The major authors of nineteenth-century Russia were uniquely insightful observers of human nature and uniquely perceptive anticipators of the moral and spiritual challenges that families and individuals would face in modern, industrialized societies. Despite living though times of significant change, they did not abandon the conviction that Christianity had something important to teach them and their society about how to live - how to live with a fuller purpose, how to live with greater integrity, how to live with more complete love for one another. Seven Sattler College juniors and sophomores gathered with me each week in the fall semester of 2020 to discuss the literature and historical contexts of these authors. Every other week they thoughtfully composed a short essay or video reflection on one of the works we had read, with an audience of fellow young Christians in mind. Their reviews are now posted at the links below. Each student's reflection is an invitation to explore the spiritual strivings and moral concerns of these authors, and ultimately to turn with greater interest to the Gospel of Christ - which was the inspiration for so many of their stories and the puzzle they grappled so hard to understand.

~ Hans Leaman