Dostoevsky’s View of the Russian Soul and its Impact on the Russian Question in The Brothers Karamazov

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2014-05-01Author
Schlaudraff, Paul
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Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of Russia’s most renowned novelists, profoundly
affected the way that Russia would think of itself in the years following his death. One of
the most important issues for Dostoevsky and other authors at the time was the
reconciliation of the peasant and noble classes in the aftermath of the serf emancipation
in Russia. Dostoevsky believed that the solution to this issue would come from the
Russian peasantry. My research investigates Dostoevsky’s view of the “Russian soul”,
which is the particular set of innate characteristics which distinguishes Russians from
other nationalities. Furthermore, it examines how Dostoevsky’s view of the Russian soul
affected his answer to the question of Russia’s ultimate destiny. During the 19th century,
socialism was an especially popular answer to that question. Dostoevsky, however,
presented an entirely different solution. Through a thorough examination of
Dostoevsky’s final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, my thesis demonstrates this
alternative solution and its significance in light of competing Russian theory during the
19th century.