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Gogol (1809-1852), an outstanding representative and founder of Russian critical realist literature in the 19th century, is known as the "Father of Russian Prose". "Dead Serfs" is his masterpiece. "Dead Serf" is also translated as "Dead Soul". Dead serfs were actually empty serfs who had died but had not yet been written off the tax rolls. The novel describes Chichikov, a businessman who specializes in fraud, who came to a remote provincial city and became the guest of the local bureaucrats with his extravagant flattery. He also went to buy dead serfs from the landlords in an attempt to use them as collateral to buy and sell short and make huge profits. After the scandal was exposed, he fled. The novel deeply depicts the ignorance, greed, despicability, and vulgarity of bureaucrats and landlords. Its immortal characterization and pungent satire can be regarded as a classic in the history of Russian literature.

"Stories of Petersburg" is a series of seven works written by Gogol in the 1830s and 1840s. It is named because the stories all take place in Petersburg. Another main line of this series of works is that the protagonists of the stories are all minor characters. This collection of novels contains seven works: "Nevsky Prospekt", "The Nose", "Portrait", "Coat", "Carriage", "Diary of a Madman" and "Rome", which express the writer's more mature worldview and literary outlook. Chinese readers are more familiar with "The Jacket" and "Diary of a Madman". Reading under the two major theme frameworks of Petersburg and Little People is more helpful in grasping the writer's view of literary creation. Gogol's three novels form a set of readings, which is conducive to a centralized grasp of Gogol's literary concepts and creative characteristics.

"Mirgrad", first published in 1835, is Gogol's second anthology of novels and the sequel to "Nights in the Countryside". This novel collective includes four works in total: "Old-Style Landlord", "Taras Bulba", "Vi" and "The Story of the Quarrel between Ivan Ivanovich and Ivan Nikiforovich". These works are full of strong folklore flavor, describing the charming scenery and vivid life of Ukraine, and discovering truths that can shock the soul in daily life. Gogol's three novels form a set of readings, which is conducive to a centralized grasp of Gogol's literary concepts and creative characteristics.

First published in 1829, "Dykonka Nights" is Gogol's first anthology of novels and the first collection of novels that established the writer's position in the history of Russian literature. It includes eight works: "Saudinsky Market", "St. John's Eve", "May Night", "The Lost Credentials", "Christmas Eve", "Terrible Revenge", "Ivan Fedorovich Shpanka and His Aunt" and "The Devil's Land". Most of these works are based on Ukrainian folklore, reflecting the people's lives and historical events in Ukraine, and revealing the thematic features and descriptive features that will appear in "Dead Souls" in the future. Gogol's three novels form a set of readings, which is conducive to a centralized grasp of Gogol's literary concepts and creative characteristics.

"Dead Souls" is the cornerstone of the development of Russian critical realism literature and the pinnacle of Gogol's creation. The novel tells the story of a profit-seeking sixth-grade civil servant named Chichikov who bought and sold dead serfs. Chichikov came to a remote provincial city and became a guest of the local bureaucracy. He purchased dead serfs from the landlords in an attempt to exploit the loopholes and make huge profits. After the scandal was exposed, he fled. The words "serf" and "soul" in Russian have the same pronunciation, which reflects the dual meaning of the book's title. On the one hand, it refers to the main thread of buying and selling dead serfs that runs through the entire text. On the other hand, it also serves as a metaphor for the protagonist's own soul, revealing "his secret thoughts that are kept secret."