There is something about the, dare I say, second tier Russian classical authors, such as Turgenev and Gogol, that I find almost mesmerizing.  The primary characters are the gentlefolk mentioned in the title – rich enough to have inherited some sort of estate (complete with serfs and house servants, needless to say), but no wealthier than that.  The men rarely have any profession, other than the occasional doctor, and spend most of their days hunting, fishing, and visiting their neighbors.  The women for their part, […]