cathmom Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 My 13 yo has agreed to read some Russian literature with me, something I've always wanted to do. I'm thinking that we should start with one of these 3: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Anna Karenina Crime and Punishment I'm leaning toward either One Day or C and P. One Day is shorter, but this dc does like crime stories and may find that one interesting. AK is longer than both of them and may be confusing (plus the story is about adultery and I don't know if it's graphic at all). Any comments? Is there something else we should read first? The only Russian lit I've ever read was Dr. Zhivago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 (edited) Not to discourage you, and all of this is just my opinion -- BUT... with such a young student, I'd suggest going with a handful of short stories by several authors as your first outing with Russian lit. The Russian novels are *extremely* dense and slow-going; there is so much going on historically/culturally; and they are very psychological and depressive. Just my opinion, but, they are works to be savored by older adults -- there is a very real chance you'll bludgeon to death a young teen's budding interest in classical literature with attempting a Russian novel too soon! :tongue_smilie: Some suggestions to choose from (most can be found free on line by googling the title along with the words "full text"): - How Much Land Does a Man Need (Tolstoy) - Ivan the Fool (Tolstoy) - The Inspector (Gogol) - The Nose (Gogol) - The Overcoat (Gogol) - The Queen of Spades (Pushkin) - a short story by Ivan Turgenev (free online collection here) - you can try Nabokov, but he is more modern with a lot of mature themes novel excerpt: The Grand Inquisitor (Dostoyevski) -- Sparknotes free online guide play: Cherry Orchard -- or -- Three Sisters -- or Uncle Vanya (Chekhov) (Sparknotes has guides for each of these plays -- but also a guide for several Chekhov short stories here) If it were me, I think I'd shoot for about 4-6 short stories, and spent 1 week on each, to allow time to - read background info on the author and times - read and absorb the story - discuss the story - annotate; OR write a short response; OR write a short compare/contrast on two authors/works; OR write a short analysis on each work Here is a list of best Russian short stories (with links to full text of the stories). Here is a free e-book that is a Russian short story anthology you can download. And you can use Wikipedia articles, or google search specific stories for literature guide help. BEST of luck! Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited October 2, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I would second the suggestion of reading a short story, play, or poetry first. My personal favourites are works by Chekhov and Pushkin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 (edited) Ditto doing short stories or poetry. If you're christian, you can find poetry from russian christians that has been translated, giving an added dimension. I know Georgi Vins has some good stuff that has been translated, but I'm not finding the titles online. I have some on the shelf somewhere. Edited October 2, 2011 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 I suggested the short stories or C and P to her. She's deciding. She may only be 13 but she's quite into writing/reading and I don't think the novels would be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I suggested the short stories or C and P to her. She's deciding. She may only be 13 but she's quite into writing/reading and I don't think the novels would be a problem. It's not so much the length that I was thinking would be daunting, but the focus: it is so inwardly focused on internal psychology and can be extremely emotionally intense and distressing (I was physically ill after reading the murder in Crime and Punishment, and I was in my 20s) -- I just can't picture a teen getting into it... But, you never know! And I wouldn't want to disuade you and it turns out she ended up loving Russian Lit... You could always have her try one of the very short stories I linked above to get a "taste" to help decide. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Persecutor-Sergei-Kourdakov/dp/0800781775 You can also go a direction like this. Again, not the older classic lit, but a modern classic, shorter in length, good for that age, connecting you with the culture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I agree with the suggestion to chose shorter works. I found Crime and Punishment cathartic, but I'm not sure a 13 year old would. It's not a mystery; he does the crime early in the book and we mostly follow him. He is not caught by clever detective work, but by his conscience and the other experiences he has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphispeg Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I remember liking Turgenev v. much at that age. I read the stories and then "Fathers and Sons." Gogol was also v. satisfying and there have been productions of his plays and such that you may be able to find video of. Russian short stories are very much like fairy tales and fables and they are quite accessible to younger minds. They have a great sense of humor too. C and P should probably be read in COLLEGE. It is a dark piece but, I think college-aged kids are ready to appreciate and enjoy the moral issues raised. Ditto "A Day in the Life......" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 C and P should probably be read in COLLEGE. It is a dark piece but, I think college-aged kids are ready to appreciate and enjoy the moral issues raised. Ditto "A Day in the Life......" I like having my kids read A Day in the Life in high school. None of my kids is/was likely to read literature in college, so high school was my only chance. I think it's short enough to discuss in depth, offers a gritty view of what hard life really is like, as well as demonstrating that authors come from Russia, too... But probably around 12th grade is good. Also, if you click on the tag for your thread, you'll find some other good threads discussing Russian literature. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 I agree with the suggestion to chose shorter works. I found Crime and Punishment cathartic, but I'm not sure a 13 year old would. It's not a mystery; he does the crime early in the book and we mostly follow him. He is not caught by clever detective work, but by his conscience and the other experiences he has. Right, I knew it wasn't a mystery. Just that she's interested in that sort of psychology. Thanks for all the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Short stories are a good start. If you want C&P you might try an audio book first. There is a nice rendition of this by Blackstone and while an audiobook will never supplant the experience of reading the truth is that like much of Russian literature C&P can be a difficult read, even for a precocious reader. If after an hour or so of the audio she decides to go to the book then you have won on all fronts, if she wants to hear the rest of the book on audio you have still done well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share Posted October 8, 2011 Well, C & P is ordered, along with the Cliff Notes. She wasn't interested in short stories. We'll see how it goes. Thanks, all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Well, C & P is ordered, along with the Cliff Notes. She wasn't interested in short stories. We'll see how it goes. Thanks, all! Thanks for letting us know! Hope it will be a great experience all the way around. And keep us updated on what the two of you are getting out of Crime & Punishment -- love to hear any insights! :) Warmest regards, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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