Essays on Russian Novelists

Name: Essays on Russian Novelists
Author: William Lyon Phelps

By William Lyon Phelps

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Essays, Letters & Speeches Russian Literature

About This Book

A sequence of critical essays surveys the rise of modern Russian fiction and interprets how its novels reveal national character. The author contrasts the youthful emergence of Russian literature with older European traditions, highlights the preeminence of prose realism over Romanticism, and praises the expressive richness of the Russian language. Individual essays assess major figures—Pushkin as foundational, Gogol as comic realist, Turgenev for formal craftsmanship, Dostoevsky for psychological depth, and Tolstoy for moral breadth—while tracing recurring traits such as social observation, moral inquiry, and a restrained national humor.

About the Author

William Lyon Phelps

William Lyon Phelps was an American author and literary critic known for his insightful essays and analyses of literature. He contributed significantly to the understanding of modern and Russian novelists through works such as "Essays on Modern Novelists" and "Essays on Russian Novelists." Phelps also explored poetry, notably in his book "The Advance of English Poetry in the Twentieth Century," where he examined the evolution of poetic forms and themes. His writings reflect a deep engagement with literary trends and a commitment to fostering appreciation for both established and emerging authors.