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> My own understanding is that American literature has at least three themes that are very distinctive and different from Europe... Another is ... relentless st

> My own understanding is that American literature has at least three themes that are very distinctive and different from Europe... Another is ... relentless struggle I feel like Russian literature touches on this.

yanhangyhy 10mo ago
I think there is, but not as stark as in the U.S.—the worldly success versus the spiritual “lack” is less contrasted.
- normie3000 10mo ago
  Sorry - I was messing around by selectively misquoting you. Giving more of your original context: > where people achieve success through relentless struggle In my limited experience of Russian literature, the struggle doesn't lead to success!
  - yanhangyhy 10mo ago
    > In my limited experience of Russian literature, the struggle doesn't lead to success! There is a meme comparing different countries’ literature: France: “I would die for love.” England: “I would die for honor.” America: “I would die for freedom.” Russia: “I will die.” The harsh climate and scarce resources in Russia prevent it from producing something like the American Dream. People there seem to be more pessimistic.
    - nosianu 10mo ago
      > scarce resources What now??? Russia is one of the most resource-rich countries on the planet! They are just very inefficient in doing anything with it. The country and all its people should all be among the wealthiest on the planet.
      - thaumasiotes 10mo ago
        > The country and all its people should all be among the wealthiest on the planet. ...because natural resources make a country wealthy? It hasn't worked anywhere else.
        krior 10mo ago
        It can. Look at Norway.
      - deleted 10mo ago
        [deleted]
      - yanhangyhy 10mo ago
        The impression of Russia as a resource-rich nation didn’t really take shape until after World War II. The widespread use of oil and natural gas only spans about a century, which hasn’t been enough time to fundamentally alter the literary essence of Russia. And USSR is really not good at produce normal goods…
      - nephihaha 10mo ago
        Maybe, but Russia's main problem is its climate. The coldest permanent settlement in the world is in Russia.
lostlogin 10mo ago
> I feel like Russian literature touches on this. I think that’s an understatement.

yanhangyhy 10mo ago

I think there is, but not as stark as in the U.S.—the worldly success versus the spiritual “lack” is less contrasted.

normie3000 10mo ago
Sorry - I was messing around by selectively misquoting you. Giving more of your original context: > where people achieve success through relentless struggle In my limited experience of Russian literature, the struggle doesn't lead to success!
- yanhangyhy 10mo ago
  > In my limited experience of Russian literature, the struggle doesn't lead to success! There is a meme comparing different countries’ literature: France: “I would die for love.” England: “I would die for honor.” America: “I would die for freedom.” Russia: “I will die.” The harsh climate and scarce resources in Russia prevent it from producing something like the American Dream. People there seem to be more pessimistic.
  - nosianu 10mo ago
    > scarce resources What now??? Russia is one of the most resource-rich countries on the planet! They are just very inefficient in doing anything with it. The country and all its people should all be among the wealthiest on the planet.
    - thaumasiotes 10mo ago
      > The country and all its people should all be among the wealthiest on the planet. ...because natural resources make a country wealthy? It hasn't worked anywhere else.
      - krior 10mo ago
        It can. Look at Norway.
    - deleted 10mo ago
      [deleted]
    - yanhangyhy 10mo ago
      The impression of Russia as a resource-rich nation didn’t really take shape until after World War II. The widespread use of oil and natural gas only spans about a century, which hasn’t been enough time to fundamentally alter the literary essence of Russia. And USSR is really not good at produce normal goods…
    - nephihaha 10mo ago
      Maybe, but Russia's main problem is its climate. The coldest permanent settlement in the world is in Russia.

lostlogin 10mo ago

> I feel like Russian literature touches on this. I think that’s an understatement.