"I am your brother": of N.V. Gogol's story "Overcoat"

Article represents the first in a science about Gogol attempt of studying of actually author's plan to lead Gogol "Overcoat". Product is considered in a context of all art creativity of the writer, its spiritual prose, an epistolary heritage and publicism, the memoirs of contemporaries concerning creation to lead is involved. Contrast between the religious maintenance of "Overcoat" and ideological cliches of Marxist literary criticism is marked. The analysis of the main making story - ideas of sacrifice in a field of the state service - allows to find out communication of "Overcoat" with a problematics «Taras Bulba» and a theme of "dead soul» the person who has forgotten the mission.