Pechorin says so many things, some clever, some true, some troubling, but is he honest with himself? Choose one of your favorite lines from his diary and comment on it as reflected in Pechorin and its relevance to today.
There is a youthful energy to this text that is really a series of five stories bundled together into a whole that some call a marvelous psychological novel. What do we learn about Pechorin in each section as we see him through three sets of eyes (Maksim’s, the narrator’s, and his own)? Is he heroic, extraordinary, self-absorbed, attractive or repulsive?
Be sure to watch some of the youtube videos for a sense of the Time and Place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwy9PPE4Z_I&feature=related
This is a complex tale that has spawned a Chaikovsky opera (sometimes know even in English under the French title Pique Dame] and several films. The inclusion of the card game (faro) opens a whole new world of associations. You will find several useful and entertaining links below, but at the end of the day you must read the story and comment on it. Watch carefully the role of numbers, the city, time, the physical framing of characters (windows, chairs, coffins), coincidence. Is this romanticism or realism (but be sure to define those terms for yourself and your fellow readers)?
Deck of Cards Song (Text)
The Game of Faro (History) Be sure to play a few hands.
The Russian Пиковая дама.
Are we seeing a repeat of Poor Liza in poor Dunya? Is she poor or pure? Who is innocent or guilty in this story? How do the pictures of the Prodigal Son inform us? Why are the inscriptions in German?
As for the final story of Belkin’s Tales, what is Pushkin trying to accomplish? And does he?
Read the parable at
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2015:11-15:32&version=KJV
“But let us return to the worthy proprietors of Nenaradova, and see what is happening there.
Nothing.”
More than once our assumptions and expectations are proven incorrect as the narratives unfold. The narratives themselves are also collections, like little Russian nested dolls, matryoshkas, where one story is embedded in side of another. Pushkin also treats us to superbly balanced stories.
There is much more to these seemingly simple stories. Consider the complications suggested by the Introduction. What struck your fancy in either one of the stories?
This story is most often characterized as “sentimentalism.” The author intends to evoke a strong emotional response to his characters and narrative. At some level we as readers are to enjoy this evocation of sentiment. You may answer anyone of these questions, but be sure to read the responses that predate your own.
1) How does the narrator establish an atmosphere conducive to a strong emotional response?
2) What gets “lost in translation” from the story to the cartoon?
3) How are we to judge the value of this (or any) story? Is there a moral lesson? Are we “better” human beings for having read it?
4) Do you think it possible to write such a story and believe in it? Or is this author manipulating us like puppets, simply to prove that he can?
5) Why can we not simply accept the hard reality of life and appreciate Erast’s decision?