Classics Without All the Class discussion

Hey guys, you are the experts, so I thought I'd re-post this question which I just added on the War and Peace discussion board:

Can you recommend any articles explaining some of the cultural nuances of 19th century Russian literature?

I'm knee-deep in War and Peace, and the only other Russian literature I've touched is Crime and Punishment, which I completed without much trouble. While both of these books are certainly readable, I feel like I'm missing a lot of the cultural context. I know next to nothing about Russian writers, and only the basics of Russian history. In fact, I'm barely familiar with classic literature of any origin. Still, I would love to experience the book with my eyes opened.

Thanks in advance!

Looking forward to your suggestions. I'll be impatiently refreshing the page in anticipation!

Edit: I noticed this topic shows up as a duplicate now on the War and Peace discussion list. I'm not sure what standard practice is for cross-posts like this, so if I've committed a faux pas, please let me know!

Try all of Anton Chekhov's stories.

Anton Chekov, Boris Pasternak and Pushkin are great reads.