Ivan Goncharov's 1859 Russian novel follows Ilya Oblomov, a nobleman so paralyzed by indecision and apathy that he rarely leaves his bed. This darkly comic work of fiction explores the psychology of inertia through Oblomov's relationships with his energetic friend and the woman he loves.
One morning, in a flat in one of the great buildings in Gorokliovaia Street, * the population of which was sufficient to constitute that of a provincial town, there was lying in bed a gentleman named Ilya Ilyitch Oblomov. He was a fellow of a little over thirty, of medium height, and of pleasant exterior. Unfortunately, in his dark-grey eyes there was an absence of any definite idea, and in his other features a total lack of concentration. Suddenly a thought would wander across his face with the freedom of a bird, flutter for a moment in his eyes, settle on his half-opened lips, and remain momentarily lurking in the lines of his forehead. Then it would disappear, and once more his face would glow with a radiant _insouciance_ which extended even to his attitude and the folds of his night-robe. At other times his glance would darken as with weariness or _ennui_. Yet neither the one nor the…Continue reading →
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