The original generational conflict novel. A nihilist son returns home and clashes with his liberal father in 1860s Russia. The word "nihilism" entered common use from this 1862 book. Turgenev meant Bazarov as a critique; young Russians adopted him as a hero. The author lost control of his own creation, which is its own kind of literary achievement.

The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.