Dostoevskii and Slavophilism : a new perspective on unity and brotherhood.

The question of Dostoevskii's affinity with the Slavophiles has been
remarked upon by many critics, but hitherto has not been explored in sufficient
depth. It is proposed that an examination of his engagement with ideas central to
Slavophilism offers a new understanding of Dostoevskii's ideological stance, of
the key concepts of his fiction, of his faith, and of his artistry. This study selects
the thinkers Khomiakov and Kireevskii as the proponents of the strand of
Slavophilism to which Dostoevskii was closest; it focuses on sobornost',
tsel'nost', wholeness and fragmentation as the essential concepts that have
resonances in Dostoevskii. Dostoevskii' s career as a thinker is examined through
the medium of his non-fiction, in order to establish where he stood in relation to
contemporary thinkers and to determine his own interpretation of Slavophilism.
Next his fiction is studied, and it is found that Khomiakov's scheme of a tension
between the positive and negative categories of Iranianism and Kushitism may
be mapped onto Dostoevskii's fiction, and that the principles of these categories
correspond to fundamental principles shaping his work. Moreover, the emphasis
in Iranianism on unity and brotherhood allows for a fresh perspective of
Dostoevskii's faith and its position with regard to Orthodoxy. Finally, attention
turns to Dostoevskii's artistry, so as to establish the manner in which unity and
wholeness manifest themselves in the structure and composition of his works. It
is found that by positing the existence of a Slavophile aesthetic, an alternative
definition of form is possible according to which Dostoevskii's works, both
fictional and non-fictional, are shown to possess a unity of form and idea. It is
concluded that Dostoevskii is an important successor to the Slavophiles and that
he developed their ideas in a more consistent fashion, thus broadening their
moral and spiritual concerns into a more universal message.