Showing results for "Ivan A Turgenev" in Literary History & Criticism

First Love, by Ivan Turgenev. The title of the novella is almost an adequate summary in itself. The "boy-meets-girl-then-loses-her" story is universal but not, I think, banal - despite a surprise ending which notoriously turns out to be very little of a surprise. First Love is given its originality and poignancy by Turgenev's mastery of the piercing turning-point (akin to Joyce's "epiphanies") that transforms the character's whole being, making a tragic outcome inevitable. Even the nature symbolism is rescued from triteness by lovely poetic similes - e.g. "but at that point my attention was...

Step into the mesmerizing world crafted by world-renowned Russian author Ivan Turgenev, as he presents a captivating collection of stories that delve into dreams, lost love, fleeting specters, and ominous premonitions. This anthology also features a selection of sketches and prose poems, all penned in Turgenevs deceptively simple but profoundly articulate style. These aren‚t your typical tales of romance and nature; instead, Turgenev intertwines a thread of cynicism and melancholy that enriches his poetic language, inviting readers to explore the deeper complexities of the human experience. ...

Join the journey of Turgenevs enigmatic hero, Tchulkaturin, who embodies the quintessential Russian archetype, the superfluous man. This character is no prince, but a man of comfort living a monotonous life, aimlessly led by circumstances that threaten to consume him. This novella is structured as a diary, which Tchulkaturin begins writing after a terminal illness diagnosis. His entries, spanning a mere two weeks, encapsulate the countdown to his inevitable end. In these pages, Tchulkaturin rehashes the one meaningful event of his life - a one-sided love affair leading to a non-fatal duel that...

The short story The District Doctor by Turgenev, written in 1848, is part of the "Sportsman's Sketches" cycle. It tells the tale of a hopeless love between a dying girl from a noble family and a humble county doctor. Other famous works, such as "Asya", "Fathers and Sons", "A Nest of Noblemen", "Biryuk", "On the Eve", "Mumu","Fire at Sea", "The Wayside Inn", "The Watch", "Three Portraits", "A Strange Story", "The Meeting", etc.