Themes in Uncle Vanya
How can communism and an absolutist regime be interpreted as playing a part in the play?
The characters always seem on edge throughout the play.
They all talk about themselves as failures which could show the author’s disapproval for the way the government system can ruin people’s lives.
Which Russian writer was Mikhail Bulgakov heavily influenced by.
Nikolai Gogol
in what ways are Russians patriotic and supportive of their country?
Military is a heavily supported part of Russian culture and this is seen through parades such as the ones on Victory Day.
Family and friends are vital in Russian culture
This could be related to the very high expectations that Russians hold for themselves and specifically their public appearance. For example the professor is always quick to express his intelligence, yet he is discontent with the way his life turned out.
True or false: Russian authors use subtle ways of taking digs at the government or the systems being implemented in their country.
True
Authors that we have read include suffering of the common folk (Solzhenitsyn) satire(Gogol and Bulgakov) and philosophical thoughts about how to run a country (Dostoevsky)
True or False: Most Russian food is heavily influenced by the cuisine of France such as the crepes that they make.
While the pancakes that the two countries make are fairly similar, the countries cuisines are completely different, mostly in part to the geographical location of the two countries and the ingredients that are found there.
True or False: Love drives the characters in this novel farther away from each other. If so, why?
What similarities do we see in the plays of russian literature such as Uncle Vanya, as compared to the novels of Russian literature like Notes from the Underground or A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
there is suffering among the common folk in all these examples, and also they are very slow paced and they explain regular life in Russia, rather than a very dramatic event.
What’s the most popular sport in Russia and how do sports play a part in Russian lives.
Soccer is the most popular sport and about 1.5 million people play it in Russia. This adds to Russian culture because competition and vying to be better than your rivals is a big part of the culture. This is also why a strong military is so supported in Russia.