Publisher's Synopsis
Introduction by George Woodcock
In this work, Peter Kropotkin is propounding the thesis that, in Russia, literature occupies a inique position because it is the only way of reflecting the real currents of intellectual development and of underground political opinion. The consequence, he feels, has been that the best minds of the country have chosen the poem, the novel, the satire, or literary criticism as the medium for expressing their aspirations, their conceptions of national life, and their ideals.
Concentrating on content rather than on form, on intention rather than achievement, Russian Literature provides a fair and comprehensive introduction to Russian writing up to the end of the nineteenth century. Almost every poet and prose-writer of any significance is discussed - Pushkin, Lermontoff, Gogol, Turgueneff, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky - and every class of literature is included; criticism as well as novels, and political writings as well as poetry.
Table of Contents
Preface
The Pronunciation of Russian Names
An Introduction by George Woodcock
Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: Pushkin and Lermontoff
Chapter III: Gogol
Chapter IV: Turgueneff - Tolotsy
Chapter V: Gontcharoff - Dostoyevskiy - Nekrasoff
Chapter VI: The Drama
Chapter VII: The Folk Novelists
Chapter VIII: Political Literature - Satire - Art Criticism - Later Period Novelists
Bibliographical Notes
Appendices
Index
1991: 385 pages, index
In this work, Peter Kropotkin is propounding the thesis that, in Russia, literature occupies a inique position because it is the only way of reflecting the real currents of intellectual development and of underground political opinion. The consequence, he feels, has been that the best minds of the country have chosen the poem, the novel, the satire, or literary criticism as the medium for expressing their aspirations, their conceptions of national life, and their ideals.
Concentrating on content rather than on form, on intention rather than achievement, Russian Literature provides a fair and comprehensive introduction to Russian writing up to the end of the nineteenth century. Almost every poet and prose-writer of any significance is discussed - Pushkin, Lermontoff, Gogol, Turgueneff, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky - and every class of literature is included; criticism as well as novels, and political writings as well as poetry.
Table of Contents
Preface
The Pronunciation of Russian Names
An Introduction by George Woodcock
Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: Pushkin and Lermontoff
Chapter III: Gogol
Chapter IV: Turgueneff - Tolotsy
Chapter V: Gontcharoff - Dostoyevskiy - Nekrasoff
Chapter VI: The Drama
Chapter VII: The Folk Novelists
Chapter VIII: Political Literature - Satire - Art Criticism - Later Period Novelists
Bibliographical Notes
Appendices
Index
1991: 385 pages, index
