Чужие слова Хлестакова

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article discusses the speech and non-verbal statements of Ivan Chlestakov, the main character of Nikolaj Gogol′’s play The Inspector General. The analysis allows to observe how the author crafts the psychological authenticity of his hero, architecting Chlestakov’s background, which consists of fragments of the Russian capital’s culture of the time: Puškin and Karamzin, fashionable melodies and a famous reading-book, etc. The article also shows that most of the hero’s remarks are motivated by the logic of his thought, carefully developed by the writer.