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• 1 2020-08-31T12:44:17-04:00 Wings 5-11 19 Mikhail Kuzmin plain 2020-09-14T18:39:38-04:00

  pg. 5 — Dachas (small country houses or villas)
  Dachas refer to small country houses or cottages in Russia. They were sometimes used as second homes, but mostly reserved for summer retreats for the wealthy. The Russian government would gift dachas to prominent or accomplished individuals as a form of recognition, so Dachas are a symbol of societal status.
  
  pg. 5 — Nikolai Ivanovich Smurov (“Uncle Kolya”)
  Vanya’s cousin, married to Natasha. He comes to fetch Vanya from the countryside after his mother has passed. He seems a kindly though not very central character; paying for Vanya’s schooling and his stay with the Kazanskys in St. Petersburg.
  
  pg. 5 — Vanya (“Ivanushka”)
  Our protagonist; Vanya is orphaned at the beginning of the story, as a young man, not yet finished with his education. Described as tall and slender but still round-faced, with a “handsome but still childishly pouting mouth”, large grey eyes, and fair, lightly curling, hair. This is his coming of age and coming out story. And although we never gain access to Vanya’s internal dialogue, the vignette structure of the novela allows us glimpses of Vanya’s growth and shifting interests. He moves from the countryside to St.Petersburg where he becomes infatuated with an older and Western intellectual, Stroop. Stroop mentors him, pulling him into his intellectual and aristocratic circles, lauding Helenistic ideas, and encouraging his pursuit of Greek, history, and the arts. It is also Stroop who acts as his main romantic interest and introduces(?) him to the underground gay community of St. Petersburg’s bathhouses.
  
  pg. 5 — Alexei Vasilyevich 
  Married to Anna, one of the Kazanskys.
  
  pg. 5 — Natasha
  Married to Nikolai.
  
  pg. 5 — The Kazanskys (Konstantin, Alexei, Anna, Koka, Boba, Nata)
  The family Vanya is staying with. Konstantin and Alexei are brothers and Vanya’s uncles. Alexei and Anna are married with three children: Koka, Boba, and Nata.The family lives in St. Petersburg and appear to be moderately well-off; affording to vacation to a dachas in the countryside for the summer, but money is sometimes tight. They are not considered part of Stroops intellectual and affluent circles, even if he is initially considerate enough to pay them visits. 
  
  pg. 6 — St. Petersburg
  St.Petersburg, the setting for most of this book, was the capital of Russia and the country's most populous city in the early 20th century. It was founded in 1703 when Peter the Great seized land during a war with Sweden. The city grew to become a symbol of enlightened european culture, and a central cultural hub of Russia-- Peters ‘Window to the West’, and Russia’s capital city. The city (and Russia as a whole) underwent a number of tumultuous political and cultural shifts through the 19th and 20th centuries. The 1825 Decembrist rebellion, inspired by western ideals of freedom, was brutally ended by emperor Nicholas I, who executed the organisers and installed a full regiment of conservative policies. In 1861 Russia's countless serfs were emancipated by Alexander II, and subsequently poured into cities creating overcrowding and further growth of slums. Although the city was beginning to industrialize and expand, the poor living conditions of many workers and economic slow-down at the beginning of the 20th century fueled the 1905 revolutions. 
  
  Wings was published in 1906, so the ongoing unrest in St.Petersburg, growing Western influence, and industrialization should be used to contextualize the narrative. Additionally important in the context of this novel is the growth of underground LGBTQ communities in large cities such as St.Petersburg, following the rapid urbanisation in the late 19th century. The author, Mikhail Kuzmin, grew up in a noble family in St.Petersburg, so this setting likely is drawn from personal experiences in the city. 
   
  pg. 6 — Anna Nikolayevna
  Married to Alexi. Portrayed as shallow, gossipy, and self-absorbed; perhaps meant to reflect the class and wealth difference between the Kazanskys and Stroop. She is probably the character most in contrast with Stroop’s more refined manner and preferences for intellectual conversation about the arts.
  
  pg. 6 — Konstantin Vasilyevich (“Kostya”)
  Vanya’s Uncle, Alexi’s brother. Friendly, a bit sly, and perceptive; he seems to suspect something special about Vanya’s relationship with Stroop early on, suggesting that Stroop would not hesitate to loan Vanya money when the family is a little strapped for cash. 
  
  pg. 7 — Koka ( “Ivan”)
  Alexei and Anna’s child. In love with Ida Goldberg (one-sided).
  
  pg. 7 — Boba  
  Alexei and Anna’s child
  
  pg. 7 — Natalia Alexeyevna (“Nata” )
  Alexei and Anna’s child. Described as not particularly polished or pretty, but persistent. In love with stroop. Not genuinely interested in the arts (attends the theatre only superficially in her pursuit of Stroop’s time and attention). Was present during the suspicious “suicide” at Stroops residence. 
  
  pg. 7 — Larion Dmitriyevich Stroop
  Vanya’s mentor and romantic interest. An ambiguously western man (english? Half english?) with means and education.  A proponent of Hellenistic ideals. Encourages Vanya to pursue Greek, initiating him into intellectual circles and the world of the early Renaissance, Classical and Romantic art. Becomes progressively closer to Vanya. Is involved in St. Petersburg’s gay bathhouse subculture. Appears to have some sort of hired paramour. We hear very little from Stroop directly despite his central role in the novel; apart from a few soliloquies about Helenistic virtues, he seems like more of a symbol for Western liberalism than an actual character.  
  
  pg. 10 — Greek Class
  The only class we see Vanya attend (presumably he has others). The theme of Greece and the Greek language is introduced quite early in the book. Greece, as the source of the greatest literature, architecture, art, and philosophy in Western civilization, is a significant theme throughout the novel. These themes may be additionally significant to the author, who visited Greece in 1895.  
  
  pg. 10 — Nikolayev
  Vanya’s friend from Greek class.
  
  pg. 10— Shpilevsky
  Vanya’s friend from Greek class
  
  pg. 10 — Daniil Ivanovich (“the little, ageing teacher”)
  Vanya’s Greek teacher. Daniil is pleasantly surprised when Vanya shows special interest in Greek. He invites Vanya to his home for evenings of further discussion and instruction. Vanya seems to enjoy this glimpse of Daniil’s quietly vivid academically-driven life, remarking upon how he seems “perfectly young” as he bustles about his apartment making tea. Among other things, they discuss the relativity of morals and how only cynical attitudes can make love look like depravity. Additionally, Daniil claims to be well acquainted with Stroop. 
  
  pg. 11 — Shpeier sisters
  Artists, friends of the kazanskys.
  
  pg. 11 — Annushka 
  Anna’s servant. Although serfs were liberated in 1861, large wealth and lifestyle inequalities remained between upper and lower classes. Anna is unsympathetic to the plights of servants and the lower class. She says her own maid has more time than she. “People are indignant about the piles of work that servants have: they have more leisure than we do!”