The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Overcoat with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, a short story about a low-level bureaucrat called Akakii Akakievich, who realises that he needs a new overcoat and whose mundane life is transformed by his newfound obsession with this goal. This tale also serves as a scathing critique of the poverty, social climbing, incompetent bureaucracy and materialism that was rife in Russian society during the 19th century. Gogol is considered a pioneer of literary realism and more than 135 films have been made that are based on his work.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Nov 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9782808000826

Book preview

Russian writer

Born in Sorochyntsi in 1809.

Died in Moscow in 1852.

Notable works:

Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (1831-1832), short story collection

Arabesques (1835), short story collection

Dead Souls (1842-1852), novel

Nikolai Vasilievitch Gogol was born in 1809 to a Ukrainian landowner. He left home for Saint Petersburg at the age of 20 to embark on a career in the civil service, but his ambitions were soon frustrated and he left the bureaucracy in 1831 to devote himself to literature. He was introduced to Alexander Pushkin, who further encouraged his literary ambitions, and initially made a name for himself by writing short story collections such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka (1831-1832) and Arabesques (1835). He was rather overwhelmed when his play The Government Inspector (1836) was met with great success, and from then on began to travel frequently throughout Western Europe. From 1840 until his death in 1852