First you have to read the short novella Heart of a Dog aka A Dog's Heart (Собачье сердце, written in 1925 but only published in 1987) by Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940). With the book, Bulgakov satirized the idea of creating "the New Soviet Man," a whole new society, by the Bolshevik regime in the eight years since the 1917 revolution.
Answer the following question in a one-page paper: Explain three ways in which Bulgakov criticized/satirized the Bolshevik attempt to reshape Russian society in the 1920s.
The book reads pretty quickly but take your time and think over all the details that Bulgakov includes about the attempt by Filip Fiipovich Preobrazhenskii to transplant a human pituitary gland and testicles into a dog. Pay careful attention to the lifestyle and surroundings of the doctor. This tale is noteworthy for its brazenness and for its horrific (yet comedic) outcome.
Read my notes on Mikhail Bulgakov.
You may want to look at these online sites that have some further information about the novella:
- wiki
- the comments on goodreads
- The Hound of Hell by James Meek
- Mikhail Bulgakov and the heart of a man: can evil support good? By Alexander Melikhov
- You can also find the film on YouTube.
Your paper must follow this format.
- must have brief introduction and conclusion paragraphs (each not to exceed three lines); the introduction must directly respond to the assignment question and identify your analysis/thesis points.
- font size 10 or 12 only
- one-inch margins
- double-spaced
- page number citations for your quoted evidence
- name, and only your name, at the top left of the paper
- not to exceed one (1) page
- You may consider submitting a draft of your assignment to your instructor for feedback before submitting the assignment for the grade. At times, you may be asked to rewrite your essay. This is done for your own benefit and will result in an improved grade.
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.