[

] is the third novel of the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883). It is, like most of the author’s novels, a short work made up of short chapters. Turgenev’s imagination seems to have been particularly well adapted to working in filmic “frames” which convey significant emotional or circumstantial shifts through dialogue conducted in highly charged and vividly realised scenes. This is not to say that the narrative never takes the reader directly into the train of thought of Turgenev’s characters;

is the notable example in Turgenev’s work of his use of the diary form to give us insight into one of the central characters. But Turgenev is,

, the writer for whom a ravishingly beautiful but ultimately meaningless nature is the measure…

3011 words

Citation: Turton, Glyn. "Nakanune". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 April 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11251, accessed 23 November 2024.]