Alexander Ostrovsky by Marjorie Hoover (review) (1981)

BOOK REVIEWS311 Completeness, however, is always difficult, especially when one attempts to catalog a prolific author such as Sinclair Lewis who has attracted so much critical attention. As bibliographers approach their work's terminus ad quern, they simply cannot obtain all of the current articles and reviews which rightfully belong in their catalog. Yet their disclaimers regarding selectivity do not satisfy users. Sinclair Lewis is no exception. A cursory examination of this reference guide reveals only four entries in 1978. A quick check of the MLA International Bibliography for the same year produces two additional references, one in a festschrift and the other from the Yale Review. To wait for the appearance of some journals which stay notoriously behind publication deadlines would be to sacrifice even more a timely publication. Sinclair Lewis appeared two years after its cutoff date, a delay which we in academe have come to consider "acceptable." Ultimately, computerized bibliographies will make these delays obsolete; but until that time arrives, we must be grateful for the laborious efforts of such dedicated scholars as the Flemings. Robert Fleming's brief introduction to this checklist gives readers an overview of the ebb and flow of criticism about Lewis's work. The year 1951 seems to be the peak of that criticism. His annotations, descriptive in form, supply the focus of the selected articles and reviews; they are sufficient to allow students to determine whether the material might meet their needs. And the index — an indispensable part of any bibliography — is thorough and detailed. JAMES A. GRIMSHAW, JR. United States Air Force Academy Marjorie Hoover. Alexander Ostrovsky. Boston: Twayne, G.K. Hall, 1981. 155p. When one thinks of great Russian writers of the nineteenth-century, the names Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov immediately come to mind. Beyond these great figures, the average Western reader is quite ignorant of Russian literature. Marjorie Hoover has taken a significant step in introducing the Western reader to the wealth of Russian literature. The preponderance of scholarly writings and collections of translated works of the others have overshadowed the work of Ostrovsky. Hoover has successfully defended Ostrovsky's position as one of the great Russian playwrights. In this analysis, only a brief biographical description of Ostrovsky is given, concentrating rather on his major works. It is typical of anthologies to allow only brief descriptions of his major works, their themes and analysis of the critics of the period. The "dark kingdom" described by Dobrolyubov, the samodurstvo of the merchant class, and the plight of women in Russian society are themes commonly analyzed by critics of Ostrovsky. Hoover has delved more deeply in her analysis. The sociopolitical mood of the times (1847-1886) and its effect on Ostrovsky as shown in his works, is a traditional basis for analysis used by Hoover and other critics of nineteenth-century Russian literature. This sociopolitical analysis is regarded by Hoover as too rigid and over-simplified. Hoover has been more judicial in her approach and has demonstrated the involved transition made by Ostrovsky from his early works to his later "mature" works. Most major plays are discussed in terms of plot, structure of the play, and character development. Although a number of collections of Ostrovsky's works do exist, and in the recent revival of Ostrovsky in the Soviet Union much new material has been published, very little writing of a critical nature is available. Hoover's book, although a general overview, is a very 312ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW informative and scholarly response to that. In addition to critical evaluation of Ostrovsky's works, much reference is made to the great socio-literary critics, other great Russian and European writers of the time, and their overall effect on Ostrovsky and his works. Alexander Ostrovsky is both concise and informative not only in text, but in footnotes and bibliography as well. For those who wish to investigate further, the bibliography, although not extensive and much is available only in Russian, is an excellent guide to hard-to-find information. MARY JO SMITH University of Arizona George Hunt. John Updike and the Three Great Secret Things: Sex, Religion and Art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1980. 232p. Professor Hunt has provided an interesting...