Dead Souls follows Chichikov, a man who travels to a provincial town with the peculiar aim of acquiring deceased serfs, as he navigates the absurdities of bureaucracy and human nature, ultimately revealing the deep societal flaws of his time. Through his interactions with various characters, including the miserly landowner Plushkin, the novel critiques the moral and ethical decay present in Russian society.
By Nikolai Gogol · First published 1842 · Genre: Satire, Philosophical Fiction, Social Commentary · 15 chapters