shorter selections cram kit

Transcription

2012
2013
18
YE
AR
LI T E R AT U RE
SHORTER
SELECTIONS
Russia in
Revolution
DO
IN
EDITION
L A N G U AG E &
S
G
OU
RB
ES
T,
SO
YO
U
CRAM KIT
EDITOR
Robb Dooling
ALPACA-IN-CHIEF
Daniel Berdichevsky
®
the World
Scholar’s Cup®
CA
N
DO
YO
U
RS
SHORTER
SELECTIONS
CRAM KIT
®
Doctor Zhivago and Its Literary Contemporaries and Ancestors ........................................................................ 2
The Life of Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) .......................................................................................................... 3
Summary of “Autumn” .............................................................................................................................................4
Analysis of “Autumn”............................................................................................................................................... 5
The Life of Leo (Lev) Nikolayevich, Count Tolstoy (1828-1910) ......................................................................... 6
Summary of “After the Dance” ............................................................................................................................... 7
Analysis of “After the Dance” Part 1 ...................................................................................................................... 8
Analysis of “After the Dance” Part 2 ...................................................................................................................... 9
The Life of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) ........................................................................................... 10
Summary of “The Lady with a Dog” ...................................................................................................................... 11
Analysis of “The Lady with a Dog” ....................................................................................................................... 12
The Life of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880-1921)..................................................................................... 13
Summary of “On the Field of Kulikovo” ................................................................................................................ 14
Analysis of “On the Field of Kulikovo” ................................................................................................................. 15
Shorter Selections in Two Pages (Page 2) ........................................................................................................... 17
List of Lists I ............................................................................................................................................................ 18
List of Lists II ........................................................................................................................................................... 19
List of Lists III ......................................................................................................................................................... 20
List of Lists IV .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
THE GRAND FINALE .............................................................................................................................................. 22
ABOUT THE EDITORS ........................................................................................................................................... 22
BY
TARA RONDA
ROWAN UNIVERSITY ‘10
THE RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY ‘05
DEDICATED TO INNOVATION AND INDIVIDUALITY,
EVEN AMONG FOUR-HOOFED PWAA-ING HERDS
© 2012 DEMIDEC
SHORTER SELECTIONS CRAM KIT | 2
INTRODUCTION
Doctor Zhivago and Its Literary Contemporaries and Ancestors
LIVES IN FIFTY WORDS OR LESS
CONNECTIONS TO THE NOVEL
AN ODE TO RUSSIA
Alexander
Pushkin
(17991837)
•19th-century Romanticist
influenced by Byron
•Compared to Shakespeare for his
transformational impact on
Russian literature
Leo Tolstoy
(18281910)
•19th-century Realist influenced by
Chernyshevsky
•Believed in "getting at what
should be as well as what is";
infused his stories with morals
Anton
Chekhov
(18601904)
•Late 19th- and early 20th-century
Realist influenced by Tolstoy
•Believed "the writer must be
objective, like the chemist"
Alexander
Blok
(18801921)
•20th-century Symbolist
influenced by Baudelaire,
Nietzsche, and Soloviov
•Embraced the "eternal feminine"
early in his career
•Later leaned towards avantgarde Futurism and revolutionary
patriotism
Doctor Zhivago is first and foremost a Russian novel. In
addition to depicting the complex intersection of
eastern and western influences in his homeland,
Pasternak also pays homage to his literary
contemporaries and forbears.
INFLUENCES IN DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
Tolstoy
Russian
Realist
Chekhov
Scientific
humanist
Pushkin
Romantic
poet
Blok
Revolutionary
poet
Yurii Zhivago
Protagonist of
Doctor Zhivago
PRE-SOVIET RUSSIAN LITERARY MOVEMENTS
Early 18th Century: Romanticism
•Lord Byron's concept of the "superfluous man"
(adversary of the existing order)
Mid-18th Century: Realism
•Nicolay Chernyshevsky: "The beautiful is life"
Late 18th Century: Symbolism
•Vladimir Soloviov's concept of the "eternal
feminine"
LIGHTNING QUIZ
QUESTIONS
1.
2. Who was the Russian equivalent of
Shakespeare?
3. What literary movement did Alexander Blok
embrace late in his career?
4. To what literary movement did Leo Tolstoy
belong?
ANSWERS
1.
Early 19th Century: Symbolism
Continued
•Alexander Blok introduces "panMongolianism"
What writer inspired Yurii Zhivago’s scientific
humanism and his mixed career?
Anton Chekhov, who was both a writer and a
doctor
2. Alexander Pushkin
3. Futurism
4. Realism
ALEXANDER PUSHKIN AND ‘‘AUTUMN’’
The Life of Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
BIOGRAPHY
MAJOR WORKS
Ruslan and Lyudmila
(1820)
EARLY LIFE
The Prisoner of the
Caucasus (1822)
•1799: Born into aristocracy
•Ignored by parents, raised by grandmother
•Descended from a black African slave
Ironic poem patterned on a
Russian folktale
Inspired by travels to the
Caucasus
The Fountain of
Bakhchisarai (1824)
Byronic poem; most
popular work in his lifetime
The Gypsies (1824)
Written during first exile
EDUCATION
•1811-17: Attended Lycee boarding school
•Mediocre student; graduated at the bottom
of his class
•Well-read with strong poetic skills
Boris Godunov (1825)
Shakespearean-style
historical drama
‘‘The Prophet’’ (1826)
Examined poet’s divine
mission
Evgenii Onegin
(1828)
Novel in verse modeled on
Byron’s Don Juan
GOVERNMENT CAREER
‘‘Autumn’’ (1833)
•1817: First job in Ministry of Foreign Affairs
•1821: Exiled to Kishinev; became general of
former Turkish colonies
•1823: Transferred to Odessa under Count
Vorontsov
•1824: Exiled to mother's estate at
Mikhaylovskoye
History of the
Pugachev Rebellion
(1834)
The Captain’s
Daughter (1835)
The Bronze
Horseman (1836)
INFLUENCES ON HIS CAREER
The Queen of Spades
•Lord Byron: Loosely modeled Evgenii Onegin
on Byron's Don Juan
•Debauchery: Spent early adult years drinking,
gambling, dueling, and womanizing
•Travel: Visited the Crimea and Caucasus in
1822; researched villages involved in the
Pugachev Rebellion
•Politics: Liberal political sentiments; linked
with members of the Decembrist Uprising
•Exile: Exiled multiple times; spent time in
Boldino, where he enjoyed his so-called
"Boldino autumns"
•Love: Married Natalia Goncharova in 1831;
was killed by Georges d'Anthes in a duel over
Natalia in 1837
(1836)
Produced during first
‘‘Boldino autumn’’
Only non-fiction work;
followed extensive travel
to sites of the rebellion
Novel influenced by Sir
Walter Scott’s Rob Roy
Lyric poem written during
first ‘‘Boldino autumn’’
Prose tale
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
QUESTIONS
1.
What Shakespearean-style historical drama did
Pushkin write?
2. How did Pushkin die?
3. Who influenced Pushkin’s Evgenii Onegin?
ANSWERS
1.
Boris Gudonov
2. He was killed in a duel. <3
3. Lord Byron
Summary of ‘‘Autumn’’
SUMMARY
•Speaker welcomes October, falling leaves,
and cold weather; observes his neighbor
Stanza I going hunting
•Loves fall more than the thaw of spring;
enjoys "austerity" of winter, snow, and
Stanza II sleigh rides
Stanza
III
•Grows weary of winter and six months of
snow; claims even sleigh rides with pretty
young women ("Armidas") grow boring
Stanza
IV
•Addresses summer, expressing his
distaste for heat and insects; longs for
"Old woman Winter"
Stanza
V
Stanza
VI
Stanza
VII
Stanza
VIII
•Addresses reader, defending and relishing
autumn
CONNECTIONS TO DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
Yurii and his family
read Pushkin's Evgenii
Onegin again and again
while in Varykino.
Alexander
Pushkin as
Yurii Zhivago's
model of a
Russian poet
Yurii's experiences
reading Pushkin inspire
him to write poetry,
and he also pens a
poem called "Autumn."
•Refers to autumn as a "sickly" girl,
recognizing her brevity but loving her
anyway
• Is captivated by "farewell beauty" of the
"mournful season" of autumn; emphasizes
nature's colors and the threat of winter
•Claims arrival of autumn revives his spirit;
he sleeps and eats more and feels alive
Stanza
IX
•Describes trembling with the desire to
Stanza X write and create, to revive his soul
Pushkin’s influence in Doctor Zhivago is clearest during
Yurii’s time in Varykino. When Yurii first visits the
estate, he and his family repeatedly read Pushkin’s
Evgenii Onegin. When Yurii returns to Varykino with
Lara, he is inspired to write poetry.
MATCH EACH STANZA TO ITS THEME
Stanza II
Stanza
XI
a. Desire to write
2. Stanza III
b. Autumn as ‘‘sickly’’
3. Stanza IV
c. Revival of the spirit
4. Stanza VI
d. Despises spring
thaw
5. Stanza VII
6. Stanza VIII
7. Stanza X
•Begins a new poem about a "still ship"
asleep on the seas that is suddenly
spurred to motion--a metaphor for the
poet and his creative process
Yurii writes the
poem"A Fairy-Tale," in
which the story of St.
George and the dragon
reproduces the power
of Pushkin's "Autumn."
IN VARYKINO
1.
•Describes his horse's joy at running
through the cold; eventually brings scene
back to fireside at day's end
Yurii writes in his diary
that it is "[a]s
if...Pushkin's
tetrameter...were a
measuring unit of
Russian life."
8. Stanza XI
e. Distaste for summer
f. Weary of winter
g. Captivated by
beauty
h. New beginnings
Answers: 1) d. 2) f. 3) e. 4) b. 5) g. 6) c. 7) a. 8) h
Analysis of ‘‘Autumn’’
STRUCTURE
LITERARY DEVICES
Epigraph: Pays homage to influential writer Derzhavin
11 stanzas of eight lines each +
12th stanza of one line
Lines
Meter
Rhyming
•Alexandrine
lines of 12
syllables each
(occasional
13th syllable
adds
flexibility)
•Russian:
•Russian:
Iambic
ABABABCC
hexameter (six (contains
metrical feet
closing
per line)
couplet)
•Difficult to
•English: Iambic reproduce in
English
pentameter
translation
•Caesuras
(five metrical
divide lines in
feet per line)
•Alternating
half after 6th
masculine and
or 7th syllable;
feminine
indicated by
rhyme endings
internal
enhance sound
punctuation
effects
Personification: Addresses and presents nature and the
seasons as if they were people throughout poem
Vivid imagery: Contrasts moon and snow with fire and
warmth (Stanza II); fun of being ‘‘steel-shod’’ in a sleigh
or on ice skates (Stanza III); intense image of Autumn as
a ‘‘sickly’’ girl (Stanza VI); dominating colors contrast
dark with light (Stanza VII)
Metaphor: Crystal patterns traced on river (Stanza III)
Allusion: Legendary character, the sorceress Armida
(Stanza III)
Irony: Contrasts ‘‘darling’’ summer with ‘‘heat and dust
and gnats and flies’’ (Stanza IV); excuses himself for
‘‘prosaism’’ (Stanza VIII)
Apostrophe: Calls Autumn the ‘‘mournful season’’
(Stanza VII)
Turning point: Shifts from proclaiming love for Autumn
to being suddenly inspired to create (Stanza IX)
QUIZ YOURSELF
OTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
The Subtitle,
"(Fragment)"
Pushkin's
intention is
unclear.
•Firefly-Style:
He may have
seen the poem
as unfinished
and planned to
write more later.
•Sopranos-Style
He may have
wanted to leave
it open-ended
for the reader.
The Epigraph by
Derzhavin
"Autumn"
opens with a
line from
Gavrila
Romanovich
Derzhavin,
Russia's
greatest 18thcentury poet.
In 1815,
Derzhavin
praised
Pushkin's
work by
saying, "Here
is the one who
will take
Derzhavin's
place."
QUESTIONS
1. How many stanzas does “Autumn” contain?
2. What metrical structure is evident in the English
translation of “Autumn”?
3. What poetic technique enhances the sound effects
in “Autumn”?
4. Who is quoted in the epigraph of “Autumn”?
5. What literary device does Pushkin use to present
the seasons?
6. How are caesuras indicated in “Autumn”?
ANSWERS
1. Twelve
2. Iambic pentameter
3. Alternating masculine and feminine rhymes
4. Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin
5. Personification
6. Internal punctuation
LEO TOLSTOY AND ‘‘AFTER THE DANCE’’
The Life of Leo (Lev) Nikolayevich, Count Tolstoy (1828-1910)
BIOGRAPHY
MAJOR WORKS
NOTABLE EVENTS
•1828: Born the 4th child of a noble family
•1830: Mother dies in childbirth
•1836: Family moves to Moscow
•1837: Father dies
•1838: Grandmother dies
•1841: Aunt dies; Tolstoy moves to Kazan to live
with another aunt
•1847: Receives share of family estate; passes law
exams and joins military
•1851-52: Begins writing and publishing
•1854-55: Involved in siege of Sevastopol
•1856: Brother Dmitry dies of tuberculosis
•1859: Founds school for peasants
•1861: Brother Nikolai dies
•1862: Marries Sofia Andreyevna Behrs
•1882: Begins embracing Christianity
•1901: Excommunicated from the Church
•1910: Leaves wife after 48 years of marriage; dies
shortly afterward at a railway station
EDUCATION
•Spends childhood at Yasnaya Polyana, family
estate with 20,000-volume library
•Strongly influenced by older brother Nikolai, who
tells him stories
•1842: Starts reading Jean Jacques Rousseau's
philosophy
•1844-46: Studies literature at Kazan University,
but, addicted to gambling, chasing women, and
drinking, he never graduates
•Late 1840s: Passes law exams and joins the military
with his brother Nikolai
•1851-52: Begins writing and publishing
•1859: Becomes a leader in education, trying new
ways to teach peasant children at his own school
1851-56
•Serial trilogy: Childhood;
Boyhood; Youth
1852
•"The Raid"
1855
•"Sevastopol in May 1855"
1856-59
•Sevastopol Sketches
•"Recollections of a
Billiard Maker"
•"The Snowstorm"
•"The Woodfelling"
1865-69
•War and Peace (originally
published in serial form)
1873-77
•Anna Karenina (originally
published in serial form)
1882-1900
•A Confession
•What People Live By
•What I Believe
•The Kingdom of God is
Within You
1890
•The Kreutzer Sonata
1900
•Resurrection
1903
•"After the Dance"
LIGHTNING QUIZ
QUESTIONS
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout his career, Leo Tolstoy incorporated a green
stick into his writing as a metaphor for a pain-free world.
The stick came from a story his brother Nikolai once told
him about a “magical” green stick with the secret to
happiness written on it.
Nikolai claimed the stick was buried on the Tolstoy
estate, and Tolstoy was buried at the purported site,
according to his wishes.
Tip: Carry a green stick to competition. Any student who
laughs actually read the curriculum.
1.
What was Tolstoy’s involvement in the field of
education?
2. What metaphorical object can be found in
several of Leo Tolstoy’s stories?
3. To what social class did Tolstoy belong?
ANSWERS
1.
He developed and implemented pedagogical
techniques for teaching peasant children.
2. A green stick
3. The nobility
Summary of ‘‘After the Dance’’
SUMMARY
Ivan
Vasilievich
tells his
story
•Expresses his belief that
chance frames man's fate
•Describes Varinka B., the
object of his young love,
as an ethereal being
•Describes his past self as
a young university student
with time and money to
spend
At the ball
•Attends a ball, where he is
surrounded by wealth and
excess
•Expresses distaste for
Anisimov, the engineer
who steals Varinka to
dance the mazurka
•Meets Varinka's father
and admires his sense of
propriety and modesty
After the
ball
•Ivan Vasilievich cannot
sleep, so he goes for a
walk at dawn
•Comes upon a brutal
military gauntlet, in which
a Tartar soldier is being
beaten for desertion
•Observes soldier's
tortured cries and bloody
appearance
•Sees Varinka's father
directing and
participating in the
beating
After the
beating
•Ivan Vasilievich decides
he can no longer marry
Varinka
•Expresses naivete,
thinking there must be a
reasonable explanation for
the cruelty, which
Varinka's father surely
comprehends even if he
does not
Fate
Chance
Themes combine
in both Doctor
Zhivago and
"After the
Dance" to offer a
unique
perspective on
Russian history
History
Environment
YURII’S THOUGHTS ON TOLSTOY
During his second stay in Varykino, Yurii Zhivago
contemplates Tolstoy’s theory of history and culture.
Yurii expands on Tolstoy’s denial that “history was set in
motion by Napoleon or any other ruler or general.”
Zhivago agrees that “[n]o single man makes history,” but
asserts that men like Napoleon “are history’s organic
agents, its yeast.” History needs them in order for the
future to rise.
Analysis of ‘‘After the Dance’’ Part 1
TRIPLE POLITICAL CONTEXT
Time story was
written (1903):
Russia on the
eve of
revolution
ANALYSIS
•1903: Liberals call
for a constitution
•1904: Muscovites
demand freedoms
of press and
religion
•1905: Bloody
Sunday massacre;
labor strikes;
military mutinies;
the Revolution
breaks out
Ivan and his
friends
History and
the
individual
Love and
death
Dialogue in
the text
Wealth and
poverty
Time of
narration
(1870s):
Russia under
liberal tsarist
rule
Body and
spirit
•1860s: Tsar
Alexander II
initiates judicial,
military, and
educational reform;
assassination
attempts begin
•1861: Tsar frees
serfs
•1881: Tsar is
assassinated
Delicacy
and
brutality
Naivete of
youth and
wisdom of
age
The dialogues in “After the Dance” shape
a multifaceted conversation between
social and political forces in Russia.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
QUESTIONS
1.
Time of the
story itself
(1840s):
Era of
"Orthodoxy,
Autocracy, and
Nationality"
•Tsar Nicholas I
adopts antiEuropean doctrine
in response to
Napoleonic Wars
and Decembrist
revolt
•Russians are
encouraged to see
Tsar as father
What four themes combine in both ‘‘After the
Dance’’ and Doctor Zhivago?
2. How does Ivan Vasilievich express his naiveté
after he witnesses the soldier’s beating?
3. What was Tsar Nicholas I’s doctrine?
ANSWERS
1.
Fate, chance, history, and environment
2. He believes there must be a reasonable
explanation for the cruelty.
3. ‘‘Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality’’
Analysis of ‘‘After the Dance’’ Part 2
CHARACTERS
Ivan Vasilievich
• Narrator and protagonist
• Describes his past self as a young and
carefree student with money to spend
• Believes he has free will, despite the
story's contradictory implications
SYMBOLISM
Ivan, forgetful and naive, is
late to the ball because he
must stop to buy a pair of
gloves on the way.
The characters'
natures are
revealed by
their use of
gloves.
Varinka B.
• Object of narrator's love
• Described as "graceful," "stately," and
"queenly"; narrator emphasizes her
incorporeality
• Also described as "thin, even bony,"
emphasizing the only negative aspect of
her physical appearance
Varinka, thin and delicate,
wears white kid gloves,
giving Ivan one before he
leaves for home.
The Colonel, appearing
refined and proper,
smooths his sword over his
suede glove before dancing
with Varinka.
The Colonel, showing his
brutal side, uses his gloved
hand to strike a soldier he
thinks is not beating the
Tartar with sufficient force.
The colonel, Varinka's father
DID YOU KNOW…?
• Evokes image of Tsar Nicholas I
• Described as "ultra-military type" and
very disciplined, rule-driven
• Has a "splendid" appearance but wears
common boots


Ivan Vasilievich embodies Tolstoy’s belief in
nonviolent resistance to oppressive authority.
The end of “After the Dance” implies that Tolstoy
hoped for peace in Russia.
NEW APPLE ADAPTER QUIZ
The blacksmith
• Portrayed as an angry laborer who is
disgusted by the soldier's beating
• An antagonist to the Tsarist military
regime
Tartar soldier
• Suffers his peers' enforced brutality as a
result of his attempt to desert
• Exposes dark underside of aristocratic
society
• Christ-like figure mirroring the image of
Jesus stumbling to Golgotha to be
crucified
QUESTIONS
1. To what Tsar does Ivan compare the Colonel?
2. What does Ivan believe determines human
nature?
3. Which Tsar freed the serfs in Russia?
4. What freedoms were Muscovites demanding
when Tolstoy wrote “After the Dance”?
5. What character in “After the Dance” acts as the
antagonist to the military regime?
ANSWERS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tsar Nicholas I
Chance (or coincidence)
Tsar Alexander II
Freedoms of press and religion
The blacksmith
ANTON CHEKHOV AND ‘‘THE LADY WITH A DOG’’
The Life of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904)
BIOGRAPHY
PERSONAL LIFE
•Born in 1860, son of a
shopkeeper and
grandson of a serf
•Contracted
tuberculosis in 1884,
but ignored the
symptoms
•Was introduced to
Olga Knipper, the
actress he would
eventually marry, in
1899
•Died in Germany in
1904 while seeking
treatment for
tuberculosis
MAJOR WORKS
EDUCATION &
CAREER
PLAYS
•First attended Greek
school and then the
gymnasium (high
school) in Taganrog
Ivanov
(1880s):
first play
•Studied medicine in
Moscow in 1879
The Bear
(1880s):
one-act
comedy
that
established
reputation
•Began writing and
publishing short stories
for extra money in
1880
•Practiced medicine
starting in 1884, often
treating peasants for
free
•Began writing drama at
the end of the 1880s
ANTON CHEKHOV…
Was the grandson of a serf who freed himself and his
family from slavery (a story he would probably tell
again and again if he were running for president)
Had a tense relationship with his father, whom he
described as a bully
The Seagull
(1896):
most
famous play
Uncle Vanya
(1897)
Three Sisters
(1900)
The Cherry
Orchard
(1903): final
play
FICTION
& NONFICTION
"The
Steppe"
(1888): told
by child
protagonist
In the
Twilight
(1888):
collection of
short
stories,
earned
Pushkin
Prize
"The Duel"
(1891):
longest
story
The Island: A
Journey to
Salakhin
(1895):
story of his
journey to a
penal
colony
Published regularly by 1884in the popular journal
Fragments
Developed a close friendship with Aleksey Suvorin,
the publisher of New Times
Recognized for his writing by Dmitry Grigorovich, one
of the best-known writers of his time
Had no children with his wife,
who miscarried once before Chekhov died
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW CHEKHOV?
QUESTIONS
1. In what journal did Chekhov frequently publish
his short stories?
2. How did Chekhov die?
3. What was Chekhov’s final play?
ANSWERS
1. Fragments
2. Of tuberculosis
3. The Cherry Orchard
Summary of ‘‘The Lady with a Dog’’
SUMMARY
PART I
Dmitry Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna are each
vacationing alone in Yalta when they meet. Though
Gurov claims he believes women to be "the lower
race," he is intrigued by Anna. Anna, bored by life in
Yalta, is equally eager to befriend Gurov.
Chekhov's
influence on
the creation
of Yurii
Zhivago
PART II
Gurov and Anna engage in a love affair. They spend
their days taking drives and walking by the sea. Anna
feels a deep sense of guilt about the affair, though she
admits she is unhappy with her husband. The section
ends with Anna's departure.
Chekhov's
medical and
literary
careers
Yurii is both
a doctor and
a poet
Chekhov's
value of
objectivity in
writing
Yurii highly
values
scientific
objectivity
Chekhov's
childlike and
modest
approach to
serious
matters
Yurii begins
as a child,
but his poetic
voice
matures as
he ages
Yurii is especially impressed with Chekhov’s reluctance
to write stories with morals, his “reticence in such highsounding matters as the ultimate purpose of mankind or
[his] own salvation.”
PART III
Back in Moscow, Gurov cannot stop thinking about
Anna. Realizing he is in love, he travels to her city and
surprises her while she and her husband are at a
performance of "The Geisha." Shocked, Anna
eventually agrees to visit Gurov in Moscow.
THE STORY AND ITS SCENES
Match each of the following scenes from ‘‘The Lady
with a Dog’’ to its respective section.
1.
Anna and Gurov
discuss Yalta’s
dullness.
a. Part I
b. Part II
2. ‘‘The Geisha’’ is
performed.
PART IV
Anna visits Gurov in Moscow regularly. As they carry
on their affair, Gurov expresses frustration at leading a
double life. The story ends with Gurov and Anna
agreeing they must find a way to be together.
c. Part III
3. Anna leaves
Yalta for home.
4. Gurov sees Anna
regularly in
Moscow.
d. Part IV
Answers: 1) a. 2) c. 3) b. 4) d.
Analysis of ‘‘The Lady with a Dog’’
ANALYSIS
SYMBOLISM
The following symbolic themes stand out in “The
Lady with a Dog”:
Anonymity
Reflects the impersonal nature of aristocratic
life as well as Gurov’s objectification of
women
No traditional
plot elements
(problem,
climax,
resolution)
Only Gurov's
perspective is
revealed
Infidelity
Reflects Gurov’s disrespect of women and his
marriage; also serves as a mirror in the which
characters must honestly evaluate
themselves
"The
Lady with
a Dog"
Narrator
remains
objective
throughout
story
Death & the color gray:
Implies Gurov’s final love affair may have
come too late for him to truly appreciate it;
reinforces Gurov’s advancing age and Anna’s
youth
Depicts
aristocratic
life as dull and
wasteful
Double lives:
Emphasizes the difference between the truth
and superficial appearances
THE FEMININE IDEAL?
TIME FOR A WEDDING!
Though little is known about Anna Sergeyevna,
Chekhov gives her the following traits:
Do you, QUESTIONS…
1.
Mysterious:
Unclear why she is
vacationing in
Yalta alone other
than to escape her
dull marriage
Ashamed:
Expresses deep
shame at her affair
with Gurov
How does Anna feel about her relationship with
Gurov?
2. What does the color gray represent in “The Lady
with a Dog”?
3. What is unusual about “The Lady with a Dog” as
a short story?
…take these to be your lawfully wedded ANSWERS?
Immature and
naive: Seems
unaware of
Gurov's intentions
& is regularly
surprised by him
Mournful:
Consistently
impossible to
comfort
1. She is deeply ashamed.
2. Aging and death
3. It omits typical plot elements, such as a problem,
climax, or resolution.
(Don’t look at the answers first. That would be considered an affair.)
ALEXANDER BLOK AND ‘‘ON THE FIELD OF KULIKOVO’’
The Life of Alexander Alexandrovich Blok (1880-1921)
BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1880 to
aristocratic family;
raised by mother on
grandparents'
estate
Begins an affair with
actress Natalya
Volokhova in 1907
MAJOR WORKS
Marries Lyubov
Mendeleyeva in
1903 at university;
she inspires his first
book of Symbolist
poetry, Verses on
the Beautiful Lady,
(1904)
Graduates from
University of St.
Petersburg in 1906
with degree in law
and philology; also
produces his first
drama, The Puppet
Show
“The Intellect Cannot One of Blok’s first poems
Measure the Divine” to incorporate theme of
(1901-02) “Beautiful Lady”
Verses on the Beautiful First published volume of
Lady (1904) poetry
“The Stranger” (1905)
More pessimistic poem
narrated by a drunkard
The Puppet Show (1906)
First publicly produced
play; comedy/satire
“The Snow Maiden” Poem inspired by actress
(1907) Natalya Volokhova
Epic poem paying homage
“On the Field of Kulikovo” to historic Russian battle
(1908)
and foreseeing revolution
Italian Verses (1909)
Retribution (1910)
Tone of his poetry
becomes more
political by 1908,
with Blok's growing
awareness social
inequality
Travels to Italy and
France in 1909,
inspiring his essays
on art; also travels
to see his estranged
father on his
deathbed
Volume of poetry inspired
by trip to Italy
Autobiographical verse
epic
Carmen (1912)
Cycle of poems inspired
by singer Lyubov Delmas
The Twelve (1918)
Best-known poem; about
the October Revolution
Poem applauding
The Scythians (1919) resistance to western
influence
AUDIT YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Mobilized with the
corps of engineers
in 1916
Serves on a
Provisional
Government
commission in 1917
By 1912, Blok has
become a wellknown poet and
dramatist
Dies ill and destitute
in 1921
QUESTIONS
1. Who inspired Blok’s earliest poetry?
2. What did Blok study at university?
3. What was Blok’s first published volume of
poetry?
ANSWERS
1. Lyubov Mendeleyeva, his eventual wife
2. Law and philology
3. Verses on the Beautiful Lady
Summary of ‘‘On the Field of Kulikovo’’
SUMMARY
In 1911, Yurii Zhivago claims he and the
other intellientsia of his generation are
"mad about Blok."
Section I:
Speaker
longs to free
Russia from
Tatar rule
Section V:
Battle
subsides and
princes are
victorious
Yurii reflects on Blok's Symbolist poetry
as a reflection of the Russian Christmas
spirit.
As he ages and witnesses the darker side
of humanity, Yurii reconsiders Symbolism
and Blok, concluding that Symbolists
merely accumulate images--like iPhones
whose albums never get deleted.
At the end of Doctor Zhivago, Misha
Gordon quotes Blok's poem "Those Born
in Obscure Years," which embodies the
turbulence of pre- and post-revolutionary
life in Russia: "We, children of Russia's
frightful years / Cannot forget a thing."
Gordon notes that the difference between
Blok's poetry and the reality of post-war
life is that, in reality, "the children are
children and the terrors are terrible."
Section IV:
Speaker tells
of battle,
emphasizing
motion and
sound
"On the
Field of
Kulikovo"
(1908)
Section II:
Speaker
surveys
battlefield,
praying for
composure
Section III:
Battle
suddenly
begins
between
Russians and
Tatars
THE STORY BEHIND THE BATTLE
In 1380, Grand Duke Dmitri Donskoi led a group of
Russian princes into battle against the Tatar Golden
Horde on the plain of Kulikovo. In a surprise attack,
Donskoi’s forces defeated the Tatars, marking the first
time in Russian history that the princes presented a
united front against Asiatic invaders.
CHARGING CAVALRY QUIZ
QUESTIONS
1. Who led the Russian princes into battle?
2. What Blok poem does Misha Gordon quote at the
end of Doctor Zhivago?
3. In what section of “On the Field of Kulikovo” does
the battle begin?
ANSWERS
1. Dmitry Donskoi, Grand Duke of Vladimir and
Moscow
2. “Those Born in Obscure Years”
3. Section III
Analysis of ‘‘On the Field of Kulikovo’’
STRUCTURE
LITERARY DEVICES
Repetition: Repeated words mimic the sounds of battle,
particularly galloping horses
5 sections; 30 stanzas of four lines each
+ 1 stanza of three lines
Lines
Meter
Rhyming
•Alternating line •Metrical
•Kemball's
patterns vary in translation
lengths most
each section
pronounced in
mostly
Sections I, III,
maintains the
and IV in order •Repetition
integrity of the
to reproduce
Russian
serves as a
motion and
prominent
sound
sound device
•Alternating
and contributes rhymes in
to a sense of
•Section II
ABAB pattern
maintains fairly the mounted
warriors' speed •Feminine
regular line
lengths
rhymes end
lines 1 and 3 of
each stanza
Personification: Russia is depicted as a woman
throughout poem; the landscape is said to ‘‘mourn’’
Russia’s bondage, empathizing with the soldiers
Mood: Shifts throughout the poem to reflect the
speaker’s mood changes, including sorrow and
anticipation (Section I), fear and foreboding (Section II),
admiration and determination (Sections III and IV), and
pride and warning (Section V)
DID YOU KNOW?
Though the Battle of Kulikovo was a landmark victory for
Russia against the Tatars, it was far from definitive. The
following year, Tatar forces attacked again and defeated
Donskoi.
QUIZ QUIZ QUIZ YOURSELF
OTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENTS
Anonymous
Speaker
The speaker,
one of Dmitri
Donskoi's
knights, is kept
anonymous to
emphasize the
unifying force
behind the
Russian princes'
regiment. All of
the warriors
share the same
love for Russia.
Soloviov's
quotation
Vladimir
Soloviov's
quotation ends
Section IV on a
prophetic note,
predicting
"inescapable
disasters, /
Forbidding, o'er
the coming
day." The
prophecy
shapes the
closing theme
of revolution,
both past and
present.
QUESTIONS
1. What effect does the repetition of specific words
in “On the Field of Kulikovo” accomplish?
2. What mood pervades Section II of “On the Field of
Kulikovo”?
3. Which section in “On the Field of Kulikovo”
maintains fairly regular line lengths?
4. What effect does the speaker’s anonymity have?
5. How do lines 1 and 3 of each stanza end?
6. What rhyming pattern is used throughout “On the
Field of Kulikovo”?
7. What prominent Russian writer’s quotation is
featured in “On the Field of Kulikovo”?
ANSWERS
1. Reproduces the sound and speed of battle.
2. Fear and foreboding
3. Section II
4. It reinforces the unification of the knights serving
different princes into one powerful regiment.
5. Feminine rhymes
6. ABAB
7. Vladimir Soloviov
CRUNCH KIT
SHORTER SELECTIONS IN TWO PAGES (PAGE 1)
ALEXANDER PUSHKIN
 Born into aristocratic family in 1799
 Ignored by parents, raised by grandmother and nannies
 Descended from a black African slave, whom Pushkin
blamed for his so-called ‘‘negro ugliness’’
 Mediocre student who graduated from prestigious Lycee
boarding school at the bottom of his class
 Joins government in 1817 at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 Spent early adult years heavily drinking, gambling,
dueling, and womanizing
 Endured first exile in 1821 when sent to Kishinev to
become a general of former Turkish colonies
 Trip to Crimea and the Caucasus in 1822 inspired The
Prisoner of the Caucasus and The Fountain of
Bakhchisarai






Exiled to mother’s estate in Mikhaylovskoye in 1824
Maintained liberal political ideals and eventually became
associated with Decembrist Uprising
Inspired by the ‘‘Boldino autumns’’ at his country estate
His novel Evgenii Onegin (1828) was loosely modeled on
Lord Byron’s Don Juan
Married Natalia Goncharova in 1831
Killed by Georges d’Anthes in a duel over Natalia in 1837
‘‘AUTUMN’’ (1833)
 Poem contains 12 stanzas, 11 of eight lines and the
twelfth of only one line
 Written in iambic hexameter in Russian, but translated
to English in iambic pentameter
 Subtitle, ‘‘(Fragment),’’ may indicate Pushkin’s intention
to leave poem unfinished or expand later
 Opens with epigraph by Gavrila Derzhavin, Russia’s
greatest 18th-century poet
 Vividly personifies nature, particularly the seasons
 Speaker detests heat and insects of summer, which
make him long for ‘‘Old woman Winter’’
 Dislikes spring’s thaw, grows weary of winter’s bitter
cold
 Refers to autumn as a ‘‘sickly’’ girl, short-lived but
captivating
 Describes trembling with desire to write and create, and
thereby revive his ‘‘oppressed’’ soul
 End of poem comprises beginning of a new poem about
a ‘‘still ship’’ asleep on the seas that is suddenly spurred
to motion-----a metaphor for the creative process
LEO TOLSTOY
 Born in 1828, fourth child of a noble family
 Mother died in 1830; father died in 1837; grandmother
died in 1838; aunt died in 1841
 Studied languages and literature at Kazan University
 Led life of debauchery early on, gambling, chasing
women, and drinking
 Received share of family estate, Yasnaya Polyana, in
1847, where he had access to 20,000-volume library
 Passed law exams and joined the military with his
brother Nikolai in 1847
 Began writing and publishing in 1851 with Childhood,
first book in serial trilogy
 Often incorporated ‘‘green stick’’ image in stories as
metaphor for a pain-free world
 Participated in siege of Sevastopol in 1854-55
 Founded a school for peasants on his family estate in
1859 and became a leader in education
 Favorite brother, Nikolai, died in 1861
 Married Sofia Andreyevna Behrs in 1862 and had 13
children with her during 48-year marriage
 Published War and Peace serially from 1865 to 1869
 Published Anna Karenina serially from 1873 to 1877
 Embraced Christianity in 1882, but was
excommunicated in 1901 for irreverence in his writing
 Left wife in 1910 to live as a nomad peasant, dying
shortly afterwards at a railway station
‘‘AFTER THE DANCE’’ (1903)
 Crosses four discrete time periods: the storytelling, the
ball, after the ball, and after the soldier’s beating
 Main themes: fate, chance, history, and environment
 Written by Tolstoy as Russia moved toward revolution
 Story’s narration takes place during 1870s, a time of
relatively liberal Tsarist rule
 Ivan Vasilievich, narrator and protagonist, falls in love
with Varinka B. at a ball
 Describes aristocratic society through Varinka, her
father, and the engineer Anisimov
 Out early the next morning, Ivan sees a soldier brutally
beaten for desertion at the command of Varinka’s father
 Tolstoy offers commentary on the two faces of the
aristocracy and is angered by society’s brutality
CRUNCH KIT
Shorter Selections in Two Pages (Page 2)
ANTON CHEKHOV
 Born in 1860, son of a shopkeeper and grandson of a serf
who freed self and family
 Had a tense relationship with his father, whom he
described as a bully
 Attended Greek school and then high school in Taganrog
 Studied medicine in Moscow beginning in 1879
 Began writing and publishing short stories in 1880
 Began practicing medicine in 1884, often treating
peasants for free
 Contracted tuberculosis same year and left disease
untreated for most of his life
 Began writing drama in the late 1880s, first releasing
Ivanov to the public
 Throughout his writing life, promoted concept of the
‘‘objective’’ writer who could view life scientifically
 Established reputation with the release of The Bear, a
one-act comedy
 Earned the Pushkin Prize for a collection of short stories,
In the Twilight, in 1888
 Married Olga Knipper in 1901
 Had no children with his wife, who miscarried once
before Chekhov died
 Famed drama, The Seagull, was released in 1896
 His final play, The Cherry Orchard, was released in 1903
 Died in Germany in 1904 while seeking treatment for
tuberculosis
‘‘THE LADY WITH A DOG’’ (1899)
 Story takes place in four parts
 In Part I, Gurov and Anna meet in Yalta as two members
of the bored aristocracy
 They begin a love affair in Part II, which results in Anna’s
deep feelings of guilt
 In Part III, Gurov and Anna have returned to their
respective homes and Gurov realizes he loves her
 Gurov visits Anna while she is at the theater seeing ‘‘The
Geisha’’ with her husband
 Part IV concludes with Anna and Gurov, who now visit
each other regularly, contemplating their future
 Chekhov reveals society’s sexism in story by revealing
only Gurov’s perspective
 Gurov views woman as ‘‘the lower race’’
 Story omits traditional plot elements
 Feminine ideal revealed as mysterious, full of shame,
immature/naïve, and mournful
 Themes include anonymity, infidelity, death, the color
gray, and living double lives
ALEXANDER BLOK
 Born in 1880 to aristocratic family
 Mother raised him on grandparents’ estate without her
husband, who was abusive
 Inspired by theme of ‘‘Beautiful Lady,’’ which for a time
dominated his Symbolist poetry
 Married Lyubov Mendeleyeva, daughter of famous
chemist, in 1903 while at university
 Narrated his increasing disenchantment with love and
society through pessimistic poetry
 Graduated from University of St. Petersburg in 1906 with
degrees in law and philology
 Began an affair with Natalya Volokhova in 1907,
inspiring his poem ‘‘The Snow Maiden’’
 Tone of poetry became increasingly political by 1908
when he became more aware of social inequality
 Published ‘‘On the Field of Kulikovo’’ in 1908
 Traveled to Italy and France in 1909, writing essays on
art as a result
 Mobilized with the army corps of engineers in 1916
 Became member of Provisional Government commission
in 1917
 Best-known work of poetry is The Twelve (1918)
 The Scythians (1919) applauded resistance to western
influence in Russia
 Died destitute and ill, possibly from venereal disease, in
1921
 Later poetry notable for inclusion of ville tentaculaire,
view of the sprawling city’s role in society and art
‘‘ON THE FIELD OF KULIKOVO’’ (1908)
 Epic poem paying homage to Russia’s successful
defense against the Tatars in a battle 1380
 Divided into five sections of varying metrical patterns
 Sections I, III, and IV contain alternating line lengths that
help to reproduce motion and sound
 Poem depicts united front of Russian princes against the
Golden Horde
 Princes are led by Dmitri Donskoi, Grand Duke of
Vladimir and Moscow
 Anonymous speaker longs to free Russia from the
Asiatic invaders
 Speaker surveys battlefield, praying for composure, and
then battle suddenly begins
 Princes defeat the Horde, marking first time in Russia’s
history that the princes united against invaders
 Vladimir Soloviov’s quotation ends Section IV on a
prophetic note, predicting more struggles for Russia
CRUNCH KIT
List of Lists I
4 IMPORTANT WRITERS
Alexander Pushkin 19th-century writer heavily influenced by
Shakespeare and Byron; often considered
the Russian equivalent of Shakespeare;
based style upon figure of ‘‘superfluous
man,’’ also known as ‘‘adversary of the
existing order’’
Leo Tolstoy
19th-century writer influenced by Nicolay
Chernyshevsky’s statement that ‘‘the
beautiful is life’’; moved Russian literature
towards Realism, which he believed was
responsible for ‘‘getting at what should
be as well as what is’’
Anton Chekhov
19th- to 20th-century writer and doctor
who brought a scientific perspective to
his work; believed writers should strive to
be objective and to present themselves
as both scientists and humanists
Alexander Blok
19th- to 20th-century writer influenced by
European Symbolists such as Baudelaire,
Nietzsche, and Wagner; sought ‘‘ultimate
wholeness in the transparent realm of
the spirit’’; moved from utilizing concept
of eternal feminine to political poetry
with element of ‘‘pan-Mongolianism’’
7 EARTH-SHATTERING WORKS
The Fountain of
Bakhchisarai
(1824)
Evgenii
Onegin (1828)
War and Peace
(1865-69)
Anna Karenina
(1873-77)
The Seagull
(1896)
The Cherry
Orchard
(1903)
The Twelve
(1918)
Most popular of Pushkin’s poems during
his lifetime; written in Byronic style;
reflects on Pushkin’s travels to the
Caucasus
Pushkin’s novel in verse; modeled after
Lord Byron’s Don Juan and partially
reflecting Pushkin’s own youth
Tolstoy’s epic novel examining turbulence
of Russia from various social perspectives;
originally published as serial novel
One of Tolstoy’s most acclaimed novels;
depicts story of title character, who has an
affair with another man and commits
suicide at the end of the novel; also initially
published serially
Chekhov’s most famous play; examines
the nature of art as it is represented in
fiction and drama
Chekhov’s final play; portrays a complex
socioeconomic view of Russia on the eve
of the 1905 Revolution
Blok’s most famous work of poetry;
examines the Bolshevik Revolution from a
conflicted perspective
7 MEMORABLE CHARACTERS
‘‘Autumn’’
Ivan Vasilievich
Varinka B.
The Colonel
Dmitri Gurov
Anna Sergeyevna
Speaker, ‘‘On the
Field of Kulikovo’’
Season personified as the heroine of
Pushkin’s poem of the same name; shown
as a sick but lovely girl
Narrator of Tolstoy’s story ‘‘After the
Dance’’; embodies a shift from naïveté to
political awareness and action
Object of Ivan’s love in ‘‘After the Dance’’;
represents frivolity and naïveté of
aristocratic society in Tsarist Russia
Varinka’s father in ‘‘After the Dance’’;
represents the two faces of aristocratic
society, one refined and modest, the other
brutal and cold
Protagonist in Chekhov’s ‘‘The Lady with a
Dog’’; demonstrates a shift from viewing
women as ‘‘the lower race’’ to falling in
love with a woman
Object of Gurov’s affections in ‘‘The Lady
with a Dog’’; represents boredom and
loneliness of aristocratic life in 19thcentury Russia
Anonymous knight serving in a regiment
of the united princes’ army led by Dmitri
Donskoi; vividly narrates battle between
Russians and invading Tatar Golden Horde
7 UNFORGETTABLE CONCEPTS
Superfluous man
Lord Byron’s concept of the ‘‘adversary of
the existing order’’ who counters society’s
expectations; important component of
Pushkin’s work
Objective writer
Chekhov’s concept of the writer as the
objective observer of his characters, who
reports the story but does not participate
in it
Pan-Mongolianism Vladimir Soloviov’s vision of a wave of
barbarians invading Russia from the East
to destroy the nation
‘‘Magical’’ green
A metaphor used by Tolstoy in multiple
stick
stories to symbolize peace and happiness;
the concept emerged from Nikolai
Tolstoy’s story of a green stick buried on
the family’s property and inscribed with
the secret to happiness
Eternal feminine
Image representing Blok’s idealized love
for his wife; demonstrates influence of
Italian poets in devotion to idealized
woman
Beautiful lady
Blok’s concept of Russia as a mystical and
symbolic woman
Ville tentaculaire Blok’s concept of the darker, neurotic
myth of the Russian city, specifically St.
Petersburg,
CRUNCH KIT
List of Lists II
10 WESTERN INFLUENCES
William
Shakespeare
Inspired Pasternak to write the poem,
‘‘Hamlet’’ and Russian translations of
Shakespearean plays; major influence on
Pushkin
Johann Wolfgang One of several European authors
von Goethe
Pasternak translated into Russian during
years when it was harder to publish his
original work
Charles Baudelaire European writer and philosopher who
strongly influenced Blok’s Russian
adaptation of Symbolism
Friedrich Nietzsche German existentialist philosopher and
writer who also influenced Blok’s concept
of the symbol as a system of
correspondences
John Locke &
European philosophers whose work
David Hume
Pushkin encountered in secondary school
Jean Jacques
French philosopher whose work Tolstoy
Rousseau
read while enrolled at Kazan University
Emile Zola
French novelist who ardently defended a a
French-Jewish army officer convicted of
treason; the case intrigued and inspired
Chekhov to become involved
Petrarch & Dante Italian poets whose devotion to the
Alighieri
idealized woman inspired Blok’s concept
of the ‘‘eternal feminine’’
6 CHARACTERS WORTH MENTIONING
Armida
Tartar soldier
The blacksmith
Gurov’s wife
Anna’s husband
Khan Mamai
Legendary sorceress to whom Pushkin
alludes in ‘‘Autumn’’ to emphasize
winter’s power to exhaust even the
strongest man
Character who briefly appears in
Tolstoy’s ‘‘After the Dance’’ as a victim of
the Colonel’s brutality
Minor character who appears in Tolstoy’s
‘‘After the Dance’’; represents the
working-class Russian who abhors the
aristocracy’s abuse of privilege
Minor character in Chekhov’s ‘‘The Lady
with a Dog’’; serves as a foil to Gurov,
establishing the basis for his hatred of
women
Another minor character in ‘‘The Lady
with a Dog’’; the cause of Anna’s
loneliness, she views him as a ‘‘flunkey’’
Leader of the Golden Horde battling the
princes in Blok’s ‘‘On the Field of
Kulikovo’’; chief antagonist of Mother
Russia and the Russian regiment
protecting Kulikovo
10 NOTABLE RUSSIAN EVENTS
September 1774
June-December
1812
February 1904
January 1905
June 1905
October 1905
June 1914
February 1917
October 1917
December 1917
Pugachev Rebellion; Pushkin was inspired
to write about it after traveling to the sites
of the peasant revolt
War of 1812; French invasion of Russia
Russo-Japanese War; provides backdrop
for part of Doctor Zhivago
Russian Revolution of 1905 began with
Bloody Sunday and workers’ strike in St.
Petersburg
Mutiny occurred on Battleship Potemkin
Tsar Nicholas II signed the October
Manifesto, promising to expand civil
liberties
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was
assassinated, effectively inciting World
War I less than one month later
February Revolution began with a strike in
Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg)
October Revolution ended power of
Russian Provisional Government
Russian Civil War began
9 RUSSIAN WORKS YOU HAVEN’T READ
The Prisoner of the
Caucasus (1822)
Boris Godunov (1825)
A poem Pushkin wrote after his
travels to the Crimea and Caucasus
Pushkin’s Shakespearean-style
historical drama
History of the Pugachev Pushkin’s only non-fiction work,
Rebellion (1834)
written after he traveled extensively
through the sites of the peasant
rebellion
Childhood trilogy (1851- Tolstoy’s first attempt at writing a
56)
novel
The Kreutzer Sonata
Tolstoy’s novel extolling the virtues
(1890)
of abstaining from temptation; makes
an appearance in Doctor Zhivago
Three Sisters (1900)
One of Chekhov’s most popular
plays, written near the end of his life
‘‘The Duel’’ (1891)
Chekhov’s longest short story
‘‘The Intellect Cannot
One of Blok’s first poems to
Measure the Divine’’
incorporate the theme of Russia as
(1901-02)
the ‘‘Beautiful Lady’’
‘‘The Stranger’’ (1905) Cynical poem signifying a shift in
Blok’s focus from the ‘‘eternal
feminine’’ to the poet’s alcoholinfused world
CRUNCH KIT
List of Lists III
12 PUSHKIN INFLUENCES
Sergei Lvovich
Pushkin
Nadezhda
Gannibal
Pushkin’s father, who came from
aristocratic family
Pushkin’s mother, whose grandfather
Abram Gannibal was a black African
slave
Maria Alekseevna Grandmother who nurtured Pushkin in
his parents’ absence
Arina Rodionovna Peasant nanny who helped teach Pushkin
the Russian language
Madame Kirchof Famed fortuneteller who purportedly
predicted Pushkin’s death in a duel
General Raevskii Russian military hero who took Pushkin
to Crimea and the Caucasus
General Inzov
Supervised Pushkin at post in Kishinev
Calypso Polichroni Greek woman with whom Pushkin had an
affair; may have also been Byron’s lover
Count Vorontsov Governor-General of Southern Russia
who supervised Pushkin
Elise Vorontsova Count’s wife; may have had a child with
Pushkin
Ekaterina
Pushkin’s sister-in-law, who married
Goronchova
Georges d’Anthes
Baron van
Georges d’Anthes’s mentor, whom
Heeckeren
Pushkin used to goad d’Anthes into a duel
11 CHEKHOV INFLUENCES
Pavel & Yevgenia
Chekhov
Aleksey Suvorin
Chekhov’s parents, both descendants of
peasants
Publisher of the New Times, one of
Russia’s largest daily newspapers;
developed long-term friendship with
Chekhov
Dmitri Grigorovich One of the best-known Russian writers of
the 19th-century; praised Chekhov’s early
work
Nikolai Chekhov
Chekhov’s older brother, who died in 1889
from tuberculosis
Lika Mizinova
Friend of Chekhov and his sister; her
colorful career and an affair with a married
man gave Chekhov material for short
stories and The Seagull
Henrik Ibsen
Norwegian playwright whose work The
Wild Duck Chekhov parodied in The Seagull
Maxim Gorky &
Russian writers with whom Chekhov
Ivan Bunin
began friendships in the late 1800s
A.F. Marx
Publisher to whom Chekhov sold his
copyrights; made a large profit
Konstantin
Produced Chekhov’s play The Cherry
Stanislavsky
Orchard, depicting it as a tragedy rather
than the comedy Chekhov intended
9 TOLSTOY INFLUENCES
Count Nikolai
Ilyich Tolstoy
Tolstoy’s father, whose ancestor Peter
Tolstoy had been given the title of Count
by Tsar Peter the Great
Countess Marya Tolstoy’s mother, whose family had a
Nikolayevna
lengthy history in the Russian nobility;
Volkonsky
an older, wealthier bride for Count
Tolstoy; traced her lineage back to when
the Romanov dynasty had taken power
Tatiana
Tolstoy’s maternal aunt, who helped
Yergolskaya
raise him and his siblings after his
mother died
Alexandra Tolstoy Tolstoy’s paternal aunt, who also
assisted in raising the children
Pelageya Yushkov Another aunt who took over care of the
children after Alexandra died
Dmitry Tolstoy
Younger brother who died of
tuberculosis
Ivan Turgenev
Fellow writer who would come to rival
Tolstoy’s popularity
Nikolai Tolstoy
Older brother who heavily influenced
Tolstoy’s adaptation of the ‘‘magical’’
green stick into his stories
Leonid Pasternak Boris Pasternak’s father; the man who
would come to paint Tolstoy’s portraits
and illustrate his novels
10 BLOK INFLUENCES
Alexander Lvovich Blok’s father, from whom he remained
Blok
estranged until adulthood; professor at
University of Warsaw
Alexandra
Blok’s mother, who raised him alone on
Andreyevna
her parents’ estate
Beketova
Andrey Beketov
Blok’s maternal grandfather and the rector
of the University of St. Petersburg
Dmitri Mendeleyev Famed Russian chemist and Blok’s fatherin-law
Andrey Bely
Close friend and fellow Symbolist poet
with whom Blok’s wife had an affair
Vsevolod
Famed theater director who directed
Meyerhold
Blok’s drama The Puppet Show in 1906
Natalya Volokhova Russian actress with whom Blok had an
affair; inspiration for ‘‘The Snow Maiden’’
Lyubov Delmas
Opera singer with whom Blok had an
affair; inspired Blok’s poetry cycle Carmen
Leon Trotsky
Russian political leader who, in his book
Literature and Revolution, commented on
Blok’s importance in political poetry
Anatoly
Soviet minister of education who
Lunacharsky
confirmed Blok’s importance to Soviet
literature
CRUNCH KIT
List of Lists IV
11 LOCATIONS TO REMEMBER
The Lycee
Tsarksoe Selo
Kishinev
Odessa
Mikhaylovskoye
Boldino
Sviatye Gory
Monastery
Tula Province
Kazan
Sevastopol
Astapovo
Exclusive boarding school for boys
attached to Tsar Alexander’s summer
residence; Pushkin attended 1811-17
Location of the Lycee boarding school
Pushkin’s second duty post, where he
experienced ethnic diversity
Part of Southern Russia where Pushkin
served under Count Vorontsov
Estate of Pushkin’s mother, where he was
initially exiled
Country estate where Pushkin found
inspiration, especially in autumn
Location where Pushkin is buried next to
his mother
Location of Tolstoy family estate,
Yasnaya Polyana
Region of Russia where Tolstoy lived with
his aunt and attended university
Site of important siege during Crimean
War; inspired Tolstoy’s writing
Railway station where Tolstoy passed
away in a caretaker’s cottage on
November 7, 1910
4 OTHER DEMITHINGS TO STUDY
Shorter Selections Every testable fact in the event bulleted
Power Guide
out in the clearest, least interesting,
and easiest to memorize way possible --culminating in comprehensive Power
Lists and Charts
Shorter Selections Learn the shorter selections in the
Resource
context of Russian literary history,
which is almost as dramatic as actual
Russian history-----a fascinating,
thorough, and footnote-happy read
Shorter Selections Project it on a big screen or enjoy it on
PowerPoint
your Nexus 7 (does anyone have a
Lecture
Nexus 7?) --- the PowerPoint guides you
visually (and sometimes even
audiovisually!) through the shorter
selections curriculum
Shorter Selections Sorted by category, difficulty, and area,
Flashcards
the color-coded DemiDec flashcards are
helpful study tools and also make great
ballast if your balloon is going down
18 MORE LOCATIONS TO REMEMBER
Taganrog
Seaport on Sea of Azov near edge of
Black Sea; Chekhov’s birthplace
Russian grasslands Stark setting of Chekhov’s longest story,
(the steppe)
‘‘The Steppe’’; provides extensive
backdrop for protagonist’s journey
Sakhalin
Island off Siberia that housed a penal
colony; inspired Chekhov to write The
Island: A Journey to Sakhalin
Hong Kong,
Singapore, Ceylon,
Suez Canal, Red
Sea
Venice, Nice,
Monte Carlo, Paris
Melikhovo
Yalta
Badenweiler,
Germany
Shakhmatovo
Italy & France
Locations Chekhov visited on his way
back to Moscow from the penal colony at
Sakhalin
Sites of Chekhov’s European tour in 1891
Location of small country home Chekhov
purchased in 1892
Shore city where Chekhov moved in
1899; setting of ‘‘The Lady with a Dog’’
Site of clinic where Chekhov sought
treatment for tuberculosis and died
Blok family estate
Countries Blok visited in 1909; inspired
him to write Italian Verses
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO STUDY
The Works
Themselves
No matter what source you’re studying,
remember to focus on the actual works: read
them out loud, write your own sequels, and
look up any words you don’t understand
THE GRAND FINALE
FINAL TIPS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & HER DOG
 If you have time for nothing else, read the text of




the shorter selections.
Become familiar with the structure of the poems in
this section-----their metrical patterns, rhyme
schemes, and so forth.
Look at each author’s biography as a fascinating
story unto itself; seek out the overlap between the
authors’ lives and their writing.
Get to know the important terms; if you can’t
remember them, write them down a few times.
Take a lesson (or three) from the authors’ tragic
lives: traveling makes life interesting, infidelity is
bad, and tuberculosis should be avoided at all
costs.
Tara Ronda is a freelance
writer/editor, adjunct instructor,
and serial volunteer with an
appetite for alpaca-related
projects (but not for alpacas).
She obtained bachelor’s degrees
in Literature and Philosophy
from The Richard Stockton
College of New Jersey (‘05)
and a master’s degree in
Counseling from Rowan
University (‘10). Though she
prefers to remain visually anonymous, she is always
happy to get an email at tara.ronda@gmail.com. In the
meantime, please enjoy this picture of her dog Rosie,
who is not as innocent as she appears.
ABOUT THE EDITORS
ROBB DOOLING
After leading his team to the highest
score in the history of the Nebraska
Academic Decathlon, Robb traded
in his #2 pencil for a cubicle at
DemiDec Headquarters, just
upstairs from the alpaca finger
puppet factory.
DANIEL BERDICHEVSKY
Daniel-----also known as DemiDec
Dan-----first read Tolstoy on a long
train ride to the edge of Siberia.
Since then, he has not read Tolstoy.
TANIA ASNES
Tania has been DemiDec’s lead
writer, editor, and footnoter since
November 2007. An actress in New
York City, she is currently authoring
her first play, War Alpaca.

shorter selections cram kit

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