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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Pavel Annekov's role in Russian culture?

2. How did the Intelligentsia see their role in society?

3. What was Turgenev's "negative Hegelianism?"

4. What writer supported the Tsar's acts?

5. What was the relationship between literature and politics in mid-nineteenth century Russia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do foxes and hedgehogs represent in Archilochus' adage, and how does Berlin apply the distinction to Russian thinkers?

2. Where in Europe were there revolutions in 1848?

3. In what ways does Berlin see Tolstoy's experience as representative of Russian culture?

4. How did the revolutions of 1848 affect western European intellectuals and Russians differently?

5. What were the three accomplishments of the intellectuals who rose to prominence in the 1830s and 40s?

6. What example does Tolstoy use to explain why human beings cannot know all the actions and causes that affect their experiences?

7. What was Annenkov's role in the circle of Russian Intelligentsia?

8. Whose writings had Russian intellectuals and writers primarily been influenced by?

9. How did Bakunin react to Hegel's philosophy?

10. Describe the main ideas of Hegel's that influenced Herzen.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Berlin uses the adage of the fox and the hedgehog to describe Tolstoy as a materialist who saw the value of being an idealist, but in Tolstoy's works, the authorial eye could only see the grand designs, never by the characters. Which characters tried to see the design behind events? Which authors did not? Which authors were successful?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the tension between Alexander Herzen and Ivan Turgenev as exemplars of the idea of artistic commitment and freedom respectively. What were the options for artists? Could they stand aside and simply create? How did other Russian writers resolve this opposition?

Essay Topic 3

How did authors resist the pitfalls of political engagement? Choose three authors or critics and describe their strategies for refusing to engage with the political tensions of their day.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 711 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample