Canada’s leading Russian literature scholar Yoel Inbar joins to make sense of Gogol’s 1836 short story “The Nose.” They explore the absurdity and themes of neuroticism and rank obsession in the story. They also discuss the power of rumors and the acceptance of absurd situations. Plus, they analyze the protagonist’s relationship with his nose and the role of professional success.
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Quick takeaways
The short story 'The Nose' satirizes the obsession with rank and status in St. Petersburg society.
The story highlights the absurdity of life and how people often ignore or downplay the unusual.
Deep dives
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The nose wakes up one morning to find that his nose is missing. He searches for his missing nose but instead encounters it walking around town in a higher rank than him. The nose refuses to reattach itself and eventually disappears. In the end, the nose mysteriously returns and rejoins the main character's face. The story is full of absurdity and miscommunications, highlighting the obsession with rank and status. The events of the story defy logic and follow dreamlike logic. The story is filled with humor and serves as a critique of bureaucracy and societal conventions.
Rank and title obsession
The story satirizes the obsession with rank and title in St. Petersburg society. Characters, like the district police superintendent and the major's wife, prioritize social status over genuine concern for others. This obsession is highlighted through the major's distress over losing his nose, which he believes threatens his social standing.
Accepting the absurdity of life
The story depicts the absurdity of life and how people often ignore or normalize the strangeness around them. Despite the bizarre events of a detached nose wandering the streets, society continues with its everyday routines and remains indifferent to the absurdity. The story pokes fun at the human tendency to ignore or downplay the unusual, showcasing the disconnect between the extraordinary and the mundane.
The limits of rationality and logical explanations
The narrator challenges the idea that every story must have a logical explanation or a neatly resolved ending. This is exemplified through the narrator's own confusion about the story's strange occurrences and the lack of clear answers. By rejecting traditional narrative conventions and embracing absurdity, the story suggests that life itself often defies logic and defies easy explanations.
Canada’s leading Russian literature scholar Yoel Inbar joins us to try to make sense of Gogol’s 1836 short story “The Nose.” A nose goes missing from a Russian official’s face and winds up in the barber’s loaf of bread. A few hours later, the nose has rocketed up the social hierarchy and denies his connection to the official. What’s going on? Is Madame Alexandra Grigorievna up to something?
Plus we can’t say how but we got access to submitted abstracts for the new Journal of Controversial Ideas. We read a few of them in the opening segment, and let’s just say this journal is living up to its name.