NUTR 214 Study Guide - Winter 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - International Law, French Third Republic, Buddhism
12 Oct 2018
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Department
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NUTR 214
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
last terms themes:
• identity (national, individual)
o Russia defining itself vs. the west, occasionally east
• creating a national tradition with literature
o Russia began literature late, catches up within decades
• fate vs. free will
o Russians traditionally fatalists
• role of places, locations within books (settings)
o vision of open road (Russia is primarily countryside)
o rural vs. cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg [established 1703 by Peter the Great] as
capital cities)
• literature focused and set on St Petersburg (except Tolstoy, known for hating the city)
o almost a characterization of the cities; more than settings
• Russia is uncertain on what matters to a character (French literature is passionate love; English
literature is marriage and an heir; etc.)
o no clear end goal
• Pushkin has a universal quality (ex. when the character was an Englishman the writing was
distinctly English)
o could relate to many different classes, nationalities, etc.
o aided in the creation of the Russian language
▪ initially lacked words for more complex thinking as majority of population were
serfs, poor, etc.
• Gogol introduced humour into Russian literature
o died during hunger strike (exemplifies his absurdity)
o had a focus on St Petersburg
o supernatural and absurdity as a style
o “The Nose” story of man who wakes up without his nose, the nose is now a higher
ranking officer than him
o ‘School of Russian Nationalism’ fit well into their context despite his absurdist writing
• Pushkin and Gogol considered foundation of Russian literature
• by 1860 (beginning of this class), literature has been established
o now less focus on identity, switch to issues (political, personal, etc.)
• Russia began with paganism (988), leading to orthodoxy as important quality to novels for
authors (except Tolstoy, excommunicated from the church)
• ‘crisis of identity’ follow the west o forge on new course?
o felt behind on technology, culture, etc.
• serfdom accounted for half the population, emancipated by Alexander II in 1861
o question of how to bring two vastly different classes together
• Czar Nicholas I → Alexander II, start of radical reforms
• women see serfs, notice their own lack of political and social power
o ‘the women question’ (education? roles?)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
• many women authors, but have not translated or republished
o despite third best-selling author at the time was a woman
• Zemstvos, system of organizing governing
• restructure of law courts: separate judicial branch, some other changes
• Russia always has some form of censorship, Alexander II loosens it but not by much
o looser censorship meant more writing, overwhelming censors
o new system of publish first, works read later (if deemed bad, author would be arrested)
o self-censorship due to fears of later being arrested
• ‘Loner’ (1848, separate and layer republished in novel) and ‘Two Landowners’ (1852, with
publication of novel) from Turgenev
o each has central moral concern
o role of narrator/ Turgenev-like man
o how are peasants depicted?
o what vision of Russia are theses stories repeating? Turgenev known for not having
stances in his writing, remaining neutral (angered both sides of an issue often, as they
thought he supported the other side)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
