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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Turgenev’s Apropos awakened the desire to create honest art in me.
Иногда задумываешься о жизни в другой стране и далёком прошлом. Но можно ли это точно передать? В руках выдающегося писателя, как Иван Тургенев, это получается весьма удачно. Его роман "Отцы и дети" не только показывает сложных персонажей, которые сталкиваются с острыми социополитическими конфликтами, во многом похожими на наши, но и доказывает, что два столетия, прошедшие с момента его публикации, прошли незаметно.
Правда, финал романа мне показался слишком упрощённым, словно взятым из английской литературы викторианской эпохи, что контрастировало с тонкой, глубоко проработанной историей, которую я читал. Тем не менее, я понимаю, почему творчество Тургенева остаётся актуальным, и определённо планирую познакомиться с другими его произведениями.
Правда, финал романа мне показался слишком упрощённым, словно взятым из английской литературы викторианской эпохи, что контрастировало с тонкой, глубоко проработанной историей, которую я читал. Тем не менее, я понимаю, почему творчество Тургенева остаётся актуальным, и определённо планирую познакомиться с другими его произведениями.
+ liked the characters
- found the non theoretical bits kinda boring
- found the non theoretical bits kinda boring
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✧🕯️“𝑶𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆; 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈,” 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, “𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.”
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev- a beautiful almost tragic story of two generations. The story follows Arkaday and Bazarov, the two young men and their parents.
𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨:
🔸𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘱: Throughout the story we see the generation gap b/w Arkaday & Bazarov and their parents. Often seem b/w Bazarov an others, as Bazarov keeps clashing with everyone.
🔸𝘕𝘪𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮: Bazarov is a big believer of nihilism and its influence on his character is too obvious. He's too absorbed by these nihilistic tendencies and eventually succumbs to them. However everyone else except Arkaday seems immune to it.
"𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝, 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦;"
“𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬? 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.”
🔸𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦: Another important aspect of the novel is love and the romantic relationships and the effects on one's personality. The relationship between Katya and Arkaday, and Bazarov and Anna Sergeyevna explores this aspect.
❥ “love in the ideal, or, as he expressed it, romantic sense, he called lunacy, unpardonable imbecility; he regarded chivalrous sentiments as something of the nature of deformity or disease,”
❥ 'You want to fall in love,' Bazarov interrupted her, 'and you can't love; that's where your unhappiness lies.'
❥ “Let me tell you then that I love you like a fool, like a madman.... ”
❥“And besides, love ... you know, is a purely imaginary feeling.”
❥“I love you forever and irrevocably, and I love no one but you.”
𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨:
🔸𝐁𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐯: arrogant, intellectual and flawed. (almost tragic.)
“And, you see, I thought too: I'd break down so many things, I wouldn't die, why should I! there were problems to solve, and I was a giant! And now all the problem for the giant is how to die decently, though that makes no difference to any one either.... Never mind; I'm not going to turn tail.”
🔸𝐀𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐲: likeable, smart and understanding. Finds love and lives a happy life without regrets ig.
🔸𝐏𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 & 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐢: represent the older generations , respect traditions and older values. While Pavel was more rigid and firm, Nikolai was somehow tolerant and open to new customs and practices.
🔸𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚: traditional and loving parents. Most likeable characters. It's so sad how the story ends for them. And i absolutely despise Bazarov for how he treated them. God; life's so unfair sometimes.
“there's no help for it, Vasya! A son is a separate piece cut off. He's like the falcon that flies home and flies away at his pleasure; while you and I are like funguses in the hollow of a tree, we sit side by side, and don't move from our place. Only I am left you unchanged for ever, as you for me.”
i wanted to smash bazarov's head for this. How ungrateful was he!
and then his death left them shattered:(
☆ "Often from the little village not far off, two quite feeble old people come to visit it—a husband and wife. Supporting one another, they move to it with heavy steps; they go up to the railing, fall down, and remain on their knees, and long and bitterly they weep, and yearn and intently gaze at the dumb stone, under which their son is lying; they exchange some brief word, wipe away the dust from the stone, set straight a branch of a fir-tree, and pray again, and cannot tear themselves from this place, where they seem to be nearer to their son, to their memories of him...."
☆ "Can it be that their prayers, their tears are fruitless? Can it be that love, sacred, devoted love, is not all-powerful? Oh, no! However passionate, sinning, and rebellious the heart hidden in the tomb, the flowers growing over it peep serenely at us with their innocent eyes; they tell us not of eternal peace alone, of that great peace of 'indifferent' nature; tell us too of eternal reconciliation and of life without end."
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 :
🔸“𝘕𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢; 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. ”
🔸“𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.”
🔸“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘰𝘵.”
🔸“𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.”
🔸“𝘐𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦? 𝘐𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺?”
🔸“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭!”
🔸“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯....”
Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev- a beautiful almost tragic story of two generations. The story follows Arkaday and Bazarov, the two young men and their parents.
𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨:
🔸𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘱: Throughout the story we see the generation gap b/w Arkaday & Bazarov and their parents. Often seem b/w Bazarov an others, as Bazarov keeps clashing with everyone.
🔸𝘕𝘪𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮: Bazarov is a big believer of nihilism and its influence on his character is too obvious. He's too absorbed by these nihilistic tendencies and eventually succumbs to them. However everyone else except Arkaday seems immune to it.
"𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝, 𝐢𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦;"
“𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬? 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.”
🔸𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦: Another important aspect of the novel is love and the romantic relationships and the effects on one's personality. The relationship between Katya and Arkaday, and Bazarov and Anna Sergeyevna explores this aspect.
❥ “love in the ideal, or, as he expressed it, romantic sense, he called lunacy, unpardonable imbecility; he regarded chivalrous sentiments as something of the nature of deformity or disease,”
❥ 'You want to fall in love,' Bazarov interrupted her, 'and you can't love; that's where your unhappiness lies.'
❥ “Let me tell you then that I love you like a fool, like a madman.... ”
❥“And besides, love ... you know, is a purely imaginary feeling.”
❥“I love you forever and irrevocably, and I love no one but you.”
𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨:
🔸𝐁𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐯: arrogant, intellectual and flawed. (almost tragic.)
“And, you see, I thought too: I'd break down so many things, I wouldn't die, why should I! there were problems to solve, and I was a giant! And now all the problem for the giant is how to die decently, though that makes no difference to any one either.... Never mind; I'm not going to turn tail.”
🔸𝐀𝐫𝐤𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐲: likeable, smart and understanding. Finds love and lives a happy life without regrets ig.
🔸𝐏𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 & 𝐍𝐢𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐢: represent the older generations , respect traditions and older values. While Pavel was more rigid and firm, Nikolai was somehow tolerant and open to new customs and practices.
🔸𝐕𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚: traditional and loving parents. Most likeable characters. It's so sad how the story ends for them. And i absolutely despise Bazarov for how he treated them. God; life's so unfair sometimes.
“there's no help for it, Vasya! A son is a separate piece cut off. He's like the falcon that flies home and flies away at his pleasure; while you and I are like funguses in the hollow of a tree, we sit side by side, and don't move from our place. Only I am left you unchanged for ever, as you for me.”
i wanted to smash bazarov's head for this. How ungrateful was he!
and then his death left them shattered:(
☆ "Often from the little village not far off, two quite feeble old people come to visit it—a husband and wife. Supporting one another, they move to it with heavy steps; they go up to the railing, fall down, and remain on their knees, and long and bitterly they weep, and yearn and intently gaze at the dumb stone, under which their son is lying; they exchange some brief word, wipe away the dust from the stone, set straight a branch of a fir-tree, and pray again, and cannot tear themselves from this place, where they seem to be nearer to their son, to their memories of him...."
☆ "Can it be that their prayers, their tears are fruitless? Can it be that love, sacred, devoted love, is not all-powerful? Oh, no! However passionate, sinning, and rebellious the heart hidden in the tomb, the flowers growing over it peep serenely at us with their innocent eyes; they tell us not of eternal peace alone, of that great peace of 'indifferent' nature; tell us too of eternal reconciliation and of life without end."
𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 :
🔸“𝘕𝘰𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢; 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. ”
🔸“𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.”
🔸“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤, 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘰𝘵.”
🔸“𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳.”
🔸“𝘐𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦? 𝘐𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺?”
🔸“𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭!”
🔸“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯....”
A very philosophical novel that remains pertinent even after all these years. With the soon to be freedom of the Russian serfs working throughout “Fathers and Sons” Turgenev juggles the troubles of his time with more timeless musings on philosophy. There is a lot to be said about how timeless and effective Turgenev’s talk of generational differences is throughout the novel. The authors thoughts are expressed through beautiful prose as there seems to be several quotable passages in every chapter. The nihilistic Bazarov is an enigmatic character that made me feel a range of emotions from anger and annoyance to pity and grief. Certainly worth the read for fans of Russian literature and anyone who wants a thought provoking read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
My first experience of Turgenev, and to be honest, it was a little underwhelming.
Perhaps it's because I've always known about the Turgenev-Dostoevsky rivalry, and imagined the former to be a fair match for the latter. Unfortunately, I found 'Fathers and Sons' to be nothing compared to the likes of a 'Brothers Karamazov' or a 'Devils'.
His critique of nihilism in the guise of Bazarov I found obvious, clumsy, and at times childish. He was nothing less than a straw man, whose unlikeability was obvious from the start, and whose premature death was emotive only because of the pathetic nature of his parents. His irrational love of Anna Sergyevna, and his subsequent hypocrisy and crisis of conscience, was a bit obviously narrated. Turgenev vastly underestimated this new wave of thought called nihilism, and the effect it would have on society within a couple of generations.
Dostoevsky, on the other hand, portrayed nihilism in all it's demonic potential. One is left in no doubt about Dostoevsky's opinion of the movement, but he gives an unforgettable impression of the energy and drive behind it.
I was fond of none of the characters in particular. Arkady had a singularly bland personality, and not only because of his discipleship to Bazarov. His love of Katya seemed to spring from nowhere, and was not particularly pleasurable to read about. It was like Turgenev was trying to write a story like Tolstoy, but without the skill or dedication (or book length).
There were certainly moments of humour and insight. Musings about intergenerational relations are certainly never going to go away, and this is perhaps a fair representation of those in mid-19th century Russia.
'Fathers and Sons', in my opinion, was an unimpressive combination of 'War and Peace' and 'Devils'; it incorporated - I won't say the *worst* bits, but certainly some of the less inspired aspects, of both of these superior writers.
Perhaps it's because I've always known about the Turgenev-Dostoevsky rivalry, and imagined the former to be a fair match for the latter. Unfortunately, I found 'Fathers and Sons' to be nothing compared to the likes of a 'Brothers Karamazov' or a 'Devils'.
His critique of nihilism in the guise of Bazarov I found obvious, clumsy, and at times childish. He was nothing less than a straw man, whose unlikeability was obvious from the start, and whose premature death was emotive only because of the pathetic nature of his parents. His irrational love of Anna Sergyevna, and his subsequent hypocrisy and crisis of conscience, was a bit obviously narrated. Turgenev vastly underestimated this new wave of thought called nihilism, and the effect it would have on society within a couple of generations.
Dostoevsky, on the other hand, portrayed nihilism in all it's demonic potential. One is left in no doubt about Dostoevsky's opinion of the movement, but he gives an unforgettable impression of the energy and drive behind it.
I was fond of none of the characters in particular. Arkady had a singularly bland personality, and not only because of his discipleship to Bazarov. His love of Katya seemed to spring from nowhere, and was not particularly pleasurable to read about. It was like Turgenev was trying to write a story like Tolstoy, but without the skill or dedication (or book length).
There were certainly moments of humour and insight. Musings about intergenerational relations are certainly never going to go away, and this is perhaps a fair representation of those in mid-19th century Russia.
'Fathers and Sons', in my opinion, was an unimpressive combination of 'War and Peace' and 'Devils'; it incorporated - I won't say the *worst* bits, but certainly some of the less inspired aspects, of both of these superior writers.