For Monday: Pushkin, “The Queen
of Spades” (from Russian Short Stories),
pp.5-26
NOTE:
In class on Friday, we discussed the historical background of Russia and
introduced the role of literature (and Pushkin’s contribution to it) in
fighting against the age-old monarchy that dominated Russian life. Pushkin was one of the first Russians to
write literature in Russian instead of French, which was considered the language
of literature and high culture. He
almost single-handedly made Russian a literary language, and borrowed from the
rich tradition of Russian fairy tales which his grandmother told him as a child
(a connection to Grimms’ Fairy Tales!). He was also strongly influenced by the
English Romantic poets, and knew the works of Wordsworth, Keats, and
others. Be sure to read the biographical
introduction that prefaces the story for more information about Pushkin.
Answer
2 of the 4 questions that follow:
1. Pushkin
writes this story in an unusual style, particularly compared to modern-day
stories. He includes phrases such as “One
morning—this was two days after the evening recorded at the beginning of this
tale, and one week before the scene from which we have digressed” (11), which sounds
like someone telling a story orally.
Where else do we ‘hear’ someone telling us a story, instead of writing it
down? Why do you think he does this?
2. In
many ways, “The Queen of Spades” is structured like a traditional fairy tale
from Grimms’ Fairy Tales: a man hears
about a magic card trick which can make his fortune, and decides to steal it
from the old woman (like a witch) who possesses it. Is there a specific story from Grimms’ Fairy Tales that this story
resembles, and if so, how might they share the same moral, theme, taboos, or
characters?
3. Writing
about the card games played among gentlemen, Pushkin writes, “Each unsealed a
new pack. Chekalinsky shuffled. Hermann chose his card and placed it on the
table, covering it with a heap of bank notes.
It was like a duel” (25). Based
on this passage, how might Pushkin be satirizing upper-class behavior,
particularly when it comes to “games” and social activities? Where else do we see “duels” taking place
among normal people in polite society?
Why are the stakes so high?
4. Perhaps
the most interesting and fully-formed characters in the story are the two
women, the Countess and her young ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna. Why do you think Pushkin spends so much time
showing us the inner lives of these two women from different generations? What might we learn about Russian society—or about
women in general—from this double portrait?
Discuss a specific passage in your response.
Cera Miller
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1.
- I think at the very end in the Conclusion is a very good example of when the story feels like it is being told orally. I think Pushkin does this to keep the tradition: these stories were originally told orally and it is almost like reference. I think it also gets the point across quickly and precisely. Hermann was bad: he coveted money over love and went crazy. Lizaveta wanted love and to be treated better: she married a kind, wealthy man.
Question 4.
- The Countess is a left over from a time gone by. She is rich, crazy, and highly insensitive. Lizaveta is young, kind, poor, and over worked. The Countess tells Lizaveta to get the carriage, and while she is doing that, the Countess decides she wants to be read to, says Lizaveta isn’t loud enough, gets it all fixed only to become bored and ask what happened to the carriage. I think this story wasn’t to kind to those of higher social classes; they are constantly portrayed as mean or dumb. Hard work was appreciated and rewarded: Lizaveta works hard and in the end marries a very wealthy man.
Great responses: on the one hand, it does seem to chastise the rich and greedy and reward the poor and hard-working, though this seems almost an aside (the end of the story is so perfunctory as to make you wonder, does any of this really happen?). What I wonder is how the story teller (since it seems like it's being told to us, rather than written for us) wants us to experience the story: is it a ghost story or a social satire? Is Hermann driven mad by his own greed and obsession to fit into the upper-crust of society (as a German, he would be seen as an outsider), or has he truly entered a magical world and refused to play by the rules?
DeleteSrijita Ghosh
ReplyDelete1. Pushkin got inspiration to write from listening to the fairy tales that his grandmother told him, along with the romantic writers like Wordsworth, Blake, Keats etc. I believe that this is one of the reason's why his writing style is such that it seems like they are being orally transmitted, as if he is directly speaking to the reader. This style of writing is also at some level more informal and helps to create a sort of intimacy with the reader. Thus the message and concepts that the story is trying to deliver reaches the reader better. The lines - " Lizaveta listened to him in terror. So all those passionate letters, those ardent desires, this bold obstinate pursuit–all this was not love! Money–that was what his soul yearned for! She could not satisfy his desire and make him, happy I The poor girl had been nothing
but the blind tool of a robber, of the murderer of her aged benefactress!..." These lines are a good example of Pushkin's unusual style of writing.
3. Pushkin for sure is using these kind of sentences to cunningly satirize the upper-class behaviour. Pushkin is ridiculing their fancy delicate ways , thoughtless passing of time and their way of categorizing leisure as something important. - "There was in Moscow a society of rich gamesters, presided over by the celebrated Chekalinsky, who had passed all his life at the card-table and had amassed millions,accepting bills of exchange for his winnings and paying his losses in ready money. His long experience secured for him the confidence of his companions, and his open house, his famous cook and his agreeable and fascinating manners gained for him the respect of the public."
- These lines from the story have a deep tone of satire in them. It presents the upper class as rather blank people who take a thing such as gambling which is afterall just a matter of sheer luck, so seriously and they respect people who manage to attain such luck once in a while. This small presentation of the kind of games and social activities that these people engage in, gives a clear idea about their mindset or rather the lack of meaning in their lives. Their lives, on a plain note is only about money and social status, and that is all that matters to them.
Great responses--I particularly like your focus on the social satire in the story, which shows how everyone is trying to one-up their friends and acquaintances. Life is just a game for the upper classes, a duel that is eventually won or lost. Hermann is an extreme case, as he is willing to risk it all for a chance at happiness--as is Lisaveta, in her own way. The question is, what makes these characters so desperate?
Delete2. The Queen of Spades somewhat reminds me of The Golden Bird. At the end of the story, I believe that the reason the Ace of Spades did not win is because he did not listen and did not do what he was supposed to do in regards to marrying Lizaveta and so he could not win the money. The same principle was shown in the Golden Bird when the boys did not listen to what the fox told them to do.
ReplyDelete4. I think that he shows how women in this culture were not as highly thought of as men, though they did not seem to be categorized as bad as some of the women in Grimms fairy tales, the countess is out of date, and is going senile. The people show respect to her, yet they really do not care for her, as they abandon her as soon as the party begins. Lizaveta cannot get it right even tho she seems to be doing everything exactly as she is told she is still berated as tho she cannot do anything right.
Good responses--as you suggest, it doesn't make fun of the women exactly, though it does show their weaknesses and humanity. The Countess has become a spoiled, vain, annoying woman--but we also feel a bit of pity for her, since she's been abandoned by society; and Lisaveta is always overlooked and can never be happy, like Cinderella herself. Both women are willing to do desperate things to get noticed: Lisaveta, to agree to meet a secret admirer in her bedroom (which would destroy her reputation if discovered), and the Countess still tries to flirt and possibly spreads a foolish story about 3 magic cards. Both almost lead to their ruin (and in the case of the Countess, it finally does).
DeleteAmira Jacobson
ReplyDelete(3) He seems to think the upper-class is foolish for gambling off mostly everything they have and how some of them well, mostly Hermann will go to any length to win. Our prime example of this is when Hermann goes to the Queen of Spades, holds a gun to her head and demands she tells him the secret "magic card" trick. She refuses and he kills her. Pushkin shows how ignorant and arrogant how the upper-class can be with then it comes to money and their image. Another example of a “duel” would be, like in the short story when all the men gather around the table to watch the match and see whoever loses would be fights going on in high school. Every time someone starts a fight whether it is in the hall-way or the cafeteria, or in the class room, whichever everyone always gathers around to watch. They encourage the two to fight till someone either breaks it up or someone is up against wall getting their butt kicked. The only reason they watch the fight is to see who will loses not to see who wins. Because whoever loses, loses everything; their reputation, money and sometimes power in Hermann’s case.
(4) There are two different women in this story; a high and mighty woman who is rich and is, also, a countess who is also kind of crazy and she is “The Queen of Spades”. The other is a women who is always undermined, tricked, and only longs to happy and her name is Lizsaveta. The Countess basically treats Lizsaveta like dirt. She is always getting her hope up just to shut her down and shatter her dreams of finally getting out. For example, when The Countess told her to get the carriage ready to go out, she changes her mind and demands to be read, yet she gets bored, gets ready only to complain about the carriage being gone. Really lady? This girl works her butt of for her and all she does is complain and demand more and when she does something wrong she scolds her and treats you like crap. Yet in the end all Lizsaveta’s hard work pays off and she meets a handsome man gets married and is finally happy. Good, good for her. Although the women are either portrayed as mean and cold or dumb and weak.