writing two essay responses to the following themes. As you will see, the themes are broad, so a big part of your response involves you creating a clear, specific thesis about your themes and discussing them in relation to two of the works that we have discussed in class. And so, I would like you to discuss two texts per essay. As we did more than one work by Tolstoy, your range is a bit more open in regards to what you can choose from him.

Here are the themes:

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 compare and contrast in 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.

can only use the articles list below:

Pushkin’s “The Bronze Horseman”

Gogol’s “The Overcoat”

Goncharov’s “Oblomov’s Dream”

Tolstoy’s “The Raid”

Turgenev’s “First Love”

Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog”

Tolstoy’s “The Forged Coupon”

Tolstoy’s “Three Deaths”

Dostoyevsky’s “The Grand Inquisitor”

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya