'Fathers and Sons' by Ivan Turgenev is a classic epic of concise proportions. Its dialogue is so eloquently put and its characters are so fearlessly rendered that it stands alone from any other book I've read. The prose is clean and unique, nature is wonderfully described, and so are the subtleties in human emotion. The point of view is third person omniscient and there is great distance between the author and the characters. It concerns youthful intellectual revolution. Bazarov is obviously iconic. Its final plot strokes are devastating. "Bazarov rose. The lamp was burning dimly in the middle of the dusky, fragrant and secluded room; the irritating freshness of the nocturnal air came pouring through the blind as it stirred occasionally, and its mysterious whispering seeped through. Anna sat perfectly still, but a secret agitation was gradually invading her.... It communicated itself to Bazarov."