An Analysis Of The Theme Of Ivan Bunin's Short Story Collection-Dark Avenues

Ivan Bunin is the fist Russian Writer who got Nobel Prize for literature. He is also one of the greatest writers who devoted most of his life time to creating literature and made extraordinary arts achievement. Bunin works, most of which are short stories and novelette, carry forward the fine tradition of Russian literature, and strongly appeal to the readers by its praising the motherland, the hometown and the nature with deep feeling, its persistent pursuing of love and beauty and its reflection of such eternal themes as life and death. This essay discusses and analyses the theme of Bunin's short story collection "Dark Avenues", which was created in his later years when he lived abroad. It first analyses the background of creating this works and its position in Bunin's works. The short story collection "Dark Avenues"was finished by Bunin during the year 1937 to 1944. Almost all of the forty stories collected in it portray love. This is the only book that describes love theme in Russian literature history. Therefore, it is called "Love Encyclopedia". This collection is the best one ever created by Bunin with the most perfect writing techniques. Creating such a collection of love stories during the World War II reflects the writer's resistance to the cruel reality of the war and his yearn for a beautiful world. Then, the essay mainly analyses the theme of the collection. "Dark Avenues"is a book in which the writer shows his deep feeling of missing hometown. Bunin left his beloved motherland, Russia, after the October Revolution and never came back again by living abroad. So the collection embodies his strong feeling of his missing hometown. The scenery of the hometown is revealed between the lines of each of his stories. Bunin was tortured by such feeling. He showed his observation and feeling of life in his works, which made people realize that it's hard for one to seek happiness once he left his motherland. "Dark Avenues"is a book describing the theme of love, life and death. Bunin was especially concerned about them during his whole life of art creating. In this collection, he put special effort to describe life and death fastidiously, which made the eternal love of human being show different character. This is a book that really describes love, in which he tells many miserable stories ad well as sweet and beautiful stories. Bunin described the happy and great time of love; meanwhile, he also revealed the miserable ending caused by love. The essay also elaborates that artistic description can make the theme achieve the effect of prominence by contrast. In his works, the natural sound, smell and color mix with the scenery of the nature together which creates an overall atmosphere for the theme of the story.By studying Bunin's story collection "Dark Avenues", we truly feel this classic Russian writer's attainments in literature and language, and his deep understanding of life, love and happiness in his later years.