Review Of Natasha's Dance, Princess Mary, A Double Life
Katharine Jewel
October 8, 2014
Russian Literature 204
Response Paper 1 (Natasha’s Dance, Princess Mary, A Double Life)
Natasha’s Dance (Introduction & pp. 72-118)
1. How did the book get its name?
Natasha’s Dance is named after a famous scene from Tolstoy’s War and Peace in which the character Natasha hears a local peasant song and is moved by it, so much so that she begins to dance. The aristocratic young lady raised with European sensibilities is able to intuitively pick up the rhythms of the dance simply because she is ‘imbibed from the Russian air she breathed’. The book was named after this scene because so much about Russian culture can be inferred from it. Russia’s national culture is derived from so many outside influences that …show more content…
For people like Volonkonsky, this new life was not the punishment it was meant to be. They felt compelled to live the simple more Russian way of life. They as described as ‘going native’, dressed like peasants, grew out their beards and worked the fields. Many Decembrist’s wives followed their husbands into exile, bringing with them their children and They spoke in colloquialisms, lost touch with their more European and aristocratic customs. Their previous quest for ‘a life of truth’ was realized here in the Siberian …show more content…
Though Pechorin strives toward becoming a romantic hero, he is ultimately more of a romantic-realist or anti-hero than an archetypal romantic. Though Pechorin has some of the characteristics of a literary romantic, like an admiration for nature, specifically seen in his descriptions of Pyatigorsk’s natural beauty. He lacks the empathy to fulfill the emotional side of literary romanticism and even views human relationships as ‘the slavery of one person to another’. Grushnitsky does not lack empathy, but instead feels almost too much; he clouds his down judgment with the jealousy he feels for Pechorin and his youthful passion for the princess. These emotions prove to be his downfall, and what compels him to call the duel. Pechorin is a manipulator, but throughout the story he must balance his efforts to manipulate Mary with his relationship with Vera. He strives for what he cannot have, and later rejects Mary the woman he can have but does not
October 8, 2014
Russian Literature 204
Response Paper 1 (Natasha’s Dance, Princess Mary, A Double Life)
Natasha’s Dance (Introduction & pp. 72-118)
1. How did the book get its name?
Natasha’s Dance is named after a famous scene from Tolstoy’s War and Peace in which the character Natasha hears a local peasant song and is moved by it, so much so that she begins to dance. The aristocratic young lady raised with European sensibilities is able to intuitively pick up the rhythms of the dance simply because she is ‘imbibed from the Russian air she breathed’. The book was named after this scene because so much about Russian culture can be inferred from it. Russia’s national culture is derived from so many outside influences that …show more content…
For people like Volonkonsky, this new life was not the punishment it was meant to be. They felt compelled to live the simple more Russian way of life. They as described as ‘going native’, dressed like peasants, grew out their beards and worked the fields. Many Decembrist’s wives followed their husbands into exile, bringing with them their children and They spoke in colloquialisms, lost touch with their more European and aristocratic customs. Their previous quest for ‘a life of truth’ was realized here in the Siberian …show more content…
Though Pechorin strives toward becoming a romantic hero, he is ultimately more of a romantic-realist or anti-hero than an archetypal romantic. Though Pechorin has some of the characteristics of a literary romantic, like an admiration for nature, specifically seen in his descriptions of Pyatigorsk’s natural beauty. He lacks the empathy to fulfill the emotional side of literary romanticism and even views human relationships as ‘the slavery of one person to another’. Grushnitsky does not lack empathy, but instead feels almost too much; he clouds his down judgment with the jealousy he feels for Pechorin and his youthful passion for the princess. These emotions prove to be his downfall, and what compels him to call the duel. Pechorin is a manipulator, but throughout the story he must balance his efforts to manipulate Mary with his relationship with Vera. He strives for what he cannot have, and later rejects Mary the woman he can have but does not