Romantic Elements in Turgenev's (Opposite of Last) (Opposite of Hate) [Because we all know I can't just write a straight title.]

As you can probably guess from the title, "First Love," Turgenev's book is filled with Romantic elements.  Of course, romanticism is not all about love, though the word may make it seem that way.  Romanticism is much, much more.  Romanticism is very well described by the picture below.  This painting shows how sexy and proud Romantic elements are.  In First Love, Turgenev exaggerates many things to exemplify the simple absurdities of life.  Especially that of a boy's first love, though that is not the only first love in the book.  Turgenev's uses these loves to display human emotion in a very powerful way.  This is a very strong example of what Romanticism stands for.

Picture not really related, but still the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Poor Poor Little Vladimir

In Turgenev's First Love, Vladimir faces something that every young boy goes through: a first "love."  Vladimir has a childish infatuation with Zinaida Alexandrovna Zasyekina.  At least once in every young boy's life, he finds someone, often an older more experienced woman, that he becomes completely in love with.  In my opinion it is this kind of love that is the purest least adulterated kind of love.  I this love there is no inhibitions, no corruption of what love truly is. Now I'm not saying that what Vladimir, or any young man in this case, is experiencing is actually love, just that his absolute devotion was not corrupted by lust.  Before hormones can get in the way, emotion rules the soul.  And emotion rules Vladimir's infatuation with Zinaida.