Nineteenth-Century Russian Literature The nineteenth century is often known as the golden age of Russian literature. During this period Russia produced some of the greatest writers in the world. Early in the century, the nobleman Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) led the way. He is most famous for his poetry, including the verse-novel Evgeny Onegin (1833), first…
Tag: Short Stories
How Much Land Does A Man Need? – Folktale, Foreshadowing & Irony
Folktale ‘‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’’ is Tolstoy’s retelling of a folktale. A folktale is a prose story usually of unknown authorship that is handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth or in writing. Folktales are found in all human cultures. Many folktales contain the devil as a character who…
How Much Land Does A Man Need? – Themes
Greed and Envy When viewed through its main theme, ‘‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’’ is not a complex or subtle story. It is about the sins of greed and envy as they manifest in one particular man, the peasant Pahom. Unlike his wife, Pahom has not learned to be satisfied with what he…
How Much Land Does A Man Need? – Characters
The Chief The chief is the leader of the Bashkirs. It is he who formally agrees to Pahom’s request to take some land, and he lays out the details of the agreement. Pahom dreams of the chief, seeing him sitting outside the tent laughing. Then when the exhausted Pahom nears the hillock where the chief…
How Much Land Does A Man Need? – Summary
Part 1 ‘‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’’ begins with one woman who lives in a city visiting her younger sister in the country. The elder sister is married to a successful tradesman, while the younger sister is married to a peasant in the village. The elder sister boasts about the advantages of living…
House Taken Over – Analysis
Julio Cortazar’s ‘‘House Taken Over’’ is a brief but carefully constructed tale. It is particularly noteworthy for what it does and does not reveal. The narrator’s attention to mundane detail is astounding, particularly when seen as a contrast to the details that remain unaddressed. This lack of seemingly important description lends the story an ambiguity…
House Taken Over – Setting – Magical Realism
Juan Peron Argentine dictator and subsequent president Juan Peron came into power at the time that Cort´zar began his writing career. Furthermore, the 1940s were the beginning of a tumultuous and historic period in Argentine politics and economy. This same tumult may have been partially responsible for Cortazar’s decision to live abroad. To a certain…
House Taken Over – Literary Devices
Unreliable First-Person Narrator The unnamed first-person narrator in this story is characterized not by what he does but by what he says, thinks, and feels. The reader experiences all of the events in the story through this lens. The reader understands Irene and her actions only through her brother’s opinions. While this creates a sense…
House Taken Over – Themes
Social Class ‘‘House Taken Over’’ paints a stark picture of the life of the Argentine upper class. Irene and her brother have inherited a large house and gather income from the farms that they own. All of this means that neither has to work. They have enough income to enjoy a leisurely and well-off lifestyle….
House Taken Over – Characters
The House In a sense, the house itself is an integral character in ‘‘House Taken Over.’’ It rules over the siblings’ lives. It is blamed for their respective spinsterhood and bachelorhood. They spend half of their time cleaning and maintaining the house. The house is also a family heirloom. It symbolically connects the siblings to…