The great movement in Russian literature known as realism has been aptly described by one of its later adherents, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, as "imaginative literature", which "depicts life as it really is", and that "its aim is truth-unconditional and honest". There truly could be no better standard than this for enlightened literature. For although life is never static, and modes in literature of various regimes have come and gone and will continue to do so, nevertheless, truth sought sincerely by all serious thinkers throughout the ages remains eternal. Unfortunately hierarchies, oligarchies and dictatorships of various kinds have been forced upon human beings since the beginning of known history. With these regimes have come the masterminds who endeavored to mold into their particular cast the minds subjected to them. In some instances they have succeeded, but there have always been those refugees of independent thought who, because they refused to bow down to the decrees of a tyrant, have either hid in catacombes or fled to other lands. Such people are the illuminators of the ages— God's shining stars. Theirs was the spirit of 19th Century Russian realism. Its portrayal of truth is one of the most glorious in all literature. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this paper is to observe and discuss the description of peasantry in Russian prose literature from the second half of 1840's to 1917. In the introduction is given an outline of the peasant theme before the forties. For that purpose all material is sub-divided into chapters; each chapter discusses an individual writer, except the fourth chapter which considers the raznochintzy writers. The initial chapter discusses the first works of Grigorovich which are concerned with peasant life in the forties. Chapter Two deals with Turgenev's stories from A Sportsman's Sketches which show the spiritual and poetical side of the peasantry. The Third chapter discusses the works of Pisemsky of the fifties; here the realistic description of peasantry reaches its height. Chapter Four is a detailed analysis of the works of the raznochintzy writers of the sixties and seventies: Sleptzov, Levitov, Reshetnikov and mainly Gleb Uspensky. They are compared with their predecessors as well as compared among themselves. Chapter Five discusses the main works of Korolenko who acquaints the reader with the way of life of the Yakuts, Tartars, the Siberian and Russian peasants, and nomads. The Sixth chapter deals with the main works of Chekhov concerned with the peasantry. His works retain in themselves the sober truth of both the portrayal of the raznochintzy writers of the sixties and the artistic beauty of Turgenev. The Seventh chapter considers the works of Bunin where they are compared with those of Chekhov. With Bunin's works ends the period of critical realism before 1917. This is followed by a short conclusion, where some works of Tolstoy are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate

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This thesis examines the role nineteenth-century women's literary journals, specifically Ladies' Journal (1823--1833), played in the development of Russian literature. The longest-lived and most-circulated of the pre-Soviet women's literary journals, Ladies' Journal was well-positioned to have contributed to the on-going formation of a national literature through its influence on the Russian woman writer and reader. Ladies' Journal served as a forum for new Russian women writers and translators. It also promoted the discussion of women's issues. However, Ladies' Journal had a contradictory editorial policy concerning women and literature. While advocating women stake their own ground as writers, Ladies' Journal modeled the type of writer it wanted. The ideal writer was the inspiration of male poets and did not differ from the Romantic heroine or the ideal Romantic woman. This was a gesture in the spirit of the time, but it had consequences for Russian literature and for the poetics and politics of Russian women's journals to come.

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