The latter reported the fascination of the ruler with the occult science. Seances of an incredulous nature were held with the monarch and other notables such as Count A.K.
Home into the royal palaces as a guest for weeks at a time. Literature and society, however, had undergone considerable change when he did return to his writing.ĭostoevsky wrote his major novels during the reign of Alexander II, a period when seances and mediums were extremely popular in society. Had the writer not been imprisoned at the end of the decade, he might have created more demonical tales. The evil powers of these early stories by Dostoevsky were based on the folkloric devils of Russian fables and Western short In "Netochka Nezvanova" (1848), a clarinetist inherited a remarkable violin and became obsessed by the power the devil had over him when he played. In "The Landlady" (1847), the heroine gave the impression of being possessed by the devil, but the author again explained her problems as an example of psychological imbalance. In "The Double" (1846), Dostoevsky explained the hero's talking with his own image as a case of mental imbalance. (2) Dostoevsky was aware of the literary tastes of the period and his own writing reflected his effort to appeal to the public's taste for the esoteric. Zhukovskij discussed society's interest in spirits as if the question of spiritualistic phenomena was a major concern of the time. In "Something about Spectres" in 1848, V.A.
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European literary trends, such as Byronism and Hoffmannism, greatly influenced the writers in Russia official restraints hindered the free development of their artistic Spirits and spiritualism were popular in the tales of Odoevskij, Gogol and other writers. Literary censorship during the 1840s encouraged parody and suggestive literature. It was as if folk superstitions and Western spiritualism were destined to blend together and contribute to the fall of the Russian Empire.ĭostoevsky began writing during the reign of Nicholas I, the Car who "had a horror of mysticism." (1) The literature of the time, however, was filled with psychic phenomena. Most Russian monarchs were greatly influenced by the spread of spiritualistic forces. Only Nicholas I failed to understand the popularity of spiritualism in Russia and his Jack of interest separated him from the mainstream of Russian life. The Cars were the inheritors of two strong social forces: a folk tradition based on the mystical and the miraculous dating back hundreds of years and a fervent search for historical and spiritual meaning among the Russian intelligentsia. Philippe had a close relationship with Nicholas II. Home had the patronage of Alexander II and Rasputin and Dr. Cagliostro drew the attention of Catherine II the Baroness Krudener instructed Alexander I D.D. The common Russian belief in spirits, combined with the Western occult science, brought charlatans into the highest court circles throughout the last hundred and fifty years of the Romanov's rule. Berry, University of Marylandįrom the reign of Catherine the Great to the Revolution of 1917, Russian society and literature were affected by the relationship between Western spiritualism with its seances and mediums and an ancient folk tradition with its superstitions and fancifulness.
Dostoevsky Studies :: DOSTOEVSKY AND SPIRITUALISMĭOSTOEVSKY AND SPIRITUALISM Thomas E.