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Eugene Onegin

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*Eugene Onegin* is a famous novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin.

Eugene Onegin's portrait by Pushkin
Eugene Onegin's portrait by Pushkin

This means the whole story is told through poetry. It is a classic of Russian literature. The book explores many deep human feelings. These include love, death, and passion. It also looks at boredom and social rules. People admire the book for its beautiful writing.

Eugene Onegin 01 (Kardovsky)
Eugene Onegin 01 (Kardovsky)

The poem uses a very special structure. This is called the "Onegin stanza."

Eugene Onegin illustration
Eugene Onegin illustration

It is made of 389 stanzas. Each stanza has exactly fourteen lines. The poem has 5,446 lines in total. Pushkin used a specific rhythm called iambic tetrameter. He also used a unique rhyme scheme. This scheme uses different types of rhymes. Some are called feminine rhymes. Others are called masculine rhymes. This creates a very distinct musical sound.

The story follows several main characters. Eugene Onegin is a bored man from Saint Petersburg. He is an arrogant and selfish person. He meets a young poet named Vladimir Lensky. Lensky is a romantic and naive dreamer.

Onegin3
Onegin3

Then there is Tatyana Larina. She is a shy and quiet girl. Tatyana falls in love with Onegin. Later, the two characters meet again in the city. By this time, Tatyana is a married woman. The story shows how their lives change over many years.

Pushkin wrote this book over a long time. He started the first chapter in May 1823. He published parts of it in magazines first. This was a common way to share novels then. The first complete edition came out in 1833. The version we read today is based on 1837.

Eugene Onegin illustration
Eugene Onegin illustration

Writing was often interrupted by many things. Pushkin sometimes worked on other stories instead. He even had to stay in one place due to an epidemic. He finished the final chapter in 1831. He even wrote some stanzas for a tenth chapter. However, he burned most of that chapter to stay safe.

The book contains a very sad moment. Onegin and Lensky have a duel.

Yevgeny Onegin by Repin
Yevgeny Onegin by Repin

In the early 1800s, duels had very strict rules. A second helped manage the fight. In this story, Onegin kills Lensky during the duel. This event changes Onegin's life forever. He travels abroad to deal with his guilt. The book shows how one choice can change everything. It remains a powerful story about how people live and love.

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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Eugene Onegin's portrait by Pushkin.jpg
Eugene Onegin's portrait by Pushkin.jpg
File:Eugene Onegin 01 (Kardovsky).jpg
Eugene Onegin 01 (Kardovsky).jpg
File:Eugene Onegin illustration.jpg
Eugene Onegin illustration.jpg
File:Onegin3.jpg
Onegin3.jpg
File:Yevgeny Onegin by Repin.jpg
Yevgeny Onegin by Repin.jpg
File:Nicky & Ella.jpg
Nicky & Ella.jpg
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