The monograph attempts to identify the historical and cultural origins of N.V. Gogol (chthonic mythology, epic, high and "grassroots" baroque, folk-laughter culture - repeatedly traced by gogol scholars) in their objective and logical connection. The relevance of this task is due to the fact that Gogol reflected the spiritual breakdown of the "little man" of the 19th century as the result of historical and cultural breakdown associated with the end of the era of "enlightened absolutism." Therefore, studies of the historical layers of the artistic world of Gogol are important primarily as components of his spiritual world. In Russia, the first quarter of the XIX century. the god-like monarch has ceased to be a barrier between a small person and the earth. This land has lost the wonderfulness and rationality previously united in the king.