Doctor Zhivago — Boris Pasternak | Reader’s Companion | Coleman’s Notes CN-066
A comprehensive Reader’s Companion to Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago, with an Extended Plot Summary, detailed guide to all 17 Parts, character studies, major themes, eight Close Readings, Russian historical context, the poems of Yuri Zhivago, David Lean’s 1965 film adaptation, 50 discussion questions and much more.
Full description:
One man. Two extraordinary women. A country transformed by revolution.
Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago follows physician and poet Yuri Zhivago through one of the most turbulent periods in Russian history.
War, revolution and civil conflict repeatedly destroy the certainties of ordinary life. Families are scattered. Homes disappear. Political systems change. Journeys become dangerous and the future becomes impossible to predict.
Against this vast historical background lies an intensely human story.
Yuri loves his wife Tonya, with whom he shares childhood, family and parenthood. But his recurring encounters with Lara Antipova develop into another profound relationship — one that brings love and happiness but also guilt, separation and loss.
Around them are Pasha Antipov, who becomes the revolutionary Strelnikov; the powerful and morally compromised Komarovsky; and Yuri’s enigmatic half-brother Yevgraf.
The Coleman’s Notes® Reader’s Companion helps you follow these interconnected lives while exploring the much larger questions behind them.
How can an individual preserve a private life when history demands everything?
Can art remain free when ideology seeks to control thought?
What survives when families, relationships and entire social worlds disappear?
And why does Pasternak ultimately allow poetry rather than politics to have the final word?
This comprehensive companion includes an Extended Plot Summary and detailed analysis of all 17 Parts, substantial character studies, Major Themes, Eight Extended Close Readings, symbols and motifs, historical and literary context, Pasternak and Soviet censorship, Translation & Edition guidance, Critical Debates, Comparative Study Ideas, 50 Reading and Discussion Questions, Ten Key Episodes, Twenty Key Concepts and Quick Revision & Recall.
Novel and Film
For the millions of people who first discovered the story through David Lean’s 1965 film, the guide also contains a dedicated From Novel to Film section.
It examines how the film foregrounds Yuri and Lara’s romance and the visual scale of revolutionary Russia, while Pasternak’s novel gives greater space to Yuri’s poetic consciousness, philosophical reflection, Tonya, secondary characters and the poems that complete the novel.
An ideal companion whether you are reading Doctor Zhivago for the first time, returning to Pasternak’s novel, or coming to the book after falling in love with the film.
Digital Reader’s Companion — £7.95
Russian Literature Collection 2
A Hero of Our Time • Dead Souls • Eugene Onegin • The Bronze Horseman • The Master and Margarita • Doctor Zhivago
Individual price: £7.95 each
Six separately: £47.70
Collection price: £42.95
Save £4.75
READ • REFLECT • EXPLORE • UNDERSTAND
With CN-066 complete, Russian Literature Collection 2 is now ready to be assembled as the £42.95 collection on both Shopify and Payhip.
