ABSTRACT

Russia has a rich, huge, unwieldy cultural tradition. How to grasp it? This classroom reader is designed to respond to that problem. The literary works selected for inclusion in this anthology introduce the core cultural and historic themes of Russia's civilisation. Each text has resonance throughout the arts - in Rublev's icons, Meyerhold's theatre, Mousorgsky's operas, Prokofiev's symphonies, Fokine's choreography and Kandinsky's paintings. This material is supported by introductions, helpful annotations and bibliographies of resources in all media. The reader is intended for use in courses in Russian literature, culture and civilisation, as well as comparative literature.

part I|37 pages

Cultural Beginnings

chapter 1|10 pages

The Tale of Igor

The Tale of Igor's Campaign, of Igor, Son of Sviatoslav, Grandson of Oleg

chapter 2|12 pages

Boris and Gleb

The Narrative and Passion and Encomium of the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb 1

chapter 3|7 pages

The Life of Alexis, Holy Man of God

part II|37 pages

The Emerging Self

chapter 4|32 pages

The Life of Avvakum

part III|68 pages

The Search for Identity

chapter 5|8 pages

Felicity

chapter 6|5 pages

The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa

chapter 7|14 pages

Poor Liza

chapter 8|14 pages

The Bronze Horseman

A Petersburg Tale

chapter 9|4 pages

Borodino

chapter 10|11 pages

Taman

From A Hero of Our Time

part IV|254 pages

Subversions of Secularization

chapter 11|75 pages

Boris Godunov

chapter 12|23 pages

The Queen of Spades

chapter 13|26 pages

The Overcoat

chapter 14|18 pages

Bezhin Meadow

chapter 15|35 pages

The Meek Woman

A Fantastic Story

chapter 16|30 pages

Lefty

A Skaz about Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and a Steel Flea 1

chapter 17|33 pages

Holstomer

The Story of a Horse

part V|54 pages

New Aesthetic Languages

chapter 18|15 pages

The Lady with the Lapdog

chapter 19|16 pages

The Cherry Orchard

chapter 20|3 pages

A Puppet Show

chapter 21|2 pages

The Gray-Eyed King

chapter 22|2 pages

Listen!

chapter 24|2 pages

Verses About Moscow

chapter 25|2 pages

Barely a Tenth

chapter 26|4 pages

Petersburg

part VI|98 pages

Thresholds: Soviet Culture and Beyond

chapter 27|7 pages

The King

chapter 29|11 pages

The Twelve Chairs

chapter 30|5 pages

Virgin Soil Upturned

chapter 31|14 pages

Crime and Punishment

A Comedy in One Act

chapter 32|2 pages

We live without feeling ...

chapter 33|1 pages

The Last Toast

chapter 34|2 pages

Makarov and Peterson

chapter 35|2 pages

Chapayev Anecdotes

chapter 36|14 pages

The Master and Margarita

chapter 37|2 pages

Hamlet

chapter 38|2 pages

Morning Exercise

chapter 39|24 pages

Wooden Horses