The Alexander Pushkin Quiz

Alexander Pushkin: Life, Ancestry, and Literary Career

• Alexander Pushkin was fatally wounded in a duel with his wife's alleged lover, Georges-Charles de Heeckeren d'Anthès, a French officer.
• Pushkin's father, Sergei Lvovich Pushkin, was from a distinguished Russian noble family, while his mother, Nadezhda Gannibal, had German and Scandinavian ancestry.
• Ossip Abramovich Gannibal, Pushkin's great-grandfather, was an African page kidnapped to Constantinople and later transferred to Russia as a gift for Peter the Great.
• Pushkin was born in Moscow and spoke mostly French until the age of ten, when he became acquainted with the Russian language through communication with household serfs and his nanny.
• He published his first poem at the age of 15 and was part of the first graduating class of the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, near Saint Petersburg.
• Pushkin was heavily influenced by the Kantian liberal individualist teachings of Alexander Kunitsyn and immersed himself in the thought of the French Enlightenment, especially Voltaire.
• He became committed to social reform and emerged as a spokesman for literary radicals, which led to his transfer from the capital in May 1820.
• Pushkin joined the Filiki Eteria, a secret organization aimed at overthrowing Ottoman rule in Greece and establishing an independent Greek state.
• He wrote two Romantic poems, "The Captive of the Caucasus" and "The Fountain of Bakhchisaray," which brought him acclaim.
• Pushkin was sent into exile on his mother's rural estate from 1824 to 1826, where he wrote nostalgic love poems and worked on his verse-novel "Eugene Onegin."
• After his exile, Pushkin obtained his release from Emperor Nicholas I and began to work as the emperor's Titular Counsel of the National Archives.
• Despite gaining permission to publish his most famous play, "Boris Godunov," Pushkin was banned from travelling at will and faced strict control over his publications.

"The Bridegroom" by Alexander Pushkin Summary

• The poem revolves around the intelligence and survival of a girl, Natasha, in the face of danger.
• Natasha is in a situation with twelve men, and one of them, the oldest, murders her and steals her ring.
• The poem vividly describes the fear and trauma Natasha experiences after the murder.
• The narrative also depicts the cruelty of the murderer and the reality of human fear.
• Natasha's fear is evident in her reaction upon encountering the murderer and during her wedding preparations.
• The bridegroom, who is the murderer, accuses Natasha of being sensitive and irrational when she discusses the crime scene.
• "The Bridegroom" exemplifies a well-written narrative essay with allusions that engage the reader.
• The poem raises questions about fate, wishes, and making choices for oneself.
• It contains elements of foreshadowing, with hints at troubling future events.
• The cultural context of marriage as an alliance between families is reflected in the matchmaker's role.
• Natasha's silence when the matchmaker visits suggests strength, independence, and hidden concerns.
• Natasha's behavior and reactions foreshadow surprising events at the wedding and the eventual arrest of the bridegroom.