Russian Literature

Description

Those sources must come from Gibian, George, ed. The Portable Nineteenth-Century Russian Reader. (Penguin). and Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories. (Penguin) Here are the themes. just choose one topic

Power and Powerlessness
The Corruption of Society
Political vs. Artistic Commitment
The Real and the Unreal
The Supernatural
Love and Hatred
Love and the Abuse of Love
Life and Death
The Role of Class
The Family
Morality and Immorality
Mortality and Immortality
Belief and Nihilism
Justice and Injustice
Literature and History
City vs. Country
Nostalgia

For example, you might look at the theme of nostalgia in “Oblomov’s Dream” and in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” or you might look at the nature of love in Turgenev and Chekhov, etc. Some of these essays will inevitably be compared and contrast in the structure; when it comes to such essays, structure your paper in terms of ideas instead of discussing one work for half the essay and another work for the other half. As with your previous essays, you must use proper essay structure: a clear introductory paragraph that closes with a specific, strong thesis; paragraphs organized around topics that support your thesis and that are structured in a clear, logical way; a sense of transition from point to point; evidence from the text that supports your thesis and/or supporting points; and, finally, a strong conclusion.

As with previous essays, points will be gained or lost on the basis of how you use the texts to support your argument. When it comes to quoting from the texts, shorter passages can be quoted in their entirety, while longer passages can be quoted with the first few words, an ellipsis, and then the last words, e.g. “In general, the proceedings were kept secret … for the further course of the trial” (Kafka 82-83). If you use the editions of the texts that we have been using in class, then you do not need to include the publication information at the end of the test; however, if you do use other texts, online or in print, then you must include their publication information (you will lose points if you do not).(you have to give the number of sources pages)