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Overview
“The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol is a short story published in 1842
. Originally written in Russian, “The Overcoat” is both realistic and yet supernatural, telling the story of Akakiy Akakievitch, a downtrodden clerk who needs a new overcoat for St. Petersburg’s harsh winters. His acquisition and loss of the overcoat make up the bulk of the narrative, which is told in a comic yet tragic style that highlights the rigid social hierarchy of Russian society at the time of its writing. “The Overcoat” has been praised as one of the very best Russian short stories of all time.Read a full plot summary, an analysis of Akakiy Akakievitch, and descriptions of the main ideas in "The Overcoat."
