Just a few days earlier, he had attended the defense by Vladimir Solovyev of his doctoral dissertation, and he now cites a thought uttered during that learned disputation. "Humanity, according to my profound conviction," Solovyev had declared, "knows much more than it has succeeded in uttering in its science and its art thus far." Applying this idea to himself, Dostoevsky continues: "I sense that there is much more concealed in me than however much I have been able to express thus far."—Joseph Frank, Dostoevsky: The Mantle of the Prophet, 1871-1881 (2003)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Humanity knows much more...
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This is a passage I would've posted, if I'd read it. But I'm sure you guessed that! It's all the more remarkable that he said this in the last ten years of his life, judging by the book title -- was this before he started writing Brothers K?
ReplyDeleteWere you assigned this or did you pick it up on your own? Are you reading the whole thing or only sections?
Hey. I just thought it was a interesting quote; I am especially gratified to know that you appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI am writing a paper on Ivan's thoughts on church/state relations in the chapter "So be it! So be it!", something that caught my eye (and I think I may have written about it) when we started blogging Brothers K. The thought behind that chapter is heavily indebted to Solovyev's philosophy. So, expect to hear a lot about Solovyev in upcoming posts.
If I understand correctly, Dostoevsky was in the middle of writing Brothers Karamazov when he went to this dissertation defense.
Unfortunately, no, I have not read this book; I used the index to find the sections that pertain to the relationship between Dostoevsky and Solovyev.
I'm coming home tomorrow. Can't wait to see you.