The Nose Literary Elements

Satire, short story

The action takes place in St. Petersburg, beginning on the 25th of March and ending on the 7th of April.

The story is narrated in the third person until the end, when the narrator switches to the first person to reflect on the significance of the tale.

This short story has a satirical and ironic tone.

The protagonists are Major Kovalyov and Ivan Yakovlevitch. The main antagonist is Kovalev's nose.

The main conflict is between Major Kovalev and his nose.

There is no one clear climax in "The Nose." However, a possible climax occurs when Major Kovalev witnesses his nose dressed as a gentleman and stepping out of a carriage. In that moment, the story reaches a heightened level of absurdity.

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This story alludes to famous landmarks in St. Petersburg, such as the Nevski Prospekt and the Isaakievsky Bridge.

Detailed imagery is a recurrent literary device throughout the text. The narrator pays particular attention to different characters' physical appearances, faces, and dress.

A central paradox in the text arises from Major Kovalev's loss of his nose, juxtaposed with the nose's appearance as a bureaucrat of higher rank.

On the morning of March 25th, the lives of both Ivan Yakovlevitch and Major Kovalev begin to revolve around a nose. The narrative is told from these two men's point of views as they move through the same day in parallel but different trajectories.

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The central and most absurd conceit of the story is the personification of Major Kovalev's nose. This inane but essential part of the body is construed as a high-ranking member of the civil service.