I realized I never made this post, even though I read the work last Christmas, so here goes: my thoughts on Turgenev's (1862) Fathers and Sons (Отцы и дети is actually Fathers and Children, although it's true that I don't recall any daughters in the novel).
This book is truly genius. I think of it often. The two generations under discussion are the Fathers (1840s) and Sons (1860s). The book describes (primarily male) family and friend relationships and the way that these interactions evolved during a time of major social change: the emancipation of the serfs occurred in 1861 and freed millions of people from serfdom, causing great upheaval in landed/aristocratic families and in society. The Fathers and Sons represent conflicting ideologies which are very interesting to consider, because their opposition foreshadows the 1917 revolution.
One of the two primary Sons in the book is Arkady Nikolaevich Kirsanov. He has recently graduated from St. Petersburg University where he became friends with a man named Bazarov. The Sons' values are boldly and at times offensively embodied by the larger-than-life Bazarov, a loud-mouthed, frog-dissecting, arrogant nihilist. These values include: egalitarianism, nihilism, and rejection of sentimentality and of bourgeois values.
The book begins with Arkady taking his friend Bazarov home to meet his father, the sensitive land-owner Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. Although Nikolai is one of the Fathers, he is liberal for his generation, and as an educated and thoughtful man is trying to make sense of and in some ways assimilate the liberal values of the youth while holding onto his appreciation of literature, the arts and the beauty of nature.
The conflicts in this book are fascinatingly timeless and really bear thought. Although I was not bowled over when I first read the book a year ago, it has been on my mind very frequently since and I have come to appreciate it very much.
I have been reading Dostoevski: A Writer in his Time by Joseph Frank (which is quite fascinating and absorbing). Frank lays out the changes in political and philosophical viewpoints during the 1840's to 1860's period you mention - and his discusses Turgenev's book in virtually identical terms to your summary. He says the book had a powerful influence on Russian thinking at the time, by embodying the issues so effectively. If I ever finish Frank's book, I'll read Fathers and Children (as Frank translates it). Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat! Well I am more and more interested in Frank's book and will pick it up as soon as I finish Vanity Fair, whenever that night be. :)
DeleteThanks for your lovely review! I just finished reading the book, which I really liked - my review at http://blogenburyisreading.blogspot.com/2013/09/fathers-and-children.html
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