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For the purposes of our course, a book review is considered an original six-page double-spaced analysis of any work (of considerable length) by Lev N. Tolstoy or Fyodor M. Dostoevsky. The work must not be a title included in the required reading list of works discussed in the course.
In the main the review should address the chosen work on the basis of its content and form, and in terms of its value and relation to the ideas put forth in the context of the course ‘The Age of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky’. Although there is no precise formula to guarantee a good review, students should above all strive for originality of thought, persuasiveness of opinion, depth of observation, coherence of expression, and relevance to the course in question.
Content, for example, comprises many elements. Generally, it is the ‘what’ of the work, in other words, what the book is about. In a larger sense, the content of a work of literature implies its themes, plot(s), levels of meaning, interpretation(s), even authorial intent or audience reception. Themes may entail a variety of intentions, for example, satirical, ideological, historical, psychological, social or political. Plot consists of not only the events of the work, but more importantly of their inter-relationship; in other words, how the events interact and advance the action of the work. With respect to meaning, authors may attempt to interweave various ideas and points of significance, some at times even contradictory, within their writing. Ideally, your reviews should try to identify and evaluate various notions of the ‘meaning(s)’ of the work, at least as much as can be done in the space of a six-page double-spaced typewritten text.
Form, though very different from content, is normally indivisible from it in the creation of a successful piece of literature. Whereas content may be called the ‘what?’ with respect to the questions or issues that the author wishes to explore, form implies the literary tools that are employed with respect to the external structure, design or plan of the work; in other words, the spatial/temporal/visual/aural ‘how?’ of the text. Form, like content, implies many things. It may refer to the generic form or ‘type’ of the work, as for example, comedy, satire, farce, drama, tragedy, or the manner in which those types of works are expressed, be it in a subjective or lyrical mode or by more traditional narrative means. Form in literature also takes into account a vast gamut of artistic tools that the writer may employ. The manner in which a director chooses to assemble or arrange these numerous formal devices will ultimately determine the particular effect that he or she implants on the text as a creative artist. Moreover, the manner in which that arbitrary form is then wedded to content, will determine the individual stamp of a author; something, for example, that can be used to distinguish such highly acclaimed, though very different artists, such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
Tolstoy and Dostoevsky occupy a significant place in the pantheon of ‘great’ writers of world literature. What defines the evaluative notion of the word ‘great’ in this instance? Great works of literature are essentially those that address important concerns relating to the universal human condition; that convey their ideas through a uniquely rich artistic language and form; and offer insights that, rather than being ephemeral, ultimately speak to successive generations of readers. In the latter respect, they are both of their time and for all time.
Finally, a good review should not only stress the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of a work, it should also – and this is usually a good thing to place in a conclusion of a review – try to make some case for the ‘where’ and the ‘why’ of the work. That is to say, the review should indicate the relevance of the work in the context of the Russian literary tradition which, in a unique way and for a variety of reasons (as discussed in class), emerged and evolved in latter half of the nineteenth century with regard to the two figures in question – Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. In this sense, the review should embrace what is one of the prime goals of the course that the student has just completed.
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