Day 99: Why Read Onegin Today?
In the staff room of a school in Tver, a young literature teacher complains to an older colleague about teaching Eugene Onegin.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title.
- Read the dialogue and its translation. The audio for this lesson is coming soon.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native Russian audio, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio for this lesson is coming soon. For now, read the dialogue and its translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day
-
A
Павел Игоревич, я сдаюсь: на «Онегине» девятый «Б» спит, причём уже не скрываясь.
Pavel Igorevich, I give up: 9B sleeps through Onegin, and they don't even hide it any more.
-
B
Спит, говоришь? А ты его как проходишь, по хрестоматии?
Sleeps, you say? And how are you teaching it, straight from the anthology?
-
A
Ну да, как положено. Хочу взять что-нибудь современное, пусть даже не из программы.
Well, yes, the proper way. I want to take something modern instead, even if it's not on the curriculum.
-
B
Современное подождёт. Ты им расскажи, как Онегин застрелил друга из-за пустяка: извиниться постеснялся, боялся, что засмеют.
Modern can wait. Tell them how Onegin shot his friend over a trifle: he was too embarrassed to apologise, afraid of being laughed at.
-
A
То есть начать с дуэли, а не с биографии? Хотя это, признаться, похоже на сюжет сериала.
You mean start with the duel, not the biography? Though I must admit that sounds like the plot of a TV series.
-
B
Вот именно. Спроси, из-за чего у них самих разборки в сети и кто хоть раз извинился первым.
Exactly. Ask them what their own online fights are about, and who has ever once apologised first.
-
A
Да у них что ни день, то дуэль в комментариях, и секундантов полный чат. А извиниться первым у них считается позором.
They have a duel in the comments every single day, with a whole chat full of seconds. And apologising first counts as a disgrace.
-
B
Вот тебе и Онегин, двести лет спустя: гордыня та же, только без пистолетов. Узнают себя, и скуку как рукой снимет.
There's your Onegin, two hundred years on: the same pride, just without the pistols. Once they recognise themselves, the boredom will vanish as if by magic.
-
A
Решено, начну с дуэлей в комментариях. А «Мой дядя самых честных правил» подождёт до второго урока.
It's decided, I'll start with duels in the comments. And 'My uncle, a man of most honest principles' can wait until the second lesson.
Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 100: Shorts at Two Thousand Metres
If this free course has helped you in your Russian journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.