Image of Christ in Russian Literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Pasternak

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2021
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Vladimir Nabokov expressed his frustration with the abundance of characters in Dostoevsky's novels who seemed to find their way to Jesus through sin. However, the truth is that Christ is a mysterious figure not only in Dostoevsky's works but also in Russian literature as a whole. The emergence of the historical critical method of biblical criticism in the nineteenth century, accompanied by the growth of secularism it fostered, posed significant challenges to the earnest affirmation of Jesus in literature. If writers were too direct in their portrayal of Jesus, they risked either diminishing him through faith explanations that no longer resonated in a skeptical age or reducing him to a mere argument in an ideological dispute.

The writers at the center of this study recognized that to reimagine Christ for their era, they had to convey his message indirectly, even through negative formulations, to avoid being mistaken for clichés, doctrines, or naive apologetics. As a result, the Christology of Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Boris Pasternak takes an apophatic approach, employing negative expressions (saying what God is not) in their writings about Jesus. The professions of atheism in Dostoevsky and Tolstoy's non-divine Jesus represent separate paths toward a more accurate discernment of Christ.

This groundbreaking study in English on the image of Christ in Russian literature emphasizes the significance of apophaticism as a theological practice and a literary method in comprehending the Russian Christ. It also highlights the importance of skepticism in Russian literary attitudes toward Jesus on the part of writers whose personal crucibles of doubt yielded some of the most provocative and enduring images of Christ in world literature. This significant work will appeal to scholars, students of Orthodox Christianity, Russian literature, and educated general readers alike.

Weight: 438g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501761669