Publisher's Synopsis
The scene of action in the Gogol's narrative Dead Souls takes place in a small town, which Gogol call NN. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov visits the town. He is a person, who intends to get the dead souls of the serfs in the local landowners. Chichikov breaks the placid urban life by his appearance there.Chichikov arrives to the town accompanied by his servants. He settles in an ordinary hotel. During the dinner, Chichikov inquires the pub keeper for everything that happens in NN. He finds out who are the most influential officials and famous landowners. He personally gets acquainted with a lot of landowners at the governor's reception. The landowners, Sobakevich and Manilov, invite him for a call. Chichikov attends a vice-governor, a procurator and a tax farmer for several days. He established a good reputation in the town.Chichikov has decided to leave the town for the Manilov's possessions. This village is really very boring. The landowner was very incomprehensible person. Manilov was often in his dreams. The landowner was very surprised with Chichikov's suggestion to sell him dead peasants' souls. To conclude a treaty they decided at meeting in the town. Chichikov left, but Manilov was pondering on this proposition for a long period of time.It was a foul weather on the Chichikov's way to Sobakevich. His light carriage went astray, so it was decided to stay over in the first country farmstead. It turned out, that this house was a property of the landowner, Korobochka. She was an efficient hostess. The dwellers' prosperity was keeping everywhere in the house. Korobochka took a suggestion of dead souls selling with astonishment. But then, she began to consider them as goods and she was afraid to set too low price and advised Chichikov to buy something else. They came to an agreement, and Chichikov, himself, hurried to escape the difficult landlady's character.
