Preface

Chapter I: Introduction 1

The Russian Language—Early folk literature: Folklore — Songs—Sagas—Lay of Igor's Raid—Annals—Mongolian Invasion; its consequences—Correspondence between John IV. and Kurbskiy—Religious splitting—Avvakum's Memoirs—The eighteenth century—Peter I. and his contemporaries: Tretiakovskiy—Lomonésoff—Sumarokoff — The times of Catherine II: Derzhávin—Von Wizin—The Freemasons: Novikoff—Radischeff—Early nineteenth century: Karamzin and Zhukovskiy—The Decembrists — Ryléelf.

Chapter II: Pushkin; Lermontoff 39

Pushkin—Beauty of form—Pushkin and Schiller—His youth; his exile; his later career and death—Fairy tales: Ruslan and Ludmila—His lyrics—"Byronism" — Drama—Evgheniy Onyeghin—Lermontoff—Pushkin or Lermontóff? His life—The Caucasus—Poetry of nature — Influence of Shelley—The Demon—Mtsyri—Love of Freedom—Pushkin and Lermontóff as prose-writers—Other poets and novelists of the same epoch.

Chapter III: Gogol 67

Little Russia—Nights on a Farm near Dikanka and Mirgorod—Village life and humour—How Ivan Ivanovitch quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforytch—Historical novel: Taras Bulba—The Cloak—Drama: The Inspector-General — Its influence—Dead Souls: Main types—Realism in the Russian novel.

Chapter IV: Turguéneff; Tolstóy 88

Turguéneff—The Character of his art—A Sportsman's Note-book—Pessimism in his early novels—His series of novels representing the leading types of Society: Rudin—