Historical Works of Pushkin, Thesis Paper Example

Bronze Horseman (1833)

The Bronze Horseman is about the age of reform and is set against the background of the 1824 flood. Pushkin tells a story about a little man, to exemplify everyone is not in power, and how the tsar caused all his problems. This poem was blatantly historically based in Russia and could apply to other rulers around the world.

The Captain’s Daughter (1837)

The Captain’s Daughter is based off of The Pugachov Rebellion, and is simply a romanticized version of it. The Pugachov Rebellion was a peasant rebellion against the landowners for raising taxes to counterbalance their new, expensive, way of living. In The Captain’s Daughter, Pushkin was using the playfulness and narrative devices against a historically real background.

Eugene Onegin (1823)

This is a classic example of Pushkin correlating historically to Russian life. In this work, Pushkin exemplifies the life of women in Russia by presenting two woman and their interpersonal relationships affected by the society and environment. While he wrote this novel in verse, Pushkin was exiled twice and this may have influenced the actual images he depicted of Russian life.

Fountain of Bukhchisarai (1824)

It is the story of the Khan losing a woman who he loves but loses by the hand of his jealous wife and builds her a fountain of tears. Pushkin wrote this poem after visiting the Khan, and it is a story of lost love. Although it is not an obvious call to human rights, it does show the history of a Khan and how their interpersonal lives were affected by the basics of social roles and expectations. Although not historically based, it is historically influenced.

The Gypsies (1825)

In The Gypsies, Pushkin’s aim was to vividly illustrate the denial of other people’s rights “not the renunciation of one’s own impulses” (Debreczeny, 1990). He seemed to believe it was important for individuals to not forget about the rights of others. As with many of his other works, these writing was influenced by his exile from Russia.

Blackamoor of Peter the Great (1827)

“Think what you’re doing,” said the Duke. “Russia is not your native land. I don’t suppose you’ll ever see your torrid birthplace again…” (Division of Continual Learning, 1999)

The Negro of Peter the Great was a depiction of Abraham (also as Ibriham) Haniibal, Pushkin’s great-grandfather. Although unfinished, it is one of the best known works of Alexander Pushkin.  The Negro of Peter the Great is based on Pushkin’s own genealogy and reform. Pushkin’s intention was to get people to support the reforms by understanding them.

Prisoner of Caucasus (1822)

The Prisoner of Caucasus is a poem influence by the much defined gender roles in society at the time, as well as women who stepped out of the role that society has provided for her. To begin, Pushkin shows the reader how woman were given to men as presents from other men (Debreczeny, 1990). Some scholars believe Pushkin wanted the Circassian Woman to be such a present, while others disagree and point out he put her in untraditional roles (Debreczeny, 1990).

Boris Godunov (1831)

“You are angry at my bragging of my 600-year-old nobility…”

While Alexander Pushkin was proud of his noble heritage, his heritage also served as a catalyst for his obsession with class and the social conditions of others. Pushkin’s father was an active nobleman in politics, trailing a 600 year tradition for his family. Abraham Hannibal, his great-grandfather, the son of an African prince was abducted from his family and sold as a slave in Turkey. Highly unlikely during this era, his great-grandfather became a son and a prodigy under the paternal order of his slave master, Peter the Great.

Poltava (1828)

Pushkin’s poem Poltava focuses on the historical figure, the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa.  It centers on the involvement of Mazepa during the Russia and Sweden conflict. The poem also details a ruinous love plot between Maria [his god-daughter] and Mazepa.

The History of the Pugachev Rebellion (1834)

The Pugachev’s Rebellion (or the Cossack Rebellion) of 1774-75 was major rebellion of a series of rebellions that occurred in Russia after 1762. Organized by Yaik Cossacks and spearheaded by Emelyan Pugachev (an ex-lieutenant of the Russian Imperial army) many of the peasants also took part in the insurrection. Pushkin wrote a remarkable history of the rebellion as he tried to explain the events leading up to and including the rebellion. Pushkin continued his recount of this event in his novel The Captain’s Daughter.

Catherine II , also known as Catherine the Great, born . She was Empress of Russia from until . Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved its administration, and continued to modernize along Western European lines…

References

Debreczeny, P. (1990, October 1). The Russian Review. Russian Review. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from https://connect2.uncc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/,DanaInfo=ehis.ebscohost.com+pdfviewer?vid=1&hid=103&sid=41285e9f-7bab-49f0-9c49-c5fcca5ee47d%40sessionmgr114

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Russian author) :: Exile in the south. — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/484291/Aleksandr-Sergeyevich-Pushkin/5997/Exile-in-the-south#ref=ref202047

Phillips, M. (n.d.). Pushkin in exile – the prisoner of the Caucasus. The British Library– The world’s knowledge. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/pushkinexile.html

Pugachev’s Rebellion, 1773–1775. (n.d.). Reference Online. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405184649_chunk_g97814051846491226

Sawtry, C. (2007, May 1). Alexander Pushkin: Eugene Onegin. Translation &Literature. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from https://connect2.uncc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/,DanaInfo=ehis.ebscohost.com+pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=103&sid=361f320c-324d-4152-94a4-f1669b1da141%40sessionmgr112

Scott, D. (2009, May 1). Alexander Pushkin: The Captain’s Daughter. Translation &Literature. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from https://connect2.uncc.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/,DanaInfo=ehis.ebscohost.com+pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=103&sid=15d21ae7-2288-4ba2-ac8e-ee1ff7a9d9b8%40sessionmgr113

The Fountain of Bakhchisarai: Definition from Answers.com. (n.d.). Answers.com: Wiki Q&A combined with free online dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedias. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.answers.com/topic/the-fountain-of-bakhchisarai

The Negro of Peter the Great (novel by Pushkin) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/408176/The-Negro-of-Peter-the-Great

Division of Continual Learning. (1999). The Negro of Peter the Great. Retrieved May 2, 2010 from web: http://www.uncg.edu/gar/courses/ahern/moor.htm

Brody, E. C. (1977). “Pushkin’s Boris Godunov”: The First Modern Russian Historical Drama,” Modern Language Review”

Debreczeny, Paul. (1988). “Narrative Voices in Pushkin’s Poltava.” Russian Literature, XXIV.