His plays are wonderfully rich as a portrait-gallery of contemporary types, as well as of historical types, and the language of his characters is one of the most surprising features of his work.

It is far too little to say of it that it is natural, and fits the characters presented: in nationality, in figurativeness, in keen, unfeigned humor and wit it represents the richest treasure of the Russian speech.

Only three writers are worthy of being ranked together in this respect: Pushkin, Kryloff, and Ostrovsky.
While, like all the writers of the '40's, Ostrovsky is the pupil of Gogol, he created his own school, and attained an independent position from his very first piece.

His plays have only one thing in common with Gogol's--he draws his scenes from commonplace, every-day life in Russia, his characters are unimportant, every-day people.

Gogol's comedies were such in the strict meaning of the word, and their object was to cast ridicule on the acting personages, to bring into prominence the absurd sides of their characters; and this aim accomplished, the heroes leave the stage without having undergone any change in their fates.