Brumfield William С. Sleptsov Redivivus

(Tulane University, New Orleans, USA)

Abstract ♦ The article deals with the oeuvre of Vasily Sleptsov (1836–1878). Sleptsov was a significant figure in Russian literary, revolutionary and democratic circles in the 1860s — the beginning of the 1970s. Part I of the article gives a brief overview of Sleptsov’s biography including his active role in the movement for “emancipation of women” and in “Sletpsov’s commune” that was triggering red-hot disputes at those times. Sleptsov was a close associate of Nikolay A. Nekrasov and his colleague in the literary magazine Sovremennik. Part II of the article is a close reading of the main work by Sleptsov — novel Trudnoe vremia ( Hard Times) that covers the social and personal conflicts of the period of the Great Reforms. Leo N. Tolstoy highly appreciated Sleptsov’s works, but Anton P. Chekhov was much closer to him in style and spirit. The author assumes that Sleptsov managed to capture the hallmark of Russian society in the age of sweeping changes.

Keywords: Vasily Sleptsov, Ivan Turgenev, Anton Chekhov, Great reforms, movement for emancipation of women, Sovremennik.

Brumfield William Craft, Ph.D, Professor of Slavic Studies, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA. Address: 6823 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118, USA. Tel.: +1 (504) 865-5276.E-mail: William.brumfield@gmail.com

Citation: Brumfield, W. С. (2014) Sleptsov Redivivus. Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie, no. 2, pp. 357–389.

Submission date: 1.02.2014.

RUSSIAN VERSION

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