A House of Gentlefolk
What is A House of Gentlefolk about?
A House of Gentlefolk (1859) is Ivan Turgenev’s lyrical novel about Lavretsky, a Russian nobleman who returns to his ancestral estate after a failed marriage abroad, and falls in love with the deeply religious Liza Kalitina. Their love seems impossible—until news arrives that Lavretsky’s unfaithful wife has died. But fate has further reversals in store. Turgenev creates an exquisitely beautiful and melancholy story about the impossibility of personal happiness in a world of duty, convention, and cruel circumstance.
Main themes in A House of Gentlefolk
Russian gentry
A House of Gentlefolk thoughtfully explores russian gentry through its central conflicts.
Impossible love
In A House of Gentlefolk, impossible love provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Duty and faith
In A House of Gentlefolk, duty and faith provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Ancestral estate
A House of Gentlefolk thoughtfully explores ancestral estate through its central conflicts.
Why A House of Gentlefolk is still relevant today
A House of Gentlefolk is one of Turgenev’s most beautiful novels, a meditation on love, duty, and fate. Read it free online on TextStack.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is A House of Gentlefolk about?
A Russian nobleman returns to his estate after a failed marriage and falls in love with a devout young woman, but fate intervenes in this beautiful, melancholy novel.
Where can I read it online?
You can read A House of Gentlefolk by Ivan Turgenev free online on TextStack.