Love and Dostoevsky, Part 8

I was merely talking about Roman Catholicism, and its essence—of Rome itself. A Church can never entirely disappear; I never hinted at that!”

“Agreed that all this may be true; but we need not discuss a subject which belongs to the domain of theology.”

“Oh, no; oh, no! Not to theology alone, I assure you! Why, Socialism is the progeny of Romanism and of the Romanistic spirit.

The Idiot, Gutenberg.org, (Tr. Eva Martin)

Getting back to the story, Prince Muishkin is befriended by the distant relative (and her family) that I mentioned in Part 4. The youngest child of this relative, a rebellious daughter of  the ambitious, upper-middle-class head of the family, falls in love with him. The prince returns the feelings of this daughter, Aglaya Epanchin. Somewhat manipulated by her, Muishkin says that he would like to marry her. The family, apprehensive about the young woman marrying a naive epileptic, arranges a small party with some connections to “Society” – aristocrats and hangers-on – to see whether he makes a favorable impression. Aglaya is highly ambivalent about the guests her parents want to impress, and fills the prince with anxiety about the gathering. However, at first, he conducts himself well, if over-quietly. The group tries to draw him into the conversation by mentioning the man who had arranged for his cure in Switzerland. Appalled at hearing that this man had converted to Roman Catholicism, the prince goes on a rant, of which the above is an excerpt.

After a long, sometimes incoherent speech, Muishkin breaks an expensive vase – one that Aglaya had warned him about. The accident, however, results only in the amusement of the Epanchins and their guests. Overwhelmed with what he sees as their kindness, he again speaks at length. Here is some of his monologue:

I am now among princes like myself, am I not? I wished to know you, and it was necessary, very, very necessary. I had always heard so much that was evil said of you all—more evil than good; as to how small and petty were your interests, how absurd your habits, how shallow your education, and so on. There is so much written and said about you! I came here today with anxious curiosity; I wished to see for myself and form my own convictions as to whether it were true that the whole of this upper stratum of Russian society is _worthless_, has outlived its time, has existed too long, and is only fit to die—and yet is dying with petty, spiteful warring against that which is destined to supersede it and take its place—hindering the Coming Men, and knowing not that itself is in a dying condition. I did not fully believe in this view even before, for there never was such a class among us—excepting perhaps at court, by accident—or by uniform; but now there is not even that, is there? It has vanished, has it not?”

- Ibid

The third aspect of Viktor Frankl’s tragic triad (discussed in Parts 3 and 4 of this series) is death. The author describes Muishkin’s epileptic fits in a way that sound like near-death experiences. The prince’s introduction to society ends in one of these fits.

From Pinterest
Originally from Phageoflife16 on Deviant Art

I’ll conclude in my next entry.

P.S.: An upper stratum of society “dying with petty, spiteful warring against that which is destined to supersede it…” I’m again reminded of an astute Gadfly Article from last year …