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zids's review
THIS IS NOT TECHNICALLY A DNF. This was assigned reading, we're supposed to read the first short story and not the second. Treat this like a review:
My Russian Lit Class Makes Me Suicidal and The Subject Matter Isn't Helping.
I have had to read so much short fiction about so many different Sad Dudes. I can't fucking take it anymore.
My Russian Lit Class Makes Me Suicidal and The Subject Matter Isn't Helping.
I have had to read so much short fiction about so many different Sad Dudes. I can't fucking take it anymore.
joy1010's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
asaugustine's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Every February, I tackle a Russian text, because if there's any kind of literature that just feeds into the joylessness of a never-ending Chicago winter, it's Russian literature. This year, I chose two short stories by Leo Tolstoy that are in conversation with each other: "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and "Master and Man."
The Death of Ivan Ilych (4.5 stars): I found this short story quite moving, transitioning from the banal trivialities of the public eye in the first few chapters to the stark, internal revelations that come when faced with nothing but death and the painful moments that precede it. This structure took me by surprise, even though I had read the preface that explained it all, and felt quite compelling, such that I started frantically writing down quotes every page or so once I began Chapter 6.
Ultimately this story urges the reader to take stock of their life. Are you living as you're expected to, thereby accepting the moral degradation that comes with those social expectations, or in a way that is out of step with society but morally sound? Are you leaving behind a legacy that will benefit the lives of those that come after you, or will your colleagues just go and play whist after your funeral? Are you facing your fears of mortality, or denying that they exist?
Tolstoy expects that most of his readers will see a bit of Ivan Ilych in themselves, and then have to face the realization that they, too, are mortal men, who will one day die. And that this kind of death is not just an abstract truth, but a pressing reality. The author is urging us to step out of the shadows of self-deception and instead live with this truth - that even though we all have childhood memories, and relationships, and "feelings and thoughts" entirely our own, it is ultimately "right" for us to die. It is our job as the living to make sure that we do enough "right" in the world that our death is not as fraught as Ivan Ilych's, because nobody wants to scream for three days straight before they go.
Master and Man (3.5 stars): I liked this story less than the first; it was much more allegorical in nature. I agreed with the premise, because basically anything that calls out the unfettered greed and insanity of the ruling class is fine by me. I was mostly left with a feeling of disappointment and frustration at the absurdity of it all, which I'm pretty sure was Tolstoy's intent. This would be an interesting story to bring into a conversation about the exploitation of natural resources and runaway late capitalism.
The Death of Ivan Ilych (4.5 stars): I found this short story quite moving, transitioning from the banal trivialities of the public eye in the first few chapters to the stark, internal revelations that come when faced with nothing but death and the painful moments that precede it. This structure took me by surprise, even though I had read the preface that explained it all, and felt quite compelling, such that I started frantically writing down quotes every page or so once I began Chapter 6.
Ultimately this story urges the reader to take stock of their life. Are you living as you're expected to, thereby accepting the moral degradation that comes with those social expectations, or in a way that is out of step with society but morally sound? Are you leaving behind a legacy that will benefit the lives of those that come after you, or will your colleagues just go and play whist after your funeral? Are you facing your fears of mortality, or denying that they exist?
Tolstoy expects that most of his readers will see a bit of Ivan Ilych in themselves, and then have to face the realization that they, too, are mortal men, who will one day die. And that this kind of death is not just an abstract truth, but a pressing reality. The author is urging us to step out of the shadows of self-deception and instead live with this truth - that even though we all have childhood memories, and relationships, and "feelings and thoughts" entirely our own, it is ultimately "right" for us to die. It is our job as the living to make sure that we do enough "right" in the world that our death is not as fraught as Ivan Ilych's, because nobody wants to scream for three days straight before they go.
Master and Man (3.5 stars): I liked this story less than the first; it was much more allegorical in nature. I agreed with the premise, because basically anything that calls out the unfettered greed and insanity of the ruling class is fine by me. I was mostly left with a feeling of disappointment and frustration at the absurdity of it all, which I'm pretty sure was Tolstoy's intent. This would be an interesting story to bring into a conversation about the exploitation of natural resources and runaway late capitalism.
friarmonty's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
amyw2's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
O'clock be reading more Tolstoy.
thesecretgarden's review
3.0
Review from June 2010:
[Yay! Er...not sure if I should say Yay to a story about death.I'd never read Tolstoy before, so I thought I'd give him a try. My intended minor (whenever I get to transfer...) is Russian & Slavic Culture, so I might as well start now. I chose these two stories because one appears on the 1001 list, and it jumped out at me at the library!I'm not sure if all Russian literature is like this, but these two short stories were heavy. Full of weight (thanks for this mode of thought, Kundera!) and gravitas. Dealing with death, right choices and redemption, they are certainly not beach reads. I preferred the second story to the first, though the ending of the first was compelling.What struck me (spoilers!) was the difference between the two characters in Master and Man, as far as how they deal with life and death. Vassili was a trivial, easy to dislike sort of man, who was wholly concerned with profits, no matter the human cost, while his servant Nikita, though troubled by family problems and personal addictions, was an affable fellow. Long story short, in the end Vassili, after turning his back on Nikita in an extreme snowstorm, comes to save him and in doing so, dies. Much like Ivan, he is concerned with how he lived his life, what mistakes he might have made. In his death, he is reborn and redeemed. Death, in the eyes of a viewer, is his gift. Yet as for Nikita, though during the storm he doesn't want to die, he is rather resigned after the debacle. He has tired of all of life's difficulties and just wishes it to be over. It almost makes the gift that Vassili gave worthless. The juxtaposition of these two deaths made for a haunting story.Even though I would have to anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more from Tolstoy. I read a bit about his personal life, and I'm curious to how it coloured his writing.Quotes:(This is from the introduction to the book, and I just thought it was interesting because I adore Lawrence) "Tolstoy is like D.H. Lawrence----on occasion astonishingly repetitive, frequently clumsy. Both allow the thoughts of their characters to suffuse an apparently objective narrative. Unlike the controlled exploration of free indirect discourse in, say, Joyce's Dubliners, what we find in both Tolstoy and Lawrence is the instinctive imaginative projection of the sympathetic author."-Both are from The Death of Ivan Ilyich- "Everything is always the same. Then hope glints---like a drop of water. A drop lost in a turbulent ocean of despair. And everything is pain again, pain and misery and everything always the same. It is dreadfully sad on his own....""There, in his childhood, was something really pleasant that you could live with, if it were to come again. But the person who had experienced that happy time was no more: it was like a memory of another person.""He heard these words and repeated them in his soul. "Death is finished," he said to himself. "There is no more death."]
[Yay! Er...not sure if I should say Yay to a story about death.I'd never read Tolstoy before, so I thought I'd give him a try. My intended minor (whenever I get to transfer...) is Russian & Slavic Culture, so I might as well start now. I chose these two stories because one appears on the 1001 list, and it jumped out at me at the library!I'm not sure if all Russian literature is like this, but these two short stories were heavy. Full of weight (thanks for this mode of thought, Kundera!) and gravitas. Dealing with death, right choices and redemption, they are certainly not beach reads. I preferred the second story to the first, though the ending of the first was compelling.What struck me (spoilers!) was the difference between the two characters in Master and Man, as far as how they deal with life and death. Vassili was a trivial, easy to dislike sort of man, who was wholly concerned with profits, no matter the human cost, while his servant Nikita, though troubled by family problems and personal addictions, was an affable fellow. Long story short, in the end Vassili, after turning his back on Nikita in an extreme snowstorm, comes to save him and in doing so, dies. Much like Ivan, he is concerned with how he lived his life, what mistakes he might have made. In his death, he is reborn and redeemed. Death, in the eyes of a viewer, is his gift. Yet as for Nikita, though during the storm he doesn't want to die, he is rather resigned after the debacle. He has tired of all of life's difficulties and just wishes it to be over. It almost makes the gift that Vassili gave worthless. The juxtaposition of these two deaths made for a haunting story.Even though I would have to anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more from Tolstoy. I read a bit about his personal life, and I'm curious to how it coloured his writing.Quotes:(This is from the introduction to the book, and I just thought it was interesting because I adore Lawrence) "Tolstoy is like D.H. Lawrence----on occasion astonishingly repetitive, frequently clumsy. Both allow the thoughts of their characters to suffuse an apparently objective narrative. Unlike the controlled exploration of free indirect discourse in, say, Joyce's Dubliners, what we find in both Tolstoy and Lawrence is the instinctive imaginative projection of the sympathetic author."-Both are from The Death of Ivan Ilyich- "Everything is always the same. Then hope glints---like a drop of water. A drop lost in a turbulent ocean of despair. And everything is pain again, pain and misery and everything always the same. It is dreadfully sad on his own....""There, in his childhood, was something really pleasant that you could live with, if it were to come again. But the person who had experienced that happy time was no more: it was like a memory of another person.""He heard these words and repeated them in his soul. "Death is finished," he said to himself. "There is no more death."]
macquincy's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
theunreadshelf's review
5.0
If you’re looking for a couple of gripping short stories that deal with death, I can’t recommend Tolstoy enough.
•
The Death of Ivan Ilyich has been on my radar for a while. And when I saw it at my local thrift store, I snatched it up (of course). But reading it turned out to be much more painful than I realized.
•
Ivan slowly succumbs to an unknown illness, enduring all the horrors that 19th century Russian medicine could offer. We see society’s inability to face death through his eyes, as his family and friends refuse to admit his true condition. And even Ivan himself turns away from it, til the end.
•
Master and Man also deals with the folly of the pursuit of riches in the face of death, as the master drives his horse and servant into a snow blizzard. He refuses to acknowledge the futility of his journey, until the only choice left to him is whether to save his servant.
•
Both stories were brief but powerfully written. It left me amazed at Tolstoy’s skill and insight into human nature, just as much as after I finished Anna Karenina.
•
Short stories are a genre I haven’t dove into much. What are some you enjoyed?
•
Also, this was my pick for April’s challenge for #theunreadshelfproject2019 - read the book I last acquired! It feels great to knock it off the list!
•
The Death of Ivan Ilyich has been on my radar for a while. And when I saw it at my local thrift store, I snatched it up (of course). But reading it turned out to be much more painful than I realized.
•
Ivan slowly succumbs to an unknown illness, enduring all the horrors that 19th century Russian medicine could offer. We see society’s inability to face death through his eyes, as his family and friends refuse to admit his true condition. And even Ivan himself turns away from it, til the end.
•
Master and Man also deals with the folly of the pursuit of riches in the face of death, as the master drives his horse and servant into a snow blizzard. He refuses to acknowledge the futility of his journey, until the only choice left to him is whether to save his servant.
•
Both stories were brief but powerfully written. It left me amazed at Tolstoy’s skill and insight into human nature, just as much as after I finished Anna Karenina.
•
Short stories are a genre I haven’t dove into much. What are some you enjoyed?
•
Also, this was my pick for April’s challenge for #theunreadshelfproject2019 - read the book I last acquired! It feels great to knock it off the list!
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