Essays and Research Papers on Russian Literature

A 15 page overview of Boris Pasternak’s “Dr. Zhivago”, a novel first published in Italy in 1957. The novel is commonly perceived as a political novel. Even more important than the political overtones of the novel, however, is the human drama which it reveals. In “Dr. Zhivago” Pasternak manages to incorporate many ...

A 5 page paper which discusses what it was that Ivan Ilyich learned about the life he had led. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which compares the styles, plots, symbolism, themes, and characterizations of Anton Chekhov and Flannery O’Connor. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A seven page paper which looks at the way Dostoevsky and Gorky make use of animal imagery in Notes from the Underground and Chelkash, particularly with regard to the way in which the characters in the two works perceive themselves and others.

A 9 page paper which examines the dream of Raskolnikov’s dream as representative of his character in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment.” No additional sources cited.

This is a 5 page paper discussing the references of dreams and the supernatural in Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” and Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain”. Mikhail Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” and Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” both contain references to dream sequences to allow the characters to escape or mask the reality ...

A paper which considers the dichotomy between societal custom and individual choice in Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata, with specific reference to the author's views on sexuality, marriage and celibacy. Bibliography lists 2 sources

A 5 page overview of Turgenev’s portrayal of nihilism in the novel “Fathers and Sons”. Turgenev actually invented the term nihilist in this novel and uses the young medical student Evgenii Bazarov to exemplify it. The novel is neither an attack or defense on Bazarov. Instead it is an analysis of the ...

This is a 5 page paper discussing the function of dreams in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”. Russia author Fyodor Dostoevsky’s (1821-1881) novel “Crime and Punishment” (1866) tells a story of a St. Petersburg student Raskolnikov whose slow realization that he will be punished for the murder of a pawnbroker slowly leads him to lose touch ...

This 15 page paper compares and contrasts Kafka's The Trial with Albert Camus' The Stranger (L'etranger). Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page essay that contrasts and compares Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground and Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych. The writer argues that in these works one finds characters that dramatically illustrate how the whole thrust of a life can go awry. While these protagonists are very different, they also share similarities that ...

This 5 page paper discusses the observation by the Underground Man about mankind's penchant for seeking out suffering. Examples from literature are used to support this thesis. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page paper that offers a general discussion of The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The essay includes discussions on the parallels found in the work as well as the different levels on which the novel can be read. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 4-page paper compares Perchon of Lermontov's A Hero of Our Times and Raskolnikov of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Though these two characters are vastly different, this paper points out the theme that both characters are walking contradictions.

A 4 page essay that has the premise that Tolstoy's character Ivan Ilych (from The Death of Ivan Ilych) is a real mortal soul, recently deceased, and that the soul of Socrates is quite aware of the circumstances of his last day on earth and is writing to Ivan that they should discuss how ...

This 3 page paper analyzes the minor character of Zossimov in Doestoyevsky's work, Crime and Punishment. Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A paper which considers the different types of statecraft employed by Kutuzov and Napoleon in Tolstoy's War and Peace, and outlines the reasons why the Russian's methods were successful where the French general's were not. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page essay that compares and contrasts Tolstoy's characterization of Napoleon and the head of the Russian army, Field Marshal Kutuzov. The depiction of these two leaders reveals Kutuzov to be the superior leader because his primary motivations come from statecraft and concern for his country, rather than from ego. Essentially, Kutuzov ...

A 4 page analysis of According to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.” No additional sources cited.

Several of Arthur Koestler’s characters in Darkness at Noon suffer from an injury or deformity. This paper will look at how the character was injured, and why Koestler chose this injury to define the character. Explored are the characters of Rubashov, Richard, No. 402, the officer, and Little Loewy. Bibliography lists 1 source. JVdrknoo.rtf

A 10 page paper which examines Russian culture and society as seen in Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons,” Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” and Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.” Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the autobiographical elements in Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Bibliography lists sources.

This 15 page paper compares and contrasts Kafka's The Trial with Albert Camus' The Stranger (L'etranger). Quotes cited from text. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 9 page paper which examines the dream of Raskolnikov’s dream as representative of his character in Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment.” No additional sources cited.

A 6 page essay that contrasts and compares Dostoyevsky's Notes from the Underground and Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych. The writer argues that in these works one finds characters that dramatically illustrate how the whole thrust of a life can go awry. While these protagonists are very different, they also share similarities that ...