An Investigation Into The Structure Of Gogol

An Investigation Into The Structure Of Gogol Essay, Research Paper

An Investigation into the Structure of Gogol’s The Portrait

Gogol’s The Portrait, is a short story which examined through a formalistic approach, can be understood beyond its

obvious storyline and plot. Formalism is the literary theory that literature is not simply a mass of words, but

comprised of individual words that each may possess a social stereotype, a spiritual aspect or convey a physical

response in the reader. Formalism asserts that the world is full of codes that need to be decoded. By investigating

these codes, one can understand the world or in this scenario, the literary message better. These codes in

literature, must appear as defamiliarzied or distorted in literature. Everyday aspects of life outside of their average

element, still maintain their same definition but bring that very definition to a different context, thus enabling one to

see that original definition in a new light and indeed, apply it to elucidate other situations similar or completely

dislike to the primary one. The Portrait can be completely and logically dissected by formalistic methods. I will

concentrate on Part I of this short story (solely concerning Chartkov), to produce a more concentrated and concise

investigation of the story.

Formalists took the power of the word to the next level, by seeing that the word can be used as a tool, to educate

and better the masses, or for pure propagandist purposes. Art, according to the formalists, “not only bears

meaning, it forces an awareness upon the reader.” This awareness is dependent upon the accepted and expected

produced images of the words in literature. These images transcend time and place;” images change little, from

century to century . . . they flow on without changing . . . images belong to no one.”

Thereby, in making these familiar images seem strange, the reader perceives it in an entirely new way. A formalist

approach to the opening of The Portrait, entails the story’s usage of a semi-immediate exposition as opposed to an

immediate exposition . Within the latter exposition, “the author opens by acquainting us with the elements of the

story material.” The beginning of The Portrait is very close to being defined as purely immediate but the storyline

is not as simple. Therefore it would be characterized as a semi-exposition. The reader is presented with the

character of the artist, a poor young idealist man and his environment, which sets the scene for the development of

the story. The artist is described as having an “old overcoat and unfashionable . . . he was a man who devoted

himself to his work with self-denying zeal.” The poverty of the artist, invokes feelings of sympathy in the reader.

These emotions of sympathy are expected and are manipulated by the author for his own use. In particular, the

choice of the author for a poor character, resulting in sympathetic emotions is a purposeful one, from a formalist

perspective. “The function of sympathy is primarily to direct interest and maintain attention-to call forth, as it were,

the personal interest of the reader in the development of the theme.” The reader, in having emotionally invested in

the character, is irrevocably attracted to the story.

Chartkov purchases a portrait, which the reader knows he cannot afford, for its glaring eyes with its “unnatural

loveliness.” Already the reader knows the unusual importance of this portrait, if anything merely by the

implications created by the semi-exposition itself. Indeed, this portrait and namely its eyes, develops into the

dynamic motif of the story. But for the moment, Gogol puts the portrait aside and concentrates more upon the

persons of the artist himself.

After the purchase of the portrait, Chartkov is dismayed by the knowledge that his landlord came earlier that day

with a policeman, to collect his overdue rent. At this point in the story, Gogol chooses to introduce a new and

current emotional predicament. The reader, now educated as to the emotional and intellectual state of the

character, can now be subjected to new emotional situations concerning Chartkov. The reader can infer the

limitations and capabilities of his emotional state and therefore share some psychological insight into Chartkov’s

further actions and words.

The relationship between Chartkov and the reader, can be observed as direct characterization at the outset of the

story, and indirect characterization during the latter part. This direct characterization is demonstrated by Gogol’s

usage of the stereotypical image of an artist; one is who is impoverished, idealistic and somewhat disillusioned.

Indirect characterization is the display of Chartkov’s persona through conversations and specific situations, i.e. the

interaction with the man in the portrait and the usage of money he finds later is.

Chartkov’s bound motif of his struggle of what is right and what is wrong concerning his artwork, indeed involves

the reader’s feelings . He is faced with

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