Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

I finished reading Eugene Onegin about one week ago. I quite liked it, though I’m not sure my reactions are the ones the author would have wanted. But then again, how are we to know what reactions Pushkin wanted?

The scenes of country life, Russian customs, and the Russian winter were wonderfully realized. The lives of the main characters were hollow, shallow, and meaningless. That Onegin should kill his best friend in a duel because the victim was upset at the way Onegin danced with his fiance is ridiculous. It reveals the imbecility of the gentleman’s code of honour.

Overall I was left with a feeling of distaste, intended I hope by Pushkin, for the Byronic sort of romanticism which exalts the exertion of the young male’s will above all else.
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