How you explore Dead Souls on Literah
The cast, the places, the objects, the plot, and the author’s own words — each one a card in a feed you scroll on your phone. One at a time, at your pace, in any order you like.
- Built for your phone. Literah is designed for mobile, so your worlds travel with you. On a laptop it shows a QR code to carry the world to your phone.
- A feed, not a wall of text. 30 characters, 12 places, 21 objects and 13 plot beats, each its own card with its own illustration.
- The author’s own words. 46 passages of Dead Souls sit in the feed verbatim, exactly as Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol wrote them, each with a short reading of what it is doing. The map is ours; the prose is always the book’s.
- The same scroll, a better world. The gesture you already give away to feeds, spent on Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol instead.
The Dead Souls feed, as it appears in your mobile
The plot of Dead Souls
The story beat by beat, as Literah maps it.
- A Stranger of No Particular Qualities
- First Call: Manilov
- The Proposal Is Named
- Lost on the Road to Korobochka
- Nozdryov Brings Chaos
- A Deal Made of Iron
- Into the Ruin of Plyushkin
- From Estates to Paperwork
- Triumph at the Governor’s Ball
- Nozdryov Tells Everyone
The author's pen in Dead Souls
The passages themselves, Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol's own words, as Literah maps it.
- Arrival at the Innch. 1
- The Faceless Waiterch. 1
- The Common Parlourch. 1
- The Traveller's Scarfch. 1
- A Visit to the Governorch. 1
- Modesty and Concealmentch. 1
- Chichikov Pleases Everyonech. 1
- Introducing The Serving Mench. 2
- Departure Through the Streetch. 2
- Manilov’s Sugary Amiabilitych. 2
- Manilov’s Windy Abodech. 2
- An Unfinished Establishmentch. 2
- The Purchase of Dead Soulsch. 2
- Souls Surrendered Unconditionallych. 2
- Lost in the Mirech. 3
- Guided by a Barkch. 3
- Heavy Eyelids In The Parlourch. 3
- Selling Dead Soulsch. 3
- Arrival at the Tavernch. 4
- The Gay Young Sparkch. 4
The characters of Dead Souls
Who is who, as Literah maps it.
- Pavel Ivanovich Chichikovmajor
- Narrator / Narrative Voicemajor
- Manilovsupporting
- Nastasya Petrovna Korobochkasupporting
- Nozdryovsupporting
- Sobakevichsupporting
- Plyushkinsupporting
- Selifansupporting
- Petrushkasupporting
- Governorsupporting
- Governor’s Daughtersupporting
- Postmastersupporting
- Public Prosecutorsupporting
- Chief of Policesupporting
- Ivan Grigorievich, President of the Local Councilsupporting
- Vice-Governorminor
The locations in Dead Souls
Where it happens, as Literah maps it.
- Provincial Town of N.provincial town
- Provincial Inninn
- Governor’s House / Governor’s Partyofficial residence
- Official Offices / Legal Spacesgovernment office
- Gossip Rooms / Town Drawing Roomsdrawing rooms
- Road / Highwayroad
- Manilov’s Estatecountry estate
- Korobochka’s Housecountry house
- Nozdryov’s Estatecountry estate
- Sobakevich’s Estatecountry estate
- Plyushkin’s Estatecountry estate
- St. Petersburg / Captain Kopeikin Bureaucratic Spacecapital city office space
The core concepts in Dead Souls
What the book keeps returning to, as Literah maps it.
- Dead Souls and Living Deadness
- Paperwork Over Life
- Cheerful Rot
- Social Performance as Currency
- Estates as Souls
- Rumor as Authorship
- Road and Unfinished Russia
The objects of note in Dead Souls
The things that carry meaning, as Literah maps it.
- Dead-souls list
- Britchka
- Legal papers / purchase deeds
- Chichikov’s dispatch-box
- Chichikov’s portmanteau and luggage
- Manilov’s pipe
- Manilov’s sentimental book
- Korobochka’s preserves and jars
- Korobochka’s feathers and stores
- Nozdryov’s dogs and kennel
- Nozdryov’s cards and gaming table
- Nozdryov’s pipes
- Nozdryov’s guns, sword, and daggers
- Nozdryov’s barrel-organ
The offer
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