Diary of a Madman

The story takes the form of several diary entries. How might you describe the relationship between the form of the story with the content, or plot, of the story?

What role does the setting of the story play? What is the significance of the story being set in Saint Petersburg that would be familiar to Gogol’s contemporaries?

What purpose does the inclusion of fantastical elements play in the story? Why include these few elements in a story that otherwise takes place in a realistic setting?

What role does humor and irony play in this story? What position is the reader placed in by the author in relation to Poprishchin?

How do you see Class Distinctions and Anxieties satirized in the story? Which scenes specifically demonstrate class anxieties on the part of a character? What message is the author sending about class?

What kinds of stylistic features characterize Poprishchin’s diaries? How do these features characterize Poprishchin himself?

While Poprishchin is the central character of the story, we get an idea of him largely through his thoughts about and interactions with other characters. How do the different characters reflect aspects of Poprishchin’s personality?

What does this story have to tell us about human ambition and Obsession? How are these themes related to The Idea of “Madness”? Which scenes depict different points of view on these themes?