Turgenev's portrait of the self-proclaimed nihilist Bazarov provoked huge controversy: opponents of the utilitarian nihilists reviled Turgenev, denouncing Bazarov as a villain. Most nihilists dismissed the portrait as a laughable caricature, though a few actually praised him as a "new man" of the type who would rejuvenate Russia.
"Your sort, you gentry," Bazarov tells Arkady, when the two friends come to the parting of the ways, "can never get beyond refined submission or refined indignation, and that's a mere trifle. You won't fight.....but we mean to fight.....we want to smash other people!"Interestingly, one of the few people in Russia who seemed to accurately understand Turgenev's portrayal was Dostoevsky, who saw Bazarov as a tragic character, doomed to unhappiness by the contradiction between his sterile and brutal intellectual beliefs and his human needs and longings. Dostoevsky's praise and understanding helped forge a strong but brief friendship with Turgenev, which, however, was quickly dashed to pieces by their widely divergent views on religion and whether Russia's future lay in adopting western ideas (Turgenev) or seeking guidance from the true Russian character, which, in Dostoevsky's view, derived from a deep faith in Christ.
I really enjoyed the book, which is lyrically written, with great sensitivity to human love and loneliness. Though Bazarov is infuriating in his brutality, he is captivating in his passions and deep emotions.
Beautiful review and very thoughtful! Interesting Dostoevsky connection, was that in Frank?
ReplyDeleteYes. Frank says that immediately after Fathers and Children was published, Turgenev returned to Russia from the west and went to the offices of the commentary magazine that Dostoevsky and his brother were publishing - he discussed the book with everyone there and went to lunch with them all afterwards. It was quite friendly and warm - but Frank also documents the deterioration of this connection over the subsequent years. I'm reading Demons now and Frank says that the portrait of the writer in Demons is a devastating parody of Turgenev - very funny, but vicious, almost. Here's a quote from About.com: "In fact, one of the characters in Dostoevsky’s Demons (1871-1872) is a caricature of Turgenev—a respectable, dainty, and ultimately ridiculous author named Karmazinov". And there were details that would have tipped off all members of literary society that this character was Turgenev. Dostoevsky was pretty passionate/unrestrained about his beliefs!
ReplyDeleteBy he way, speaking of Dostoevsky as satirist, etc., the beginning of Demons is riotously funny! Not what I had expected. (Of course, it doesn't remain that way!)
ReplyDelete