The Nose

The Nose is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol, subsequently made into an opera by Dmitri Shostakovich. Written between 1835-1836, the story tells of a St. Petersburg official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own.

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The story is in three parts:

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Part one

On the 25th of March, a barber, Ivan Yakovlevich, finds a nose in his bread which he recognises as that of one of his regular customers, Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov. He tries to get rid of it by throwing it in the Neva river, but he is caught by a policeman.

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Part two

Meanwhile Kovalyov wakes and finds his nose missing. He finds and confronts it in the Kazan Cathedral, but it has acquired a higher rank than him and refuses to return to his face. Kovalyov visits the newspaper office to place an advert about the loss of his nose, but is refused.

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He returns to his flat, where the policeman who caught Ivan finds him and returns the nose (which he caught at a coach station, trying to flee the city). Kovalyov's joy is cut short when he finds that he is unable to re-attach the nose, even with the help of the doctor. He suspects that he has been enchanted by a woman called Podtochina, because he would not marry her daughter. He writes to ask her to undo the spell, but she misinterprets the letter as a proposal to her daughter. Her reply convinces him that she is innocent. In the city, rumours of the nose's activities have spread, and crowds gather in search of it.

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Part three

On the 7th of April, Kovalyov wakes up with his nose reattached. He is carefully shaved by the barber and happily promenades about the city to show off his nose.

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Satirical: REDIRECT Satire...

Short story: The short story is a form of short fictional narrative prose. Short stories tend to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Because of their brevity, successful short stories rely on literary devices such as character, plot, theme, language, and in...

Nikolai Gogol: Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol () (March 31, 1809 - March 4, 1852) was a Ukrainian-born Russian writer. Although many of his works were influenced by his Ukrainian heritage and upbringing, he wrote in Russian and his works belong to the tradition of Russian literature. Perhaps his best known work is Dead ...

The Nose related Images and Photos (experimental)

Nose to Nose Thailand	Nose Art Sack Happy Pin-Up	Nose Art Skull with Goggles	Glee Nose Born This Way Mug
Glee Nose Born This Way T-Shirt	Glee Nose Born This Way Women's T-Shirt	I Love Lucy Nose on Fire Magnet	The Brady Bunch 'Oh My Nose!' T-Shirt - Pink
The Brady Bunch 'Oh My Nose!' T-Shirt - Pink	Edward Gorey Luminous Nose 2012 Mini Wall Calendar	Star Trek Klingon Beak Nose Disruptor Prop Replica	Older Man Pinching His Nose Closed