A meticulously constructed work of absurdity and satire that involves two long time best friends who end up in an epic, almost slapstick courtroom battle over one man calling the other 'a goose'. It sounds like a ridiculous premise, obviously, but Gogol's masterful use of awkward confrontations and physical comedy makes it a far more entertaining and refreshingly less gloomy read than most Russian literature, without sacrificing any of the penetrating psychological and social observations of 19th century aristocratic Russian society.