Which ideas for major works did Aleksandr Pushkin give to Nikolay Gogol?

The poet Aleksandr Pushkin provided Nikolay Gogol with the themes for his two principal works, which were significant to both Russian literature and Gogol's own career:1

• The Government Inspector (Revizor): Pushkin suggested the theme for this farcical drama, which lampoons the corrupt bureaucracy of a provincial town by depicting a case of mistaken identity involving a government official.21
• Dead Souls: Pushkin also provided the idea for this comic novel, which explores the social and bureaucratic iniquities of feudal Russia through the story of a swindler who attempts to purchase deceased serfs.1

Gogol deeply valued Pushkin’s taste and criticism, and this association was considered of great importance to his development as a writer.1