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Background Information; Historical Setting and Author Bio
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Topic Started: Feb 27 2011, 07:10 PM (209 Views)
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Psychopav
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Feb 27 2011, 07:10 PM
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This thread is a reference thread for background information to contextualize the novel. I'll be using Wikkipedia for much of the background information of the novel but please feel free to add other pertinent background context as events in the novel unfold.
I'll index the information I add as I do so, to make it easy to jump to. If you click, you'll bring up that individual post, so you'll have to go back to get back to this thread.
I have listed some topics here that I intend to round out. I know we've got plenty of people interested in history so please feel free to add your own thoughts as well.
Brief Biography of Dostoevsky Russian Serfdom Russian Orthodoxy Russian Revolution(s) Existentialism
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Psychopav
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Feb 27 2011, 07:59 PM
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A Brief Biography of Our Author: Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky's Wikkipedia Page
Here are some key excerpts that are interesting or good to know for the beginning Dostoevsky reader:
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Dostoyevsky's literary works explored human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. Considered by many as a founder or precursor of 20th-century existentialism, Dostoyevsky wrote, with the embittered voice of the anonymous "underground man", Notes from Underground (1864), which was called the "best overture for existentialism ever written" by Walter Kaufmann.[8] Dostoyevsky is often acknowledged by critics as one of the greatest and most prominent psychologists in world literature.[9]
Early Life
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Dostoyevsky was born in Moscow, the second of seven children born to Mikhail and Maria Dostoyevsky.[12] Dostoyevsky's father Mikhail was a retired military surgeon and a violent alcoholic, who had practised at the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor in Moscow. The family lived in a small apartment in the hospital grounds, and it wasn't until he was 16 years old, that Dostoyevsky moved to St Petersburg to attend a Military Engineering Institute. The hospital was located in one of the city's worst areas; local landmarks included a cemetery for criminals, a lunatic asylum, and an orphanage for abandoned infants. This urban landscape made a lasting impression on the young Dostoyevsky, whose interest in and compassion for the poor, oppressed and tormented was apparent in his life and works. Although it was forbidden by his parents, Dostoyevsky liked to wander out to the hospital garden, where the patients sat to catch a glimpse of the sun. The young Dostoyevsky loved to spend time with these patients and listen to their stories.
There are many stories of Dostoyevsky's father's despotic treatment of his children. After returning home from work, he would take a nap while his children, ordered to keep absolutely silent, stood by their slumbering father in shifts and swatted the flies that came near his head.
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Dostoyevsky suffered from epilepsy and his first seizure occurred when he was nine years old.[14] Epileptic seizures recurred sporadically throughout his life
Exile in Siberia
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Dostoyevsky was incarcerated on 23 April 1849 for being part of the liberal intellectual group the Petrashevsky Circle. Tsar Nicholas I, after seeing the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe, was harsh on any type of underground organization which he felt could put autocracy in jeopardy. On November 16 of that year, Dostoyevsky, along with other members of the Petrashevsky Circle, was sentenced to death. After a mock execution, in which he and other members of the group stood outside in freezing weather waiting to be shot by a firing squad, Dostoyevsky's sentence was commuted to four years of exile with hard labour at a katorga prison camp in Omsk, Siberia. Later, Dostoyevsky described his years of suffering to his brother, as being, "shut up in a coffin." In describing the dilapidated barracks which "should have been torn down years ago", he wrote: In summer, intolerable closeness; in winter, unendurable cold. All the floors were rotten. Filth on the floors an inch thick; one could slip and fall... We were packed like herrings in a barrel... There was no room to turn around. From dusk to dawn it was impossible not to behave like pigs... Fleas, lice, and black beetles by the bushel...
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Dostoyevsky's experiences in prison and the army resulted in major changes in his political and religious convictions. First, his ordeal somehow caused him to become disillusioned with "Western" ideas; he repudiated the contemporary Western European philosophical movements, and instead paid greater tribute in his writings to traditional, rustic Russian values exemplified in the Slavophile concept of sobornost. But even more significantly, he had what his biographer Joseph Frank describes as a conversion experience in prison, which greatly strengthened his Christian, and specifically Orthodox, faith.
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Dostoyevsky's post-prison fiction abandoned the West-European-style domestic melodramas and quaint character studies of his youthful work in favor of dark, more complex storylines and situations, played-out by brooding, tortured characters—often styled partly on Dostoyevsky himself—who agonized over existential themes of spiritual torment, religious awakening, and the psychological confusion caused by the conflict between traditional Russian culture and the influx of modern, Western philosophy. Nonetheless, this does not take from the debt which Dostoyevsky owed to earlier Western-influenced writers such as Gogol whose work grew from the irrational and anti-authoritarian spiritualist ideas contained within the Romantic movement which had immediately preceded Dostoyevsky in West Europe. However, Dostoyevsky's major novels focused on the idea that utopia and positivist ideas were unrealistic and unobtainable.
Later Career
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Dostoyevsky was devastated by his wife's death in 1864, which was followed shortly thereafter by his brother's death. He was financially crippled by business debts; furthermore, he decided to assume the responsibility of his deceased brother's outstanding debts, as well providing for his wife's son from her earlier marriage and his brother's widow and children. Dostoyevsky sank into a deep depression, frequenting gambling parlors and accumulating massive losses at the tables.
Dostoyevsky suffered from an acute gambling compulsion and its consequences. By one account[who?] he completed Crime and Punishment, possibly his best known novel, in a mad hurry because he was in urgent need of an advance from his publisher. He had been left practically penniless after a gambling spree. Dostoyevsky wrote The Gambler simultaneously in order to satisfy an agreement with his publisher Stellovsky who, if he did not receive a new work, would have claimed the copyrights to all of Dostoyevsky's writings.
Death
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Dostoyevsky died in St. Petersburg on 9 February [O.S. 28 January] 1881 of a lung hemorrhage associated with emphysema and an epileptic seizure. A copy of the New Testament Bible given to him in Siberia sat on his lap. He was interred in Tikhvin Cemetery at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in Saint Petersburg. Forty thousand mourners attended his funeral.[27]
His tombstone reads; Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (Excerpt from John 12:24, which is also the epigraph of his final novel, The Brothers Karamazov.)
...and Tolstoy
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Dostoyevsky and the other giant of late 19th century Russian literature, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, never met in person, even though each praised, criticized, and influenced the other (Dostoyevsky remarked of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina that it was a "flawless work of art"; Henri Troyat reports that Tolstoy once remarked of Crime and Punishment that, "Once you read the first few chapters you know pretty much how the novel will end up").[citation needed] There was a meeting arranged, but there was a confusion about where the meeting place was to take place and they never rescheduled. Tolstoy reportedly[who?] burst into tears when he learned of Dostoyevsky's death. A copy of The Brothers Karamazov was found on the nightstand next to Tolstoy's deathbed at the Astapovo railway station.
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Psychopav
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Mar 2 2011, 04:05 PM
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Surfdom in Russia
Demons was published just 12 years after the formal liberation of the serfs across Russia. The system had been in place for centuries and the abolition of serfdom was a reaction to a groundswell of peasant popular opinion. Wikkipedia indicates that the Tsar abolished serfdom to basically avoid civil unrest.
The 18th century was marked by several uprisings against the practice. Some states liberated the serfs early in the 19th century, but the serfs were not given land grants so even liberated serfs were for the most part at the mercy of the landowning nobility.
Suicides among the peasant population became more common in the 19th century, and Wikkipedia cites 3 reasons: mental illness, political ideology (seems some viewed suicide as the only way to make a statement protesting the current structure), and to escape the cruel conditions imposed by opportunistic landowners.
Also, unlike the slave population in the US, serfs composed a pretty significant subset of the entire population:
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By the mid-19th century, the peasants composed a majority of the population, and according to the census of 1857 the number of private serfs was 23.1 million out of 62.5 million Russians,37.7% of the population.
The exact numbers, according to official data, were: entire population 60,909,309; peasantry of all classes 49,486,665; state peasants 23,138,191; peasants on the lands of proprietors 23,022,390; peasants of the appanages and other departments 3,326,084.[11] State peasants were considered personally free, but their freedom of movement was restricted.[12]
On the abolition of serfdom:
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In 1816, 1817 and 1819 serfdom was abolished in Estland, Courland and Livonia respectively. However all the land stayed in noble hands and labor rent lasted till 1868. It was replaced with landless laborers and sharecropping (halbkörner).
In 1861 all serfs were freed in a major agrarian reform, stimulated by the fear voiced by Tsar Alexander II that "it is better to liberate the peasants from above" than to wait until they won their freedom by risings "from below." Serfdom was abolished in 1861, but its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to increase revolutionary pressures.[citation needed] Between 1864 to 1871 serfdom was abolished in Georgia. In Kalmykia serfdom was only abolished in 1892.[15]
The nobles kept nearly all the meadows and forests, had their debts paid by the state while the ex serfs paid 34% over the market price for the shrunken plots they kept. This figure was 90% in the northern regions, 20% in the black earth region but zero in the Polish provinces. In 1857, 6.79% of serfs were domestic, landless servants who stayed landless after 1861.[citation needed] Only Polish and Romanian domestic serfs got land. 90% of the serfs who got larger plots were in the 8 ex Polish provinces where the Tsar wanted to weaken the Szlachta. In the whole Empire, peasant land declined 4.1%,13.3% outside the ex Polish zone and 23.3% in the 16 black earth provinces.[citation needed] These redemption payments were not abolished till January 1, 1907.
It's apparent that, although the serfs had been liberated by the time our novel opens, the wound was still open and bleeding, and the living conditions of the peasant population must have been tenuous at best (as they appear to have been subsisting at the mercy of the nobility).
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Psychopav
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Mar 4 2011, 09:51 AM
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Just a little bit here on Russian Orthodoxy.
Most people reading this book are probably familiar with orthodoxy as a religious tradition tracing its roots back to the apostles.
The primary reason to mention orthodoxy here is that at the time of the writing of this book (that is, before the revolution of 1917), the Russian Orthodox church was still effectively the state church. Like serfdom, the relationship between church and state was still established in Russia as it had been for centuries (long before the Reformation which was, arguably, the primary influence of that unraveling in Europe). The Russian Orthodox Church still enjoyed a position of spiritual and political power similar to that of the pre-Reformation Roman Catholic Church did in Europe.
The main difference between the two is that the Russian Patriarch, unlike the Roman Pope, does not hold a position of ultimate authority. Ironically, for this reason the Russian Orthodox Church could be argued to have a closer natural relationship to, if not personal liberty, at least a republican form of governance than the Roman Church.
Also, spiritual direction was (and is) still prominent in the tradition, and adherents sometimes go on pilgrimage to seek out wisdom from local elders. One of the reasons cited for the Bolshevik uprising is the relationship between Tsar Alexander II (and his family) and the mystic Rasputin, who was unconventional to say the least (and probably not considered an orthodox elder in the traditional sense of the word).
Some numbers, again from Wikkipedia's section on the Russian Orthodox Church:
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In 1914 in Russia, there were 55,173 Russian Orthodox churches and 29,593 chapels, 112,629 priests and deacons, 550 monasteries and 475 convents with a total of 95,259 monks and nuns. Tsar Alexis praying before the relics of Metropolitan Philip
The year 1917 was a major turning point for the history of Russia, and also the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian empire was dissolved and the Tsarist government - which had granted the Church numerous privileges - was overthrown. After a few months of political turmoil, the Bolsheviks took power in October 1917 and declared a separation of church and state. Thus the Russian Orthodox Church found itself without official state backing for the first time in its history. One of the first decrees of the new Communist government (issued in January 1918) declared freedom from "religious and anti-religious propaganda". This led to a marked decline in the power and influence of the Church. The Church was also caught in the crossfire of the Russian Civil War that began later the same year, and many leaders of the Church supported what would ultimately turn out to be the losing side (the White movement).
The Russian Orthodox Church supported the White Army in the Russian Civil War (see White movement) after the October Revolution. This may have further strengthened the Bolshevik animus against the church.
Even before the end of the civil war and the establishment of the Soviet Union, the Russian Orthodox Church came under pressure from the secular Communist government. The Soviet government stood on a platform of antireligion, viewing the church as a "counter-revolutionary" organization and an independent voice with a great influence in society. While the Soviet Union officially claimed religious tolerance, in practice the government discouraged organized religion and did much to remove religious influence from Soviet society.
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In November 1917, following the collapse of the tsarist government, a council of the Russian Orthodox church reestablished the patriarchate and elected the metropolitan Tikhon as patriarch. But the new Soviet government soon declared the separation of church and state and nationalized all church-held lands. These administrative measures were followed by brutal state-sanctioned persecutions that included the wholesale destruction of churches and the arrest and execution of many clerics. The Russian Orthodox church was further weakened in 1922, when the Renovated Church, a reform movement supported by the Soviet government, seceded from Patriarch Tikhon's church (also see the Josephites and the Russian True Orthodox Church), restored a Holy Synod to power, and brought division among clergy and faithful.
In the first five years after the Bolshevik revolution, 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were executed.
Dostoevsky, as mentioned above, was a devout believer in the orthodox tradition. He uses Orthodox saints (mystics) in at least two of his novels which I have read, including probably the most famous in literature: the elder Zosima in Brothers Karamozov.
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Psychopav
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Mar 12 2011, 03:32 PM
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The Russian Revolutions
Wikkipedia, of course, has an extensive introduction to the Russian revolutions in its article here. The primary causes of the revolution were the discontent due to extreme and long term oppression of the working class/peasantry of the country (25% of the land was owned by 1.5% of the population), the unwillingness to enact democratic reforms on the part of the nobility, and an intelligentsia deeply influenced by a second and third generation of European enlightenment ideologies:
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Despite constant oppression, the desire of the people for democratic participation in government was strong. Since the Age of Enlightenment, Russian intellectuals had promoted Enlightenment ideals such as the dignity of the individual and of the rectitude of democratic representation. These ideals were championed most vociferously by Russia’s liberals, although populists, Marxists, and anarchists also claimed to support democratic reforms. A growing opposition movement had begun to challenge the Romanov monarchy openly well before the turmoil of World War I.
The political and philosophical underpinnings of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 were being formulated at the time our novel takes place. The influence of post revolutionary Europe had gone beyond novelty and was beginning to take hold with the second generation of the aristocracy. The serfs had been liberated 10 years earlier, but Lenin was just 1 year old at the time of its writing It would be another 34 years before the "first" revolution of 1905 and another 44 years before the Socialists ascended to the control they would ultimately enjoy for the following three quarters of a century.
Follows is a table showing a timeline of important events leading up to the Bolshevik revolution. Of particular interest is the note on the period from 1874 - 1881, a mere 3 years after the publication of this novel (which was in fact inspired by an event that was widely reported at the time and directly tied into the political and philosophical cultural revolution going on at the time).
Chronology of Events Leading Up to 1917 Revolution
Date(s) Event(s) 1855 Start of reign of Tsar Alexander II. 1861 Emancipation of the serfs. 1874–81 Growing anti-government terrorist movement and government reaction. 1881 Alexander II assassinated by revolutionaries; succeeded by Alexander III. 1883 First Russian Marxist group formed. 1894 Start of reign of Nicholas II. 1898 First Congress of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). 1900 Foundation of Socialist Revolutionary Party (SR). 1903 Second Congress of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Beginning of split between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. 1904–5 Russo-Japanese War; Russia loses war. 1905 Russian Revolution of 1905. January: Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg. June: Battleship Potemkin uprising at Odessa on the Black Sea (see movie The Battleship Potemkin). October: general strike, Saint Petersburg Soviet formed; October Manifesto: Imperial agreement on elections to the State Duma. 1906 First State Duma. Prime Minister: Petr Stolypin. Agrarian reforms begin. 1907 Second State Duma, February–June. 1907 Third State Duma, until 1912. 1911 Stolypin assassinated. 1912 Fourth State Duma, until 1917. Bolshevik/Menshevik split final. 1914 Germany declares war on Russia. 1915 Serious defeats, Nicholas II declares himself Commander in Chief. 1916 Food and fuel shortages and high prices. Progressive Bloc formed. 1917 Strikes, mutinies, street demonstrations lead to the fall of autocracy.
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Psychopav
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Mar 15 2011, 02:52 PM
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Existentialism
From Wikkipedia:
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Existentialism is a term applied to the work of a number of philosophers since the 19th century who, despite large differences in their positions,[1][2] generally focused on the condition of human existence, and an individual's emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts, or the meaning or purpose of life.[3][4] Existential philosophers often focused more on what they believe is subjective, such as beliefs and religion, or human states, feelings, and emotions, such as freedom, pain, guilt, and regret, as opposed to analyzing objective knowledge, language, or science.
The early 19th century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is regarded as the father of existentialism.[5][6] He maintained that the individual is solely responsible for giving his or her own life meaning and for living that life passionately and sincerely,[7][8] in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.[9]
Subsequent existentialist philosophers retain the emphasis on the individual, but differ, in varying degrees, on how one achieves and what constitutes a fulfilling life, what obstacles must be overcome, and what external and internal factors are involved, including the potential consequences of the existence[10][11] or non-existence of God.[12][13] Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophy, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience.
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With the publication of Crime and Punishment in 1866, Dostoyevsky became one of Russia's most prominent authors. Will Durant, in The Pleasures of Philosophy (1953), called Dostoyevsky one of the founding fathers of the philosophical movement known as existentialism, and cited Notes from Underground in particular as a founding work of existentialism. For Dostoyevsky, war is the people's rebellion against the idea that reason guides everything, and thus, reason is not the ultimate guiding principle for either history or mankind. After his 1849 exile to the city of Omsk, Siberia, Dostoyevsky focused heavily on notions of suffering and despair in many of his works.
Nietzsche referred to Dostoyevsky as "the only psychologist from whom I have something to learn: he belongs to the happiest windfalls of my life, happier even than the discovery of Stendhal." He said that Notes from Underground "cried truth from the blood." According to Mihajlo Mihajlov's "The Great Catalyzer: Nietzsche and Russian Neo-Idealism", Nietzsche constantly refers to Dostoyevsky in his notes and drafts throughout the winter of 1886–1887. Nietzsche also wrote abstracts of several Dostoyevsky works.
Freud wrote an article titled Dostoevsky and Parricide, asserting that the greatest works in world literature are all about parricide; though he is critical of Dostoyevsky's work overall, his inclusion of The Brothers Karamazov among the three greatest works of literature is remarkable.
In fact, Camus wrote a theatrical adaptation of the book we are reading.
Ironically, many of the above referenced existentialists (with the notable exception of "father of existentialism" Soren Kirkegard) are athiests whereas Dostoevsky, as noted above, was orthodox in his religious observance and thought.
As a result of this existentialist perspective, the background and motivations for his characters become as important as the drama itself in unraveling Dostoevsky's meaning. An offshoot of this is that he asks of us a great deal of patience. The books read almost as character studies until the action sets in, and although the reader is richly rewarded in the depth and passion of themes, it takes time to build up an attachment to the characters - to see through their eyes and understand the full complexity with which Dostoevsky builds his actors.
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