On the Multidimensionality of Akaki Akakievich, or Why There Is No Image of a “Little Man” in Russian Literature
Journal: ПРОБЛЕМЫ ИСТОРИЧЕСКОЙ ПОЭТИКИ
Year: 2025

The article revises the concept of the “little man” — both in relation to the character of Gogol’s short novel “The Overcoat” Akaki Akakievich, and in relation to other characters of the crowning works of Russian literature. Gogol’s character, as has long been noted, does not merely have a passive role, he is significantly different from what was conveyed by the Marxist cliché — “typical characters in typical circumstances,” which denotes the so-called “critical” realism. The article emphasizes