The article regards different occurrences of Germans and Germany in Gogol’s poem Dead Souls and, consequently, the author’s own perception of German mentality during the time when he was working on the poem.
The article deals with different instances of Germany being mentioned in Gogol’s cycle «Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka», as well as the issue of the author’s understanding of the word «German» while working on his stories, and some parallels with the works of other writers.
The article considers Gogol’s letters of his school years in which the German topic is mentioned, as well as contemporaries’ reminiscences complementing the picture with the biographical facts of the future author.
