Multifaceted Metaphor: Gogol's Portrayal of St. Petersburg in Dead Souls

A close reading of Dead Souls in light of letters and biographical information highlights how Gogol purposefully subverted the glamorous representation of St. Petersburg typical of his day. Through repetition and association, the capital comes to represent what is false, foreign, and deceitful about fashion, culture, the Enlightenment, and the upper class. This portrayal, however, is not overt but rather cloaked in the depiction of the village of N. Although Gogol's methods are subtle, a pairing of the locales entails a critique of the capital both directly by comparison and indirectly by contrast. The multiple nuances and the humor of Dead Souls cannot be fully appreciated without an awareness of Gogol's methods. Further, this angle is essential in understanding Gogol's professed intentions of showing the moral and spiritual deficiencies he saw in sophisticated society. Finally, the culminating effect of Gogol's portrayal of St. Petersburg becomes an extended and complex metaphor.