Mumu

story by Turgenev

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July 1, 2026

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"Mumu" is a short story by Ivan Turgenev that powerfully exposes the cruelties of serfdom in Russia. Written while Turgenev was under house arrest, the story is a poignant critique of the autocratic power wielded by landowners over their serfs.1

The narrative centers on Gerasim, a deaf-mute serf, and his deep affection for a small dog named Mumu. When his cruel mistress orders the dog to be drowned, Gerasim is forced to carry out the command himself, highlighting the dehumanizing nature of the serf system. The story contributed to the social climate that led to the abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861.21

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Ivan Turgenev
First novels of Ivan Turgenev
Although Turgenev wrote “Mumu,” a remarkable exposure of the cruelties of serfdom, while detained in St. Petersburg, his work was evolving toward such extended character studies as Yakov Pasynkov (1855) and the subtle if pessimistic examinations of the contrariness of love found in “Faust” and “A Correspondence” (1856).…
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Although Turgenev wrote “Mumu,” a remarkable exposure of the cruelties of serfdom, while detained in St. Petersburg, his work was evolving toward such extended character studies as Yakov Pasynkov (1855) and the subtle if pessimistic examinations of the contrariness of love found in “Faust” and “A Correspondence” (1856).…
Read More