Mikhail Lermontov Summary

Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov (1814-1841) was a Russian poet and prose writer. Fearless, impulsive, and passionate, he was the embodiment of Russian romanticism.The contributions of Mikhail Lermontov to... Read more

Pritchett, a modern British writer, is respected for his mastery of the short story and for his judicious, reliable, and insightful literary criticism. In the following essay, originally published in ... Read more

In the following essay, Garrard argues for a reassessment of Lermontov's importance in establishing the novel in nineteenth-century Russian literature. We have no equivalent for Russian lite... Read more

Richards is an English educator and critic specializing in Russian literature. In the following essay, Richards examines the episodic structure of Lermontov's novel, comparing and contrasting i... Read more

In the following essay, Kesler examines A Hero of Our Time as a "critique of both the romantic hero and those circumstances of literary production that produced and destroyed the romantic movem... Read more

In the following essay, the critic asserts that the Byronism of A Hero of Our Time is due to Lermontov's parallel development of qualities similar to those of Byron rather than to the influence... Read more

In the following essay, Foote places A Hero of Our Time in the context of Lermontov's life and of Russian literature, and discusses Lermontov's portrayal of his protagonist. Lermontov... Read more

Freeborn is a Welsh critic, educator, and translator who has written and edited numerous studies of Russian history, literature, and literary figures. In the following essay, he examines the central t... Read more

In the following excerpt, Calder assesses A Hero of Our Time as Lermontov's single "great novel." [Mikhail Lermontov] managed in his brief and unhappy existence to earn himself... Read more

In the following essay—originally published in Germany in 1924—Eikhenbaum analyzes Lermontov's poetry as an expression of his "historical individuality" rather than ... Read more

In the essay below, Lanz considers the similarities between the classical myth of Prometheus and The Demon, noting that "the Demon is the Russian Prometheus." It may seem strange to s... Read more

In the excerpt below, Lavrin discusses the literary influences in Lermontov's writings, providing an overview of his life and career. The romantic movement, for various reasons, affected Rus... Read more

In the following essay, Hopkins challenges a prevalent criticism of Lermontov's "Junker" or "Hussar" poems that dismisses them as juvenile "pornography,... Read more

In the essay below, Garrard summarizes Lermontov's literary legacy, his politics, and his contributions to Russian literature. Lermontov's Legacy Lermontov left a remarkable legacy fo... Read more

In the following essay, Garrard examines Lermontov's narrative poems, tracing the poet's gradual transition from Romanticism to Realism and his developing ability to handle problems of n... Read more

In the following essay, Golstein asserts that while individualism was valued in the West in the nineteenth century, it was routinely discouraged in Russia, accounting for his country's often ne... Read more

In the following essay, Liberman provides a brief overview of Lermontov's reputation as a poet, praising him for his introduction of impressionism into Russian literature. Lermontov was conf... Read more

In the following essay, Barratt and Briggs suggest that the ironic stance operating within Lermontov's text has led to numerous misunderstandings regarding interpretation of the novel. The Re... Read more

In the following essay, Scotto discusses nineteenth-century notions of orientalism and imperialism evidenced in Pechorin's treatment of Bela as an exotic “other” in A Hero of Our ... Read more

In the following essay, Rancour-Laferriere explores Lermontov's contempt for what he considered the backwardness of his native land expressed in “Proščaj, nemytaja Rossija,... Read more