Dostoevsky and the Catholic Underground

Elizabeth Blake's Dostoevsky and the Catholic Underground explores Dostoevsky's complex relationship with Catholicism, showing his repelled and fascinated by its medieval, Reformation, and modern manifestations. Blake's close reading and analysis of nineteenth-century European revolutionary history influence Dostoevsky's thought.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2018
Publisher: Northwestern University Press

While Dostoevsky's relationship with religion has been extensively explored, there remains a significant gap in academic research regarding his connection with Catholicism. Elizabeth Blake's ambitious and scholarly work, Dostoevsky and the Catholic Underground, aims to address this deficiency in the scholarship. Previous commentators have attributed a broad hostility in Dostoevsky's interpretation of Catholicism to his Slavophilism. However, Blake presents a more nuanced portrayal. Through a close reading of Dostoevsky's writings, she reveals that he is both repelled and fascinated by Catholicism across its medieval, Reformation, and modern manifestations. Dostoevsky recognized Catholicism as a multifaceted entity, encompassing not only an inspirational source for the Grand Inquisitor but also as a political force, an ideological wellspring, a distinctive mode of intellectual inquiry, and a catalyst for cultural production. Blake's insightful textual analysis is complemented by a comprehensive analysis of nineteenth-century European revolutionary history, spanning from Paris to Siberia, which undoubtedly exerted a profound influence on the development of Dostoevsky's thought.

While Dostoevsky's relationship with religion has been extensively explored, there remains a significant gap in academic research regarding his connection with Catholicism. Elizabeth Blake's ambitious and scholarly work, Dostoevsky and the Catholic Underground, aims to address this deficiency in the scholarship. Previous commentators have attributed a broad hostility in Dostoevsky's interpretation of Catholicism to his Slavophilism. However, Blake presents a more nuanced portrayal. Through a close reading of Dostoevsky's writings, she reveals that he is both repelled and fascinated by Catholicism across its medieval, Reformation, and modern manifestations. Dostoevsky recognized Catholicism as a multifaceted entity, encompassing not only an inspirational source for the Grand Inquisitor but also as a political force, an ideological wellspring, a distinctive mode of intellectual inquiry, and a catalyst for cultural production. Blake's insightful textual analysis is complemented by a comprehensive analysis of nineteenth-century European revolutionary history, spanning from Paris to Siberia, which undoubtedly exerted a profound influence on the development of Dostoevsky's thought.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780810139848