The Cambridge History of Russian Literature by Charles Moser

Published 1989 · 350,000 words · about 29 hours at an average pace · Essays & Criticism, History

How hard is The Cambridge History of Russian Literature to read?

The Cambridge History of Russian Literature scores 65 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 65 out of 100
Standard Slavic studies academic vocabulary with period-specific terminology.
Sentence structure: 60 out of 100
Abstraction: 68 out of 100
Analytical framework varies by contributor but maintains scholarly rigor.
Information density: 84 out of 100
Dense with literary-historical information across every period and genre.
Narrative indirection: 100 out of 100
Survey-style argument; direct and encyclopedic.
Symbolic density: 100 out of 100
Analytical throughout.
Ironic distance: 80 out of 100
Measured scholarly register.
Resolution withholding: 100 out of 100
Each chapter reaches clear historical and critical conclusions.
Structural complexity: 50 out of 100
Multi-contributor volume with chronological and generic organization across many periods.

How The Cambridge History of Russian Literature is regarded

The Cambridge History of Russian Literature holds a literary regard score of 82 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

About the author

Charles Moser