Name: Fathers and Sons (Translated by Constance Garnett with a Foreword by Avrahm Yarmolinsky)
ISBN: 9782291017790

Ivan Sergejevič Turgenev

When a young graduate returns home he is accompanied, much to his father and uncle's discomfort, by a strange friend "who doesn't acknowledge any authorities, who doesn't accept a single principle on faith." Turgenev's masterpiece of generational conflict shocked Russian society when it was published in 1862 and continues today to seem as fresh and outspoken as it did to those who first encountered its nihilistic hero.

Fathers and Sons (Translated by Constance Garnett with a Foreword by Avrahm Yarmolinsky)

Fathers and sons

Ananya 

gay nihilistic friends and their daddy issues

this song is so " can you remember the RAINNNNN" coded

Anushree Taparia

Jesse Morley

"Our higher officials are fond as a rule of nonplussing their subordinates; the methods to which they have recourse to attain that end are rather various."

"... a thin little woman with a pinched-up face, drawn together like a fist... "


"Who's crying there?' he added, after a short pause—'Mother? Poor thing! Whom will she feed now with her exquisite beetroot-soup?"

"The estate had only recently been put on to the new reformed system, and the new mechanism worked, creaking like an ungreased wheel, warping and cracking like homemade furniture of unseasoned wood."

"There's no help for it, Vasya! A son is a separate piece cut off. He's like the falcon that flies home and flies away at his pleasure; while you and I are like funguses in the hollow of a tree, we sit side by side, and don't move from our place. Only I am left you unchanged for ever, as you for me.'"

"The whole person of Arkady's uncle, with its aristocratic elegance, had preserved the gracefulness of youth and that air of striving upwards, away from earth, which for the most part is lost after the twenties are past."

"People are like trees in a forest; no botanist would think of studying each individual birch-tree."

"A man's capable of understanding anything—how the æther vibrates, and what's going on in the sun—but how any other man can blow his nose differently from him, that he's incapable of understanding."

Romaissa Bellarbi 

Anabel

Turgenev really did invent love triangles.

Arden Kowalski

Fathers and Sons is an excellent novel from Russian author Ivan Turgenev.* It deals with a lot of dense thematic matter such as generational divides, nihilism, and of course family. This is not an intense drama in the style of Dostoyevsky or even Tolstoy, but rather like a symphony of musings against the backdrop of every day life. Brought to life with Turgenev's distinct authorial voice and surprisingly salient insights, this book is well worth the read. 

One thing I would like to get out of the way is that, as I am finding typical of Russian literature, many of the primary characters hold misogynistic views that are occasionally validated by the text. I choose to hold the view that this is a 'product of its time,' but I do think that there is some commentary of value present in this novel (namely in Anna's marriage to an elderly rich man being considered intelligent). I am also impressed with the number of important female characters in this novel and the way they are characterized as full people with complex emotional worlds. 

In general, I find Turgenev reminds me of Woolf in his ability to provide political and social commentary in domestic drama. (Yes, I know Turgenev came first, but I read Woolf first, so the connection still works. I digress.) He employs a very matter-of-fact style in relating his characters and their thoughts, which makes effective use of the third-person omniscient narration. I really enjoyed the number of different characters he was able to develop in so few pages, and I feel I got some particular insight into the topics he goes into depth on. 

There is a passage in this novel (which I forgot to bookmark in a true example of shortsightedness) where a father reflects on how there will forever be a gulf between him and his son, how this is natural, even, because there was that enormous gulf between himself and his parents. I found it to be incredibly salient and interesting, and I would love to revisit this novel in 15-20 years time to see how my perspective on that thought process changes. I think that this characterizes Turgenev as timeless, because the lessons embedded in the text of this novel stand the test of change.

To sum it up, I truly enjoyed reading Fathers and Sons and I think that it's a great novel. Considering the relative simplicity of the writing,** I think this would make a great introduction to Russian literature for primarily English readers. I definitely want to check out more of Turgenev's work!

* You may notice that I have been reading a lot of translated Russian literature lately. I do not really have an explanation for this other than the fact that miserable contemplations on life is the prevailing mood of 2021. 
** By this I mean to say that the language Turgenev employs is relatively simplistic compared to, say, the tremendous monologues in Crime and Punishment. It is still excellent and interesting prose that communicates a lot of complex ideas.

Анастасия Розова

*Read for class. 

3.75/5

So. I had tor wad it in school. I haven't. So I've finally read it five years after I finished school, my 3rd year at uni. Philology major is saving me from my ignorance.

I actually liked this novel. Maybe a little bit less then On the Eve or Home of the Gentry, but I guess to each their own. It is, hovewer, one of his most famous works, so I'm glad I can finally say I know what it's all about.

I don't have anything cohesive to say, unfortunately, but I'm interested to discuss this book in class and read articles about it.

Jeni Enjaian

I really did not enjoy this book at all. It was incredibly difficult to get into as I have found most Russian literature to be. The characters were hard to keep straight. I finished the book without knowing the relationships between most of them. The point of the entire narrative was almost impossible to discern. I finished the book without knowing its purpose. Additionally, many characters flitted in and out of the narrative without proper definition.
Definitely not my cup of tea.

Fathers and Sons (Translated by Constance Garnett with a Foreword by Avrahm Yarmolinsky)

Reviews

Highlights