It seems rather appropriate to be reading Oblomov in bed since the protagonist doesn’t stir from his own bed for the first 150 pages of the novel.

Ivan Goncharov’s Oblomov was first published in 1859 and was viewed as a critique of Russia’s fading aristocratic class.  In more recent times, Oblomov has been adopted by elements of the Slow Movement, with its philosophy of reducing the pace of modern life in favour of a more mindful approach to day-to-day living.

The titular character in the novel, Ilya Ilyich Oblomov is both a member of Russia’s landed minority and a serial procrastinator.  While his estates crumble around him, he endlessly deliberates ‘his plan’ whilst never putting any action into effect.

Despite his inertia, Oblomov is a surprisingly sympathetic character.  As a reader, you are willing him to rise above his apathy, show some initiative, and improve his circumstances.

Also, as a reader, though, I found myself increasingly becoming inflicted by Oblomov’s same condition.  By halfway through the book, I found a lethargy overcome me.  In a similar fashion to when I read Don Quixote, I felt that I had ‘got’ the idea; that no substantively new ideas or events were going to occur between the point of reading I had reached and the end of the book; in short, I put the novel down; gave up on it; snuggled deeper under the bedclothes; gave myself up to sleep.

I think Oblomov might have sympathised with me.

© Fergus Longfellow

Fergus Longfellow enjoys a relax.