Nietzsche and Dostoevsky: On the Verge of Nihilism

Description

The first time that Nietzsche crossed the path of Dostoevsky was in the winter of 1886–87. While in Nice, Nietzsche discovered in a bookshop the volume L’esprit souterrain. Two years later, he defined Dostoevsky as the only psychologist from whom he had anything to learn. The second, metaphorical encounter between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky happened on the verge of nihilism. Nietzsche announced the death of God, whereas Dostoevsky warned against the danger of atheism. This book describes the double encounter between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky. Following the chronological thread offered by Nietzsche’s correspondence, the author provides a detailed analysis of Nietzsche’s engagement with Dostoevsky from the very beginning of his discovery to the last days before his mental breakdown. The second part of this book aims to dismiss the wide-spread and stereotypical reading according to which Dostoevsky foretold and criticized in his major novels some of Nietzsche’s most dangerous and nihilistic theories. In order to reject such reading, the author focuses on the following moral dilemma: If God does not exist, is everything permitted? Cover Acknowledgments Contents Note on Translations and Abbreviations Preface Part I. Nietzsche discovers and reads Dostoevsky 1. Nietzsche’s Discovery of Dostoevsky 2. "L’esprit souterrain" (Katia, The Landlady) 3. "L’esprit souterrain" (Lisa, Notes from Underground) 4. Resentment 5. "Notes from the House of the Dead" 6. "The Insulted and Injured" 7. A Heated Debate 8. A “Subterranean” at Work 9. Petersburg-Style Nihilism 10. Further Readings 11. On the Possible Reading of "Crime and Punishment" 12. Jesus as Idiot 13. "Demons" 14. Dostoevsky as Artist. Russian Pessimism and "Décadence" 15. An Unexpected Silence? A Recapitulation of Nietzsche’s Discovery and Reading of Dostoevsky Part II. If God Does not Exist, Is Everything Permitted? Contextualization of the Problem 1. "The Brothers Karamazov" 1.1 The Plot 1.2 The Reason – Faith Conflict 1.3 Ivan’s Idea 1.4 The Crisis of the Idea 2. "Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted" 2.1 Zarathustra’s Shadow 2.2 The Order of Assassins 2.3 The Posthumous Fragments 2.4 The Variant 2.5 Conclusion 3. Dostoevsky "contra" Nietzsche? 3.1 Raskolnikov’s Extraordinary Man and Nietzsche’s Overman 3.2 Kirillov’s Man-God as Overman? 3.3 Ivan as Nietzsche’s Forerunner? 4. Conclusive Remarks: Rethinking the Relation between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky Bibliography Name Index