Том II, It is generally interpreted as an allegory of the Communist revolution and "the revolution's misguided attempt to radically transform mankind." The central conceit of this satirical novel is the idea of transplanting body parts—primarily from other animals into human beings, but also vice versa—and along with them, related qualities. It has been filmed in both Russian … I'm finished. Oh, look at me, I'm dying. The Party, he says, is turning them into cheap fur coats for the working class. Heart of a Dog Summary. Heart of a Dog - Pages 49 – 73 Summary & Analysis Mikhail Bulgakov This Study Guide consists of approximately 32 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Heart of a Dog. The Heart of a Dog was written midway through the most successful period of Bulgakov’s literary life, a few years before he was banned from publication. Instead, Sharikov refuses and draws a revolver. Seething with hatred, Sharikov vows to have her fired. As Filip's laboratory is prepared, he locks Sharik in the bathroom. The second Russian Revolution is also known as the "Stalin Revolution" and refers changes undergone by the Soviet State mainly during the period of the late 1920's and early 1930's. Explaining that nothing is going to happen to him due to the State's distrust of Sharikov, the Party official departs. The story was published in the Soviet Union only in 1987, more than 60 years after its completion, but was made known to Russian readers via samizdat. Heart of a Dog (Russian: Собачье сердце, translit. Buy Study Guide. Heart of a Dog is one of the best examples of Bulgakov's criticisms of life in the Soviet Union. A cook finds a dog looking through trash for something to eat and scalds the animal with hot water. This book was forbidden publication in Bulgakov’s lifetime and remained unpublished until 1987, during perestroika. In 2010, the second production was directed by Copeland Woodruff.[14]. Moscow, 1924. It's after this point that the story shifts from being told from the perspective of Sharik to being told from the perspective of Bormenthal, via his notes on the case, and then finally to a third person perspective. The name is also a satire on new naming conventions in the early Soviet Union. Point of View. The society Bulgakov mocked was bitter-sweetly familiar to Russians. He promptly transplants the testes and pituitary gland of the deceased man into Sharik. Like the fictional professor, he "did not like the proletariat", and possibly for this he was banished to Arkhangelsk, where he continued his work, including transplants of ovaries, with a hearsay report of short-term rejuvenation effect. In the aftermath, the Professor and Bormenthal patiently attempt to teach Sharikov basic etiquette. Instead, Sharikov mocks manners as a relic of Tsarism. The name and patronymic "Poligraf Poligrafovich" echoes a tradition of nonsense double names in Russian literature that goes back to Nikolai Gogol's heroes Akakii Akakievich in "The Overcoat" and Pifagor Pifagorovich in "The Carriage". Many people likewise read the book because absolutely nothing. Breaking with his former beliefs, the Professor admits that any peasant woman could give birth to a genius and that eugenics are therefore a waste of time. The novel begins with the whining of a mongrel in a Moscow gateway. Heart of a Dog is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. In the aftermath, the fully canine Sharik blissfully resumes his status as a gentleman's dog. ), but it makes for a fabulous read. [18], This article is about the novella. Word Count: 484. The doctor does not make the purpose of the operation clear even to his assistant, Bormenthal. Enraged, the Professor and Bormenthal pounce upon him. Sharik (Dog) The dog Sharik is the main character of the novel, and he narrates a great deal of the story. You'll get access to all of the Log in here. The fanaticism of this convert is his downfall, however, as the doctor finally decides he can be safe only by turning Sharik back into a dog. The novel opens on a cold winter's day in Moscow in the year 1924. The following day, a senior Party official, patient and good friend of Professor Preobrazhensky, Pyotr Alexandrovich, arrives and informs the Professor that Sharikov has denounced him to the secret police or CHEKA. Its genius is that its satirical energy and its provocations are so … Since then, the novella has become a cultural phenomenon in Russia, known and discussed by people "from schoolchildren to politicians. A dog is perishing in a gateway from both the cold and burn marks that have been left on … Infuriated, Sharikov leaves the apartment and remains gone for several days. While foraging for trash one winter day, a stray dog is found by a cook and scalded with boiling water. It becomes clear to the doctor and his assistant that... Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Heart of a Dog study guide. After the October Revolution of 1917, Russian science fiction took on a new, wholly distinctive character. [11], A comic opera, The Murder of Comrade Sharik by William Bergsma (1973), is based on the plot of the story. However, in the ending of the book, he describes the Professor bringing home a human brain and removing the pituitary gland. Word Count: 288. If you are assigned a paper on a similar topic, then an example is what you need. He is a male dog, approximately two years old and of indeterminate breed— though he has a white patch on muzzle that makes him suspect that he has Newfoundland ancestry. The dog finds it ironic, as he sees 'Sharik' fit for a pampered fat dog (it means 'little ball'). Sharik/Sharikov – the main character of the story. In 2007, Guerilla Opera staged the premiere of Heart of a Dog, an opera by Rudolf Rojahn, directed by Sally Stunkel. Mikhail Bulgakov completed his satiric novel The Heart of a Dog in 1925, but Soviet government censorship kept it from being published until after his death. Bulgakov begins the first chapter in the perspective of a stray dog later called Sharik, a word used to describe a pampered, purebred dog. Heart of a Dog The Place of Bulgakov in Early Soviet Science Fiction. Filthy swine - and a proletarian, … Last Updated on May 7, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Meanwhile, Sharikov progressively turns the Professor's life into a living hell. The novella has been interpreted both as a satire on the Bolshevism and as a criticism of eugenics. This perhaps shows that Sharik retains some memories of his time as a human, or that Filip intends to carry out a similar experiment. Impressed by his new master, Sharik slips easily into the role of "a gentleman's dog". Set in the Revolution-era Soviet Union, the novel centers on one mad scientist, Philip Philipovich Preobrazhensky, and his physician colleague, Bormenthal, who conduct the experiments on Sharika. Soon after, Sharikov brings home a female co-worker, whom he introduces to the Professor as his common law wife. That night, an ominous silence reigns in the flat and the lights are left on for many hours after bedtime. As the book is only 123 pages (paperback), it can be consumed in one sitting, should you desire. At the house, Sharik gets to know Dr. Preobrazhensky's household, which includes Doctor Ivan Arnoldovich Bormenthal (the professor's student and protégé) and two female servants: Zinaida Prokofievna Bunina and Darya Petrovna Ivanova. Later, he is caught attempting to sexually assault one of the female servants. Although the scientists assume they can control their research subject—much like Victor Frankenstein—Sharik has a mind of his own and embraces the political ideas of his generation. "[2] Its publication was initially prohibited in the Soviet Union, but it circulated in samizdat until it was officially released in the country in 1987. In the sublime novella he imagines the result if, say, a progressive scientist and doctor was to implant the testes and pituitary gland of a man into a stray dog. His first scientific publication was about the transplantation of ovaries to males. Despite the Professor's vocal anti-communism, his frequent medical treatment of the RCP(b) leadership makes him untouchable. Begin reading the following … Followed by the now apoplectic Schwonder, the police depart. Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov is a satirical novel that pokes fun at the Russian people and their belief that communism would solve society's problems. Heart of a Dog is a novel written by Mikhail Bulgakov, the Russian author, in 1925 at the height of the New Economic Period in Soviet Russia. The results stun everyone involved. Kurzes Essay über das Produkt muss den letzten Teil von einem paar Worten über die heutigen Ball enthält. The Professor is horrified and orders Bormenthal not to "slander the dog". Over the days that follow, the Professor and Bormenthal look far more relaxed than at any time before Sharikov's arrival. Sharik is a former stray dog that through a laboratory experiment gone wrong, is turned into a human man. The woman has been told that Sharikov was maimed fighting Admiral Alexander Kolchak's White Army in Siberia. Lying forlorn in a doorway, the dog awaits his end awash in self-pity. In 1968, it was published in English by Harvill Press, translated by Michael Glenny. It was during this time … When a neighborhood petty criminal dies, the doctor has the opportunity to continue his experimentation. 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