The Mysterious Portrait

Nikolai Gogol was one of the first to use the technique of the grotesque. According to Viktor Shklovsky, Gogol's strange style of writing resembles the "ostranenie" technique of defamiliarization. His early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, Ukrainian culture and folklore.

THE MYSTERIOUS PORTRAIT: Nowhere did so many people pause as before the little picture-shop in the Shtchukinui Dvor. This little shop contained, indeed, the most varied collection of curiosities. The pictures were chiefly oil-paintings covered with dark varnish, in frames of dingy yellow.

Public Domain (P)2022 Bookstream GmbH

A very good narrator

The narrator is perfect for this short story. Something about his voice really captures the essence of the Usurer and the feeling of Charkov.