Big Read: The Death of Ivan Ilyich  Tags: slavic literature  

Ivan Ilyich is good at decorating his apartment and finds inexpensive antiques to give his home a special, fashionable appearance. What is Tolstoy's point about Ivan Ilyich's interest and skill as a home decorator? Research Russian interiors in Tolstoy’s time. Pick an object that you own that you think of as fashionable, in other words, what everyone has, describe where, when, and how you acquired it, your attachment to it, its status as a desirable, necessary, fashionable object (one to two objects per group). Interview each other about your objects. Archive your investigation.

Research tips: Be sure to check the suggestions under "Searching for Tolstoy",  "Google Books", "Another Approach", "Media", and "Biography and Bibliography" if you are having trouble getting started.

Images of 19th-century Russian middle class homes can be a bit tricky to find. Western images, via general Google image searches yield very little.

This guide will give you some links to Russian sources with English pages that you might find helpful. The video of Tolstoy's funeral contains footage showing the interior of his bedroom and some of the other rooms at Yasnaya Polyana.

A more detailed set of images of the rooms at the estate is available at http://www.ibiblio.org/sergei/Exs/YasnayaPoliana/yp1.html.

Vladimir-Suzdal Historical Museum of Art and Architecture

http://www.museum.vladimir.ru/eng/exhibition/vladimir/brothers_e?menu=vladimir_exhibition

Ceramics from Pereslavl-Zalesskii Museum http://museum.pereslavl.ru/kollek/farfor/farfor.htm

Girl's bedroom (in Russian) http://www.amr-museum.ru/russ/exibit/news/news7_r.htm

State Hermitage Museum http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/fcgi-bin/db2www/advanced.mac/step1?selLang=English&selCateg=furniture