The Arts in New York City | Baruch Fall 2013 Macaulay Seminar 1

Mood Diaries: The Nose

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Evans Charles Augustin

This story is definitely on my list of strange symbolic tales. The idea of my barber accidentally cutting off my nose and then finding it in his bread is a scary image. Then waking up without my nose and seeing it walk down the street is just freaky. If I was in that situation the most exasperating part about it would be confronting my nose and seeing how “stuck up” it would be to me and having it dress as if it was superior to me. At first I really did not understand what the story was trying to emphasize. It was hard to envision the characters, especially Kovaloff’s nose as its own person. As I read I kept thinking of what Kovaloff’s voice would sound like without a nose, it would probably sound like a person with a nasal condition and kind of annoying. But what really boggled my mind was the image of a nose with arms, legs, and clothes speaking like a gentleman.

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I also did not grasp how some of the characters in the story were so nonchalant about the situation. For example, the Clerk whom Kovaloff wanted to buy an advertisement from. He refused to make an advertisement for a lost nose because he thought it was ridiculous. Then he assumed that it was probably a metaphor for something else entirely Kovaloff may have lost. When Kovaloff shows the Clerk his flat face the Clerk is neither terrified nor disgusted he just looks in wonder at how flat, like a pancake Kovaloff’s face is. I would say that this would not be the correct response to the situation.

The story was so strange that it caused me to forget about any deeper meaning. From our group discussion the idea of a part of a man turning out to be me important socially than the man himself came to mind. That idea helped me interpret the story in a new way the second time I read it. This is similar to another story I read this year called The Importance of Being Earnest, in which something minor like a name can bepresented as something of greater importance than the character or dignity of the person it belongs to. I believe in this story Gogol could be using satire to highlight this po th-2 int.

Mood Diary on The Nose

Posted on October 9, 2013 by adonagjoka

When I started reading Nicholas Gogol’s The Nose, I didn’t know what to expect because it began with a barber, Ivan Jakovlevitch, having a normal conversation with his wife, Prasskovna Ossipovna. The description of Ivan’s cheap and dirty clothing reminded me of a drunkard.

The story became strange when Ivan found a nose in his loaf of bread. I didn’t know what to think; I was shocked that the author chose to put a nose in a piece of bread.

The wife’s reaction was also strange because instead of supporting her husband, she called him a monster and a scoundrel. Ivan wanted desperately to get rid of the nose because he thought he might have accidentally cut it off while shaving Kovaloff. At this point, I was just confused as to how he wouldn’t have realized if he cut off someone’s nose.
Part II of The Nose transitions to Kovaloff’s part of the story. This part was even more ridiculous than the previous because Kovaloff woke up to find his nose missing and had no idea how it happened. This was just as unrealistic as Ivan “accidentally” shaving someone’s nose off. When Kovaloff says he saw his nose walk out of a carriage, I thought he must have been dreaming. He even has a conversation with the nose until it disappears.

I found it interesting that without his nose, no one recognized Kovaloff as a member of the Municipal Committee. The official of the advertisement office didn’t know of Kovaloff nor did he let him advertise for his missing nose. However, I have to agree with the official because posting an advertisement for a missing nose would be crazy. After endless attempts to get the official to place an advertisement, Kovaloff leaves the office angry. I got a sense that he strongly valued his nose after saying he would have rather lost an arm or a leg.

The story brightens up a bit when a police commissioner returns Kovaloff’s nose. However, Kovaloff’s disappoint returns when the doctor tells him there’s no hope of sticking the nose back on to his face. I didn’t understand why the doctor seemed so against helping Kovaloff. I think the doctor was being sneaky by refuting all of Kovaloff’s suggestions.

In part III of The Nose, Kovaloff goes back to his normal life because his nose reappears back on his face. This part was confusing because he thought his nose was on his face, but Ivan made it seem like Kovaloff still had an empty space. Kovaloff’s nose made his confidence level increase greatly because he began taking walks and going to plays again. I was surprised to find out that The Nose is actually entirely about the importance of social structure in society

Mood Diary- “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Aishwarya Bhatia

Nikolai Gogol’s “The Nose” is an intriguing story about a man who loses his nose and struggles to adjust without it. Although I found the plotline quite strange, I was not prompted to question why I was reading the story. Instead, I was amused by Gogol’s use of a metaphor that seems funny on the surface, but carries the gravity of our society’s truth underneath.

The story begins with Ivan Jakovlevitch, a barber in St. Petersburg. In the very first line, Gogol hints at his habit of leaving an air of mystery in writing. He starts off with: “On the 25^th March, 18—,” and continues with the details of the “strange occurrence”. In doing so, he leaves the exposition incomplete and the reader worried about the possible scope of events. (The puzzled and worried reaction is anticipated, especially after reading Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”.)

“Confused Blue Smiley.” ClipartOf. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://free.clipartof.com/details/81-Confused-Blue-Smiley-Free-3D-Vector-Clipart-Illustration>.

Furthermore, Gogol, like Kafka, managed to evoke a discomforting feeling through the use of imagery. When Ivan found a nose inside the loaf of bread, I felt like a clown sprung out of a jack-in-the-box toy. Conjuring the image of a nose embedded in a loaf of bread was indeed a bad decision. The terrifying image prompts an involuntary shudder. Nonetheless, this image is not nearly as creepy as of a man who turns into a cockroach.

“Jack-in-the-box.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-in-the-box>.

I found it quite interesting how my perception of the story changed from the beginning to the end. Initially, I thought that Gogol wrote a fantastical story, devoid of purpose and meaning. In fact, I found the concept of a man losing and retrieving his nose farfetched and unrealistic. It was only when I observed Major Kovaloff’s character that I realized the essence of the nose. Kovaloff’s insistence to be called a “Major,” combined with his redundant claims of knowing many powerful women, are key to understanding his shallow character. In the literal sense of the text, Kovaloff is so concerned about his false ego and others’ perception of him that he completely overlooks the fact that he is missing an organ. Although I sympathized with him, I felt that he was being very nonchalant about the real problem. After all, he had been living without a nose for days.

After reading the story, I thought that the author purposely left some questions unanswered. First, how can a nose disguise as a state-councilor? In my mind, I had a vague picture of a nose wearing a long, dark overcoat with black glasses like a detective.

“Good Book to Read: “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol.” Rev. of “The Nose” Web log post. Splendour Eye. Blogger, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://splendoureye.blogspot.com/2013/01/good-book-to-read-nose-by-nikolai-gogol.html#.UlS9KFOVXaY>.

The state-councilor almost reminded me of Sherlock Holmes if it wasn’t for one discrepancy—he was a nose, for crying out loud! Given that he is an organ, I wonder if he has his own organs. Did the nose have eyes, ears, and a nose? Another question that lurks around is—Why did the nose go unnoticed by the rest of the people in St. Petersburg? Of all the people, why, or rather, how did Major Kovaloff spot the nose?

Despite these uncertainties about the technicalities, I was able to realize the underlying ideas and their significance. The nose was a symbol of pretentious pride in society. Gogol’s attempt to satirize society’s tendencies of organizing people in ranks was effective. He conveyed the deeper meaning behind his seemingly funny story through an indirect metaphor. However, I don’t see why Gogol resolved the problem in the story if his intention was to make a social commentary about ranks and prestige. It is highly unlikely that the protagonist learned his lesson after the tragedy, so why would Gogol go out of the scope of the story to resolve the problem and contradict the very arguments he raised?

More importantly, why did Gogol ask the questions that are likely to be going through the reader’s mind? Was he expressing the same uncertainty about the story and society that I was? Was he trying to build a connection with the reader in general? Or was he using rhetoric to reinstate his arguments? If the answer to any of the questions were “yes,” then the anticipated follow-up question would be, “Why?”

Works Cited:

“Confused Blue Smiley.” ClipartOf. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://free.clipartof.com/details/81-Confused-Blue-Smiley-Free-3D-Vector-Clipart-Illustration>.

“Jack-in-the-box.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-in-the-box>.

“Good Book to Read: “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol.” Rev. of “The Nose” Web log post. Splendour Eye. Blogger, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2013. <http://splendoureye.blogspot.com/2013/01/good-book-to-read-nose-by-nikolai-gogol.html#.UlS9KFOVXaY>.

“The Nose” Mood Diary

Posted on October 8, 2013 by mheyboer

Gogol’s “The Nose” is about a nose in only the most literal sense. While I was reading, I didn’t immediately get the overarching symbolism that the nose represented throughout the novella. The nose isn’t a nose, or at least it doesn’t have to be. It is any arbitrary thing that determines what is ‘high class’ in society.

The entire work is clearly an aspersion on social class. In Russia at the time it was published, in the mid 19^th century, achieving success or even comfort in life outside of the upper class was hugely challenging. Gogol’s point was that this success is undeserved. It is not someone’s actions that determine if they are a member of the upper class but their wealth and clothes and demeanor.

To me this disdain for the class system was most obvious during Kovaliov’s conversation with the nose. Kovaliov, whose entire self-worth is based upon his class status, is astounded that the nose had a higher-ranking position than his own.

Let’s look at this for a second. A man sees his own nose walking around and wearing clothes, but what worries him is that the nose has the better job… Clearly Gogol didn’t have any measurable love for social climbers.

But this scene evokes a deeper theme; a deeper reflection on the way class is ingrained into the roots of our society. “The Nose” should make us question what determines if someone is worthy of being in the ‘upper class:’ because if a nose can achieve this higher class ranking then the reasons must be shallow. In fact, at the end of the story when Kovaliov is informed that his nose was found the policeman made a point of saying that if he hadn’t been wearing glasses he would have also mistaken the nose for a gentleman. This comment is sort of a slap to the face for anyone who values the superficial determinants of class- if you put on a nice suit and an arrogant attitude anyone can pass for an official.

The fact that it is Kovaliov’s nose symbolizing this theme is insubstantial. The nose may be poetically meaningful, something to do with the Russian word nos (I don’t know I don’t speak Russian), but any object could have sufficed to portray Gogol’s disdain of the class structure. The scene between Kovaliov and his nose exemplifies this. Any object that is dressed and primped and practiced can deserve the rewards exclusively given to the upper class.

“The Nose” Mood Diary

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Jaclyn

Just like Metamorphosis, I knew that “The Nose” would not be a typical read. Unfortunately, the first image that came to my mind was a little cartoon of a nose running away. At first I was angry that my thoughts were so juvenile and silly, but after reading on in the story they did not seem so far fetched. I did not feel that it was strange to take the story, sort of as a joke. How does one take a bunch of policemen and townspeople beating a life-size nose to its normal size seriously? These thoughts left a humorous tone lingering in my mind throughout the reading.

“ClipArtOf.” Cartoon. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Okulich-Kazarin, Dmitry. Nose. N.d. Moscow, Russian Federation.

After reading “The Nose” I read an analysis that classified Ivan’s wish to get rid of the nose as a “castration desire,” often a wish of transsexuals. Modern day transsexuals who chose to undergo gender transformation, specifically to become an anatomical female, experienced this desire in many cases. After reading the libretto and analysis, I could not help but entertain the thought of Ivan having this underlying desire.

Volcano, Del LaGrace. Mo B Dick, Half & Half. 1998. Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, New York City.

I was upset for Ivan when his wife was yelling at him to get rid of the nose. He did not ask for the burden of finding and riding of a nose. Ivan’s wife reminds me of the Russian woman in the movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” She gives me the impression of being angry, unladylike, and gruesome. When characterizing the people in the short story, I see the wife as a distraction and of little importance, Ivan as a scrawny, poor barber, and Kovalyov as a pompous man. These characterizations are all parallel to the standing of these people in society considering “The Nose” is actually a satire of the Russian class structure.

Russian Woman in “Dodgeball” Digital image. Http://ridelifebmx.com/category/broken-toilet/. N.p., n.d. Web.

Mood Diary: The Nose

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Jeremy Lyle Brown

I’ve noticed that with both The Nose and The Metamorphosis, reading closely into each sentence individually reveals… well, not much. I’m a person who is used to a sort of literature in which meanings are discovered between the lines, through clever language, poetic wording, and metaphor (not that either of the previously mentioned works aren’t extended metaphors themselves, which they may well be). With The Nose, the words don’t sound poetic. There isn’t much looking into each individual sentence. I have the impulse to keep looking for deeper meaning in each sentence, and I can find none…

I attempt to look closely at the text, but I can’t find anything different than what I’ve already read…

… however, when I take a step back and look at the work as a whole, a variety of themes become prevalent, most noticeably the focus on the social classes and distinctions in rank between various members of the community. This is a social commentary on Russia. And unlike other works that I’ve read (especially for English literature classes), this text requires the reader to take a step back and view the work as a whole – not pick apart tiny details with a magnifying glass to each and every word. That being said, words make up each work, and would be nothing without them. However, I find that it is easier to step back and attempt to understand the meaning of The Nose when it is written simply as it is in the libretto. Less is more, in this case – in the case of the amount of words used.

The minimalist design in this staircase exemplifies the concept of “less is more.”

Perhaps its because I read the translated short story before I read the libretto, but reading the shortened version with just dialogue and minimal outside information made it easier to see what is highlighted in Russian society. For me, this is because I was reading too closely into the short story – with less words present, what was important made itself highlighted. For instance, when Kovalev speaks to the clerk in order to put a notice into the newspaper, he refers to all of his social contacts in order to gain the attention of the clerk and get his notice published. Even though the strategy doesn’t work, the reader still gets the sense that almost every interaction touches upon or even revolves around one’s social status in the world of The Nose. And even though the exact same situation happened in the short story version, I found that the libretto’s even more concise content allowed me to see to what was important more easily.

This leaves me wondering what the opera of The Nose will be like. The text is clear, though with sound, will the meaning get distorted? I am aware that when we view it, it will be in a different language (with the text in front of us). Will the meaning become even more clear? While reading the story, due to the lack of poetic language, I didn’t get much feeling from it. Will I gain more feeling with music in the mix? Will this result in a clearer understanding of the story? I’ve heard great things about the production we are to see, and I can’t wait to find out.

Works Cited:

Magnifying Glass. N.d. Graphic. clker.comWeb. 8 Oct 2013. <http://www.clker.com/cliparts/0/4/0/4/1225770283668564458emyller_magnifying_glass.svg.med.png>.

Minimalism. N.d. Photograph. andrewcaldwell.orgWeb. 8 Oct 2013. <http://andrewcaldwell.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/minimalism.jpg>.

Mood Diary: “The Nose”

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Kevin Cheng

“The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol was a very strange piece to say the least. While reading this short story, I immediately thought of Voldemort from the Harry Potter series, when Major Kovaloff realized he lost his nose. Over the course of reading the entire story, I would continually imagine Voldemort in the place of Major Kovaloff; and because of this, I was not able to take the story seriously.

Overall the piece disturbed me as well, because of my imagination as well as lack of imagination. Imagining Major Kovaloff’s nose dressed in “a gold-embroidered uniform with a stiff, high collar, trousers of chamois leather, and a sword hung at its side. The hat, adorned with a plume, showed that it held the rank of a state-councillor” (Gogol) was quite nerve-racking to attempt. I felt as if there were something more to imagine than just the meaning and image associated with the word “Nose.”

I still cannot imagine the nose in one instance able to hold a conversation with Major Kovaloff or in another instance wrinkling its forehead. Questions of how the author intended his audience to visualize the scenes in this story were prevalent throughout my reading and rereading of the story. Furthermore, the image of the nose in the loaf of bread was by far the most memorable parts of this short story. The sheer ridiculousness of the tissue not being damaged by the heat that was required to fire the bread in the oven was just too far from truth for me to take seriously. Rather how did Prasskovna Ossipovna not notice the nose while kneading the bread, before firing it? The mental image painted by these words would further haunt me in my sleep and randomly during the day.

Throughout the entirety of the piece, I realized that I was far more preoccupied with trying to imagine all the scenes that were happening and all of the ridiculous things that were being described, than I was in trying to understand the short story. In retrospect, after realizing that the story had depth to it, the story began to make a lot more sense and felt far more effective at projecting its intended message. Further information on Gogol’s work from the professors contributed to my appreciation of the piece. Although I cannot say I liked the piece, I will admit that this short story had a very interesting take on presenting of the importance of social class in Russian Society.

Works Cited:

Levine, Matt. “You Say “Voldemort” Like That’s A Bad Thing.” Dealbreaker. Breaking Media, 09 Apr. 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.

Deviantart.net. Deviantart, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.

The Nose Mood Blog

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Nicole-Amanda Merchan

Before reading The Nose by Gogol, I had no idea what to expect. In my mind, I imagined a sophisticated story unraveling because I knew we were going to see it in the Opera. As I started The Nose and read that the nose was not only found in a piece of food, but that it was walking and acting on its own, all I could picture was this:

It sounded silly at first, but once the story got more in-depth, I became more intrigued and wanted to understand more about what the nose represented. Reading about how Major Kovalyov struggled to adjust to the situation and trying to find a way to have his nose return to his face in order to be presentable, I saw this type of reaction in my mind:

The Major even went as far to try to have his dilemma posted in the local news, showing how desperate he was to return to his normal appearance. If I woke up one morning with a body part missing, I would have reacted in the same way. It all seems like a strange dream, which is implied at the end of the story. The Major knew he would stand out without a nose, which is a true nightmare for him. This image came to mind when I thought about how he felt in a large crowd going about everyday business:

He felt like the outcast and that everyone would stop and stare at him if he continued to live without a nose because that would be abnormal and strange. Even though most people would think that the most abnormal part of the story is that the nose takes a life of its own, I thought the most bizarre part was that a man was able to function without a nose. It all seemed so out of place and weird that I had to continue reading to find out what would happen to the Major and his nose.

Mood Diary: “The Nose”

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Nicolette Belitsis

As I sat down to read The Nose, I thought to myself: ok, well it can’t be as weird as Metamorphosis. And boy, was I wrong. It got weird, fast. One man finds a nose in his breakfast; another wakes up to find his nose missing.

Was this how it was supposed to look? I DON’T EVEN KNOW.

That was just the start of it; the story got stranger and stranger. What struck me as profoundly odd was the conversations Kovaloff has with his nose. I can’t even envision it. Like Metamorphosis, it was very hard to visualize what was happening. In Metamorphosis, I wasn’t sure if Gregor was supposed to be a giant cockroach, or a man/cockroach combined – either way, it was hard to see. However, after seeing the ballet, I had a better picture to vision in my mind. I’m anticipating the opera of The Nose, because I’m very curious to see how they will show Kovaloff with his “perfectly smooth vacancy in his face,” and how they will depict the nose as its own entity.

How I thought Gogol’s mind was working

Without prior knowledge that the nose actually symbolized class status, one might question the sobriety of Nikolai Gogol – at least I did. However, after our IDC discussion, the story began to make more sense. I’m perplexed by the stories that have been chosen for us to read for IDC, but I’m definitely seeing a similar pattern. This story was weird, and is definitely one of those readings that you should read twice. After finding out the nose was simply a symbol, I re-read it, and enjoyed it a little bit more.

The Nose Mood Diary

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Michael Mamiye

Only a few pages into The Nose, I already felt myself making connections to the still-fresh-in-my-head Metamorphosis. The obvious similarity between the two was the ridiculously absurd storyline. When I first read that Kovalev’s nose had fallen off, I immediately pictured Voldemort from Harry Potter and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one.

As I read on, I was pleased to see that at least the story was not told in the same serious manner that Metamorphosis was. It was almost as if Gogol was acknowledging somewhat how ridiculous everything was.

An image that kept popping into my head whenever the nose would appear were those fake nose glasses. I’m not exactly sure why, but that is what I pictured the nose in the story to look like.

After reading only a little while longer, it became apparent to me that the nose isn’t really just a nose, its meant to symbolize something larger. With this in mind, it became much easier to read through it. I no longer had to bother myself with the small trivial questions, such as “how can he breath without a nose”, and “how is the nose even alive?” It was definitely a relief to be able to now focus on the larger picture of the story.

As we discussed this week, a major underlying theme in The Nose is social status. While reading, I felt as though, for Kovalev, the nose was a symbol of his higher status, and when he lost it, he suddenly felt embarrassed, self-conscious and in a way, poor. It wasn’t until the nose returned to his face, that we saw Kovalev again with all of his confidence and ego.

After reading the story, I think that instead of focusing on the nose, we should be focusing on the nose. With the former being the actual physical nose, and the latter being what the nose represents.

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