Eugene Onegin reading questions:
Chapter One:
How does the poet know Onegin?
Why has he chosen Eugene as his subject?
What do the poet and Onegin have in common?
What distinguishes them from each other?
Why does the poet digress about ladies’ feet?
Why has poet chosen Onegin as his subject?
Why does Eugene leave the capital?
What does Eugene think about his life (before meeting the poet)?
What does the poet think about Eugene's life?
Why does the chapter begin and end as it does?
Chapter two:
How does Eugene adapt to country life?
What is the basis of his friendship with Lensky?
How do Tatyana and Olga differ?
What does the poet think about passion and love?
Chapter three:
Why does the poet not describe the visit at the Larins'?
What did Eugene think of Olga?
Why does Tatyana fall in love?
Why does the poet like Tatyana
What is the point of the digression about Russian ladies and language (III:27-30)?
Why does the chapter end as it does?
Chapter Four:
What is Eugene's attitude toward women?
Why does Eugene reply to Tatyana as he does?
What does the poet think of Eugene's reply?
What does the poet think about friendship and love?
Why does the poet express cynicism at the end of ch. 4?
Why does he (the poet) mock Lensky?
Chapter 5
What is Tatyana’s reaction to Onegin’s rejection?
Why does the poet include the story of Tatyana’s dream?
Why is Eugene angry at Lensky?
what is the effect of the poet’s stanzas (40 and 42) in the events of stanzas 39-45?
Compare this chapter’s conclusion to those of other chapters. What has the poet done here, structurally speaking? Why?
Chapter 6
What is important about Zaretsky’s character?
Why does Eugene accept the challenge?
Why does the poet mock Lensky’s poetry?
What is Eugene’s attitude toward the duel?
What is Lensky’s attitude toward Olga?
In what ways does the poet manage and control our perception of the duel and its aftermath?
Compare stanzas 40-42 with 43-46: what is unusual about this sequence? Why has the poet constructed his story this way?
Chapter 7
What is the poet’s attitude toward spring?
What does the poet think of Lensky’s posterity?
Where is Eugene?
What is Tatyana’s reaction to the events of chapter 6?
What does she learn at Eugene’s house?
Why is her departure for Moscow a momentous for her?
How does Tatyana fit in in Moscow?
What does Tatyana remember? Why does the poet want us to care?
Why does the poet end the chapter with an introduction?
Chapter 8
Why does the concluding chapter begin with the poet’s autobiography?
How does the action transition from the introduction to the main action?
How have Eugene and Tatyana changed when they see each other?
How do they respond to one another?
What is ironic about Eugene’s behavior towards Tanya?
How should we judge Tatyana’s behavior, before and after Eugene’s letter?
What does the poet do to close the story? Why?