Confronting Dostoevsky’s «Demons»: Anarchism and the Specter of Bakunin in Twentieth-Century Russia (Middlebury Studies in Russian Language and Literature)

Although criticized at one time for its highly tendentious spirit, Dostoevsky’s __Demons__ (1871-1872) has proven to be a novel of great polemical vitality. Originally inspired by a minor conspiratorial episode of the late 1860s, well after Dostoevsky’s death (1881) the work continued to earn both acclaim and contempt for its scathing caricature of revolutionists driven by destructive, anarchic aims. The text of __Demons__ assumed new meaning in Russian literary culture following the Bolshevik triumph of 1917, when the reestablishment and expansion of centralized state power inevitably revived interest in the radical populist tendencies of Russia’s past, in particular the anarchist thought of Dostoevsky’s legendary contemporary, Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876). __Confronting Dostoevsky’s ‘Demons’__ is the first book to explore the life of Dostoevsky’s novel in light of disputes and controversies over Bakunin’s troubling legacy in Russia. Contrary to the traditional view, which assumes the obsolescence of __Demons__ throughout much of the Communist period (1917-1991), this book demonstrates that the potential resurgence of Bakuninist thought actually encouraged reassessments of Dostoevsky’s novel. By exploring the different ideas and critical strategies that motivated opposing interpretations of the novel in post-revolutionary Russia, __Confronting Dostoevsky’s ‘Demons’__ reveals how the potential resurrection of Bakunin’s anti-authoritarian ethos fostered the return of a politically reactionary novel to the canon of Russian classics. Although criticized at one time for its highly tendentious spirit, Dostoevsky’s Demons (1871-1872) has proven to be a novel of great polemical vitality. Originally inspired by a minor conspiratorial episode of the late 1860s, well after Dostoevsky’s death (1881) the work continued to earn both acclaim and contempt for its scathing caricature of revolutionists driven by destructive, anarchic aims. The text of Demons assumed new meaning in Russian literary culture following the Bolshevik triumph of 1917, when the reestablishment and expansion of centralized state power inevitably revived interest in the radical populist tendencies of Russia’s past, in particular the anarchist thought of Dostoevsky’s legendary contemporary, Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876).
Confronting Dostoevsky’s ‘Demons’ is the first book to explore the life of Dostoevsky’s novel in light of disputes and controversies over Bakunin’s troubling legacy in Russia. Contrary to the traditional view, which assumes the obsolescence of Demons throughout much of the Communist period (1917-1991), this book demonstrates that the potential resurgence of Bakuninist thought actually encouraged reassessments of Dostoevsky’s novel. By exploring the different ideas and critical strategies that motivated opposing interpretations of the novel in post-revolutionary Russia, Confronting Dostoevsky’s ‘Demons’ reveals how the potential resurrection of Bakunin’s anti-authoritarian ethos fostered the return of a politically reactionary novel to the canon of Russian classics. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments vii A Note on Transliteration, Dates, Translation and References ix Introduction: Dostoevsky’s Demons as Polemic 1 1. “The Worse, the Better...”: Dostoevsky’s Demons and the Politics of Despair 9 A Conspiracy of Non-Equals 10 The Nechaev “Type” and the New Nihilism 17 From Herzen to Bakunin: Demons and the Russian Revolutionary Emigration 22 2. Demons and the “Bakuninist” Context of the Bolshevik Revolution 33 Sacred Flame of Revolt: Bakunin as Hero and Demon 34 Bakunin’s Legacy in Revolution, 1905–1921 42 Bakunin Prostrate 50 3. Leonid Grossman’s Art of Scholarly Provocation 65 Post-revolutionary Demons 65 Grossman on Stavrogin and Bakunin 71 Demons under Scrutiny 81 Grossman’s Discoveries in Retrospect 87 4. In Defense of Bakunin: Aleksei Borovoi and the Anarchist Conception of Demons 101 Russian Anarchism and the Bakuninist Legacy after 1917 102 Liberating Bakunin from Demons 109 Anarchism’s Last Stand: The Bakunin Jubilee of 1926 116 5. Viacheslav Polonsky and the Marxist Struggle over Bakunin’s Legacy 129 Stavrogin, Dostoevsky and Political Acumen 130 Bakunin as Revolutionary Romantic 136 At the Gates of the Bolshevik Pantheon 147 6. Suppressing Demons in Stalin’s Russia 157 Grossman Vindicated 158 Vigilance Toward Dostoevshchina 163 Anarchism and the Triumph of Demons in Late Soviet Analysis 175 7. Toward New Confrontations 183 Notes 189 Index 243 Introduction: Dostoevsky's Demons As Polemic -- The Worse, The Better-- : Dostoevsky's Demons And The Politics Of Despair -- Demons And The Bakuninist Context Of The Bolshevik Revolution -- Leonid Grossman's Art Of Scholarly Provocation -- In Defense Of Bakunin: Aleksei Borovoi And The Anarchist Conception Of Demons -- Viacheslav Polonsky And The Marxist Struggle Over Bakunin's Legacy -- Suppressing Demons In Stalin's Russia -- Toward New Confrontations. James Goodwin. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contains Passages Translated From Russian To English, With Some Words And Phrases In The Original Russian.