Study Guides for Land of the Firebird

Chapter 1

  1. Byzantium at the time of Vladimir.
  2. Who were Boris and Gleb? What did they symbolize? In what way were they Christ-like?
  3. What was Vladimir called in Russian folklore?
  4. How did the Russians "humanize" the Byzantine church rite?
  5. Symbolism of domes on Russian churches
  6. Iconostasis
  7. Icon arrangement on the iconostasis
  8. How did the Russians humanize the icon?
  9. The role of icons

Chapter 2

  1. What are "byliny"?
  2. What are "bogatyry"?
  3. What did Yaroslav the Wise contribute to Russian Culture?
  4. How did most Novgorodians earn their living?
  5. What did Novgorod contribute to church architecture?
  6. How did Kiev and Novgorod compare to other western European cities of the period?
  7. How was Novgorod governed?
  8. What is the significance of the cap of Vladimir Monomakh?

Chapter 3

  1. How long did the Kievan state last?
  2. What are some of the causes for the fall of the Kievan state?
  3. How did the Kievan state come to an end?
  4. Genghis Khan.
  5. What kind of warriors were the Mongols?
  6. Why did Novgorod not fall to the Mongols?
  7. What is "The Golden Horde"?
  8. Who was Alexander Nevsky?
  9. How did Russia change under the Mongols/Tartars?
  10. For how long was Russia under the Mongols?

Chapter 4

  1. What role did the Orthodox church play during the Mongol period?
  2. How did the Mongols govern Russia?
  3. Holy Trinity Monastery
  4. Dmitry Donskoy
  5. Moscow, "The Third Rome"
  6. What changes in the Moscow Kremlin were made under Ivan III?
  7. What role did Zoe play in Russian culture?
  8. What is the Church of the Assumption? Church of the Annunciation?

Chapter 5

  1. How did the tsars select their brides?
  2. terem
  3. What was life like for women in the Kremlin?
  4. On what bases was Moscow divided into quarters?
  5. What was the role of the church in daily Muscovite life?

Chapter 6

  1. Who was Richard Chancellor?
  2. What may have been the cause of Ivan the Terrible's cruelty later in his life?
  3. What was Ivan the Terrible's attitude toward the arts (music, writing, etc.)?
  4. What are some of the contradictions about his character?
  5. St. Basil's Cathedral. Who were the architects? Why was it built?
  6. What were banquets like in the time of Ivan the Terrible?
  7. Who are the "Oprichniki"?

Chapter 7

  1. How did Boris Godunov come to power?
  2. What were the origins of serfdom in Russia?
  3. What was "The Time of Troubles"?
  4. Who were Minin and Pozharsky?
  5. Michael Romanov
  6. What was happening in the arts in the 1600's?
  7. Nikon?
  8. Old Believers
  9. German Suburb

Chapter 8

  1. Why do you think Peter hated the Kremlin?
  2. What was Peter's childhood like?
  3. How did Peter learn about Western traditions and innovations before he went to Europe?
  4. Who were Patrick Gordon, Francis Lefort and Prince Menshikov?
  5. What were some of the trades Peter learned in Europe?
  6. What was Peter's reaction when he saw all the novelties in Europe?
  7. What kind of people did Peter ask to come to Russia?
  8. How did Russians react to Peter's westernization?
  9. How did Peter change Russia after his trip to the west? What kind of things did he introduce?
  10. 10. The building of St. Petersburg.
    1. Why did Peter want to build the city?
    2. Why did he build it on that particular spot?
    3. How was it different from other Russian cities?
    4. What were some of the problems in building the city?
    5. What was the reaction of the Russians to the new city?
  11. What is the architectural significance of the Peter and Paul Fortress?
  12. What was Peter's taste in architectural design and indoor furnishings?
  13. Trezzini
  14. What kind of relationship did Peter have with his son Alexis?
  15. What are some similarities in personality and manner of ruling Russia among Vladimir, Ivan the Terrible and Peter?

Chapter 9

  1. Why did Russians like Elizabeth?
  2. What was social life like in the reign of Elizabeth?
  3. Which of the arts delighted Elizabeth the most?
  4. What was the state of the arts in the reign of Elizabeth?
  5. Lomonosov
  6. Architecture during Elizabeth's reign
  7. Rastrelli; what three famous buildings did he design?

Chapter 10

  1. How did Catherine the Great, a non-Russian, manage to become the Empress of Russia?
  2. What was Catherine's relationship with Orlov?
  3. How did Catherine's style of reign differ from that of Elizabeth?
  4. Why do you think Russians liked Catherine?
  5. French influence in the arts
  6. Princess Dashkova's contribution to learning
  7. What kind of architectural design did Catherine like?
  8. What differentiates Russia's classical style from similar styles in Europe?
  9. Falconet
  10. Why was Catherine called the "Great"?
  11. The Bronze Horseman
  12. What was the relationship between Catherine and Potemkin?
  13. "Potemkin village"

Chapter 12

  1. What are some examples of folk culture?
  2. What was the attitude of elegant society toward folk culture?
  3. What was the peasants' attitude toward foreign cultures and the culture of elegant society?
  4. Why did foreigners consider Russians barbarians?
  5. How did Russians address each other when meeting?
  6. What are some Russian proverbs? How would you interpret them (American equivalents)?
  7. What are some of the customs associated with bathing.
  8. How did Russians act when drinking?
  9. What does the word "krestyanin" mean?
  10. What is a person's Name Day?
  11. How did the church calendar regulate the activities of peasant life?
  12. What was the peasant's relationship with God like? 1
  13. Explain the following statement by Massie about Russians: "This calm acceptance of the fate and the sympathy for human suffering are perhaps the greatest strengths of the Russian people and the most basic expression of Russian Christianity."
  14. What are "rusalki"?
  15. What is a "domovoy"?
  16. What are some Russian popular beliefs and superstitions?
  17. What are some of the superstitions associated with bears?
  18. How are Russian folk tales different from German ones?
  19. Who are some of the characters in Russian folktales?
  20. What can you say about the tradition of singing and folksongs?
  21. Describe the old wedding rituals.

Chapter 13

  1. Massie claims that the variety, beauty and craftsmanship of Russian folk arts belie the stereotype of the Russian peasant as a "gloomy, downtrodden creature" and demonstrate a "jubilant attitude toward life." What are some examples of these folk arts at which the Russians excelled?
  2. Use of wood for construction. (See picture of the Church of the Transfiguration in Firebird.
  3. Use of the ax.
  4. How were houses decorated on the outside? on the inside?
  5. What is a matryoshka?
  6. What is a samovar, and how does it work?
  7. What is the Tsar Bell?
  8. What did the traditional peasant dress look like?
  9. What is a kokoshnik?

Chapter 15

  1. What can you say about the education of Russian artists in the 19th century?
  2. Russian themes in painting.
  3. Briulov
  4. Kiprensky
  5. Ivanov
  6. Venetsianov
  7. Private serf theater
  8. Didelot
  9. What kind of relationship was there between the public and the arts and artists in Pushkin's time?

Chapter 16

  1. Lermontov
  2. The life of a military officer in Pushkin's time
  3. How did Pushkin die?
  4. Why was Pushkin important in the development of Russian literature?

Chapter 17

  1. Significance of the Neva in the daily life of St. Petersburg.
  2. How is St. Petersburg different architecturally from Moscow?
  3. dvornik
  4. Describe the "international" character of St. Petersburg in the 18th and 19th century.
  5. Describe Nevsky Avenue.
  6. What kind of exotic things could be found in the shops on Nevsky Avenue?
  7. Russian coachmen
  8. Describe Russian "drozhki".
  9. What is a "troika"?
  10. What were market places like in St. Petersburg?
  11. Compare feasts and balls in St. Petersburg to those in Moscow in earlier periods.
  12. What were Western attitudes toward Russians at the time of Peter and Later? Compare to earlier Moscow times.

Chapter 18

  1. How did serfdom come about in Russia?
  2. What were the debates of the 1860's and 1870's about?
  3. What was the difference between the system of serfdom in Russian and that of slavery in the US?
  4. What was life like for peasants after the emancipation?
  5. Describe Peter the Great's system of ranking?
  6. What is a "dacha"?
  7. Describe a typical Russian country house.
  8. What was life like in the country?
  9. How were strangers treated in the country?
  10. What did people do for amusement in the countryside?
  11. Who was Elene Molokhovets and what did she contribute to Russian culture?
  12. Describe the fair at Nizhny Novgorod.

Chapter 20 (pp. 325-338)

"The Wanderers"
  1. What is the "intelligentsia"
  2. Women's education in the second half of the 19th century.
  3. Herzen
  4. Nihilists
  5. What should the function of art and the artist be, according to the artists of the 2nd half of the 19th century?
  6. What was the original aim of the Academy of Fine Arts?
  7. How did Nicholas change the Academy?
  8. Why were some of the painters dissatisfied with the Academy? What did they do about it?
  9. How did Russian artists see themselves as being different from Western artists?
  10. What kind of themes and images did the artists strive to represent?
  11. Who were "The Wanderers"? What was the aim of their organization?

Chapter 21

  1. How did Russians celebrate Christmas before the Revolution? Give few examples.
  2. What did Russians like to do for amusement during winter?
  3. How did Russians celebrate Easter? Give few examples.
  4. Maslenitsa
  5. What did Russians like to do for amusement in early spring?
  6. How did Russians spend the seven-week Great Fast preceding Easter?
  7. What did the Tsars like to give their wives as presents on Easter?
  8. Faberge
  9. How was Easter celebrated in the church service, starting with Good Friday? Give few examples.

Chapter 23 (pp. 230-232)

  1. What did Glinka and Pushkin have in common? Which of Pushkin's works did Glinka adopt for the opera?
  2. Why is Glinka's opera "A Life for the Tsar" significant in Russian culture?
  3. How did Glinka's life style fit the style of a Romantic artist?

Chapter 23, (skim)

  1. What was training like at the St. Petersburg Imperial Ballet School?
  2. How was ballet perceived differently in Russia from the way it was perceived in the West?
  3. What is Petipa's role in developing Russian ballet?
  4. How did Petipa and Tchaikovsky collaborate?
  5. How was "Sleeping Beauty" received by the public at first? Why?
  6. What is "Russian" about "Swan Lake"?
  7. How did Russians improve on ballet?
  8. Anna Pavlova
  9. Nijinsky

Chapter 24

  1. What were the aims of The World of Art?
  2. Who was Diaghilev? What Journal did he help found?
  3. What else did Diaghilev and The World of Art group do for the arts?
  4. What was the Silver Age?
  5. Who were Larionov and Goncharova?
  6. Why did Diaghilev organize a large exhibit of Russian art and a series of concerts of Russian music in France?
  7. What Russian composer became famous in the West because of Diaghilev?

Chapter 25

  1. What was ballet like in Europe at the turn of the century?
  2. What did Diaghilev do for ballet?
  3. How was Diaghilev's Ballets Russes received in France? Give examples.
  4. Nijinsky
  5. Pavlova
  6. Fokine
  7. Bakst
  8. Benois
  9. Stravinsky
  10. What was innovative about his music?
  11. What is the ballet "Petrushka" about?
  12. How was his ballet "Rites of Spring" received?