The Tsar of Love and Techno Literary Elements

Short Fiction

Russia, from the 1930s to the 21st century

"The Leopard" is told from the perspective of Roman Markin who tells of his guilt at the death of his brother

Somber, morose, guilt-ridden, without much hope.

Roman is the protagonist, his brother the antagonist in "The Leopard"

There is conflict within Roman. He caused the death of his brother and finds the guilt more and more overwhelming which leads to conflict about how to deal with it.

Kolya, a prisoner of war, dies at the end of the story entitled "A Prisoner of Caucasus"

Kolya's death foreshadows the odyssey undertaken by Alexei, who learns about him ten years later.

Each of the stories depicts a character who is struggling because of the way in which the government controls their lives, but this element of governmental control is often understated and presented as a fact rather than discussed and dissected.

The writer alludes to the rise of Communism in the 1930s.

The imagery is very dark and gloomy. An example of this is in Roman's art. He paints to express himself as an artist, and his feelings about his brother's death begin to appear in all of his paintings.

The Russian government would depict Kolya as an enemy of the people, whereas in actual fact it is the government that is the enemy of the people; Kolya is merely opposed to the government.

There is a parallel between the guilt felt by Roman and the increased depiction of his brother in his paintings.

The Government is often used to describe successive Russian governments in each of the stories, rather than referring by name to each of the men who makes up the ruling party.

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