaded the mystical writer to publish his short work in the magazine "Contemporary".

Despite the fact that there was a lot of editing and censorship, the story was published in 1836. It is known that this work is included in the cycle "Petersburg Tales". "The Nose" became the story that had a fantastic plot and caused different assessments of readers and critics.

main characters

In the work, special attention is paid to the main character. But there are also secondary characters., which also carry the author's intention:

Characteristics of Kovalev

Platon Kuzmich Kovalev - major, whose image for the reader becomes double: the official himself and his nose. The nose soon becomes completely separated from its owner and even achieves a promotion in the service, receiving a rank three ranks higher. The author parody describes not only his travels, but also how Platon Kuzmich found himself without him. So, on his face, where he should have been, there was only a smooth place.

The search leads Kovalev to the fact that he sees him driving around in a rich carriage, and even dressed in a chic uniform. The nose brings to life the dreams of its owner, but Kovalev himself is trying to find the reasons for his condition. He does not understand that all his behavior, dirty and lecherous, has led to the current situation.

Gogol shows that the soul of this man is dead. For Platon Kuzmich, the main thing in life is honoring ranks, promotion and servility to superiors.

One day, at the end of March, a small incident happened in the city on the Neva, which was very strange. In the first chapter Ivan Yakovlevich, barber, waking up very early, he heard the smell of hot bread, which his wife had prepared in the morning. He immediately got up and decided to have breakfast.

But cutting the bread in half, he began to peer at it intently, as something was turning white there. With a knife and fingers, the barber pulled out something solid, and it turned out to be a nose. And he seemed to Ivan Yakovlevich very familiar. Horror seized the barber, and the angry wife began to shout at him. And then Ivan Yakovlevich recognized him. Once, quite recently, it belonged to Kovalev, a collegiate assessor.

At first the barber wanted to wrap it in a cloth, and then he wanted to take it down somewhere. But his wife started screaming and threatening the police again. Ivan Yakovlevich could not understand how he got into the bread, trying to remember yesterday. The thought that he might be accused and taken to the police drove him into a daze and unconsciousness. Finally, he collected his thoughts, dressed and left the house. He wanted to quietly shove it somewhere, but could not seize a moment for this: one of the acquaintances constantly came across.

Only on the Isakievsky bridge was Ivan Yakovlevich able to get rid of him by throwing him into the water. Feeling relieved, he immediately went to have a drink, as he was a drunkard.

In the second chapter The author introduces the reader to the main character. Waking up, the collegiate assessor demanded a mirror. And suddenly, unexpectedly, he saw a completely smooth place instead of a nose. After making sure that there was no nose, he immediately went to the Chief of Police. Kovalyov came to St. Petersburg Manor to advance his career and find a rich bride. When he walked along Nevsky Prospekt, he could not catch a cab in any way, so he tried to cover his face with a handkerchief.

When Kovalev was leaving the confectionery, where he looked at himself in the mirror to make sure that there was no nose, he suddenly saw his nose in uniform jump out of the carriage and run up the stairs.

Kovalev, waiting for his return, saw that he had a rank much higher than his own. And from everything he saw, the stunned Kovalev almost went crazy. He immediately ran after the carriage, which stopped near the cathedral.

Finding your Nose in a church among people praying, Kovalev gathered his courage for a long time to talk to him. But when he delivered his speech, he immediately heard from the Nose in uniform that they were strangers and that he needed to observe the rules of decency. Seeing this state of affairs, the collegiate official decides to go on a newspaper expedition to write a complaint.

But the official who accepted Kovalev's statement that his nose ran away from him could not understand that this was not a person. He repeated all the time that the surname was strange, and how could he disappear. The paper's official refused to place a missing person's ad for Kovalyov, as this would have a negative impact on the paper's reputation.

After the newspaper expedition, the annoyed Kovalev went to a private bailiff. But he was just about to fall asleep after dinner. Therefore, he dryly answered the collegiate official that a decent person's nose would not be torn off. Touchy Kovalev went home with nothing.

Only in the evening, tired Kovalev was at home. Ugly seemed to him his own apartment at that moment. And his footman Ivan, who did nothing and just lay and spat at the ceiling, infuriated him. Having beaten the lackey, he sat down in an armchair and began to mentally analyze the incident that had happened to him. Soon he decided that it was the officer Podtochina for the sake of revenge, wanting to marry him to her daughter, she hired some grandmothers.

But suddenly a police official came and said that his nose had been found. He began to tell that he wanted to leave for Riga, but he was intercepted right on the road. He said that the culprit was the barber Ivan Yakovlevich, who is now sitting in the cell. After that, he took out a nose wrapped in some kind of paper. And after the policeman left, Kovalev held it in his hand for a long time, examining him.

But the joy soon passed, as Kovalev realized that he was now somehow needed put in place. He tried to put it in place himself, but his nose wouldn't hold. Then he sent a footman for the doctor, who also lived in this house. But the doctor could not do anything, but only advised to put it in a jar of alcohol and wash it more often. He even offered Kovalev to sell it.

Desperate, the major decides to write a letter to the staff officer to ask him to return to his original position. Alexandra Podtochina answered him immediately, where she did not even understand what was being said and wrote that she was glad to marry her daughter to him, and not leave him with a nose. After reading this message, Kovalev was completely upset, because he could not understand how this happened to him.

In the meantime, rumors about the incident with Kovalev had already begun to spread around the capital. Moreover, there was more and more news about where they saw the Nose walking by itself.

In the third chapter it is told that already on April 7, Kovalev's nose again in an incomprehensible way was in its place. It happened in the morning when the major looked at himself in the mirror. Just at that time, the barber also came. Surprised by the appearance of his nose, he carefully began to shave the collegiate official. After this procedure, the joyful Kovalev went on visits.

Analysis of the story

The nose in Gogol's story has a symbolic meaning. He points out that in society even the Nose can exist and even be higher in rank than its owner. But the owner turns out to be an unfortunate person, but he is empty and pompous. He only thinks about women and his career.

1. The disorder of the people.
2. Corrupt practices.

The story "The Nose" is a mysterious work of Nikolai Gogol, since it does not answer the question of how he could return to his place.

One of the characteristic features of the skill of N.V. Gogol is the ability to make a masterpiece out of a story or a popular anecdote he heard by chance. A vivid example of such writing ability is the story "The Nose", which caused a lot of controversy among contemporaries and has not lost its relevance to this day.

The work "Nose" was written by N.V. Gogol in 1832-1833, it is included in the collection "Petersburg Tales". The plot of the book is based on a well-known anecdote at the time, translated from French, about a missing nose. Such stories were very popular and had many variants. For the first time, the motif of a nose that interferes with a full life appears in Gogol's unfinished work The Lantern Was Dying in 1832.

This story underwent many changes over the course of several years, which was due to the censorship comments, as well as the author's desire to best embody his idea. For example, Gogol changed the ending of The Nose, in one version all the incredible events are explained by the hero's dream.

Initially, the writer wanted to publish his work in the Moscow Observer magazine, but he was refused. A.S., who had already opened his own journal by that time, came to the rescue. Pushkin, and the story "The Nose" was published in Sovremennik in 1836.

Genre and direction

By the time The Nose was published, Gogol had already become famous for his collection Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, where he addresses the theme of mysticism. But if "Evenings ..." for the most part are based on popular superstitions, then in "Petersburg Tales" Nikolai Vasilievich skillfully intertwines the motives of the supernatural with the image of sharp social problems. So in the work of Gogol a new direction for Russian literature is formed - fantastic realism.

Why does the author come to this writing method? Throughout his entire literary career, he heard social dissonances, but, as a writer, he could only identify them in his works, urge the reader to pay attention to them. He saw no way out, and turning to the fantastic allowed him to portray the picture of modernity even more dramatically. Saltykov-Shchedrin, Andrey Bely, M. Bulgakov and other authors will later use the same technique.

The composition of the story

Gogol divides the "Nose" into 3 parts, in a classic way: 1 - exposition and plot, 2 - climax, 3 - denouement, a happy ending for the main character. The plot develops linearly, sequentially, although the logic of certain events is not always explained.

1. The first part includes a description of the characters, a description of their life, as well as the starting point of the entire story. In its structure, it also consists of three blocks: the discovery of the nose - the intention to get rid of it - the release from the burden, which turned out to be false.
2. The second part introduces the reader to Major Kovalev himself. There is also a plot (detection of the loss), development of the action (an attempt to return the nose) and, as a result, the return of the nose.
3. The third part is homogeneous, it is a concise and bright chord that completes the work.

About what?

Description of the story "The Nose" can be reduced to a fairly simple and schematic plot: the loss of the nose - the search - the acquisition. The main thing in this work is its ideological content.

On the morning of March 25, the barber Ivan Yakovlevich discovers the nose of one of his clients, Major Kovalev, in his bread. The discouraged barber hurried to get rid of the evidence, he could not think of anything better than, as if by chance, throwing his nose into the river. Ivan Yakovlevich was already feeling relieved, but a policeman approached him "and what happened next, absolutely nothing is known."

Collegiate assessor Kovalev, waking up, did not find his nose in place. He goes to the Chief Police Officer. He did not find him at home, but on the way he met his nose, which he behaved self-sufficiently and did not want to know his owner. Kovalev is making attempts to reunite with the nose, he wanted to publish an ad in the newspaper, but he is refused everywhere and treated quite rudely. Finally, the fugitive was caught while trying to emigrate and returned to the owner. But the nose was not going to grow to its former place. The major comes to the conclusion that this is a corruption induced by the staff officer Podtochina. He even writes a letter to her, but receives a bewildered answer and realizes that he was mistaken. Two weeks later, Kovalev finds his face in its original form, everything is resolved by itself.

Real and fantastic

Gogol skillfully combines in his story. If, for example, in "The Overcoat" the mystical element appears only at the end of the work, then "The Nose" from the first pages carries the reader into the fairy-tale world of the writer.

Basically, there is nothing special in the reality depicted by Gogol: Petersburg, the life of a barber and state councilor. Even topographic details and exact dates of events correspond to reality. The author dilutes such credibility with one single fantastic element: Major Kovalev's nose escapes. And throughout the work, he develops from a separated part to an independent independent personality, and in the finale everything returns to normal. It is curious that this fact, although it shocks the reader, is woven into the canvas of the work quite organically, because the greatest absurdity lies not so much in the escaped part of the face, but in the attitude towards what happened, in admiration for ranks and aspirations for public opinion. According to the writer, it is more difficult to believe in such cowardice than in the disappearance of the nose.

Main characters and their characteristics

1. Petersburg Gogol's Nose is much more than just a city. This is a separate place with its own laws and realities. People come here to make a career for themselves, and those who have already achieved some success try not to fade in the eyes of others. Everything is possible here, even the nose is able to become independent for a while.
2. Traditional for Gogol little man image represents the character Major Kovalev. For him, it is important how he looks, the loss of his nose leads him to despair. He believes that you can do without an arm or leg, but without a nose - you are not a person, "just take it and throw it out the window." The hero no longer occupies the lowest rank: 8 out of 14 according to the "Table of Ranks", but dreams of a higher rank. However, even being at this level, he already knows with whom he can be arrogant, and with whom he can be modest. Kovalyov is rude to the cab driver, does not stand on ceremony with the barber, but fawns before respected officials and tries not to miss the parties. But he is absolutely discouraged by the meeting with the Nose, which is 3 ranks higher than its owner. How to deal with a part of yourself that does not know its place in physical sense, but perfectly understands his position in society?
3. Nose image bright enough in the story. He surpasses his master: his uniform is more expensive, his rank is more significant. An important difference between them is the behavior in the church: if the Nose prays humbly, then Kovalev stares at a beautiful woman, thinks about anything, but not about his soul.

Themes of the story

• The subject matter of the story is quite broad. The main theme, of course, is social inequality. Each hero is in his place in the social system. Their behavior and role in society is fully consistent with their position, but this idyll cannot be disturbed. It will be strange if the highest official does not be rude to the titular adviser, and the titular adviser to the groom.
• The theme of the little man in the story is illuminated quite brightly. Major Kovalev, having no special connections, cannot publish an advertisement in the newspaper about the loss of his nose. The victim of the "Table of Ranks" cannot even come close to his property, which turned out to be more noble.
• The theme of spirituality is also present in the work. Kovalev does not have a good education, military service allowed him to become a major, the main thing for him is appearance, and not inner world. The nose is opposed to the hero: the fugitive is focused on worship, he is not distracted by the surrounding ladies, unlike the owner. The major is characterized by frivolous behavior: he invites girls to his place and deliberately torments his daughter Podtochina with an imaginary hope.

Problems

• Gogol in "The Nose" reveals the vices concerning both society as a whole and individuals. The main problem of the story is philistinism. Kovalev is proud of his rank, dreams of a brilliant career. He is worried that a facial defect will prevent him from fulfilling his future plans. He values ​​public opinion, and what rumor can go about a man without a nose?
• The problem of immorality is raised in the story. The barber does not seek to return the nose to the owner, to confess his own, perhaps, the fault that he ruined the face. No, he is in a hurry to get rid of the strange object, hoping to go unpunished. And the immorality of Kovalev's behavior speaks for itself.
• Another vice highlighted by Gogol is hypocrisy. The Arrogant Nose does not want to communicate with those who are lower than his rank, like his cowardly master.

The meaning of the work

The main idea of ​​the story is to show all the depravity and cowardice of St. Petersburg society against the contrast of paradoxes. You can consider the loss of the nose as a kind of punishment for Major Kovalev for his sins, but Gogol does not emphasize this, the story is devoid of direct moralizing. The author did not dare to indicate the way how to cure the society, he could only indicate the problems. From here the erroneous idea of ​​the “natural school” will be formed: fix the society, and the problems will stop. Gogol understood: the maximum that he could do to improve the situation was to present the flaws of society in the brightest light. And he succeeded: the reader was blinded, many contemporaries recognized their acquaintances or even themselves, horrified by the insignificance of man.

What does it teach?

In his story The Nose, Gogol depicts the spiritual crisis of a person obsessed with vainglorious desires. Career, entertainment, women - that's all that attracts the main character. And this viciousness does not bother Kovalev, he has the right, together with all these aspirations, to be called a man, but without a nose - no. But the image of Major Kovalev is collective, he looks like the writer's contemporaries. The conclusion suggests itself: the position in society dictates the rules of behavior that no one dares to break: neither small man will not show perseverance, nor will a high-ranking official show generosity. About the approach of such a catastrophe that will affect society as a whole and each person individually, N.V. Gogol warns his readers.

Artistic originality

The story "The Nose" uses a very rich writing toolkit. Gogol most widely uses such a means of expression as the grotesque. Firstly, this is the autonomy of the Nose, superior in position to its owner. Secondly, comic exaggeration is typical for depicting the relationship of people of different social levels. Kovalev is afraid to approach the Nose, and Ivan Yakovlevich, with incredible trepidation and excitement, begins to relate to his client after what happened.

Gogol humanizes the nose, but the impersonation technique is also used on an enlarged scale. The nose becomes independent of the owner, almost a full member of society, he was even going to run abroad.

At the syntactic level, Gogol refers to zeugma: “Doctor<…>had fine resinous sideburns, a fresh, healthy doctor's wife. These features help the writer to portray humor and irony in the work.

Criticism

The story "The Nose" caused a wide resonance in the literary environment of the first half of the 19th century. Not all journals agreed to publish the work, blaming N.V. in vulgarity and absurdity written. Chernyshevsky, for example, treated this story as nothing more than a retold anecdote that existed at that time. The first to recognize the merits of the "Nose" was A.S. Pushkin, seeing the farcical nature of creation. The opinion of V.G. was significant. Belinsky, who urged the reading public to pay attention to the fact that such majors Kovalevs in society can be found not just one person, but hundreds, even thousands. S. G. Bocharov saw the greatness of the work in the fact that the author here encouraged the society to look into the eyes of reality. V. Nabokov considered this story one of the brightest images of the motive, which runs through all the work of N.V. Gogol.

The writing

MAYOR KOVALEV - the hero of the story N.V. Gogol "The Nose" (1833-1836). Name M.K. contains a double semantics of the image: on the one hand, a stereotyped and common surname (Ukrainian koval - a blacksmith; cf. the proverb: “the blacksmith of his happiness”), on the other hand, a name and patronymic (Platon Kuzmich), containing at the same time an ironic allusion to the Greek the philosopher Plato and the parodic dissonant middle name of the rustic Kuzma, which, in the tone of M.K. thinks neither of idealism nor of platonic love. His philosophy, like Khlestakov's (and Pirogov's), is "to pluck the flowers of pleasure." M.K. - "Caucasian" collegiate assessor (the rank of the 8th class corresponded to the major in the military table of ranks). In the Caucasus, it was easier to get this rank; there, young titular advisers gathered for the rank. M.K. calls himself a major unreasonably, because by decree of Catherine II of November 15, 1793, civilians do not have the right to call themselves military ranks. Consequently, the essence of the image of M.K. is ambition, self-love, consciousness of the hierarchical rank as an unshakable life law: “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but did not apologize in any way if it related to rank or title.” The image of M.K. splits in two: he himself and his Nose. Double M.K. (Nose) is metonymically separated from its carrier. The grotesque adventures of the Nose, as a bodily indicator of M.K.'s ambition, are ironically played up by Gogol in the spirit of an edifying story about justly punished vanity. Moreover, Nos M.K. three ranks higher than M.K. and serves in a different department, which destroys the harmonious world of the hierarchical order in the minds of M.K. The mysterious and mystical forces of life throw a simple everyday creature, occupied exclusively with vulgar, material problems, into a whirlwind of cruel trials ending in nothing (S. Bocharov). M.K. falls into the center of the so-called "mirage intrigue" (Yu. Mann), "comes into conflict with his own nose" (G. Gukovsky). All the blessings of life for M.K. depend on the outcome of this struggle. Barber M.K. Ivan Yakovlevich discovers his nose baked in bread, finds out whose nose it is, tries to get rid of it by throwing it into the Neva. M.K. himself finds himself without a nose, looking in the mirror (a persistent Gogol motif of exposure). The portrait of M.K. is a “figure of fiction” (A. Bely), since it is based on the absence of a nose: “He has a completely smooth place instead of a nose!” Only sideburns balance the absence of a nose in a parody: "these sideburns go along the very middle of the cheek and straight up to the nose." M.K. runs to look for his nose, sees him driving around in a carriage: “He was in a uniform embroidered with gold, with a large standing collar; he was wearing suede trousers; at the side of the sword. From the hat with the plume, it could be concluded that he was considered in the rank of state councilor. The Nose prays in the Kazan Cathedral, does not want to talk to M.K., who humbly asks that the Nose return to its rightful place. In search of his own nose M.K. goes to the Chief of Police, then to a newspaper expedition to advertise the loss of his nose, to a private bailiff. Misadventures of M.K. fill the metaphor of the nose with diverse meanings: hints at the debauchery of M.K. (“If he met some pretty girl, he gave her a secret order, adding: “You ask, darling, Major Kovalev’s apartment”), in connection with possible syphilis 241 (M.K. sees in the church “sisters in misfortune ': a row of beggar old women 'with their faces bound and with two holes for their eyes, at which he used to laugh so much'). The search for a vice-governor or an executor's seat, as well as marriage without a nose, is impossible. M.K. decides that his nose was ruined with the help of witchcraft by the staff officer Podtochina, whose daughter he promised to marry, but left his mother and daughter “with a nose”. Finally, the nose brings M.K. a police officer who intercepted his nose at the border on the way to Riga: “And it is strange that I myself at first mistook him for a gentleman. But, fortunately, I had glasses with me, and I immediately saw that it was a nose. The doctor refuses to sew on the nose, offers to put it in a jar of alcohol and sell it. Rumors about the Nose traveling around St. Petersburg are growing and gathering the curious. The nose with the old pimple (double metonymy) suddenly appears again on the face of M.K. Nose M.K. in the rank of state councilor - turned into a person and separated from M.K. an embodied dream, a conceivable limit of his secret ambitious desires, which explains the claims of M.K. to a vice-governor's position that does not correspond to the rank. The image of the Nose, therefore, is identical to other tragicomic Gogol personifications of the social inferiority of the characters: Bashmachkin's overcoat, the crown of the Spanish king Poprishchin. Social grotesque pervades the image of M.K. and is expressed in the fact that the Nose is at the same time an impostor and at the same time can occupy a responsible post no worse than others (G.A. Gukovsky). Nose M.K. disappears on March 25 - on the Annunciation, on Friday (the day of the crucifixion). M.K. dissolute, he is the flesh of the flesh of a merry Petersburg, defiling the day of fasting and the feast of the Annunciation (in the church, M.K. aims to flirt with a thin lady with translucent fingers, but with despair recalls the missing nose). The mystical loss of the nose and the suffering associated with it are forgotten by M. K. immediately, as soon as the nose returns to its place. The meaning of the image of M.K. is the triumph of vulgarity, the newly acquired nose only emphasizes the loss of a human face, bestowed by God (cf. the images of Pirogov (“Nevsky Prospekt”), Chertokutsky (“Carriage”), Nozdrev). Base passions triumph over Christian values ​​(love, piety, sympathy, compassion): M.K. visits a candy store, admires his nose in the mirror (“there is a nose!”), mocks the military man, whose “nose is no bigger than a waistcoat button”, fusses about a vice-governor’s position, meets the staff officer Podtochina with her daughter (“taking out a snuff box, stuffed his nose in front of them for a very long time from both entrances”), makes his nose to them, and finally buys himself a sash. Western civilization, personified in the image of St. Petersburg - foggy and fantastic city, - corrupts and “deads” the soul of M.K., the pursuit of ranks leads to a “terrible fragmentation” (Gogol) of man and the world. The image of the Nose M.K. Gogol borrowed from the magazine "nosology", L. Stern's novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman" (V. Vinogradov), as well as from a common hobby in the 20-30s. XIX "Sw. natural-philosophical and mystical teachings, including physiognomic ones (cf. the popular teachings of Lavater, Gald's phrenology, the physiognomic section of J. Boehme's Aurora). Based on Gogol's story, an opera by D.D. Shostakovich's "The Nose" (1928), in which the hero and the plot were embodied (under the influence of V.E. Meyerhold and his production of "The Government Inspector") in the methods of tragic buffoonery.

Lit .: Vinogradov V.V. Naturalistic grotesque (The plot and composition of the story "The Nose") // Vinogradov V.V. Selected Works: Poetics of Russian Literature. M., 1976; Ulyanov N. Arabesque or Apocalypse? // New magazine. 1959, LVII; Bocharov S.G. The mystery of the "Nose" and the mystery of the face // Bocharov S.G. About artistic worlds. M., 1985.