Chichikov: The Name of the Main Character of Dead Souls

One of the distinguishing features of the legacy of N. V. Gogol is the breadth and versatility of his linguistic arsenal. It is well known that Gogol as a writer enriched the Russian language by introducing Ukrainian words and phrases into it. One of the keys to understanding the concept of “Dead Souls” (1842) is the name of the protagonist of the poem, Chichikov. In the article, the Ukrainian word “chichik” is indicated as the most likely source of the hero’s name, which is found in Gogol’s handwritten collection “The Book of All sorts of Things, or the Handy Encyclopedia” (1826–1830). The word “chichik” means ‘a predatory, thievish’ cat. There exists folklore and historical-literary context corresponding to this meaning, including an extensive set of word usages associated with references to ‘wild cats’ (lions, tigers) in a number of Gogol's works. Unexpected at first glance, the ‘Ukrainian’ origin of the name of the protagonist of “Dead Souls” finds confirmation in the analysis of Gogol's satire features, equally directed both at representatives of central and northern Russia, and at the inhabitants and natives of South Russia. An appeal to the folklore materials of Gogol's “Book of all sorts of things...”, to the historiosophical studies of the writer allows us to expand the usual ideas about his poetics and to identify new reminiscences of the artistic images of Gogol's works.

Keywords

Nikolai Gogol, poetics, onomastics, author's intention, general history, satire, folklore

Publication date

12.12.2023

Number of characters

26238

Cite

GOST	Vinogradov I. Chichikov: The Name of the Main Character of “Dead Souls” // Russkaya Rech’ – 2023. – Issue 5 C. 93-105 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/rusrech/s013161170028369-4-1-en (circulation date: 19.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013161170028369-4
MLA	Vinogradov, Igor' A "Chichikov: The Name of the Main Character of “Dead Souls”." Russkaya Rech’ 5 (2023):93-105. DOI: 10.31857/S013161170028369-4
APA	Vinogradov I. (2023). Chichikov: The Name of the Main Character of “Dead Souls”. Russkaya Rech’ (5), pp.93-105 DOI: 10.31857/S013161170028369-4

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 162

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Filin F. P. (ch. ed.). Slovar' russkikh narodnykh govorov [Dictionary of Russian Folk dialects]. Iss. 14. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1978. 376 p.; Iss. 22. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1987. 368 p. (In Russ.)

2. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i pisem: V 17 t. [Complete works and letters: In 17 volumes (15 books)]. Comp., prep. of texts and comments by I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Kyiv, Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate, 2009–2010.

3. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i pisem: V 23 t. [Complete works and letters: In 23 volumes]. Vol. 8. Mertvye dushi. Tom vtoroi [Dead Souls. Volume Two]. Texts and comments prep. by N. L. Vinogradskaya, E. E. Dmitrieva, I. A. Zaitseva, Yu. V. Mann, A. S. Sholokhova. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 2020. 830 p.

4. Gol'denberg A. X. Arkhetipy v poetike N. V. Gogolya. Monografiya [Archetypes in the poetics of N. V. Gogol. Monograph]. Volgograd, Publishing House of VGPU “Peremena”, 2007. 261 p. (In Russ.)

5. Gol'denberg A. X., Goncharov S. A. [Legendary and mythological tradition in “Dead Souls”]. Russkaya literatura i kul'tura Novogo vremeni [Russian literature and culture of modern times]. St. Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 1994, pp. 21–48. (In Russ.)

6. Melnichuk A. S. (ch. ed.). Etimologichnii slovnik ukraïns'koï movi: U 7 t. [Etymological dictionary of Ukrainian language: U 7 volumes]. Kiev, Naukova Dumka Publ., 2012, vol. 6. 568 p. (In Ukr.)

7. Simeon (Tomachinskii V. V.), archim. [On the issue of the genesis of the surname Chichikov: a new version]. Gogol' i vektor dvizheniya russkoi literatury. Dvadtsat' pervye Gogolevskie chteniya [Gogol and the vector of movement of Russian literature. Twenty-first Gogol readings], Proc. of the International Scientific Conference, Moscow, May 19–21, 2021, Moscow Department of Culture, “N. V. Gogol’s House – Memorial Museum and Scientific Library”, edited by V. P. Vikulova. Moscow, Novosibirsk, Novosibirsk Publishing House, 2022, pp. 62–66. (In Russ.)

8. Simeon (Tomachinskii V. V.), archim. [The path-road of Dante and N. V. Gogol: “The Divine Comedy” and “Dead Souls”]. Dva veka russkoi klassiki, 2022, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 58–67. (In Russ.) Available at: http://rusklassika.ru/images/2022-4-1/02_Tomachinskiy_58-67.pdf (accessed 26.09.2022).

9. Sinitskaya S. V. [On Gogol's names]. Russkaya literatura, 1998, no. 3, pp. 272–273. (In Russ.)

10. Vinogradov I. A. Letopis' zhizni i tvorchestva N. V. Gogolya (1809–1852). Nauchnoe izdanie: v 7 t. [Chronicle of life and work of N. V. Gogol (1809–1852). Scientific publication: in 7 vols]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2017, vol. 2. 672 p. (In Russ.)

11. Vinogradov I. A. [The Mayor's career in “The Government Inspector”. On Nikolai Gogol's political views]. Literaturnyi fakt, 2020a, no. 1 (15), pp. 237–282. (In Russ.)

12. Vinogradov I. A. [Little Russia and Great Russia in the satire of N. V. Gogol]. Vestnik Kostromskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 2020b, vol. 26, no. 3, July-September, pp. 128–133. (In Russ.)

13. Vinogradov I. A. N. V. Gogol' i tsenzura. Vzaimootnosheniya khudozhnika i vlasti kak klyuchevaya problema gogolevskogo naslediya [N. V. Gogol and censorship. The relationship between the artist and the authorities as a key problem of the Gogol heritage]. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2021a. 864 p. (In Russ.)

14. Vinogradov I. A. [A. S. Khomyakov and N. V. Gogol: the problem of relationships]. Russko-Vizantiiskii vestnik, 2021b, no. 1 (4), pp. 32–69. (In Russ.)

15. Vinogradov I. A. [Unknown book by N. V. Gogol in 1834: idea, context, reminiscences]. Literaturnyi fakt, 2022, no. 1 (23), pp. 8–54. (In Russ.)