Russian Literature is Fun?: Alexander Pushkin's Eugene Onegin

Written by Carter Herman

Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, or simply Onegin, is a masterpiece composed in Iambic Tetrameter, often required for college Russian seminar classes. In an era of irreverent social commentaries, Pushkin’s description stands alone, with the use of piercing juxtapositions of the cruelty of love and the nuance of human emotion. The novel, set in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the 19th century, captures the zeitgeist of a disconnected Russian society tainted by the power of aristocracy. At the heart of Onegin is its titular character, a disillusioned Russian aristocrat who represents the ennui of the Russian ruling class. The novel, characterized from the beginning pages by Onegin’s self-absorption and apathy, sets the pace for the coming pages. This precedence aids in creating the juxtaposition with the lovely Tatyana Larina, a young woman filled with exuberance and intelligence. Tatyana’s unrequited love for Onegin shapes her character from a naive romantic to an empowered woman of assurance. Pushkin’s “Onegin Structure” (ABABCCDEFFEGG) defines the novel, making his emotive lines that much more meaningful and allowing for a synthesis of irony, cynicism, and lyricism. Onegin and Tatyana fit in the literary trope of foils, as he is aloof to love despite his elevated social status and rejects Tatyana. On the other hand, she serves as a woman who seeks the purest human connection, and her depth defines her heroism as she, in the end, chooses her integrity over rekindling feelings for Onegin. Throughout the novel, the graphic descriptions of the St. Petersburg countryside serve as yet another juxtaposition between the serenity and isolation trapped in the empty land. Onegin particularly feels contempt for rural life and the vibrant city milieu he is missing out on. For a contemporary audience, this novel was digestible as it featured a narrator who rambled about his troubles, and his nuanced reflections added a layer of complexity that resembled the wry humor found in Post-Modernist writing of today. Pushkin’s magnum opus serves as a distinct combination of emotional depth and antithetical to the glib nature of the aristocracy, all of the medium of poetic suspense.