A Common Story

Historical Context and Significance

The novel «A Common Story» by Ivan Goncharov, published in 1847, is an important work of 19th-century Russian literature. The book tells the story of a young provincial, Alexander Aduyev, who arrives in St. Petersburg with romantic dreams and faces the harsh realities of city life. Goncharov masterfully depicts the process of the protagonist's maturation and disillusionment, making the novel a significant psychological and social study. «A Common Story» had a considerable impact on the development of Russian realism and marked an important stage in Goncharov's literary career, foreshadowing his later and more famous works, such as «Oblomov».