Balzac

History of the Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin

(7) The Amazing Roughness of Stalin's Hometown of Gori and the Birth of Stalin the Reader

Stalin was born in the Georgian (Georgia) city of Gori.

The city of Gori is just so intense. The intensity of the city will be discussed in more detail in this article, but it was a den of unbelievably rough and tumble people.

Although Stalin grew up in such a rough-and-tumble den, he was an astonishingly well-read man. The reading he did at this time had a profound impact on Stalin's life. In this article, we will discuss Stalin's reading.
spiridionFrench Literature, History and Culture

Georges Sand's "Spiridion" Synopsis and Impressions - A Critical Influence on "The Brothers Karamazov"! Sand's monastic novel

Georges Sand was a major influence on Dostoevsky. I wanted to read more of Sand's work, and when I was looking for a book on him, a surprising phrase jumped out at me. It was written in large letters on the obi of the book.

The work was a decisive influence on Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov."

What?

I couldn't believe my eyes. This was a surprise.

So I decided to read the book as soon as I could, and the surprises kept coming. This article summarizes them.
huskFrench Literature, History and Culture

Balzac's "Arakawa" Synopsis and Comments - It's like a Buddhist sermon! Is desire boring when realized?

This work is the story of a young man whose life changes forever the moment he realizes that all of his desires will come true, and he is doomed to have his remaining life diminished each time his desires come true.

The first thing that came to mind when I read this piece was a certain story from the life of Buddha.

This article will also discuss such connections to Buddhist discourse.
BalzacFrench Literature, History and Culture

Balzac's "Eugenie Grande" Synopsis and Impressions - The story of a defensive father and his simple love for his virtuous daughter.

This work is very closely associated with Dostoevsky; in 1843, when he was 22 years old, this was the work he was about to translate into Russian for publication.

Dostoevsky was devoted to Balzac from a young age and was strongly influenced by him.

It was this "Eugenie Grande" that he had his eye on as a work to be translated into Russian.

The story centers around the intense miser, Old Felix, and his daughter, Eugenie, and their battle between material greed, symbolized by money, and spiritual integrity.
Dostoevsky's works

Dostoevsky's "The Eternal Husband" Synopsis and Comments - A strange love triangle between a beautiful wife, her cuckold husband, and an adulterous man.

The Eternal Husband" is a brilliant work in Dostoevsky's signature psychological portrayal of the chaos of the deep mind, where one never knows what one might do. Although it is a bit of a tough introduction to Dostoevsky, I highly recommend this work for those who are into Dostoevsky.

The volume of the novel is also a medium-length novel, which means that the page count is reasonable for Dostoevsky.
Zola and DostoevskyEmile Zola, the blog author's favorite author.

Emile Zola and Dostoevsky Summary - Reading the "Lugon McCall Series

This article summarizes our findings about Zola and Dostoevsky.

I myself never thought I would go this far with France, so I am very satisfied with the unexpected harvest, even though I feel that I have come a long way.

To be honest, I never really liked France, but now I find myself rather liking it. I am ashamed to say that I now have an itch to go to Paris.

It is not that I did not like to eat, but the experience reminded me that when you get to know a person well, you can see unexpected good points.
NapoleonFrench Literature, History and Culture

A quick look at Napoleon III and the six characteristics of France's Second Empire! The unique reforms that shaped modern society.

ナポレオン三世はあのナポレオン・ボナパルトの血を引き、フランス二月革命後の政治混乱に乗じて１８５１年にクーデターを実行、そして１８５２年からフランス皇帝となった人物です。

この記事では鹿島茂氏の『怪帝ナポレオンⅢ世―第二帝政全史』を参考に、後期ドストエフスキー時代に大きな影響を与えたフランス第二帝政についてざっくりとお話ししていきます。
French Literature, History and Culture

What is the unexpected connection between Napoleon III's French Second Empire and Dostoevsky?

ナポレオン三世のフランス第二帝政期はドストエフスキーが初めて自分の目で見たフランスであり、この時代のフランスが後の世界のライフスタイルを決定づけていくという意味でも非常に重要な時代です。

この時代を知ることによって、ドストエフスキーが五大長編で何を言いたかったのかということがより明確になっていくのではないでしょうか。
FranceFrench Literature, History and Culture

List of 9 recommended reference books for understanding French culture and people's lives in the first half of the 19th century

この記事では１９世紀前半、特に１８３０年頃からのフランス文化と人々の生活を知るのに便利な書籍をご紹介していきます。

フランス文化といえば豪華な社交界やフランス料理、ファッションなどを思い浮かべるかと思いますが、それらが花開くのは実はフランス革命以後のこの時代からでした。

ロシアの上流社会はフランス文化に強い影響を受けています。この当時のフランス文化を知ることはロシア人のメンタリティーを学ぶことにもとても役に立つのではないでしょうか。