In this course, Ms. VanDamme analyzes three timeless Russian short stories, by authors such as Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Pushkin. Each of the stories is philosophically corrupt but, nevertheless, definitively worthwhile. As in her course "Gems of Short Fiction," the goal of this course is to demonstrate the lasting positive value to an Objectivist of well-crafted literature that has ideas and values at odds with those of an Objectivist.

Ms. VanDamme uses the method of analysis presented in The Romantic Manifesto and in Leonard Peikoff's "Eight Great Plays" to discuss the plot, plot-theme, characterization, theme and underlying philosophy of each work. All the while, she emphasizes the over-arching theme of all her discussions of literature—the intense personal value to be gained from reading.