Home Life in Russia, Volumes 1 and 2 [Dead Souls]

"Home Life in Russia, Volumes 1 and 2" by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol is a funny story that takes a close look at Russian life in the 1800s. The book tells about Pavel Ivanovitch Tchichikoff, a government official traveling for both fun and work. It shows the strange habits of Russian nobles and makes fun of the way society and politics worked back then. Tchichikoff starts his journey by arriving at an inn in Smolensk, where the descriptions of the inn and its workers show a world of weird but interesting people. He asks about the local nobles, suggesting that he wants to be part of their world, but also hiding what he really wants to do.