Tolstoy and Dostoevsky

10- searching for a question

I was looking for something that would go along with what we learned about Dostoevsky yesterday in the film that followed The Crocodile. I remembered that there was a question on the writing group blog involving Dostoevsky and what Tolstoy's opinion of him might be. Although I didn't know much about Tolstoy, from his 'How Much Land Does a Man Need?', I figured he'd be big on community sense. Perhaps he'd supposed the Socialitic ideas arising in Russia at that time that Dostoevsky so disliked. Who knows. Evidence shall point me in the right direction!

What would Tolstoy think of Dostoevsky?
The question asks about Tolstoy's opinion.

20- Evidence

I had to do a ton of research on Leo Tolstoy to find what what he believed in , what his views were, etc. Then I had to see how they related to those of Dostoevsky. One thing I noticed was that some of their views had similar cores, that they were actually alot alike. Two big ones seemed to be how they felt about order and self-reliance. I also found some on their relationship.

Thesis: Although Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy believed in different things, they reflected the same core values, which led to Tolstoy to think highly of Dostoevsky.

paragraph 1- Tolstoy's Christian anarchism, Dostoevsky's opinion on order

paragraph 2- both possessing an air of existentialism

paragraph 3- mututal respect

30- writing

Although Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy believed in different things, they reflected the same core values, which led Tolstoy to think highly of Dostoevsky. We'll look at two similarities in the beliefs, opposition to order although religious, and self reliance, as well as their relationship with one another.

A common theme between the to authors is their rejection of order, even though they themselves were relgious people. Leo Tolstoy's political views have been stated as those that support Christian anarchism. He was against the Russian governemtnt of the time, and wanted a state in which there were no laws. Maybe not no laws, but only laws that upheld Christian values. Dostoevsky on the other hand only became religious when he got back from Siberia after being emprisoned for writing radical things against the government. He hated order vehemently, claiming it restricted the individual, and even made fun of those that supported it (as we saw in The Crocodile). Both writer were religious men who called for smaller government and less oppression.

Along with so adamently denouncing order, Dostoevsky was also big on rationality, and other elements that would become what we now today as existentialism. It is claimed that his 'Noes from Underground' was the beginning of that school of thought. Such beliefs include the individual having sole responsibility in the meaning of their life, and the importance of freedom of choice and free will (which would be restricted by order). Leo Tolstoy's teachings of Christian anarchism are rationalized ones, and rationality is a huge component of existentialism. Tolstoy also had been caught saying that man can't exist without the idea of free will. These self reliant ideas linked Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, which may have lead to the mutual respect of the two authors.

True, they may never have met face-to-face, but it is known that Tolstoy and Dostoevsky deeply respected one another. They often critisized and praised each other's works. Dostoevsky once said that he thought Tolstoy to be one of the finest of all living writers. There was even a meeting set up between the two men, but there was confusion as to where it would be held, and they never got together. Tolstoy may have denounced Crime and Punishment, but he still had very high opinions of Fyodor Dostoevsky and it has been reported that he wept when the news of his death was broken to him.

There are many elements of Fyodor Dostoevsky's writings and views that are similar to those of Leo Tolstoy's. Both men respected one another, and Tolstoy had very high opinions of Dostoevsky.