Confronting Dostoevsky's Demons: Anarchism and the Specter of Bakunin in Twentieth-Century Russia

264 Pages·2010·2.15 MB·English

by  Dostoyevsky

Confronting
Dostoevsky’s Demons
Anarchism and the Specter of Bakunin
in Twentieth-Century Russia
J G
A M E S O O D W I N
Middlebury Studies in Russian Language and Literature
Although criticized at one time for its highly tendentious spirit,
Dostoevsky’sDemons(1871–1872)hasproventobeanovelofgreat
polemicalvitality.Originallyinspiredbyaminorconspiratorialepisode
ofthelate1860s,wellafterDostoevsky’sdeath(1881)theworkcon-
tinuedtoearnbothacclaimandcontemptforitsscathingcaricature
of revolutionists driven by destructive, anarchic aims. The text of
DemonsassumednewmeaninginRussianliteraryculturefollowingthe
Bolsheviktriumphof1917,whenthereestablishmentandexpansion
of centralized state power inevitably revived interest in the radical
populisttendenciesofRussia’spast,inparticulartheanarchistthought
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’stroublinglegacyinRussia.Contrarytothetraditionalview,
which assumes the obsolescence of Demons throughout much of the
Communist period (1917–1991), this book demonstrates that the
potentialresurgenceofBakuninistthoughtactuallyencouragedreassess-
mentsofDostoevsky’snovel.Byexploringthedifferentideasandcrit-
icalstrategiesthatmotivatedopposinginterpretationsofthenovelin
post-revolutionary Russia, Confronting Dostoevsky’s Demons reveals
howthepotentialresurrectionofBakunin’santi-authoritarianethosfos-
tered the return of a politically reactionary novel to the canon of
Russianclassics.
James Goodwin is Assistant Professor of Russian Studies at the
UniversityofFlorida.HereceivedhisPh.D.inSlavicliteraturesfrom
theUniversityofSouthernCalifornia,LosAngeles.
www.peterlang.com
Confronting
Dostoevsky’s Demons
Middlebury Studies in Russian
Language and Literature

Thomas R. Beyer, Jr.
General Editor

Vol. 33

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
James Goodwin

Confronting
Dostoevsky’s Demons

Anarchism and the Specter
of Bakunin in Twentieth-Century Russia

PETER LANG
New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern
Frankfurt (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goodwin, James.
Confronting Dostoevsky’s demons: anarchism and the specter
of Bakunin in twentieth-century Russia / James Goodwin.
p. cm. — (Middlebury studies in Russian language and literature; v. 33)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, 1821–1881—Criticism and interpretation.
2. Anarchism in literature. 3. Russia—Intellectual life—1801–1917.
4. Bakunin, Mikhail Aleksandrovich, 1814–1876—Influence.
5. Russian literature—19th century—History and criticism. I. Title.
PG3328.Z6G58 891.73’3—dc22 2009039772
ISBN 978-1-4331-0883-9
ISSN 0888-8752

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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
vi Confronting Dostoevsky’s Demons
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
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project would not have been possible without the support of many
individuals and institutions, all of whom deserve my sincere gratitude and
appreciation. The University of Florida College of Arts and Sciences granted
me a semester of research leave in 2006 and funded two summers of research
in Russia with Scholarship Enhancement awards (2004, 2007). In Russian
archives and libraries I was given access to rare material that proved essential
to this book. In Moscow, time spent at the Russian State Archive of Literature
and Art (RGALI), the Russian State Archive and Social and Political History
(RGASPI), the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), the Russian
State Library, and the State Public Historical Library was especially fruitful
and rewarding. For assistance with accommodations in Moscow I thank the
International Program at the Russian State University of the Humanities
(RGGU). In St. Petersburg, the Russian National Library, the Institute of Rus-
sian Literature at the “Pushkin House,” and the Book Fund of the All-Russian
Museum of A. S. Pushkin all granted access to valuable material for the found-
ation of this study. Among some of the individuals who helped facilitate my
work in those places, Tat’iana Chernikovskaia, Head of the Reading Room at
the Pushkin House, deserves special thanks for her generous assistance,
particularly in locating post-Soviet editions of Dostoevsky’s Demons. I am es-
pecially indebted to Marina Bokarius, Head of the Book Funds of the Pushkin
Museum, for kindly granting permission to view some of its holdings. In addi-
tion to her vast knowledge, Marina Vital’evna’s immense appreciation, respect
and love of Russia’s cultural heritage have been a source of great inspiration
for me throughout this project.
Libraries in the U.S. also provided me with a wealth of source material for
this study. For its efforts to locate and obtain rare publications I would like to
thank the staff of the Interlibrary Loan division of the University of Florida
Libraries. Alena Aising fulfilled numerous requests from me to acquire much-
needed titles for the library’s collection. Beyond the University of Florida,
libraries and staff at the University of Southern California, the University of
California at Los Angeles, the Hoover Institution in Stanford, California, and
the University of North Carolina all provided access to their holdings.
Among my mentors, colleagues and friends who contributed in one way or
another to the development of this study, I would like to express my great
appreciation to fellow faculty members in the Department of Literatures, Lan-
guages and Cultures at the University of Florida. The enthusiastic support and
advice I have received throughout this project, particularly from associates in
Russian Studies and German Studies, has been of enormous help. I am espe-
cially grateful to Land Barksdale, Galina Rylkova, Alexander Burak and Eric
Kligerman for their constant encouragement and insightful observations on
viii Confronting Dostoevsky’s Demons
questions relevant to my topic. Each of them kindly read all or part of the
manuscript and offered many excellent suggestions for improvement. From
Alexander Zholkovsky, Marcus Levitt, Thomas Seifrid and John Bowlt at the
University of Southern California I have received invaluable feedback and
remarks on the idea for this book. Without their efforts, my knowledge of
Russian literature and language would not have reached the level required for
productive research. Along with Marcus Levitt, I thank Tat’iana Novikova of
the University of Nebraska for supporting my contribution to their book Times
of Trouble: Violence in Russian Literature and Culture (University of Wis-
consin Press, 2007). One aspect of the present study reiterates, in modified
form, part of my article in that collection. To Michael David-Fox of the
University of Maryland and his co-editors at Kritika I extend many thanks for
seeking the publication of my article “Russian Anarchism and the Bolshevi-
zation of Bakunin” (Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History,
Summer 2007), portions of which were revised for this book.
I am also grateful to many other personal associates and friends, both in
Russia and in the United States, whose support and assistance have been so
important. Irina Men’shova provided indispensable help in resolving the
countless cultural, linguistic, bibliographic and technical problems that arose
throughout my research. For years of hospitality and generosity I would also
like to thank Elena Druzhnikova and especially Aleksei Shchedrovitsky, who
offered unique insight into some fundamental ideas, issues and texts pertaining
to my research. Antonina Men’shova, Fedor Konovalov, Ol’ga Gerleman,
Dar’ia Zamakhina, Galina Savel’eva, Irina Ivanova, Alena Spitsina, Aleksei
Vdovin and other friends in St. Petersburg also graciously offered their time
and energy to help expedite my research in Russia. The late Evgenii Simonov
deserves special mention and gratitude for his thoughtful assistance and expert
advice on computing and other technical matters. His interest in this project
and its requirements provided me with important inspiration, especially during
my months of research in Russia. To Fred Choate I extend sincere thanks for
reading the entire manuscript and unmasking many elusive fleas. On many
occasions he kindly shared his translation expertise and knowledge of Soviet
culture to help shed light on obscure moments in several key Russian texts.
For their conscientious efforts to advance my manuscript to print as care-
fully and rapidly as possible I thank Caitlin Lavelle and Jackie Pavlovic at
Peter Lang Publishers, along with Thomas Beyer, editor of Middlebury Stud-
ies. Needless to say, the book would not have been possible without them.
To Irina and the rest of my family I am particularly grateful for their
support and patience throughout the entire enterprise.