Christian religion. His main endeavour was to sharpen the sight of his
readers, whether they looked without or within; for not even the
greatest physician can remedy an evil, unless he knows what the evil
is.

Gogol is the great pioneer in Russian fiction. He had the essential
temperament of all great pioneers, whether their goal is material or
spiritual. He had vital energy, resolute courage, clear vision, and an
abiding faith that he was travelling in the right direction. Such a
man will have followers even greater than he, and he rightly shares in
their glory. He was surpassed by Turgenev, Dostoevski, and Tolstoi,
but had he lived, he would have rejoiced in their superior art, just
as every great teacher delights in being outstripped by his pupils. He
is the real leader of the giant three, and they made of his lonely
path a magnificent highway for human thought. They all used him
freely: Tolstoi could hardly have written "The Cossacks" without the
inspiration of Gogol, Turgenev must have taken the most beautiful
chapter in "Virgin Soil" directly from "Old-fashioned Farmers," and
Dostoevski's first book, "Poor Folk," is in many places almost a
slavish imitation of "The Cloak"--and he freely acknowledged the debt
in the course of his story. The uncompromising attitude toward
fidelity in Art which Gogol emphasised in "The Portrait" set the
standard for every Russian writer who has attained prominence since
his day. No one can read Chekhov and Andreev without being conscious
of the hovering spirit of the first master of Russian fiction. He
could truthfully have adapted the words of Joseph Hall:--

I first adventure: follow me who list,
And be the second Russian Realist.