Dead Souls Link

: A giant, bear-like man who is ruthlessly efficient and drives a hard bargain for his deceased property.

As Chichikov travels from estate to estate, Gogol introduces us to a hilarious and terrifying lineup of Russian landowners. They are not flat stereotypes, but neurotically individual caricatures: Dead Souls

: Enter our protagonist, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov . He travels the countryside offering to "buy" these dead souls on paper. : A giant, bear-like man who is ruthlessly

: Because censuses were conducted years apart, landowners kept paying taxes on serfs who had died in the interim. He travels the countryside offering to "buy" these

: Landowners had to pay taxes on their male serfs (referred to officially as "souls") based on the latest census.

: The landowners get a tax break, and Chichikov plans to take his massive list of paper serfs to a bank, mortgage them as if they are living property, and buy himself a real estate empire. 🎭 A Gallery of Grotesques