In the shape of its vividly-portrayed protagonist, Alexander Aduyev, The Same Old Story radiates the kind of passion one associates with another great Russian, Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883). First published in Russian 1847, it was the debut novel from Goncharov (1812-1891) who gained fame 12 years later with his classic, Oblomov.
Turgenev at his best has a more fluid, lyrical sense and can describe a bird singing in a tree on a summer night with a kind of restrained awe that, in theory anyway, should keep the reader spellbound. Goncharov is more interested in drilling into the manners, attitudes and psychology of his characters. In the course of this novel’s 362 pages, he allows himself plenty of scope for human interaction and misunderstanding, for discussion of motive and of right and wrong as aired in the dialogue and thoughts of his characters.
Anxious to get away from the provinces and make a name for himself in the big city, the romantic, naive young poet, Alexander Aduyev travels to St Petersburg. He carries a letter of introduction from his over-protective, widowed mother, which is addressed to his paternal uncle, Pyotr Ivanych.
The uncle is a decidedly cold fish who reluctantly takes on the responsibility of sorting out Alexander's lodgings and arranging rather dull factory work, with also some freelance writing for him on matters such as fertiliser for an agricultural journal.
In the process of this so-called education in reality, the uncle dashes all his young nephew’s romantic impulses – one must be coldly pragmatic and calculating if one wants to get on in life is essentially the message. He also casts scorn on the conduct of Alexander’s love affairs which all come to grief. Lizaveta Alexandrovna - his uncle’s new wife and a kind soul - becomes his only solace, willing to hear of his unhappiness and encourage him as best she can out of his gloom.
Should he have stayed at home, where life was simpler? This becomes the all-consuming question as Alexander slides into bitterness and confusion and takes to the drink. At home he had the beginnings of something with the gentle Sofia, who, we are given to understand, will not have forgotten her errant knight in the interim.
”I parted with my open-hearted sincerity, my first precious passion – in return for what? Bitter disillusionment; I learnt that everything is a sham, nothing endures, and that nothing and no one can be relied on – neither myself, nor others – and I grew wary of others and myself. “Does he go back? Well, such is Goncharov’s gift that you will want to know.
Paddy Kehoe
