Penguin Little Black Classics

22 books in series
3 ratings

The Nose Summary

In 1722, Peter the Great introduced a system of positions and ranks for the military, the government, and the Russian court which enabled commoners to gain a modicum of nobility through service to the state. He did so in order to diminish the power of the hereditary nobility with whom he was struggling. This led to large bureaucracies and an obsession with appearances and status, a situation ripe for the brilliant satire of The Nose.

The story is an absurd, comic, surreal, and sometimes grotesque send up of Major Kovalyov, who wakes up one morning to find his nose missing. The story has three parts. In part one, Kovalyov's barber finds his client's nose in his breakfast and is nabbed by the police when he tries to throw it off a bridge. In part two, Kovalyov awakes to find his nose gone. When he leaves to report the loss, runs into it on the street dressed in the uniform of an important official who outranks him. He chases it, but the nose eludes him until it is apprehended it is about to flee the city by coach. The nose is returned to Kovalyov, but it can't be re-attached, leading him to suspect that a curse has been placed on him. Meanwhile, the nose has become the talk of the town. In part three, the Major awakes with the nose fully intact. Things just drift back to normal. The story is a staple of Russian literature, has been staged and adapted numerous times, and has had a monument erected in its honor in St. Petersburg.

Public Domain (P)2021 Douglas Harvey
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Product list

  • Book 1

    The Life of a Stupid Man: Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • The Life of a Stupid Man: Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Ryunosuke Akutagawa
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  • Book 2

    The Nose cover art
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  • Book 3

    The Meek One (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 4

    The Great Winglebury Duel cover art
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  • Book 5

    The Beautifull Cassandra (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • The Beautifull Cassandra (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Jane Austen
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  • Book 6

    Sindbad the Sailor cover art
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  • Book 7

    The Atheist's Mass (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 8

    Oscar Wilde: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime cover art
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  • Book 9

    The Old Man of the Moon (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • The Old Man of the Moon (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Shen Fu
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  • Book 10

    The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: TBD
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  • Book 11

    The Steel Flea (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 12

    Little Black Classics Single Copy Stock Pack: (80 volumes, 1 each) (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • Little Black Classics Single Copy Stock Pack: (80 volumes, 1 each) (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Jane Austen
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  • Book 13

    Little Black Classics Box Set (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • Little Black Classics Box Set (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Various (Author)
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  • Book 14

    The World is Full of Foolish Men (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 15

    Waterloo (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art

    • Waterloo (Penguin Little Black Classics)

    • By: Victor Hugo
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  • Book 16

    Stancliffe's Hotel (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 17

    The Death of Ivan Ilyich cover art
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  • Book 18

    White Nights cover art
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  • Book 19

    Seven Hanged (Penguin Little Black Classics) cover art
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  • Book 20

    Typhoon cover art
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