Russian Classics
Read them to better understand the Russian Woman
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina, Resurrection
Leo Tolstoy in his novels Anna Karenina and Resurrection portrayed personal tragedies of women who considered their love higher than their duty and honor.
Anton Chekhov: Three Sisters, The Sea-Gull, The Jumper, The Lady with the Little Dog
As Chekhov himself used to say, there are five tons of Love in his Sea-Gull. For his heroines, to love means to share the destiny of a person who has a fire of good thinking in his soul, to join the world of his interests and aspirations.
Alexandre Pushkin: Eugene Onegin
Alexandre Pushkin in his novel Eugene Onegin showed the strong-willed character of Tatyana Larina, “a Russian by her soul”, who turns from a naive provincial girl into a real lady of high society, capable to master her feelings.
Ivan Bunin: Light Breath, Sunstroke, Mitya’s Love, Grammar of Love
In Ivan Bunin’s writings you can find the description of Love, that for the author is like a sunstroke, insanity, instant, which last only in human memory. The writer finds two possible outcomes of Love - death and marriage. The first one is prior for him, since marriage turns Love into a banality. And moreover, Love is the greatest mystery, that can be grasped only by the woman.
Alexander Ostrovsky: Groza (The Storm), The Dowryless
The main heroines of Ostrovsky’s plays are women with a burning heart whose temperament cannot allow them to adapt to the surroundings, to the “dark realm”. Not finding any freedom in Love, they die and finally become free.
Ivan Turgenev: Asya, a Nobleman’s Nest, On the Eve
Turgenev’s writings depict the type of a Russian girl who dreams of clear ideal love.
Alexandre Griboyedov: Troubles From Mind
In Griboyedov’s comedy there is the description of a traditional love triangle: Chatsky - Sofia - Molchalin. It is Molchalin who is Sofia’s final choice, as the he better corresponds to the ideal of a Moscow husband: a husband-page, a husband-servant.
Alexandre Kuprin: Olesya, Sulamyph
Kuprin’s writings show selfless, sincere, pure and self-sacrificing Love.
Nicholay Nekrasov: Russian Women
Nicholay Nekrasov in his poem Russian Women has sung a song to the heroism of Decembrists’ wives, who followed their husbands to the Siberian exile to share the burden of penal servitude.
