Is Fathers and Sons a good book?
The younger generation transforms too, as their nihilistic rejection of emotion is broken down by experience and love. Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons is a true classic and is a strong contender for the first true Russian novel. It has influenced many writers and for that reason alone, you should give it a try.
What is the plot of Fathers and Sons?
Fathers and Sons, novel by Ivan Turgenev, published in 1862 as Ottsy i deti. Quite controversial at the time of its publication, Fathers and Sons concerns the inevitable conflict between generations and between the values of traditionalists and intellectuals.
Why did Turgenev write Fathers and Sons?
Turgenev wrote Fathers and Sons as a response to the growing cultural schism that he saw between liberals of the 1830s/1840s and the growing nihilist movement. Both the nihilists (the “sons”) and the 1830s liberals (the “fathers”) sought Western-based social change in Russia.
Are Fathers and Sons Classic?
Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons is a rare classic novel that combines a story set in an era of social and political change in feudal Russia with a theme regarding generational conflict that has a timeless relevance to any age.
What is nihilism in Fathers and Sons?
Fathers and Sons The “nihilist” refuses to take anyone’s word for anything; he can have no alliances and no emotions; he cares no more for one country than for another and accepts only that which is scientifically proven. The purpose of the nihilist is to destroy all the existing institutions and values.
How does Nick feel about Trudy?
Turning to answer this question, Nick cannot tell his boy about Trudy, who “did first what no one has done better.” So he likens the experience of knowing the Indians by their sweetgrass smell–it was good–in contrast to his memory of his father’s smell. “But, now it is no good,” either.
What happened to the main character in Chapter 1 of Fathers and Sons the day he obtained his commission to enter the army?
Nikolai was meant to have followed his father into the army, but he broke his leg the same day he received his commission, resulting in a lifelong limp. Nikolai entered Petersburg University instead, preparing for a career in the civil service.
Is Bazarov a doctor?
Yevgeny Bazarov, fictional character, a young physician whose actions and philosophy are the focus of the novel Fathers and Sons (1862) by Ivan Turgenev.
Was Turgenev a nihilist?
Turgenev’s nihilism was primarily of a political and social nature in its attempt to negate political authority and class hierarchy. Bazarov succeeded in stimulating individuals to think and be critical of society and tradition, causing many to feel uncomfortable as they flirted with nihilism.
Who wrote the novel Fathers and Sons?
Ivan TurgenevFathers and Sons / Author
My favorite novel is Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons, a 200-page ravishing knockout of a book that explains just about everything you need to know about families, love, heartache, religion, duels and the institution of serfdom in 19th-century Russia, not to mention advice on how to seduce your housekeeper’s young …
Why is Bazarov a nihilist?
The purpose of the nihilist is to destroy all the existing institutions and values. He considers himself and his kind as a type of pure force whose purpose it is “to clear the site” of traditional values without any consideration of rebuilding or of replacing them with new ones.