A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History
The paper focuses on Dostoevsky’s influence in D. Tartt’s novel The Secret History. The author shows how the main plot collisions of Crime and Punishment are inverted in the book of the American writer. The character of the book is the collective antagonist of Raskolnikov who recognizes the right to...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Russian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature
2022-09-01
|
| Series: | Достоевский и мировая культура: Филологический журнал |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dostmirkult.ru/images/2022-3/08_Ishchenko_147-158.pdf |
| _version_ | 1798003098159939584 |
|---|---|
| author | Nina S. Ishchenko |
| author_facet | Nina S. Ishchenko |
| author_sort | Nina S. Ishchenko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The paper focuses on Dostoevsky’s influence in D. Tartt’s novel The Secret History. The author shows how the main plot collisions of Crime and Punishment are inverted in the book of the American writer. The character of the book is the collective antagonist of Raskolnikov who recognizes the right to kill. The Übermensch is portrayed in the novel as the impeccable rationalist Mycroft Holmes. The spiritual force that guides Tartt’s characters on the path of transformation into an Übermensch is the pagan god Dionysus, to whom the students go to kill. The novel shows the self-destruction of a murderer who refused to see a person in his victim. The author’s voice in the novel is designed on the model of Dostoevsky’s poetics, using the reception of strange phrases uttered by the hero for no reason, as it happens during the wake with the family of a murdered student. At this moment, a phrase pops up in Richard’s head by itself: “It was I who killed the old woman and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed her”. This phrase of Raskolnikov is a brief synopsis of the plot of Crime and Punishment. In Donna Tartt’s novel, this phrase expresses the author’s position, the author’s explanation of what is happening in the book: other characters in another world repeat Raskolnikov’s fate, and the author shows what this leads to. Raskolnikov managed to escape by converting to Christ and accepting his human nature. Donna Tartt’s Übermensch could not be saved, because instead of Christ he communicated with Dionysus. Taking communion with Dionysus in the ancient ritual of homophagy, students go to murder. The novel shows the self-destruction of all five murderers who refused to see a person in their victim: suicide (Henry), suicide attempt (Francis), alcohol and drugs up to complete desocialization (Charles), selfpunishment in the form of rejection of the joys of life and communication with people (Camilla), loneliness (Richard). Thus, Donna Tartt proves from the opposite the same idea that Dostoevsky expressed in his Orthodox novel: every life is priceless, murder destroys people and the world. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:02:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c816e88fd4d47d7917f80f50c44c01b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2619-0311 2712-8512 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T12:02:35Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Russian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Достоевский и мировая культура: Филологический журнал |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c816e88fd4d47d7917f80f50c44c01b2022-12-22T04:24:48ZengRussian Academy of Sciences. A.M. Gorky Institute of World LiteratureДостоевский и мировая культура: Филологический журнал2619-03112712-85122022-09-013 (19)14715810.22455/2619-0311-2022-3-147-158A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret HistoryNina S. Ishchenko0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8616-7087Lugansk State Pedagogical UniversityThe paper focuses on Dostoevsky’s influence in D. Tartt’s novel The Secret History. The author shows how the main plot collisions of Crime and Punishment are inverted in the book of the American writer. The character of the book is the collective antagonist of Raskolnikov who recognizes the right to kill. The Übermensch is portrayed in the novel as the impeccable rationalist Mycroft Holmes. The spiritual force that guides Tartt’s characters on the path of transformation into an Übermensch is the pagan god Dionysus, to whom the students go to kill. The novel shows the self-destruction of a murderer who refused to see a person in his victim. The author’s voice in the novel is designed on the model of Dostoevsky’s poetics, using the reception of strange phrases uttered by the hero for no reason, as it happens during the wake with the family of a murdered student. At this moment, a phrase pops up in Richard’s head by itself: “It was I who killed the old woman and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed her”. This phrase of Raskolnikov is a brief synopsis of the plot of Crime and Punishment. In Donna Tartt’s novel, this phrase expresses the author’s position, the author’s explanation of what is happening in the book: other characters in another world repeat Raskolnikov’s fate, and the author shows what this leads to. Raskolnikov managed to escape by converting to Christ and accepting his human nature. Donna Tartt’s Übermensch could not be saved, because instead of Christ he communicated with Dionysus. Taking communion with Dionysus in the ancient ritual of homophagy, students go to murder. The novel shows the self-destruction of all five murderers who refused to see a person in their victim: suicide (Henry), suicide attempt (Francis), alcohol and drugs up to complete desocialization (Charles), selfpunishment in the form of rejection of the joys of life and communication with people (Camilla), loneliness (Richard). Thus, Donna Tartt proves from the opposite the same idea that Dostoevsky expressed in his Orthodox novel: every life is priceless, murder destroys people and the world.http://dostmirkult.ru/images/2022-3/08_Ishchenko_147-158.pdffyodor dostoevskydonna tarttthe secret historycrime and punishmentrussian literatureorthodoxydionysusübermenschnietzscheancient tragedychristianity |
| spellingShingle | Nina S. Ishchenko A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History Достоевский и мировая культура: Филологический журнал fyodor dostoevsky donna tartt the secret history crime and punishment russian literature orthodoxy dionysus übermensch nietzsche ancient tragedy christianity |
| title | A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History |
| title_full | A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History |
| title_fullStr | A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History |
| title_short | A Student that Has the Right: The Collective Anti-Raskolnikov in Donna Tartt's The Secret History |
| title_sort | student that has the right the collective anti raskolnikov in donna tartt s the secret history |
| topic | fyodor dostoevsky donna tartt the secret history crime and punishment russian literature orthodoxy dionysus übermensch nietzsche ancient tragedy christianity |
| url | http://dostmirkult.ru/images/2022-3/08_Ishchenko_147-158.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ninasishchenko astudentthathastherightthecollectiveantiraskolnikovindonnatarttsthesecrethistory AT ninasishchenko studentthathastherightthecollectiveantiraskolnikovindonnatarttsthesecrethistory |