DOCSLIB.ORG

The Revelatory Moment in Tolstoy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Revelatory Moment in Tolstoy Mourouzis 1 Jack Mourouzis Professor Juharyan Russian 36 19 May 2017 Personal Transformations: The Revelatory Moment in Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy focuses much of his work on the human experience, reflecting on his own life and journey from a spiritual perspective, and ultimately culminating his works in an exploration of the meaning of life. Throughout his writings, he depicts the development of the individual over time, documenting the different changes that occur throughout life; Tolstoy draws particular attention to moments of revelation and epiphany that people experience throughout their lives. These ‘revelatory moments’ mark periods of significant perspective change, wherein the subject realizes something new about life, and from that point on, is a different person; Tolstoy’s revelatory moments not only depict periods of change in the lives of his characters, but the evolution of these moments over time throughout his works also reveal the author’s own shift in perspective over the course of his long life. As these various revelatory moments are compared, a series of patterns emerge in which the moments parallel one another in structure. Each revelatory moment consists of five distinct aspects: preparation, the experience of epiphany, the newfound knowledge, the trigger, and the consequences. The preparation is a unique aspect in that Tolstoy prepares characters for their moments of epiphany; though seemingly counterintuitive at first glance, these preparations ultimately are what cause the change in the subject as they go through the process of realizing knowledge. The recognition of epiphany is when the subject realizes something new in their perspective, recognizing that a change is occurring or has occurred. The newfound knowledge is Mourouzis 2 the knowledge realized during the epiphany, often contrasted with the old knowledge. The trigger is the specific occurrence that results in the epiphany occurring. Finally, the consequences are the subsequent questions raised by the epiphany, coupled with the subject’s reaction to their newfound knowledge. These aspects do not necessarily occur in chronological order in each revelatory moment, but all play a role in each epiphany penned by Tolstoy. Among Tolstoy’s earliest works is the trilogy of Childhood, Boyhood, Youth, which documents the development of a young aristocratic boy, Nikolenka, from the boy’s own perspective. Childhood depicts Nikolenka’s early life, primarily spent interacting with his immediate family and tutors, and includes only one short section on the arrival and interaction with extended family, the Ivins. At the conclusion of the story, Nikolenka endures the loss of both his mother and a beloved serf, Natalya Savishna. Nikolenka’s first revelatory moment, however, does not occur in direct response to this profound loss; it occurs in the third chapter of Boyhood, entitled “A New View.” Nikolenka has been spending time with other, non-relative acquaintances and friends, and has developed a particularly close relationship (indeed, a crush) with Katenka, the daughter of a French woman. He and Katenka are discussing their families’ wealth, and how Nikolenka comes from a wealthy family, but Katenka is relatively poor, and bursts into tears as she resigns herself to the fact that she may enter a convent. Nikolenka is upset by this, and he “became so ashamed that we were rich and they were poor that I turned red and couldn’t bring myself to look at Katenka” (Boyhood 132). At the conclusion of his exchange with Katenka, Nikolenka experiences his first of two notable revelatory moments. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this moment is the stylistic change that Tolstoy employs; instead of following the first-person, objective thoughts of the narrator, the text “breaks the fourth wall,” and directly addresses the reader: Mourouzis 3 “Has it ever happened to you, reader, suddenly to realize at a certain time in your life that your view of things was undergoing a complete change, as if everything you had known before had suddenly turned a different, unknown side towards you? That kind of mental change took place in me for the first time during our trip, which I also consider the beginning of my boyhood.” (Boyhood 133) This passage, as a critical moment in one of Tolstoy’s earliest writings, acts not only as an important moment within the trilogy, but also within Tolstoy’s writings in general. The author establishes precedent; moments in which “your view of things was undergoing a complete change” and “everything… had suddenly turned a different, unknown side towards you” play major roles in Tolstoy’s future writings, in many ways acting as focal points for the works, if not simply profoundly important moments within the work. After this characterization of the epiphany as a revelatory moment, Nikolenka describes his specific change in mentality, claiming that “I clearly realized for the first time that we – that is, our family – weren’t the only ones in the word, that not all interests revolved around us, that another life existed of people who had nothing in common with us, who didn’t care about us and who had no idea we even existed” (Boyhood 133). This is the characterization of the exact nature of the epiphany, wherein the subject, Nikolenka, realizes something new and life-changing. Interestingly, Nikolenka also describes how he “had known all that previously, but I didn’t know it the way I came to know it then: I wasn’t conscious of it and I didn’t feel it” (Boyhood 133). This statement acts as a unique description of the nature of the epiphany; in this case, Nikolenka possesses the knowledge beforehand, and thus, the epiphany is him becoming cognizant and aware of that knowledge. Tolstoy characterizes Nikolenka’s revelatory moment further by describing the exact Mourouzis 4 trigger of the epiphany, stating that “A thought becomes a conviction only by following a certain path… My conversation with Katenka, which touched me deeply and forced me to think about her future position, was such a path for me” (Boyhood 133). The deep, personal connection that Nikolenka and Katenka develop – a ‘crush,’ as it were – is a new kind of relationship for Nikolenka, and thus influences in a new and unique kind of way, resulting in his epiphany. Finally, Nikolenka indulges the reader with a series of questions he raises after his newfound knowledge strikes, as he inquires “…What was it that occupied [other families] if they didn’t care anything about us? And from that question arose others: how and by what did they live, how did they raise their children, did they teach them, did they let them play, how did they punish them? and so on” (Boyhood 133). These questions serve as a reorientation for Nikolenka, which arises as a result of the epiphany; he becomes aware of his social, societal surroundings, and becomes inquisitive into their exact nature, wanting to know more about the world he has only just now discovered. Prior to this, however, it has become evident that his attitude towards life has shifted slightly; early on in Boyhood, the narrator remarks that “now picturesque new places and things continually capture my attention and interest” (Boyhood 120). Soon after this, while stopped at an inn, he notices several pilgrims along the road, and thinks to himself “I wonder where they’re going and why, and if their journey will last long… it seems strange in a way that those faces have nothing in common with me and that I may never see them again” (Boyhood 121-122). It is clear to the reader that, leading up to the revelatory moment, Nikolenka has already experienced these new feelings, foreshadowing his forthcoming epiphany. This constitutes his preparation; the epiphany moment itself is a sudden, spontaneous event, but Nikolenka has clearly experienced these feelings before, and only becomes aware of it through his revelatory moment. Mourouzis 5 Tolstoy’s reliance on the critical revelatory moment is not limited to his earliest works; the device is utilized in his larger works as well, notably in the epic War and Peace. Perhaps the most important revelatory moment in this work occurs in the third part of the second book, when Prince Andrei Bolkonsky is conflicted over his thoughts for Natasha Rostova. The most important aspect of this epiphany is not simply the revelatory moment experienced by Andrei, but rather its connection with the physical description of the oak tree. Andrei’s epiphany is triggered by his observation regarding the oak tree, which, at first glance, appeared as though it “refused to yield to the charm of spring, or notice either the spring or the sunshine” (War and Peace 449). After passing it by several times, Andrei notices that “Under the oak, too, were flowers and grass, but it stood among them scowling, rigid, misshapen, and grim as ever. “Yes, the oak is right, a thousand times right… Let others – the young – yield afresh to that fraud, but we know life, our life is finished!” (War and Peace 449). This connection with a physical manifestation is unique in the realm of Tolstoy’s revelatory moments, but also functions as a metaphor as Andrei notices the fresh spring roots beneath the malevolent-looking tree, representing his family and friends’ prosperity despite the war. Here Tolstoy ventures into the realm of the allegorical – something which his earlier writings did not strive towards. The oak also seems to speak to Andrei, questioning him directly as an extension of his consciousness: Are you not weary of that stupid, meaningless, constantly repeated fraud?… as they have grown so I stand, and I do not believe in your hopes and your lies” (War and Peace 449). In addition, up until this moment, Andrei has experienced preparation for his transformation; in an earlier conversation with Pierre concerning marriage, Pierre remarks that marriage is a final event, with nothing coming after.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Virginia Woolf's Portraits of Russian Writers
    Virginia Woolf’s Portraits of Russian Writers Virginia Woolf’s Portraits of Russian Writers: Creating the Literary Other By Darya Protopopova Virginia Woolf’s Portraits of Russian Writers: Creating the Literary Other By Darya Protopopova This book first published 2019 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2019 by Darya Protopopova All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-2753-0 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-2753-9 TABLE OF CONTENTS Note on the Text ........................................................................................ vi Preface ...................................................................................................... vii Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Russia and the British Search for the Cultural ‘Other’ Chapter One .............................................................................................. 32 Woolf’s Real and Fictional Russians Chapter Two ............................................................................................. 58 Woolf and Dostoevsky: Verbalising the Soul Chapter Three ........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The University of Chicago Old Elites Under Communism: Soviet Rule in Leninobod a Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Di
    THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OLD ELITES UNDER COMMUNISM: SOVIET RULE IN LENINOBOD A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE DIVISION OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BY FLORA J. ROBERTS CHICAGO, ILLINOIS JUNE 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ vi A Note on Transliteration .................................................................................................. ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One. Noble Allies of the Revolution: Classroom to Battleground (1916-1922) . 43 Chapter Two. Class Warfare: the Old Boi Network Challenged (1925-1930) ............... 105 Chapter Three. The Culture of Cotton Farms (1930s-1960s) ......................................... 170 Chapter Four. Purging the Elite: Politics and Lineage (1933-38) .................................. 224 Chapter Five. City on Paper: Writing Tajik in Stalinobod (1930-38) ............................ 282 Chapter Six. Islam and the Asilzodagon: Wartime and Postwar Leninobod .................. 352 Chapter Seven. The
    [Show full text]
  • Animals Liberation Philosophy and Policy Journal Volume 5, Issue 2
    AAnniimmaallss LLiibbeerraattiioonn PPhhiilloossoopphhyy aanndd PPoolliiccyy JJoouurrnnaall VVoolluummee 55,, IIssssuuee 22 -- 22000077 Animal Liberation Philosophy and Policy Journal Volume 5, Issue 2 2007 Edited By: Steven Best, Chief Editor ____________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Lev Tolstoy and the Freedom to Choose One’s Own Path Andrea Rossing McDowell Pg. 2-28 Jewish Ethics and Nonhuman Animals Lisa Kemmerer Pg. 29-47 Deliberative Democracy, Direct Action, and Animal Advocacy Stephen D’Arcy Pg. 48-63 Should Anti-Vivisectionists Boycott Animal-Tested Medicines? Katherine Perlo Pg. 64-78 A Note on Pedagogy: Humane Education Making a Difference Piers Bierne and Meena Alagappan Pg. 79-94 BOOK REVIEWS _________________ Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser (2005) Reviewed by Lisa Kemmerer Pg. 95-101 Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust, by Charles Patterson (2002) Reviewed by Steven Best Pg. 102-118 The Longest Struggle: Animal Advocacy from Pythagoras to PETA, by Norm Phelps (2007) Reviewed by Steven Best Pg. 119-130 Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Volume V, Issue 2, 2007 Lev Tolstoy and the Freedom to Choose One’s Own Path Andrea Rossing McDowell, PhD It is difficult to be sat on all day, every day, by some other creature, without forming an opinion about them. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to sit all day every day, on top of another creature and not have the slightest thought about them whatsoever. -- Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (1988) Committed to the idea that the lives of humans and animals are inextricably linked, Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828–1910) promoted—through literature, essays, and letters—the animal world as another venue in which to practice concern and kindness, consequently leading to more peaceful, consonant human relations.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Death: the Humanity in Leo Tolstoy's Prose Dr. Patricia A. Burak Yuri Pavlov
    Living with Death: The Humanity in Leo Tolstoy’s Prose A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program at Syracuse University Liam Owens Candidate for Bachelor of Science in Biology and Renée Crown University Honors Spring 2020 Honors Thesis in Your Major Thesis Advisor: _______________________ Dr. Patricia A. Burak Thesis Reader: _______________________ Yuri Pavlov Honors Director: _______________________ Dr. Danielle Smith, Director Abstract What do we fear so uniquely as our own death? Of what do we know less than the afterlife? Leo Tolstoy was quoted saying: “We can only know that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom.” Knowing nothing completely contradicts the essence of human nature. Although having noted the importance of this unknowing, using the venture of creative fiction, Tolstoy pined ceaselessly for an understanding of the experience of dying. Tolstoy was afraid of death; to him it was an entity which loomed. I believe his early involvements in war, as well as the death of his brother Dmitry, and the demise of his self-imaged major character Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, whom he tirelessly wrote and rewrote—where he dove into the supposed psyche of a dying man—took a toll on the author. Tolstoy took the plight of ending his character’s life seriously, and attempted to do so by upholding his chief concern: the truth. But how can we, as living, breathing human beings, know the truth of death? There is no truth we know of it other than its existence, and this alone is cause enough to scare us into debilitating fits and ungrounded speculation.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample Pages
    About This Volume Brett Cooke We continue to be surprised by how the extremely rewarding world WKDW/HR7ROVWR\FUHDWHGLVDG\QDPLFVWLOOJURZLQJRQH:KHQWKH Russian writer sat down in 1863 to begin what became War and PeaceKHXWLOL]HGSRUWUDLWVRIfamily members, as well as images RIKLPVHOILQZKDWDW¿UVWFRQVWLWXWHGDOLJKWO\¿FWLRQDOL]HGfamily chronicle; he evidently used the exercise to consider how he and the SUHVHQWVWDWHRIKLVFRXQWU\FDPHWREH7KLVLQYROYHGDUHWKLQNLQJRI KRZKLVSDUHQWV¶JHQHUDWLRQZLWKVWRRGWKH)UHQFKLQYDVLRQRI slightly more than a half century prior, both militarily and culturally. Of course, one thinks about many things in the course of six highly FUHDWLYH \HDUV DQG KLV WH[W UHÀHFWV PDQ\ RI WKHVH LQWHUHVWV +LV words are over determined in that a single scene or even image typically serves several themes as he simultaneously pondered the Napoleonic Era, the present day in Russia, his family, and himself, DVZHOODVPXFKHOVH6HOIGHYHORSPHQWEHLQJWKH¿UVWRUGHUIRUDQ\ VHULRXVDUWLVWZHVHHDQWLFLSDWLRQVRIWKHSURWHDQFKDOOHQJHV7ROVWR\ posed to the contemporary world decades after War and Peace in terms of religion, political systems, and, especially, moral behavior. In other words, he grew in stature. As the initial reception of the QRYHO VKRZV 7ROVWR\ UHVSRQGHG WR WKH FRQVWHUQDWLRQ RI LWV ¿UVW readers by increasing the dynamism of its form and considerably DXJPHQWLQJLWVLQWHOOHFWXDODPELWLRQV,QKLVKDQGV¿FWLRQEHFDPH emboldened to question the structure of our universe and expand our sense of our own nature. We are all much the richer spiritually for his achievement. One of the happy accidents of literary history is that War and Peace and Fyodor 'RVWRHYVN\¶VCrime and PunishmentZHUH¿UVW published in the same literary periodical, The Russian Messenger. )XUWKHUPRUHDV-DQHW7XFNHUH[SODLQVERWKQRYHOVH[SUHVVFRQFHUQ whether Russia should continue to conform its culture to West (XURSHDQ PRGHOV VLPXOWDQHRXVO\ VHL]LQJ RQ WKH VDPH ¿JXUH vii Napoleon Bonaparte, in one case leading a literal invasion of the country, in the other inspiring a premeditated murder.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolstoy in Prerevolutionary Russian Criticism
    Tolstoy in Prerevolutionary Russian Criticism BORIS SOROKIN TOLSTOY in Prerevolutionary Russian Criticism PUBLISHED BY THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR MIAMI UNIVERSITY Copyright ® 1979 by Miami University All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sorokin, Boris, 1922­ Tolstoy in prerevolutionary Russian criticism. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Tolstoi, Lev Nikolaevich, graf, 1828-1910—Criticism and interpretation—History. 2. Criticism—Russia. I. Title. PG3409.5.S6 891.7'3'3 78-31289 ISBN 0-8142-0295-0 Contents Preface vii 1/ Tolstoy and His Critics: The Intellectual Climate 3 2/ The Early Radical Critics 37 3/ The Slavophile and Organic Critics 71 4/ The Aesthetic Critics 149 5/ The Narodnik Critics 169 6/ The Symbolist Critics 209 7/ The Marxist Critics 235 Conclusion 281 Notes 291 Bibliography 313 Index 325 PREFACE Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) has been described as the most momen­ tous phenomenon of Russian life during the nineteenth century.1 Indeed, in his own day, and for about a generation afterward, he was an extraordinarily influential writer. During the last part of his life, his towering personality dominated the intellectual climate of Russia and the world to an unprecedented degree. His work, moreover, continues to be studied and admired. His views on art, literature, morals, politics, and life have never ceased to influence writers and thinkers all over the world. Such interest over the years has produced an immense quantity of books and articles about Tolstoy, his ideas, and his work. In Russia alone their number exceeded ten thousand some time ago (more than 5,500 items were published in the Soviet Union between 1917 and 1957) and con­ tinues to rise.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cold, White Light: the Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Tolstoy‟S War and Peace Jessica Ginocchio a Thesis Submitted To
    A Cold, White Light: The Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Tolstoy‟s War and Peace Jessica Ginocchio A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of the Arts in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (Russian). Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Christopher Putney Radislav Lapushin Hana Pichova Abstract JESSICA GINOCCHIO: A Cold, White Light: The Defamiliarizing Power of Death in Lev Tolstoy‟s War and Peace (Under the direction of Christopher Putney) In this thesis, I examine the theme of death in War and Peace by Lev Tolstoy. Death in War and Peace causes changes in characters‟ perception of their own lives, spurring them to live “better.” Tolstoy is widely understood to embed moral lessons in his novels, and, even in his early work, Tolstoy presents an ideal of the right way to live one‟s life. I posit several components of this Tolstoyan ideal from War and Peace and demonstrate that death leads characters toward this “right way” through an analysis of the role of death in the transformations of four major characters—Nikolai, Marya, Andrei, and Pierre. ii Table of Contents Chapter: I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..1 II. Death in Tolstoy……………………………………………………………....5 III. The Right Way……………………………………………………………….14 IV. War and Peace………………………………………………………………..20 a. Nikolai Rostov ……………………………………………...…………...23 b. Marya Bolkonskaya……………………………………………...………27 c. Andrei Bolkonsky…………………………………………………….….30 d. Pierre Bezukhov………………………………………………………….41 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...53 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………56 iii Chapter I Introduction American philosopher William James identified Tolstoy as a “sick soul,” a designation he based on Tolstoy‟s obsession with death (James, 120-149).
    [Show full text]
  • Leo Tolstoy's Sevastopol Stories
    2008.072008.07.0.0.0.02222 Classics Revisited: Leo TolstoyTolstoy’’’’ss Sevastopol Stories bybyby Walter G. Moss Eastern Michigan University With the following essay, the Review launches a new series entitled “Classics Revi- sited.” Its goal will be to provide thoughtful reconsiderations of masterpieces in the literature of war. Both literary and purely historical works will be included. The in- augural appreciation is by Walter G. Moss, professor of history at Eastern Michigan University. Professor Moss, who has taught Russian history, philosophy, and litera- ture for many years, is the author of numerous articles and distinguished books within and beyond those subject areas, including A History of Russia , 2 vols. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997; 2 nd ed. London: Anthem, 2002/5), Russia in the Age of Alexander II, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky (London: Anthem, 2002), An Age of Progress? Clashing Twentieth-Century Global Forces (London: Anthem, 2008), and, with R.D. Goff, J. Terry, J-H. Upshur, and M. Schroeder, The Twentieth Century and Beyond: A Global History , 7 th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007). — Ed. In April 1855, in the midst of the Crimean War, a twenty-six year old Russian sub- lieutenant, Leo Tolstoy, was commanding an artillery battery in the besieged Black Sea city of Sevastopol. 1 His unit was in the most forward bastion of the defense. It was close to the French lines and under constant and heavy bombardment. Occasionally while at the front, in a bomb-proof dugout with the sounds of cannons booming in his ears, he wrote a story about the siege of the city at the end of the previous year--he had first entered Sevastopol in November and subsequently moved back and forth from the front.
    [Show full text]
  • War and Peace
    WAR AND PEACE Instructor: Prof. Ingrid Kleespies Email: [email protected] Office Hours: T, W 2:00-3:00pm & by appt. Office: 328 Pugh Hall Vasily Vereshchagin, "Return from the Petrov Palace," 1895 Course Description From the battlefield to the ballroom, Tolstoy's epic novel of life in Russia at the beginning of the nineteenth century is a profound meditation on the causes of war, the nature of social relationships, the poles of human suffering and love, and, perhaps most importantly, the nature and meaning of history itself. In this course we will read War and Peace closely in its entirety. We will examine the origins of the novel in Tolstoy's early writing and consider the historical, political, and social contexts, both of the events described (the Napoleonic Wars) and the period fifty years later in which Tolstoy wrote War and Peace. We will address some of the following questions: Is War and Peace a novel? How does Tolstoy's obsession with the theme of history shape the text on a variety of levels? What do various adaptations of the novel tell us about its reception at different historical moments? Finally, how might War and Peace be relevant to our own moment in history? General Education Objectives This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore the interrelationship between literature, art, and national identity. In so doing, it is designed to fulfill General Education distribution requirements in the categories of “Humanities” (H) and “International” (N). The content of the course draws students’ attention to the values, attitudes, and norms that shape Russian culture (N).
    [Show full text]
  • The Circassian Thistle: Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy's Khadzhi
    ABSTRACT THE CIRCASSIAN THISTLE: TOLSTOY’S KHADZHI MURAT AND THE EVOLVING RUSSIAN EMPIRE by Eric M. Souder The following thesis examines the creation, publication, and reception of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s posthumous novel, Khadzhi Murat in both the Imperial and Soviet Russian Empire. The anti-imperial content of the novel made Khadzhi Murat an incredibly vulnerable novel, subjecting it to substantial early censorship. Tolstoy’s status as a literary and cultural figure in Russia – both preceding and following his death – allowed for the novel to become virtually forgotten despite its controversial content. This thesis investigates the absorption of Khadzhi Murat into the broader canon of Tolstoy’s writings within the Russian Empire as well as its prevailing significance as a piece of anti-imperial literature in a Russian context. THE CIRCASSIAN THISTLE: TOLSTOY’S KHADZHI MURAT AND THE EVOLVING RUSSIAN EMPIRE A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History by Eric Matthew Souder Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2014 Dr. Stephen Norris Dr. Daniel Prior Dr. Margaret Ziolkowski TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter I - The Tolstoy Canon: The Missing Avar……………………………………………….2 Chapter II – Inevitable Editing: The Publication and Censorship of Khadzhi Murat………………5 Chapter III – Historiography and Appropriation: The Critical Response to Khadzhi Murat……17 Chapter IV – Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...22 Afterword………………………………………………………………………………………..24 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..27 ii Introduction1 In late-October 1910, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy died at Astopovo Station, approximately 120 miles from his family estate at Yasnaya Polyana in the Tula region of the Russian Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • The Spiritual and the Physical — Tolstoy's 'Noumenal'
    VEDA’S JOURNAL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (JOELL) Vol.4 Issue 1 An International Peer Reviewed Journal 2017 http://www.joell.in RESEARCH ARTICLE THE SPIRITUAL AND THE PHYSICAL — TOLSTOY’S ‘NOUMENAL’ AND ‘PHENOMENAL’ CONCEPTS Ferdinand B. Lyngdoh (Assistant Professor, College of Home Science, Central Agricultural University, Tura – 794005 Meghalaya.) ABSTRACT This paper is an attempt to trace Tolstoy’s philosophy and belief pertaining to the physical and the spiritual notions or his noumenal and phenomenal concepts. He was an ardent admirer of Christian standpoint and he held some radical views which are perhaps analogous to Immanuel Kant’s. Some profound iconoclastic views on sex and marriage, on love, and his ascetic affinity towards Buddhist teachings can also be traced in some of his works. Keywords: Tolstoy’s philosophy, Immanuel Kant, noumenal and phenomenal concepts. Citation: APA Lyngdoh,F.B. (2017) The Spiritual and The Physical — Tolstoy’s ‘Noumenal’ and ‘Phenomenal’ Concepts.Veda’s Journal of English Language and Literature- JOELL, 4(1), 85-89. MLA Lyngdoh, Ferdinand B. “The Spiritual and The Physical — Tolstoy’s ‘Noumenal’ and ‘Phenomenal’ Concepts.”Veda’s Journal of English Language and Literature- JOELL 4.1(2017): 85-89. © Copyright VEDA Publication Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828- account that is based upon his experiences in the 1910), famously known as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian Crimean War as he enlisted in 1852. author who is regarded as one of the greatest writers Tolstoy underwent a sort of crisis in the 1870s. of all time. Tolstoy is best known for his novels War According to Donna Tussing Orwin, “Tolstoy’s and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877).
    [Show full text]
  • Truth Is a Potato: a Journey Into Tolstoy's Resurrection
    Global Insight ISSN 2690-8204 Volume 1 • 2020 doi:10.32855/globalinsight.2020.005 Truth Is a Potato: A Journey into Tolstoy’s Resurrection Ryan Adam The over-intellectualization of the questions of Truth and Justice only muddy the challenge of living correctly and alienate us from actual, practicable answers, answers which have been here, Leo Tolstoy argues, for millennia. Tolstoy, through the character of Prince Nekhlyudov in Resurrection, opposes simplicity and hard-scrabble peasant wisdom to the labyrinths and mountains of intellectualism and state-sanctioned correctness. This article explores Tolstoy’s ideas regarding the nature and substance of Truth, pursing them through the author’s biog- raphy as well as the experiences of the Prince. It concludes that, for any flaws in his reasoning, his beliefs still offer a viable solution to the complex, minute, and numerous doubts which surround any debate in our modern, data-ridden world. The evils of the world are monstrous as well as minute: the moment you point one out, reveal it standing there, distinctly horrible, you will see its edges bleed into the circumstances surrounding it and the obvious blackness of its substance blend irrevocably among the tints of regular life. A murder in broad daylight should leave no doubt, but the obviousness of that too may seep away on closer examination. So where do we locate the boundaries of guilt? Where, so to speak, on such a blended landscape, should we build a prison’s walls? The devil’s crimson tail is twisted up among the chains of circumstance, the causal links of which dangle into the invisible deep, so much so that if I steal something from you, how correct is it to say that I’m the criminal, only me, and never mind the miasma of influences I grew up in? These questions animate the thoughts and anxieties of Prince Nekhlyudov, the hero of Leo Tolstoy’s late novel, Resurrection.
    [Show full text]