Taras Bulba And Other Tales (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Taras Bulba and Other Tales is a collection of six novellas and stories by Nikolai Gogol, one of the pioneers of the Russian novel during the early 19th century. What's remarkable about this collection is the range of stories – everything from historical epic to ghost stories to stories that focus on the dynamics of human relationships. Gogol is a keen observer of human frailty, fickleness and folly and these themes permeate his stories. “Taras Bulba” is the longest piece in this collection and it stands out from the other stories in terms of grandeur and scale. The novella is Gogol's attempt to create an Ukrainian national epic as he romanticizes a military campaign by the Zaporozhian Cossacks against the Poles. Gogol reflects the biases and prejudices of his time – the depiction of Poles and Jews in the novella is problematic for us today. Yet taken on its own terms, “Taras Bulba” is a cultural celebration for an Ukraine overshadowed and dominated by Russia.The rest of the stories share a much narrower focus than “Taras Bulba.” The short story “St. John's Eve” describes a folkloric encounter with the devil. “The Cloak” describes the downfall of a lowly cog in the bureaucratic machine. The comic story “How the Two Ivans Quarreled” depicts how a simple disagreement between two friends explodes into a complex, never-ending lawsuit. In “The Mysterious Portrait,” a poor, young artist receives his heart's desire and in the process looses himself. The collection ends with “The Calash,” a brief fable against putting on airs and showing off.Taras Bulba and Other Tales is an accessible collection of novellas and short stories of Nikolai Gogol and is an excellent introduction to the work of this classic Russian author.
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