The Order of Vladimir, Third Class

The Order of St. Vladimir, Third Class (Russian: Владимир третьей степени; Vladimir tret'jej stepeni) is an unfinished play by Nikolai Gogol, which he worked on between 1832 and 1834.

Structure

The work survives only in four fragments: "An Official's Morning" (Утро делового человека), "The Lawsuit" (Тяжба), "The Servants' Quarters" (Лакейская) and "Fragment" (Отрывок). Each fragment follows the official Barsukov, in search of his dream to receive a decoration, the Order of Vladimir.

Surviving scenes

The scene or subplot "The Lawsuit", concerns the lawsuit brought against Barsukov by his brother regarding the inheritance from their aunt. The scene is the base of the opera The Lawsuit.

According to Gogol's contemporaries, a lost scene showed Barsukov in front of a mirror in which he sees the decoration, finally believing he is the decoration.^[1]^[2]

References

^ Donald Fanger The Creation of Nikolai Gogol - 2009 -0674036697 Page 127 "Vladimir of the Third Class survives in the form of three scenes, one of them (“The Morning of a Busy Man”) published in The Contemporary in 1836, subtitled “Petersburg Scenes,” the other two (“The Lawsuit” and “The Servants' Quarters”) only ..."
^ Nikolay Gogol - Diary of a Madman, The Government Inspector, & Selected ...014191002X 2005 "The play, The Order of Vladimir, Third Degree (1832–4), remains in only four fragments ('An Official's Morning', 'The Lawsuit', 'The Servants' Quarters'and 'Fragment')."

[1] Donald Fanger The Creation of Nikolai Gogol - 2009 -0674036697 Page 127 "Vladimir of the Third Class survives in the form of three scenes, one of them (“The Morning of a Busy Man”) published in The Contemporary in 1836, subtitled “Petersburg Scenes,” the other two (“The Lawsuit” and “The Servants' Quarters”) only ..."

[2] Nikolay Gogol - Diary of a Madman, The Government Inspector, & Selected ...014191002X 2005 "The play, The Order of Vladimir, Third Degree (1832–4), remains in only four fragments ('An Official's Morning', 'The Lawsuit', 'The Servants' Quarters'and 'Fragment')."

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