Russian Literature of the 19th Century

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Russian Literature of the 19th Century
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Seventh Week

• Finish Lermontov
• Finish Anna Karenina film
• Review Onegin
• Begin Turgenev
• Your assignment Fathers and Sons
• New Writing Assignment (when I return your 2nd)

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Last Tuesday

• Lermontov Hero of Our Times
• Bela
• Maksim Maksimich
• Introductions
• Taman
• Princess Mary
• Martha Fienes Onegin (1999)
• Bernard Roses Anna Karenina (1997)

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Fourth Part of Film

• Duel Lensky killed
• Onegin leaves the country
• Tanya visits his library
• Olgan marries
• Tanya taken to Petersburg for season
• Tanya marries cousin of Onegin
• Onegin travels
• Onegin meets Tanya again

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Final Part

• Onegin pursues Tanya
• Onegin writes a letter
• Onegin goes to her house
• Explanations, declarations
• Onegin leaves
• Onegin left alone

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Critical Issues

• Formal qualities very literary
• Psychological approaches
• Why does she love him?
• Is his love for her sincere?
• Why does he kill Lensky?

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Sociological approach

• Is this an encyclopedia of Russian life?
• Does the work condemn arranged marriages?
• Is Onegin a type?
• Whak kind of type? Superfluous man?

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Philosophical approach

• What does the novel say about values?
• Love, fidelity, friendship
• Possibilities for happiness?
• What is the best we can expect from life?

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Mikhail Lermontov 1814-41

• Lyric Poetry, narrative poetry
• Drama
• Hero of Our Times (Novel)

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Geographical context
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Taman

• Plot?
• What do we learn about Pechorin this time?
• Prejudices? Do they prove to be justified?
• Irony here?
• What are the passions here?
• Leave-taking important

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Literary references

• Undine
• Gothic novel mystery, setting, violence,
  intrigue, evil
• Pechorins story? Or diary event?
• Ironic treatment

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Illustrations
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Princess Mary

• How would you describe Pechorin?
• What happens in the story?
• How would you describe Pechorins relationship
  with Mary? Grushnitsky? Vera?
• Whats the point of this story? Does it try to
  tell you something about love? About life?

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Literary basis society tale

• Onegin of course
• Nature of friendship, nature of love
• Intrigues, violence, romance
• Study of seduction

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Superfluous man

• Sociological reading Pechorin seen as a typical
  'superfluous man' (?????? ???????) Exemplified in
  works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev, and
  Goncharov

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Superfluous Man-2

• Onegin is example too
• a representative type embodying the sense of
  alienation and futility felt by many intelligent
  young aristocrats, unable to find an outlet for
  their talents in contemporary society
• Will Turgenev have an answer?

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Psychological analysis of Pechorin

• Man of contradictions
• Sadistic impulses
• Lust for power, strong ego, desire to manipulate
  events and people
• Arrogance, feeling of superiority
• Disarming admissions of weakness, inner
  contradictions
• Unwillingness to take responsibility for actions
  (he is an actor in the play called life he
  is subject to fate)

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Duel
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Fatalist

• How is this story like the others?
• How is it like Queen of Spades?
• Three, seven, ace?
• What is the implied view of fate?
• Why does Pechorin test it?
• Interplay Pechorins intuitions about Vulichs
  fate

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Summing Up

• Formal approach
• Excellent stories passion, suspense, sex and
  violence
• Descriptions of nature provide exotic backdrop
• Effective use of difficult literary devices
  (forms of coincidence narrative removes)
• Diminishing narrative distance
• Excellent language

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More Formalist Features

• Irony (unreliable narrators)
• Parody of popular genres
• Society tale, adventure story, Byronic tale

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Affinities with epic Homers Odyssey

• Structure quest story
• Divergence of fabula and sjuzhet
• Story chronological
• Plot is arrangement of elements
• Taman, Princess Mary, Fatalist, Bela, MM
• Picaresque and episodic

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Romanticism to Realism

• Byronic hero moodiness sense of mystery
  alienation from society and rebellion against
  social convention strong desire for personal
  freedom
• Ironic treatment of Byronic hero?
• More detail from everyday life (realism)

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Philosophical Approach

• Study of fate, chance, and role of human will
• Determinism vs. free will
• No clear solution offered teases us with the
  issues
• Meaning of life issues quest for experiences

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Sociological

• Critique of status seeking
• Critique of high society
• Picture of customs of mountain people
• Study (and critique) of social type superfluous
  man

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Psychological

• Study of particular character compulsive
  interference in lives of others
• Motivation for behavior?
• Pure ego?
• Attention seeking?
• Assertion of specialness (inferiority complex)
• Thrill seeking (in control, inflicting pain)

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Psychological realism? Early example?

• Self-delusion
• Contradictory behavior

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Realism

• Attention to everyday details (more than
  necessary for story line)
• Hero not so unlike others
• Topical events
• Setting not central
• Social criticism
• Real world grounding (supernatural out)
• Emphasis on verisimilitude

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Alexander II (1855-81)

• liberal
• Decembrists amnesty
• Censorship relaxed, more foreign travel allowed,
  tax policy changed, religious tolerance

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Liberation of the Serfs 1861

• first statements 1856
• final statute 1861
• aftermath complications
• Tsar Liberator vs. Nicholas the Stick

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Other reforms

• Judiciary
• higher education
• military service
• corporal punishment
• zemstvo

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Military ventures

• Crimean War defeat in 1855, Treaty of Paris
• Polish uprising, 1863
• Russo-Turkish war, 1877-78

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Foreign relations

• Alaska 7,200,000 1867
• expansion into China

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Political developments

• 1840s Westernizers Belinsky, Chaadaev later
  Herzen, Bakunin
• Slavophilism Kireevsky, Khomiakov, Aksakov
  brothers
• Utopian societies

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Slavophiles and Westernizers

• Tradition, authority, religion, status quo
• Western models, skepticism, social change
• Isaiah Berlin Essay

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More Intellectual currents

• utilitarianism
• positivism
• materialism
• Determinism

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Nikolai Chernyshevsky 1828-89

• What is to be Done?
• Relationship to Dostoevsky
• Critical tradition
• Critics of Catherines time
• Belinsky

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Realism

• Second half of 19th century
• Prose novels, short stories, essays
• Individualism, supernatural, irrational, exotic
  less important
• Topicality news of the day, ideas of the day
• Critical edge improve society (didacticism not
  obvious)

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Ivan Turgenev 1818-83

• Notes of a Hunter 1852
• Fathers and Sons 1862
• Bazarov
• Nihilism

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Other Novels and Novellas

• Rudin (1856)
• Nest of Gentlefolk (1859)
• On the Eve (1860)
• First Love (1860)

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Anna Karenina

• Associate with 1870s
• Music Tchaikovsky
• Plot issues
• Levin and Kitty rejection
• Levin and brother quest, death
• Kitty and Vronsky rejection
• Stiva and Dolly reconciliation
• Vronsky and Anna meeting, dancing, loving
• Problems

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Annas Problems

• Levins marriage
• Annas pregnancy, miscarriage
• Trip to Italy
• Divorce/son
• Jealousy

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Annas Tragedy

• Depression
• Loss of son
• Perception that she is no longer loved
• Alienation from society
• Suicide

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Issues

• Symbols (candle trainman)
• Fairness (why Anna?)
• Levin and Religious Quest (is it a satisfying
  resolution?)
• Peasants and Simple Life
• Death
• Family

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Film Pros and Cons

• Covers many of novels issues
• Very Russian (music and setting)
• Attractive stars
• Chemistry?
• Factual problems (dates!)
• Anachronistic music