King Lear on the Steppe

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 162K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Kuningas Lear arolla by Ivan Sergeevich TurgenevAuthor: Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883,Language: Finnish, Class: PG: Language and Literatures: Slavic (including Russian), Languages and Literature, Release Date: Mar 13, 2006

Editor's review

This is an essayistic work by Turgenev that takes Shakespeare's King Lear as its point of entry, released free of charge in Finnish by Project Gutenberg. It is neither a translation of Shakespeare's play nor a long novel by Turgenev, but a piece of literary criticism and reflective essay writing that uses the figure of King Lear to unfold its ideas, reflecting how a nineteenth-century Russian writer received and reinterpreted a Western European classic. For research on Turgenev's intellectual sources and on the relationship between Russian literature and the Shakespearean tradition, this material has primary-source value; for general readers it is more like a side door, showing how a novelist talks about a dramatic character in the role of critic. Reading it requires some background in foreign literature, especially a basic knowledge of the plot and themes of King Lear. It suits as supplementary material for comparative literature and foreign literary history courses, and is also suitable for readers interested in Turgenev's non-fiction writing to dip into at leisure. As a public-domain e-book with brief version information, it is best used together with a reliable bibliography of Turgenev's works or a guide to Shakespeare's plays, so that this essay is not mistaken for an independent play.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary specialists studying Turgenev's thought and creative sources
Comparative literature readers interested in the reception history of Shakespeare's King Lear
Foreign-language learners needing Finnish public-domain literary material
General readers curious about how a nineteenth-century Russian writer commented on Western European classics

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a complete translation of the King Lear script
Beginners without Finnish reading ability and without a translation for reference
General fiction readers expecting Turgenev's long-novel style narrative

Reading tips

Read a plot summary of King Lear first, then enter the text, to better grasp the author's critical point.
Read it as a critical essay rather than a play, noting how the author uses the character to discuss human nature and art.
Read it alongside Turgenev's other critical writings to observe the coherence of his literary views.
Finnish readers may note key phrases and, where necessary, consult an English or Chinese translation for support.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a Finnish translation of King Lear?

No. It is an essayistic piece Turgenev wrote on the figure of King Lear, belonging to literary criticism and reflective essay writing, not a translation of Shakespeare's play. Readers who want the play itself need to find a separate translation of Shakespeare.

Can I read this book without knowing Finnish?

The original is in Finnish, and without Finnish it is hard to read directly. It is advisable to learn the content through an English translation or related research literature, or to use it as Finnish reading practice with a dictionary and a guide.

What background knowledge is needed before reading?

It is best to first understand the main characters and plot of King Lear and to have a basic acquaintance with the genre of foreign literary criticism. This makes it easier to grasp the questions of art and human nature that Turgenev discusses through the dramatic character.

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About the author

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich, 1818-1883 Author

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich (1818–1883), was a nineteenth-century Russian novelist. Because the available records are limited, his early life and education cannot be described in detail here. What can be confirmed is his achievement as the author of several widely influential works; this collection holds thirty-five of his books, including Fathers and Sons (also known as Fathers and Children), the second volume of A Sportsman's Sketches, and the novels On the Eve, Rudin, and Asya. His writing is noted for delicate psychological portrayal and a restrained, concise style, and for showing social change through the interplay of personal feeling and social reality, with characters often caught between ideal and actuality. These works hold an important place in Russian literature and the European novel tradition, and retain lasting value for readers seeking to understand nineteenth-century Russian society and the spiritual character of its educated classes.