DeepSummary
In this episode, David Runciman discusses the Russian novel 'Fathers and Sons' by Ivan Turgenev, published in 1862. He explores how the novel captures the intergenerational conflict and disillusionment in Russia during that period, particularly between the older liberal thinkers and the younger, angrier 'nihilist' generation represented by the central character Bazarov. Runciman examines how the novel fits into the broader context of 19th-century Russian literature and the political climate of the time.
Runciman compares the dynamics in 'Fathers and Sons' to other famous Russian works like Dostoevsky's 'The Possessed' and Tolstoy's 'War and Peace', which also grapple with generational divides and the clash of ideologies. He highlights how Turgenev's novel, though more domestic in scale, encapsulates the tensions between the 'superfluous' older generation and the 'jaundiced' youth, foreshadowing the more radical and violent political upheavals to come.
The episode delves into the nuances of Bazarov's character - an 'embarrassed nihilist' who rejects conventional values and beliefs in the name of scientific materialism, yet also experiences human emotions and attachments he struggles to reconcile with his philosophy. Runciman ponders whether the generational conflicts depicted in the novel mirror contemporary divides, and whether the 'domestic' phase may give way to more radical expressions of discontent.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Ivan Turgenev's 1862 novel 'Fathers and Sons' is a poignant portrayal of the generational divide and clash of ideologies in 19th-century Russia.
- The novel depicts the conflict between the older liberal 'superfluous' generation and the younger, angrier 'nihilist' generation represented by Bazarov.
- Though more domestic in scale, the novel speaks to broader political tensions and foreshadows the more radical upheavals to come in Russian society.
- Bazarov's 'embarrassed nihilism' captures the struggle to reconcile materialist philosophy with human emotions and attachments.
- Runciman explores how the novel resonates with contemporary generational divides and potential for sociopolitical disruption.
- The episode situates 'Fathers and Sons' within the broader context of 19th-century Russian literature and its grappling with themes of inheritance, ideology, and change.
- Runciman contemplates whether the 'domestic' phase of generational conflict may inevitably give way to more radical, even violent expressions of discontent.
- The novel's depiction of a 'vanishing world' reflects the transient nature of sociopolitical currents and the constant potential for upheaval.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Turgenev alienated pretty much everyone with this book. Nihilism is at its heart, and Bazarov, I don't think anyone would call mister Darcy a nihilisthe really does believe it.“ by David Runciman
- “The 1860s don't last. The 2020s don't last, we are going to pause our series on the great political fictions here, and I'm going to pick it up again in the summer.“ by David Runciman
- “It's about Pierre and the father that he never really knew, the father whose life he surprisingly inherits and whose world he inherits, whose possessions he inherits.“ by David Runciman
- “Dostoevsky then gives him a kind of epiphany at the end, which rescues him from this despair, because it is a pretty despairing realization that your death for your children is a social irritation in fathers and sons.“ by David Runciman
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Episode Information
Past Present Future
Ben Walker
2/22/24
This week’s Great Political Fiction is Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862), the definitive novel about the politics – and emotions – of intergenerational conflict. How did Turgenev manage to write a wistful novel about nihilism? What made Russian politics in the early 1860s so chock-full of frustration? Why did Turgenev’s book infuriate his contemporaries – including Dostoyevsky?
More from the LRB:
Pankaj Mishra on the disillusionment of Alexander Herzen
'"Emancipation", he concluded, "has finally proved to be as insolvent as redemption".'
Julian Barnes on Turgenev and Flaubert
‘When the two of them meet, they are already presenting themselves as elderly men in their early forties (Turgenev asserts that after 40 the basis of life is renunciation).’
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