This monograph aims to offer an in-depth critical analysis of Lermontov's novel, in the light of the latest criticism on the work. A review of the critical reception of the novel from publication up to the present day is offered in the introduction, and there is a comprehensive bibliography of secondary sources. This is followed with analysis of the novels' five consistent stories, as well as its introductory apparatus, to produce new critical insights into the text. Particular stress is laid on the role of ethnicity in the novel, taking into account its role in the development of the Caucasus as a romantic topos in 19th-century literature.

The book is part of a series of critical monographs aiming to provide an up-to-date guide, for students, teachers, and the interested general reader, to a range of Russian texts.