Some Remarks on Gogol’s Story The Nose
Paper | Mirgorod, Vol. 23/24 (2025) | pp. 137–173
Claudia ERDHEIM
Abstract: The article is not an attempt at a complete interpretation of Nikolai Gogol’s famous story The Nose; rather, it presents an analysis of selected motifs related to erotic symbolism and syphilis. In addition to examining absurdity and comedy, the article primarily focuseson interpreting the symbolic meaning of the pimple on the nose
of the main character, Major Kovalev. The pimple should certainly be interpreted as a symbol of syphilis. The text of the story also allows for the interpretation that the situation with the pimple may have occurred only in a dream. Losing the nose can be a nightmare resulting from either a justified or hypochondriacal fear of syphilis, although the pimple may also be a product of delusion or hallucination. These interpretations once again confirm how difficult it is to fully understand Gogol’s fantastic text.
Keywords: Nikolai Gogol / The Nose / eroticism / psychoanalysis / symbols
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32017/mirgorod-2025-23.24-6
Cite this paper: Erdheim, C. (2025). Einige Bemerkungen zu Gogols Erzählung Die Nase. Mirgorod: The Annual of the History and Epistemology of Contemporary Literary Studies, 23/24, pp. 137–173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32017/mirgorod-2025-23.24-6
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