Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Mikhail Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time," and the reliability of its narrator, Pechorin, particularly when describing his own character. The writer suggests that since the reliability of a fictional character is difficult to measure, one approach to determine reliability is to assess the authenticity of the events and scenes that Pechorin speaks about, and another is to study Pechorin's creator, Lermontov. Regarding Pechorin's reliability when speaking about himself, the writer points out that Pechorin admits truth about himself, even when it is not attractive, but in general his loquacity on every possible subject related to human emotion causes the reader to question his veracity.

From the Paper:

"When a young boy Lermontov first traveled to the Caucasas, then later returned twice, but now as a young man serving in military duty. During his second visit, at age 25, Lermontov began writing A Hero of Our Time (geocities.org). According to the story, Pechorin wrote his journals while in the Caucasas, around the same age as Lermontov, and while serving in official capacity for the military. Is it not logical, therefore, to believe these few noted similarities between Lermontov's real life and the stories narrated by Pechorin render validity to Pechorin's reliability as a narrator?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Geocities.com. http://www.geocities.com/y_volkov/biofr.htm 11/6/08/2008
• Kirjasto.sci.fi. http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/mihaille.htm 11/6/2008
• Lermontov, Mikhail. A Hero of Our Time. New York: Random House, Inc., 2004 Trans. Marian Schwartz
• Netmuseum. http://www.metmuseum.org/works_of_art/collection_database/all/bonnet/objectview.aspx?page=100&sort=0&sortdir=asc&keyword=&fp=100&dd1=0&dd2=0&vw=1&collID=0&OID=80025019&vT=1 11/06/2008
• Simon and Shuster. Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition. U.S.A.: William Collins Purblishers, Inc., 1980

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