Compassion as a Soul Connection in Dostoevsky‘s “The Idiot” and Natsume Soseki‘s “Kokoro”

Authors:

Pages: 335-344
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/RTLK9872

Abstract:

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 – 1881) and Natsume Soseki (1867 – 1916), considered among the greatest men of letters of Russia and Japan respectively, both lived through the turbulent times of rapid modernization, based on European models, and displayed in their works keen psychological insight into the fundamental changes which the modernization process brought about in both Russian and Japanese society. The topic of this paper addresses the bonding power of compassion in Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” (1869) and Soseki’s “Kokoro” (1914), as the main characters’ complex relations, marred by jealousy and selfish love, unfold. This paper will argue that the similarities, evident in the two works, in terms of the tangible juxtaposition of the lower and higher dimensions of love, reflect the authors’ views on the role of compassion as a counterbalance of egoism in modern society.

Keywords:

Dostoevsky, Natsume Soseki, compassion, modern society, comparative study

Download

NA