Nothing was more important to Tolstoy than character development. For him, the purpose of life is to grow morally. The purpose of literature -- as all art -- is to aid that growth. Abstract philosophy and pedantic scholarship are therefore redundant. Indeed, even the psychological novel is a distraction. Moral truths are self-evident. They are…

Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote masterpieces describing the exploitation and victimisation of the socially disadvantaged who were affected by industrialisation in the 19th century. In "The Brothers Karamazov," Pavel Fyodorovich Smerdyakov (hereafter, Smerdyakov) plays a critical role in various spheres of the story. His birth was the result of…

The translation of Russian literature into Chinese requires careful consideration due to the linguistic nuances and cultural subtleties involved. The works of Chekhov present challenges for translators aiming to maintain the original narrative's richness and cultural resonance in the Chinese context. The main objective of this study is to analyse…

Fyodor Dostoevsky's final novel, "The Brothers Karamazov," is one of the most influential works of the nineteenth century. To date, however, the potential value of the book for educationists has been largely ignored. This article addresses a key pedagogical theme in "The Brothers Karamazov," namely, the notion that 'love is a…

Fyodor Dostoevsky ranks among the most accomplished and respected figures in the history of literature. Almost a century and a half after his death, the major works for which he has become known--"The Brothers Karamazov," "Crime and Punishment," Demons", and "The Idiot" (Dostoevsky 1991, 1993, 1994, 2001,…

This paper provides historical background on the Jews in Russia and relates the development of children's literature to historical events and situations such as the discriminatory national policy of Tsarism, the fall of Tsarism and the abolishment of discrimination, the political repression of the 1930s, World War II, and Stalin's anti-Jewish…

During the period of glasnost, between 1985 and 1990, all of Russian literature changed. After 60 years of division between official and unofficial, dissident and emigre, the publishing of Russian literature became unified. Censorship and government control practically disintegrated. Among the "new voices" in Russian literature is…

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov spent 6 of the last 7 years of his life at Yalta (located on the Crimean Peninsula) where he had a house constructed in order that he might live in a climate favorable to his failing health. During these years Chekhov married the actress Olga Knipper and met Leo Tolstoy, who was near the end of his life. Chekhov also…

Russian Village Prose began in the 1950s with articles critical of the way collective farms were being managed and developed into an insider's view of rural life and a celebration of the values and rituals of traditional rural Russia. It represented a new approach to rural themes and characters and a return to literature of high aesthetic quality…

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Rene Wellek, Philip Rahv, Murray Krieger, Irving Howe, Eliseo Vivas, D. H. Lawrence, Sigmund Freud, Dmitri Chizhevsky, V. V. Zenkovsky, Georg Lukacs, and Derek Traversi--all dealing with the biography and literary work of…

Two articles originally published in the 1970s are reprinted. The first argues that the American writer no longer knows what is expected of him and has difficulty engaging in conversation with the reader. The second examines the work and teaching of Joseph Brodsky, a Russian poet, while in the United States. (MSE)

This book contains 37 out-of-print lectures on American, English, and world literature that have been presented at the Library of Congress over the past 30 years. Lectures by Thomas Mann, T. S. Eliot, R. P. Blackmur, Archibald Henderson, Irving Stone, John O'Hara, MacKinlay Kantor, John Crowe Ransom, Delmore Schwartz, John Hall Wheelock, Robert…

This syllabus outlines a two semester course to accompany the basic textbook: THE EPIC OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE by Marc Slonim. An introduction to the guide gives a brief summary of the history of Russian literature and objectives of the course are stated, defining concepts and understandings to be developed. In addition, teaching techniques are…