Page:The Spirit of Russia by T G Masaryk, volume 2.pdf/39

Rh upon a socialistic and communistic basis; its institutions must conform to the ideals of Fourier; these ideals are to be realised through cooperative organisations à la Louis Blanc, and by the education of men, not only as suggested by Fourier, but also in accordance with the designs of Owen.

Věra, Lopuhov's wife, takes delight in organising productive cooperatives of sempstresses. Not merely does her husband assist Věra in these social endeavours, but when he learns that his wife loves the philosopher Kirsanov, and is loved in return, he voluntarily retires from the field. Having arranged the details of a pretended suicide, he betakes himself to America. His wife, now legally free, but privately informed as to Lopuhov's place of residence and designs, marries Kirsanov. As soon as Lopuhov is convinced that he has overcome his love for Věra he returns to St. Petersburg to marry a friend of his former wife. The two families live thenceforward on the most cordial terms.

The construction of the novel is not merely simple, but weak. In conflict with the principle of realism, there is little action, but a great deal of discussion. The most important psychical processes are not subjected to analysis—and this indeed is not to be expected from a realist. The socialistic institutions of society are presented to us in dreams. Many other criticisms might be made from the aesthetic outlook. The main interest of the novel is concentrated upon elective affinities (to use Goethe's phrase), and upon the description of the realists or nihilists. Persons of the younger generation were enthralled with the book; those of the older generation, and not conservatives alone, were angered by it. Even Saltykov used very ambiguous language about it, writing on the subject in Černyševskii's review, and comparing nihilist women with demi-mondaines, and nihilist men with the minor recipients of official distinctions. The literary debate concerning nihilism gathered strength to become an open fight.

The woman's question, and above all the problem of the relationship between husband and wife, has long exercised men's minds. Indeed, we might almost say that the whole of modern literature is devoted to the subject. Rousseau, Lessing, Goethe, and Byron, did not merely discuss it as a topic, but lived it in their personal lives. In Russia, during the forties, George Sand was the fashion, but Puškin treated the subject boldly and independently in the character of