Oblomov is the best known novel by Russian writer Ivan Goncharov. Oblomov is also the central character of the novel, often seen as the ultimate incarnation of the superfluous man, a symbolic character in 19th-century Russian literature. Oblomov was compared to Shakespeare's Hamlet as answering 'No!' to the question "To be or not to be?" Oblomov is a young, generous nobleman who seems incapable of making important decisions or undertaking any significant actions. The book was considered a satire of Russian nobility whose social and economic function was increasingly in question in mid-nineteenth century Russia.