HIS 241
Tolstoi Paper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ilia Repin, Portrait of Lev Tolstoi (1887), Tretiakov Museum,
Moscow; image credit

Repin portrait of Tolstoi
Red separator bar

You have three options for your Tolstoi paper assignment. You must read one of the following three short novellas. All three are contained in the Penguin Classics book, Leo Tolstoy, The Cossacks and Other Stories (978-0-14-044959-4).

You might also be able to find these online, for example, The Cossacks, Sevastopol Stories and Hadji Murat.

First, read the short notes on Tolstoi and also watch my short video.

If you read, The Cossacks, answer the following question in a one-page paper: Contrast the Russian (Olenin) way of life and attitudes about life with those of the Cossacks (Eroshka and Lukashka).

If you read, Sevastopol Stories, answer the following question in a one-page paper: According to Tolstoi, how did the attitudes of the Russian soldiers (and Tolstoi) towards the war change during the siege of Sevastopol? Please check the short notes on the Crimean War.

If you read, Hadji Murat, answer the following question in a one-page paper: How did Tolstoi view the ultimate outcome of the struggle between Russia and the Caucasian mountaineers (as represented by Hadji Murat and Shamil)?

Your paper must follow this format.

Please take a moment to review Charlie's History Writing Center for specific information on the writing requirements for the assignments in the course. Please check this short explanation of what it means to cite historical evidence.

Your assignment should be submitted on Canvas.