Well, May this year Daniel's published in the literature section of the magazine on Turgenev's 'Fathers & Sons'. He titled it:
Turgenev’s ‘Fathers and Sons’, a Novel for Today. In my early twenties I stumbled across Dostoyevsky, the Brother's Karamazov, ab ovo, and then followed by everything else. I became obsessed with 19th Century Russian literature and then, studying Music at University, became fascinated by Russian music too: Stravinsky's Petrushka, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Prokoviev, that delicious March from the Love of three oranges and, of course, anything by Shostakovich - especially 3rd String Quartet or Symphony No 6.
However, in the insouciance and general malaise of Lockdown and Remote learning, in the most incarcerated state in the world, Victoria, Australia - I was inspired by the article to read Turgenev. Wow, what a book; and listen to those magnificent etudes by Scriabin - particularly étude op 8 no 12 and that wonderful performance by Vladimir Horowitz.
Fathers and Sons - the translation that I bought was the Penguin Classic version by Peter Carson. Wonderful translation and the writing is just amazing. However, this is a book of ideas and the foundational ideas that plunged Russia into revolution and darkness.
The story follows two friends, Arkady Kirsanov is a student who goes home to visit his parents in the countryside. He takes with him his friend and mentor Yevgény Bazárov. Bazarov is a nihilist, one of the first time this phrase is used as a proper noun. This all comes about in chapter , Arkady is explaining his new found modernist beliefs to his father and describes Barazov, his mentor, as a nihilist:
"The nihilist is a man who bows down to no authority, who takes no single principle on trust, however much respect may be attached to that principle.' p 23.
Arkaidy is concerned about his father reading Pushkin - sentimental rubbish, romanticism and Russian folkism is the accusation and he surreptitiously replaces his book with Büschner, a materialist that was popular at the time. Fathers and their sons - it is a tale immemorial, a cautionary tale. Sons get swept up in new ideas and disappoint their fathers, who are often weak and oleaginous, while sons are dismissive and condescending. Little has changed. However, the obvious parallels between todays world and the world of Turgenev and trenchantly explicated by Daniels, in the abovementioned link - my interest is in some other nuanes of Turgenov's amazing story.
Firstly, we need to turn to a disturbing text in the Bible, 2 Samuel 13 - the rape of Tamar. Tamar was the daughter of King David and Amnon, David's son and Tamar's half-brother, was fixated upon Tamar and lusted after his sister. He concocted a plan to rape Tamar, both satisfying his urges - through his obsession with his sister. Once Amnon has his way with Tamar, despite her pleas for propriety, Amnon hated her:
However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her. 2 Samuel 13:14-16
Duty and honour have given way to moral turpitude; integrity and uprightness have descended to ethical repugnance. The object of his obsession, turns to the object of his loathing; his passion becomes what he detests. How close together hatred and love can be. I love the description in Genesis 4, of Adam and Eve and the sex act:
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived... Genesis 4:1
Amnon lay with Tamar - the emphasis is on the act. Adam knew Eve, the emphasis is on the person. While a misplaced emphasis may cause heartache and dislocation, depravity surely ensues. Bazerov and Arkardy visited a young and gorgeous widow named Anna Sergeyevna and both became smitten with her. A strong and independent woman who was intrigued with Bararov's ideas. Arkady is especially besotted, Anna pays him no attention and Arkady was relegated to spending time with Anna's younger sister, who plays music and loves poetry and has nothing but consternation for the new ideas of Bazarov.
Bazarov is attracted to her but endevours to resist the foolish overtures of love. As a materialist, love is but a chimera, a mere chemical reaction in the brain - nonetheless, it becomes harder and harder to resist her charms and his feelings.
However, Arkady actually falls in love with Katya, the younger sister, he changes from the young revolutionary who wants to topple society, to a man who matures and puts away childish things. Even when he and Katya overhear Anna talking to Barazov about how her fancies have changed from him to Arkady, it is at that point that he declares his love for the younger sister. The object of his affection changed from lust to sacrificial love.
Pavel, Arkady's uncle puts it well: 'It's time for us to put all vanity aside. Precisely as you say, we'll start doing our duty. And, mark you, we'll get happiness into the bargain.' p.162
Duty, such a lost, yet loaded word in our society.
Katya reached out to Arkady, knowing his conviction to be truthful - he denied to opportunity to take what he fancied, for what he loved. A choice we all have to make.
'On the contrary I am ready to submit, only inequality is hard to bear. To have self-respect and to submit - that I do understand; that's happiness. But a subordinate existence ... no, I've had enough of that.' p.166
Kayta has some insight and wisdom here that would bode well for our modern generation.
Wonderful read.
5 Stars
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