Gogol’s Russia: Plays from the First Half of the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

This section, discusses the fate of the first half of the nineteenth century of the Russian repertoire in Britain, while also plumbing the eighteenth century for its influence. It includes the British reception of the writers who created the climate for Gogol’s comedy: The Government Inspector, well known in Britain. The focal points and comments on categorisation of British productions are under these headings: The shadow of the eighteenth century: Fonvizin (The Minor) and Griboedov (Woe from Wit); Pushkin (Boris Godunov, Little Tragedies, Evgenii Onegin) and Lermontov (Masquerade); Gogol (The Government Inspector, Marriage and Gamblers).