Aesthetic utopia and “fading” of the aesthetic principle. On the heterogeneity of aesthetic discourse in the later writings of F.M. Dostoevsky

Abstract

This article outlines a new conceptualization of the philosophical aesthetics of F.M. Dos­toevsky as a dialogue of two complexes of ideas – utopic and personalistic. The first complex, based on a concept of the aesthetic intuition, which guarantees the moral adjust­ment of man, is represented in his novels by the experience of the mystic characters and the idea of a God-bearing nation. The other – personalistic conception, represented by the moral dilemmas of beautiful characters and eschatological motives of particular no­vels, on the contrary, highlights the moral ambiguity of earthly beauty and necessity of a free choice between good and evil. By preference of either of complexes of ideas, the research literature is also divided in two directions – the first of which (utopic) origi­nates from the reading of V.S. Solovyov and the other (personalistic) – from the readings of N.A. Berdyaev and V.I. Ivanov. Comparison of interpretations allows us to hypothesize the heterogeneity of aesthetics of Dostoevsky and consider personalism and utopism as two independent philosophical worldviews, exhibited in the novels of Dostoevsky. The analysis of development of Dostoevsky’ aesthetic discourse shows that dualism of conceptions of beauty persists in all his writings, starting from the 1860-s, and that the writer does not collide the ideas of two directions, but statically reproduces them within a single dialogical scheme with no intention of a philosophical synthesis. Such a complication and bifurcation of function of beauty in the moral upbringing of man in later writings of Dostoevsky can reflect his reaction to the revaluation of values, ari­sing from secularization and the crisis of nihilism.