A Strange Story

Beyond the apparent simplicity of its title, A Strange Story explores the complex interplay between personal freedom and social obligation. The characters are often caught between their desires and the expectations imposed on them by Russian society, particularly with regard to marriage, family, and propriety. Through this novella, Turgenev extends his critique of Russian social norms, especially the rigid expectations placed on women and men to conform to a life that often stifles genuine affection and personal growth.

Turgenev's treatment of these themes resonates with his ongoing exploration of the individual versus society, a tension that runs through much of his work. By depicting love as a force that can be both liberating and destructive, depending on its context, A Strange Story anticipates later existentialist concerns about the role of the individual in a world dominated by external forces. The story's atmosphere of repressed emotion and the characters' ultimate failure to break free from social constraints underscore Turgenev's sense of quiet fatalism-a recognition that, in the world he depicts, true personal liberation is rarely attainable without considerable personal cost.

This critical reader's edition presents a modern translation of the original manuscript, crafted to help the reader engage directly with Turgenev's works through clean, contemporary language and simplified sentence structures that clarify his complex ideas. Supplementary material enriches the text with autobiographical, historical, and linguistic context, including an afterword on Turgenev’s history, impact, and intellectual legacy highlighting the personal relationships that shaped his philosophy (focusing on Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Gogol), an index of the philosophical concepts he employs (emphasizing Realism and Nihilism) a comprehensive chronological list of his published writings, a brief biography, and a detailed timeline of his life.