“Bulgakov’s ‘Moonlight Sonata,’” by John Patrick Collins, is a formidably conceived work that is as operatic in scope as the topic under investigation. He begins with an acknowledgement of the multitudinous voices of literary critics; when he identifies a gap in the scholarly conversation, Collins enters the fray with his ambitious essay. Following three lines of argument, Collins investigates Bulgakov’s use of music as an allusion to the political and social context of Moscow; he then suggests how the author links these external conditions to the internal conflict within the character of Ivan Bezdomny, before detailing the connection between specific pieces of music and Bezdomny’s madness. Collins’s knowledge of musical genres pairs with his deep analysis of Bulgakov’s novel. Although the argument in the essay is perhaps too complex to be fully considered within the length allowed, it is nonetheless a forceful reminder of how the intellectual contributions of students may extend existing debates.