Family Loving Can Mean a Lot of Things

A story, of any type, is greatly affected by the characters’ outlook on life. A bright, hopeful main character will give the narrative a more lighthearted feel, and cause the reader to feel encouraged and satisfied. If the character has a negative perspective, however, it can elicit sadness, pity, or even irritation from the reader. In Voltaire’s Candide and Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyich, two characters with very different worldviews are displayed. The lighthearted Candide maintained an attitude of cheerfulness and perseverance even through the hardships of his life, which stems from his deep love and care for others, while the coldhearted despair of Ivan Ilyich is only intensified into anger by the feigned optimism of those around him.

Everyday we observe people’s contrasting opinions. Whether it be in politics, school, or in one’s personal life, emotions are often a major factor when it comes to expressing one’s ideas. In writing, an audience must be aware this, and decide for themselves if an author is being bias or equally representing all sides to a situation. In both Into the Wild and In Cold Blood, the authors form distinct opinions about their main characters and believe family structure heavily influenced their future.

The end of the nineteenth century marked a brilliant period in Russian literature defined by innovation and experimentation. With political and economic changes sweeping over Russia, its literature displayed the anxious, even hostile reaction to the modernization of a nation that hadn’t seen transformations in decades. The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg considered to be some of the greatest works of the time, were unique pieces of literature in the decadence period, although they borrowed and built on elements from other authors of the time. The analysis of these novels, in terms of conventional categories of literary analysis, including thematics, narration, and setting is not only a means to display the uncommon structure of the novel, but also to demonstrate its association with other influential authors. In the writings of The Petty Demon, Wings, and Petersburg these authors dismantle the ideas of other authors and then parody them, therefore subverting the norms of realist pros and making reader think of a particular style of writing and then goes to write the complete opposite.

Thought-provoking and brutally honest, Ivan Ilych’s life and death divulged the idea that life is not meant to live like others, but to live authentically. When Leo Tolstoy published The Death of Ivan Ilych (1886), he sought to challenge society’s pride of striving to live a shallow and materialistic life. Significant insight was brought about into how Ivan Ilych’s life was considered artificial and terrible by perceiving how he spent his life in the story. Moreover, Ivan Ilych’s life reflected upon the grievance of yearning to live pleasantly and properly. It ultimately exposed how his suffering and illness freed him from his decorous, but dull life.

For many, governments offer guidance and reliance; citizens enjoy security, order, and direction from their political leaders. Yet some forms of government — specifically Communism — cause instability, confusion, and distraction in the lives of their citizens. In Maria Reva’s short story “Novostroika,” she depicts the animosity of a young Ukrainian man, Daniil Blinov, who battles the oppressions of Communist life. In his position, Danill struggles to keep his family satiated under the dominion of the U.S.S.R. This leads to various dilemmas throughout the piece. Within this story, Reva incorporates a space heater, a symbol of hope, and a coffin, a symbol of oppression, to convey how Communism crushes the hope of its citizens.

Soviet Ukraine was a terrible place to be in the late 1900s for Jewish people. There was strong anti-semitism during this time in the waning days of the Cold War. The Cold War was a state of political hostility between countries that was characterized mainly by threats and propaganda. Lev Golinkin wrote on his experiences about being a Jew living in Ukraine in his memoir, A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka. Golinkin possesses an interesting writing style that includes a terribly harsh tone of fear, yet he also incorporates humor that forces the reader to connect with him. Golinkin utilized tone superbly to allow the reader to better understand the topics of his memoir.

In other words, reading literature goes beyond just the words of the author. As readers, we become more aware of what the narrator and of what the characters might be feeling. There are feelings that form our underlying base of who we are and a lot of the times we avoid them because they’re a constant reminder of what’s real versus what we want to think is real. From time to time literature may make the readers thing of something personal that gives us a sense of reality. Through John Updike’s Rabbit Run, Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire, Margaret Atwood’s Happy Endings, James Joyce’s Araby, Patrick White’s The Vivesector, and Jorge Luis Borges’ Pierre Menard, Author of the ‘Quixote’ readers come to find a sense of reality within the characters portrayed through these works.

Realism, Naturalism, and Regionalism are just a few examples of the many styles of writing that exist. Each style of writing deals with a specific time period. Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”, Henry James’s “Daisy Miller”, and Mary E Wilkins Freeman’s “The Revolt of Mother” are just a few examples of the literary works that represent these time periods. These literary works are perfect examples of the specific time periods each writing style was popular among certain authors. These stories allow readers to compare the modern times that we live in currently to the period these authors were in. They also allow the reader to branch out and be different.

Comparing Literature When examining literature as a whole, it is important to keep in mind that things can change drastically, or they can change very little. From the Romantic Era, to Victorian England, all the way to the turn of literature in the 1920’s, the world changed, and so did the way people wrote and the things they wrote about. From chivalry and nature in the Romantic Era, all the way to the juxtaposition of the Victorian Era and the symbolism of the 20th Century. Romanticism was an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion

M. H. Abrams defines romantic themes in prominent writers of this school in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as being five in number: (1) innovations in the materials, forms and style; (2) that the work involve a “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings”; (3) that external nature be a persistent subject with a “sensuous nuance” and accuracy in its description; (4) that the reader be invited to identify the protagonist with the author himself; and (5) that this be an age of “new beginnings and high possibilities” for the person (177-79).

The empire of Russia spread drastically over the course of the nineteenth century. With the expansion of the borders of the nation, as well as the establishment of the Soviet Union, the influence of other cultures and an array of diversity soon melded into the nation. With the inflow that presented itself at the time, there was also a loss of talent that struck the region. Due to a constant fear of persecution due to the views or affiliation of an individual, there was a great deal of fleeing or exile from Russia of writers. From such exiles, authors were molded to emulate their experiences in both their lives in Russia and away from their home country. Such writers, Vladimir Nabokov and Viktor Shklovsky, while not overtly stating their experiences in exile in their work, clearly derive much from their lives. The novels The Gift, as well as Zoo or Letters Not About Love, respectively, drew upon certain realities that existed for the authors, specifically their lives in exile from Russia in Berlin.

Through adulterated societal misinterpretations and high expectations, the depiction of the vampire has evolved from that of its original form and has instead taken on an unprecedented image. This very image itself has witnessed a transition from its original creation to an altered and highly praised creature who is often adored and coveted by many. The tropes of literature in which the vampire exists depend on such as fantasy, fiction, and horror have also witnessed transitions—for they have adapted to suit the desires, imagination, and apprehension of society.

One of the themes of Tolstoy’s story of The Death of Ivan Ilych is detachment from life, considering that all material things can substitute the true meaning of life: compassion and care for others. “Everywhere in the novel, Tolstoy speaks of Iván Ilych's desire for propriety, decorous living, and pleasantness all while making this his first and most important priority. This motivation is a poor

Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich tells the story of a modern lawman whose sudden mortality forces him to evaluate the worth of his life and the life choices he has. Throughout the novella, Tolstoy reveals social norms and practices blindly followed by those in the upper-middle class. These norms bring to light modernity’s core values, which Tolstoy critiques through the actions Ivan Ilyich takes before his death, Ivan Ilyich’s revelation as he lies on his death bed, and the way Ivan Ilyich’s family, friends, and colleagues react to his illness and eventual death. In fact, The Death of Ivan Ilyich provides a critique on modernity as a whole; Tolstoy condemns the shallow, superficial lives the higher-ups in society lead, spurred on by the idea of modernity.

Through the late 1700s and early 1800s, the period of Romanticism blossomed. “Romanticism” very loosely describes the era in which modern culture began to take shape. During the Romantic era, many advancements were made in all aspects of people’s lives and cultures. One aspect in particular has held great value even to this day. That aspect being the expansive amount of literature created during the era. The era of Romanticism had its name for a reason. It can be greatly attributed to the romantic style or genre of literature that defined the period. Romantic writers wove many tales of admiration, longing, and aspirations. They were fantastical, in a sense, and almost the antithesis of realism, even. Amidst the great breadth of literature