Russian major

Though it's not always fun or rewarding to be a Russian major and a Russophile (like at summer conference, or when people want to insult the Red Army), there are times when I really like it. Days like today remind me of that.

I have a lot of writing to do before this time next week. It feels overwhelming to be researching and trying to prepare to write those papers. But over the weekend I finally became interested in one of my papers. What place in Russian history, literature, and empire is really held by the Caucasus? In what ways are Lermontov and Tolstoy Orientalizing their literary subjects? The topic that has bored me for a semester has started to hold my attention.

Then yesterday and today I've been looking at the politics of Putin's popularity. This stuff is so interesting. I checked out some books from the library this morning. Anna Politkovskaya attacked Putin's Russia and paid for it with her life. Another author starts his book off with a blow-by-blow account of the Beslan hostage crisis that was almost bringing me to tears in the library. This is crazy.

In my Russian politics class this afternoon we started watching the film "12." I have mentioned it on this blog before and I watched it last Christmas break. It is in my top two favorite Russian films. It's a remake of "12 Angry Men," but it could not be more Russian. I love the real way that Russian culture and language and society is portrayed. I feel like the actors don't even have to act because they seem so genuine. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it on Thursday.

These feelings were a much-needed break from the monotony and stress of the end of the semester. They don't make deadlines and page requirements go away, but they help a little. Not many people care about this stuff that I'm writing about, but I can't help it. It's fascinating. Usually.