Ivan Turgenev, Rudin

Glyn Turton (University of Chester)
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Rudin

is the first novel of the major Russian writer Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883). A reader innocent of nineteenth-century Russian literature, save for a vague pre-conception that it consisted principally of very long works, might be surprised by the modest length of

Rudin

, which, in scale, conforms to the Russian sub-genre of the

povest’

– a short novel or novella. This is a form, which, by trial and error, Turgenev was to make his own. By the time he wrote

Rudin

, in 1855, Turgenev had succeeded as a short story writer, attracting critical acclaim and Tsarist disapproval, for his humanitarian tales,

Zapiski okhotnika

[

A Sportsman’s Sketches

; or

Notes from a Hunter’s Album

], and had abandoned a projected long novel, the provisional title of which –

Two Generations

– suggests its…

2650 words

Citation: Turton, Glyn. "Rudin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 March 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11249, accessed 19 March 2024.]

11249 Rudin 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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