by all means
Corneille “Sid” – analysis with quotes
In the best works of the founder of the classic tragedy Pierre Corneille (1606 – 1684), speaking in the early period of classicism, at the time of absolute monarchy flourishing, the majestic images of harsh, volitional heroes express the idea of patriotic duty understood as serving the state in the person of the king. A characteristic theme of classicism — the clash of personal interests with public debt — is permitted by Corneille in favor of debt, although he also portrays with great force the tragedy of human feeling suppressed by absolutist statehood. Continue reading
Bulgakov “Heart of a Dog”
A homeless dog Sharik, who lived in Moscow, was scrubbed with a boiling water by one cruel cook. It was December, and Sharik, with his side wounded from the burn, was threatened with starvation. He howled plaintively at the gateway, when a well dressed, intelligent-looking gentleman suddenly appeared from the door of a nearby store. To the surprise of the dog, this mysterious man threw him a piece of Krakow sausage and began to call for him.
Sharik ran after his benefactor on Prechistenka and in Obukhiv Lane. On the way, the lord threw him a second piece of Krakow. To Sharik’s even greater astonishment, a decent man called him into the luxurious entrance of a large, rich house and led all the stray dogs, the porter, past the original enemy. Continue reading
Bogdanovich “Darling”
The content of “Darling” is taken from La Fontaine’s prose work “The Love of Psyche and Cupid” (“Les amours de Psyché et de Cupidon”). The content of this work, in turn, was borrowed by the author from Apuleius’s novel The Golden Ass.
In the work of Apuleius, the main idea is that the soul, immersed in sensuality, matter afterwards, thanks to the initiation into the sacraments, is purified and transformed. The soul of a woman (Psyche), having lost its original purity, should as a slave of Love (Venus) undergo a series of severe tests in order to ascend to the divine bridegroom – Eros (Cupid, Cupid). Continue reading
