I am truly amazed how through the course of history literary pieces are often made to parallel life, as we know it now. Such is the case with regards to our Russian writers. Tolstoy and Pushkin's writings very closely resemble the lives of the wealthy people of Russia in the 1800's. Both to these authors do a superb job of dictating the life of the upper class Russian citizens. So much so that even today their stories seem to match very well with current history text books, and other historical materials. In the short stories of Pushkin and Tolstoy, we are shown evidence of greed, selfishness, extravagant lifestyles, and the desire to not only be accepted in the social circles, but also perhaps be seen as superior in the eyes of their peers.
             According to Boguslawski, Russian life was great for those people who were fortunate enough to be well to do. However, if you were one of the majority who had to work as an indentured servant, or serf, life was not so wonderful. I have come to notice that both of the authors mentioned above tend to only write about the lives of the wealthy. In Pushkin's short story (The Queen of Spades), the lives of several well to do people were portrayed. As the story begins we are invited into what seems to be a gentleman's gathering of sorts. We later find out that the men are in a salon (or gambling parlor) involved in a few high stakes games. As you and I both know, only the well to do were able to afford to waste their money gambling. Most other working people would cringe at the thought of wasting any amount of money; much less an amount that would more than likely cover the expense of feeding their entire family for at least two weeks in a single card game. A lavish life style was considered the "norm" for the aristocrats in Russian society. It was not uncommon for them to participate in formal activities. We see the countess attending a ball in her...