Oblomov

"Oblomov" by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov is a 1800's novel that tells the tale of Ilya Ilyitch Oblomov, a man stuck in a rut of inactivity and unhappiness as he wrestles with what society expects from him. Plagued by laziness and a general dislike for the outside world, Ilya spends his days in bed, avoiding his duties and responsibilities, even when faced with bad reports about his estate from his manager. Though he has friends and servants around him, Ilya feels more and more separate from the world because he doesn’t want to deal with its expectations. This is the story of one man's gentle struggle against a world that demands more than he's willing to give.