And Quiet Flows the Don: Analysis of Setting
"And Quiet Flows the Don" is a novel characterized by its deep connection to the Don River, which serves as a metaphorical central character. Flowing through one of Russia's most fertile regions and emptying into the Black Sea, the Don is integral to the daily lives of the peasants who live along its banks. Referred to as "the Mother Don," the river symbolizes both abundance and stability amid the historical turmoil of World War I and the Russian Revolution. This setting highlights the contrast between the calm presence of nature and the chaos of human conflict. The fictional village of Tatarsk, home to the Melekhov family, embodies the hardships and joys of rural life, while nearby Vieshenska serves as a hub for essential goods and political developments. The narrative also touches on significant locations like Petrograd, which provide context for the revolution, and Rostov, a key port in the struggle between the Red and White factions. Overall, the setting plays a crucial role in shaping the characters’ experiences and the overarching themes of resilience and the impact of war on everyday life.
And Quiet Flows the Don: Analysis of Setting
First published:Tikhii Don, 1928-1940 (partial English translations, 1934 as And Quiet Flows the Don; 1940 as The Don Flows Home to the Sea; complete English translations, 1942 as The Silent Don; 1967 as And Quiet Flows the Don)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Historical realism
Time of work: 1913-1918
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
*Don
*Don. River flowing north to south through the most fertile region of Russia and emptying into the Black Sea. It is the central character of the novel, figuratively speaking. Providing the inhabitants living on its shores with ample basic provisions and fertilizing the land on which they depend, the Don is present in their every activity. Called by the peasants “the Mother Don,” it seems to initiate and conclude every historical event, especially during World War I and the revolution. The author uses its very name as a stark contrast to the turbulent happenings around it during this period. At the same time, it exerts a calming influence on the peasants as a bastion of permanence, something they can always depend on no matter how unstable their life may be. It also gives its name to the entire region.
Mikhal Sholokhov is eminently qualified to describe the Don region. He was born there. Though not of Cossack ancestry, he spent practically all his life there, wrote almost exclusively about life on the Don and, most importantly, was able to paint a remarkably objective picture of the civil war around the Don.
Tatarsk
Tatarsk. Fictional village in the northern part of the Don’s course, the home of the Melekhov family, and the place where the novel begins and ends. It is a typical Russian peasant village of modest huts and little else except for fertile fields and river banks. Life is hard but gratifying. The biggest drawback is its relative isolation from the rest of the world, so that news reaches Tatarsk slowly and, when it does, the peasants usually do not know what to make of it. However, what they lack in education, they make up for in their natural intelligence and hard work. Though Tatarsk itself is not always described in precise detail, the reader gets the impression of a vibrant life expressed in joy and sorrow, love and hate, work and play, and the everyday inspiration villagers derive from the majestic Don. The name itself hints at a Melekhov ancestor, a Turkish (Tatar) beauty brought to the village and married to Gregor’s grandfather.
Vieshenska
Vieshenska (VYE-shen-ska). Town near Tatarsk, a district center, where the Tatarsk villagers go to buy provisions they cannot produce themselves and to take care of official business. When the revolution enveloped the region, Vieshenska played a significant role for both the Red revolutionaries and their opponents, the Whites.
Yagodnoe
Yagodnoe (YA-gohd-no-ee). Country estate near Tatarsk, home of important characters in the novel, where Gregor and his lover Aksinia find refuge as workers, after falling out with their families.
*Petrograd
*Petrograd. Russian city formerly (and now again) known as St. Petersburg that plays a short but important role in the novel. When the first signs of the revolution manifested themselves in Petrograd, some Tatarsk inhabitants happened to be there. This gives the author a chance to bring the peasants closer to understanding this historical event.
*Rostov
*Rostov. Large Russian port at the confluence of the Don and the sea, the final destination of many participants in the struggle between the Whites and the Reds.
Battle front
Battle front. Several battles between the warring sides are located on both sides of the Don. These scenes are not described geographically in great detail. Instead, the author dwells on the combatants’ behavior, especially their bravery and ferocity. Most of the battles occur in or near Tatarsk. None of them was in itself crucial for the outcome of the struggle, but they each had a fateful impact on Tatarsk villagers, often resulting in death and property destruction.
Bibliography
Ermolaev, Herman. Mikhail Sholokhov and His Art. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1982. One of the best studies of Sholokhov and his works by a native scholar trained in the West. And Quiet Flows the Don is treated extensively, especially the historical events and sources and Sholokhov’s use of them.
Hallet, Richard. “Soviet Criticism of Tikhy Don, 1928-1940.” The Slavonic and East European Review 46, no. 106 (1968): 60-74. A brief but substantive treatment of Sholokhov’s difficulties with the authorities in publishing the novel. They did not like his objective presentation of the revolution.
Klimenko, Michael. The World of Young Sholokhov: Vision of Violence. North Quincy, Mass.: Christopher Publishing House, 1979. A useful study of Sholokhov’s early works, with emphasis on And Quiet Flows the Don.
Medvedev, Roy. Problems in the Literary Biography of Mikhail Sholokhov. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1977. A leading former Russian dissident discusses the controversy about the accusations of Sholokhov’s plagiarism in writing And Quiet Flows the Don.
Muchnic, Helen. “Mikhail Sholokhov.” In From Gorky to Pasternak. New York: Random House, 1961. Extensive essay on Sholokhov, the first part of which is devoted to And Quiet Flows the Don.
Simmons, Ernest J. Russian Fiction and Soviet Ideology: Introduction to Fedin, Leonov, and Sholokhov. New York: Columbia University Press, 1967. Evaluates Sholokhov within an ideological and political context. Simmons is one of the leading American scholars of Russian literature.
Stewart, D. H. Mikhail Sholokhov: A Critical Introduction. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1967. A solid introduction to Sholokhov, with emphasis on And Quiet Flows the Don.