G. Stainer, "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky" Summary and Comments - A great book that explains the characteristics of the two great Russian writers in an easy-to-understand manner!
I would like to introduce "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky?" published by George Stainer in 1958. I read the second printing of "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky?" translated by Satoshi Nakagawa, published by Hakusuisha in 1971.
Before we get into the contents of the book, here is a profile of the author.
George Stainer was born in Paris in 1929 to Austrian Jewish parents. After completing his lycée in France, he studied at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and Oxford University. He has taught at Williams College, Stanford University, and Cambridge University, was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, and has received the O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction and the Oxford University President's Essay Prize. His critical works include "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky" (1959), "The End of Tragedy" (1961), and "Language and Silence" (1968), as well as a collection of short stories, "The Western Calendar," and a small collection of poetry.
Hakusuisha, George Stainer, translated by Satoshi Nakagawa, Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, 1971, 2nd printing edition p351
The author, George Stainer, is a Parisian scholar born in 1929. It is a marvel that he was able to write such a famous book at the age of 30.
Let's take a look at the translator's commentary on this work.
Instead of saying "Tolstoy and Dostoevsky," Steiner titled his book "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. The Tolstoy lovers shun Dostoevsky, and the Dostoevsky lovers do not read much Tolstoy.
When one tries to enter deeply into the world of a great writer, even for the sake of acquiring an average education, or when one embraces a single view of literature as a reader, one tends to fall to one side or the other.
In Japan, however, Dostoevsky lovers outnumber Dostoevsky enthusiasts by far. The two writers' built-in philosophical and religious views are so completely opposite that the differences in their creative methods are almost forgotten.
It is not as simple as saying that one depicts rural life and the other urban life, or that one is a revolutionary and the other a counter-revolutionary. It is difficult to say that they represent the two types of nineteenth-century Russia, nor do they complement each other. The two writers are absolutes, and yet they are at odds with each other. The reader is forced to choose between them. After choosing one, the reader cannot forget the other.
Hakusuisha, George Stainer, translated by Satoshi Nakagawa, Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, 1971, 2nd printing edition p351
Some line breaks have been made.
Tolstoy or Dostoevsky?" It can't be both.
This is something I have felt strongly about in my reading of Tolstoy's works so far.
Previous.ResurrectionandThe Kreutzer SonataAs I mentioned in my article "The Tolstoys", I had such a hard time with these Tolstoy's works that my body rejected them.
It was a physical experience that was truly "Tolstoy or Dostoevsky".
The differences between Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are explained in a simple and stimulating way in this work. It is so interesting that I would like to introduce each and every one of them if I could, but unfortunately I have no time left.
So we quote here the translator's commentary that introduces part of it.
Stayner says that Tolstoy is a writer connected to the epic lineage of Homer, and Dostoevsky is a writer connected to the tragic lineage. If it were only that Tolstoy wrote long novels as he wrote epics and Dostoevsky wrote novels as he wrote plays, it would not be a new opinion.
However, Steiner sharply points out aspects that are often overlooked by fixed conventions surrounding epic and tragedy, and then compares and contrasts the two styles as epic and tragic.
Both Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are titanic Russian writers, but they were intensely aware of Western literature and skillfully adopted Western literary techniques. One cannot say that "Madame Bovary" is art, but "Anna Karenina" is a fragment of life. And Dostoevsky's cruel depictions were modeled on Western literature. With remarkable eloquence, Steiner analyzes and emphasizes the uniqueness of these two writers, comparing Russian and Western literature in every direction.
Of course, comparative literature has not gone unexamined. However, Steiner's approach is very thorough. By finding a genealogy, he asserts his uniqueness. （In the following paragraphs.)
Both Tolstoy and Dostoevsky had two opposites in their minds. In that sense, they may have resembled each other in some aspects, but the two men's language is very different from each other.
It is not an easy task to compare and contrast two writers who are both faced with the contradiction of "this or that," or "negation and affirmation. There may be objections to Steiner's view. However, it must be said that the book's discussion of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as artists from the two genealogies of epic and tragedy, and in relation to the natural literary climate and literature of the twentieth century, is extremely suggestive.
Hakusuisha, George Stainer, translated by Satoshi Nakagawa, Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, 1971, 2nd printing edition p353-4
Some line breaks have been made.
The view that Tolstoy was Homeric and Dostoevsky Shakespearean was particularly interesting.
War and Peace."andThe Iliad.It is well known that Dostoevsky was very heavily influenced byKing Lear"I was very surprised to hear the connection between the two. But listening to Stainer's explanation, I thought, "Oh! I see! Yes, that's right! I was very much convinced.
Even more interestingly, when it comes to Shakespeare's King Lear, TolstoyShakespeare and Theatre Theory.The work was thoroughly rubbished in
Tolstoy was not pleased with anything and everything in "King Lear". He was not pleased with "King Lear" in any way, shape, or form, and he was not pleased with Dostoevsky, whose style was similar to that of "King Lear.
The fact that the two sides inevitably do not agree on the style of their work can be seen from this point of view.
Oh no, it's just so interesting! This book is tremendous! I would highly recommend this one!
The characteristics of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are very clear. We encourage you to pick up a copy. If you like Dostoevsky, you will like Dostoevsky, and if you like Tolstoy, you will like Tolstoy more.
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