How does The Overcoat combine realism with fantasy?

Nikolay Gogol’s The Overcoat is a foundational work of 19th-century Russian realism that masterfully bridges the gap between mundane observation and the supernatural.12

The story grounds itself in realism through its meticulous attention to the daily life of Akaky Akakiyevich Bashmachkin, an underpaid and overlooked government clerk. Gogol employs a sharp, satirical eye to depict the banal cruelty of the bureaucracy and the harsh, impoverished reality of his protagonist’s existence.1

This realistic foundation is abruptly interrupted by elements of fantasy when, following his death, Akaky returns as a ghost to haunt the city and strip overcoats from pedestrians. By introducing this spectral figure, Gogol shifts the narrative from a social critique of human indifference to a realm of metaphysical horror. This blend is characteristic of Gogol’s style, where rich comedy and naturalistic detail frequently collapse into the absurd or the supernatural, creating a narrative that defies simple categorization.123