A Russian Gentleman - The Original Classic Edition - Softcover
In "A Russian Gentleman" (also known as "A Family Chronicle," which is both a more accurate description of the work and a more accurate translation of the original title), Sergei Aksakov narrates a few episodes in his family's history from the time that his paternal grandfather Stepan decided to move to the Russian Empire's spacious southeastern provinces until the time of the 1791 birth of Sergei himself. The chronicle is divided into five "sketches": the first discusses the move east and calls upon a few anecdotes to introduce the very fiery-tempered but (we are assured) good-hearted character of Stepan; the second recounts the marriage of Stepan's beloved ward Parasha at the age of 15 to a brutal scoundrel and recalls Stepan's heroic rescue of Parasha from near death at her husband's hands; and the last three discuss the meeting, wedding, and early married years of Sergei's parents, especially emphasizing the difficulties both had in gaining acceptance by their respective in-laws.
Aksakov refers to himself not as a novelist but as a "chronicler of oral tradition," and the book very strongly retains that feel throughout, bringing us more intimately into the concerns and struggles within the family than an author who only had recourse to his or her imagination realistically could. While most of the characters are fairly well-drawn, the two most memorable ones are Stepan and Aksakov's mother (named Marya in real life and Sofya in the book), the latter of whom shows a great deal of both familial devotion and intelligence without ever seeming to be unrealistically glorified.
The portrayal of Stepan (the "Russian Gentleman" whom translator J.D. Duff chose to recast as the title character) seems a little more suspect, which is unsurprising since Stepan died when Sergei was five years old.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
- Publishertebbo
- Publication date2012
- ISBN 10 1743448929
- ISBN 13 9781743448922
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages74
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