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Alt Text Acknowledgement

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Final Abstract

This project examines the intersection of medicine and literature through the works of Russian physicians who became influential authors. Focusing on Anton Chekhov’s Sakhalin Island, Vikenty Veresaev’s Memoirs of a Physician, and Mikhail Bulgakov’s A Young Doctor’s Notebook, this research highlights how their medical experiences shaped both their personal narratives and broader societal criticism. By analyzing the variation of both implicit, individual-centered stories and systemic, sociopolitical commentaries, the project reveals how these authors brought a unique clinical perspective to Russian literature. Their attention to detail, moral and ethical concerns, and use of medical language enriched their writings, imbuing their prose with practiced precision and distinctive portrayals of the human condition. This combination allowed them to balance observation with empathy, while also using their medical knowledge to develop their rhetoric. Ultimately, this work explores the significant role that medical insight plays in shaping stylistic language and conceptual depth in Russian literature, which is unique to the background of the authors.

Highlighting the intersection between medicine and literature contributes to discussions on the STEM-humanities divide, illustrating how scientific backgrounds can enhance literary expression. It also offers insight into how their works influenced both Russian literature and broader discussions of the human condition, making it relevant to audiences in medical humanities, literary studies, and cultural history.

In 150 words or fewer, describe how you will answer the research or creative question(s).

My process illustrates how medical realism in Russian literature not only humanizes but also critiques institutional failures in healthcare, a theme still relevant today, by highlighting universal themes: society’s responsibility to care for the vulnerable, the intellectualization (cognitively making an emotional stressor into a logical one) of mortality, and the psychological burden of medical work.

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