Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1877) depicts the effects of Russia modernization (emanciaption of the serfs and technology). The novel represents archetypes such as the quasi-superfluous man, Vronsky, a dashing young officer in the army who leads Kitty on and chases after Anna Karenina, where she has an affair with. Vronsky appears to not have guilt for what he did to Kitty’s yet has a sense of need to love Anna despite later no longer having feelings for her anymore. His actions aren’t restrained on the possible consequences. Another archetype is Levin’s resentful and poor brother Nikolai. Following a similar trope of this superfluous man, Nikolai is a heavy drinker living a life of squalor, blaming society and flirting with communism rhetoric. These representations show some of the continuity and creation of the superfluous man brought from Russia’s social and industrial changes.
Anna Karenia, Dolly, and Kitty show the unfortunate double standard for women in Russian society. Dolly’s husband has an affair with the governess yet is obliged to forgive him. No societal repercussions are brought upon him for this, yet Anna Karenia is shunned from society for having an affair with Vronsky. The vulnerability and lack of choice of women in Russia is also highlighted by Kitty’s courtship with Vronsky. She is bedridden for months after he chases after Anna. Tolstoy’s representation of these sympathetic situations for women brings light for the situation of women, modernity has not brought more for women, yet creates instabity between this class with the aristocracy between liberals (western ideals, democracy) and conservatives (believe in serfdom). Arranged marraiges are going out of style, Levin’s relationship with the peasantry and their reluctance to share his innovative argicultural ways he learned abroad show this instabilty brought upon with Russia’s changes.
Nietzche’s “God is dead” quote represents the removal of people placing their faith in religious morality and metaphysics (in general world theories). The result of the enlightenment and this push back against religion created a void in one finding meaning in life. Although Nietzche criticized Christianity, we see the acknowledgment of the possible ramifications with replacing it. Nihilism was often this void created from the removal of religion. In Beyond Good and Evil (1886), he suggest that the will to power, not the will to truth is the driving force of human beings. That humans seek achievement, and raising themselves up the hierarchy. The will to truth was often a byproduct to reach these ends. Nihilism is the rejection of absolute truth, one has their own take of truth and can mold society to such a thing. This perceived individual truths would replace absolute truth such as that with religious morality. The acknowledgement of growing nihilism did not necessarily promote it, we see precursors to it with the superfluous man archetype in Russian literature. This criticism or rejection of world theories such as Christianity had an impact on influencing Russia’s intelligentsia with its views of Russian Orthodoxy while at the same time warning of the nihilism (superfluous man for example) when deconstructing world theories. Nietzche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) says “A new pride my I taught me, and that I teach to men: no longer to thrust one’s head into the sand of heavenly things, but to carry it freely, a terrestrial head, which creates a meaning for the earth!” (30). In essence, Nietzche says that instead of becoming distraught with the beliefs that world theories and your culture have brought, believing there is no beliefs that can satisfy you, but to search for meaning that doesn’t involve like in Christianity an afterlife. Nihilism comes about when this meaning isn’t created, when the belief in authority, in Christianity is rejected (as you can see with the nihilist that murdered Tsar Alexander II). Nietzche gives a remedy to this, to find meaning in life, to achieve a higher version of oneself. And so, instead of feeding into the Nihilist movement in Russia, Nietzche’s writings provides an antidote to this.
Beyond Good and Evil (1886)
https://books.google.com/books/about/Beyond_Good_and_Evil.html?id=yas8AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q=A%20new%20pride&f=false
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883)
https://www.nothuman.net/images/files/discussion/1/9994c4af16851fe2bc691b8896cf6694.pdf