The 200th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of the greatest writers in Russia and the world, was November 11th last year. Literary and intellectual circles in-country and abroad expressed their commemoration.
The Russian novelist Dostoevsky wrote many profound works, such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the House of the Dead, etc. Joseph Brodsky claimed that Dostoevsky’s works reach the deepest side that human beings have ever touched. Chinese writer Lu Xun regarded him as the great interrogator of the human soul.
Recently, Li Zhengrong, professor and advisor to doctoral students in the School of Literature at Beijing Normal University, was invited to share his research and thoughts on Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead in a seminar online. His topic was "The Weight of a Wooden Cross—The Cruel Reality of Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead".
The research interests of Professor Li include Russian literature, European and American literature, and comparative literature.
In a death scene at the end of the second chapter of Notes from the House of the Dead by Dostoyevsky, an iconic figure of the golden age of Russian literature and comparable to Leo Tolstoy, a cross appears multiple times. In such a house of the dead, a young prisoner died. In his unconsciousness of dying, he pulled off the wooden cross that he wore. However, it was put on again later. At that time when the Orthodox Church was regarded as their state religion, it was not uncommon to wear a cross. The discussion of the seminar centered on whether the cross the author mentions is a realistic and objective depiction, or has any indications.
For some people, the novel is a remarkable book because it presents a very unique world to readers. Dostoyevsky is the only one who experienced the death sentence, pardon, and exile. It is an unusual experience and challenging for a writer to describe exile vividly without experiencing it first-hand. Professor Li focused on studying the theological symbols in this scene.
Symbol 1: cross
Did this dying man pull off the cross to imply the heaviness of the cross or loss of faith? He might be reflecting reality while imposing meaning on the wooden cross, the professor said. "Try to imagine a bony felon stripped naked with nothing but a cross and shackles..."
In Dostoyevsky's description, it is a cross in an extremely eerie context. A cross that is wooden, colorless, and hung on a prisoner on death row. Everything had lost its luster. It is hard to determine whether it is a sign of faith. If it is, pulling it off might indicate abandoning the faith.
The book reads, "…the sergeant on duty came in, in a helmet and with a sabre …He went up …he stood stock-still… The sight of the naked and wasted body with nothing on but the fetters impressed him, and he suddenly unbuckled his sword-belt, took off his helmet… and solemnly crossed himself."
In this work, death is the main theme of nature, awakening the compassion that is deeply hidden in the heart of mankind. "That's why I say that in Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead, the heaviness of the wooden cross that appears in the description of a natural and real death, is inadvertently coordinated with the benevolence and compassion in the depths of human nature in that particular space and time. Because of this combination, there is something profound in it," Professor Li added.
Symbol 2: light
The book reads: "…on a bright frosty day. I remember the glowing slanting rays of the sun pierced through the green frozen panes of our windows. The sunshine was streaming full on the dying man."
Light is also mentioned in the Book of Job. When the disaster struck, Job asked the question: " Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul?"
"Meanwhile the dead face was growing rigid; the sunlight was flickering on..."
"Here is the light again. Can the light help the dead? What is the meaning of the light?" he asked.
Symbol 3: mother
Next, "…at that moment…, an inmate stared the whole time mutely and intently into the sergeant’s face… He said to the sergeant: 'He too had a mother!' I remember those words stabbed me in the heart. What made him say them, what made him think of them? ..."
"Mother" appears several times in the Book of Job, "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?"
Job complained about why his mother gave birth to him. He was saying that if I hadn't been born, I wouldn't have suffered like this. When the character in this novel utters the comment, is he repeating or answering Job's question?
"He too had a mother!" Everyone has a mother, and a mother is an image of compassion and mercy. The professor stated that the author depicted a cross on the dying person in the context of Christian culture. Through the image of the skinny dead body, the description of the symbol is deeply and powerfully impressive. Although death is the main theme in Dostoevsky's novel, symbols such as "cross", "light", and "He too had a mother!" reveal men’s mercy deep down inside.
The writer inadvertently combines the heaviness of the wooden cross in the process of death with benevolence and compassion in the depths of human nature in a particular time and space. It does not appear to advocate divinity specifically. However, the combination creates a profound implication, which is Orthodox theology. From this point of view, the comments of the Russian theologians have not mistaken: "Orthodox theology is not in the works of Russian theology, but in Dostoevsky's literature."
- Translated by June I. Chen
去年11月11日，是俄罗斯乃至世界最伟大的文学家之一陀思妥耶夫斯基诞辰200周年，国内外有不少文学界和思想界表示纪念。
陀思妥耶夫斯基写出了多部深刻的作品，如《罪与罚》、《白痴》、《群魔》、《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》、《死屋手记》等，可以说是。布罗茨基称他写出了人类能抵达的全部深度，鲁迅将他视为人类灵魂的伟大审问者。
日前，李正荣教授受邀通过在线讲座分享了他对陀思妥耶夫斯基的作品《死屋手记》的研究和思考。他的题目是：一个木制的cross的重量——陀思妥耶夫斯基的《死屋手记》的残酷真实。
李正荣教授是北京师范大学的文学院教授、博士生导师，主要研究方向：俄罗斯文学、欧美文学、比较文学等。
这位比肩托尔斯泰的俄罗斯文学黄金时代的代表人物陀思妥耶夫斯基《死屋手记》第二部第一章结尾一个死亡场景中，多次出现十字架。在这样一个死屋中，一个年轻的罪犯死了，在濒死的无意识中，他身上的木制的cross被扯下来，然后再被戴上。当时东正教是他们的国教，人人都信，十字架戴在身上很正常，但是作者写一个木制十字架究竟有没有神学寓意？这次讲座讨论的是到底它是一个写实性的客观描绘，还是有另有寓意。
有人说《死屋手记》是奇书，因为向读者展示了一个非常独特的世界。因为只有他有这个经历，判死刑、豁免、被流放。这是一个不寻常的经历，一个作家如果没有亲身经历，想写流放地很难写的这么真切。 李教授着力于探讨这个场景中的神学符号。
符号1：cross（十字架）
这个濒死的人要扯掉十字架，是因为十字架沉重还是他要丧失信仰？可能他在写实，但写实中赋予了木制十字架意义。想想看，当一个重犯脱光衣服，瘦骨嶙峋，只剩十字架和脚镣的时候……
在陀思妥耶夫斯基的笔下，这是一个极度阴森的语境中的十字架。木制的，没有颜色，挂在死刑犯身上，一切都失去了光泽，不好说是不是信仰的标志。如果是，扯下来也可能是抛弃信仰。
书中写道，“一个人来了，穿戴整齐，威武的样子，上前一步停下来。看着一丝不挂地只带着一个脚镣的干瘦的尸体。突然解开盔甲，摘下头盔，画了一个大十字。”
在这部作品中，死亡是自然的主旋律，唤醒了深藏在人内心中的慈悲。“因此我说，陀思妥耶夫斯基的《死屋手记》，在描写自然真实的死亡过程中出现的木制十字架的重量，与绝对时空中的人性深处的仁爱慈悲不经意间搭配在一起了。由于这种搭配，复杂的意义也就隐于当中了。”
符号2：光
文中写道：“那天寒冷而晴朗，当时阳光灿烂，一束斜晖照进我们病房那微微结着薄冰的绿色玻璃窗，阳光的一整束光，倾泻在这个不幸的人身上。”
这一束光在《约伯记》中也可以看到。灾难来到，约伯提出问题：“受患难的人为何有光赐给他？心中愁苦的人为何有生命赐给他？”
“这时死者的脸上渐渐变僵硬了，一道阳光照在……”
还是光，对于死人来说光有用吗？光的意义是什么呢？
符号3：母亲
接下来，“有一个同样的住在病房里的囚犯。他看着军人在旁边站着，他走到军人旁边，死刑犯毫无来由地说了一句话：‘他也有母亲！’记得，这句话使我感到一阵刺心的痛……他为什么要讲这样的话，又怎么会想起这样的一句话呢？……”
约伯记也前后几次出现母亲，“我为何不出母胎而死？为何不出母腹绝气？为何有膝接收我？为何有奶哺养我？”
约伯抱怨母亲为什么生我，他在说如果我没有生下来，就不会遭受这样的痛苦。这个小说笔下的人物说了这句话，是重复约伯的问题，还是在回答约伯的问题？
“他也有母亲！”每个人都有母亲，母亲是怜悯，慈悲的形象。教授说道，作者在基督教文化的背景下，在濒死者身上安排了个十字架，通过瘦瘦的尸体，用死亡强化符号刻写的深度，力透纸背。在陀思妥耶夫斯基的《死屋笔记》中死亡是主旋律，但透过“cross”，透过“光”，透过“他也有母亲”这些符号，表现了隐藏在人内心深处的慈悲。
结语
作家把死亡过程中木制十字架的重量与绝对时空中人性深处的仁爱慈悲不经意搭在一起。表面上不是特意崇尚神性，但搭配之后便让复杂的意义感隐于其中。其复杂的意义，就是东正教神学。从这一点来说，俄罗斯神学家说的还真对：“东正教的神学，不在俄罗斯神学著作里，而在陀思妥耶夫斯基的文学作品里。”
学术|李正荣教授谈俄罗斯文学：陀思妥耶夫斯基作品《死屋手记》的残酷真实里隐藏的悲悯人性
The 200th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of the greatest writers in Russia and the world, was November 11th last year. Literary and intellectual circles in-country and abroad expressed their commemoration.
The Russian novelist Dostoevsky wrote many profound works, such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from the House of the Dead, etc. Joseph Brodsky claimed that Dostoevsky’s works reach the deepest side that human beings have ever touched. Chinese writer Lu Xun regarded him as the great interrogator of the human soul.
Recently, Li Zhengrong, professor and advisor to doctoral students in the School of Literature at Beijing Normal University, was invited to share his research and thoughts on Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead in a seminar online. His topic was "The Weight of a Wooden Cross—The Cruel Reality of Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead".
The research interests of Professor Li include Russian literature, European and American literature, and comparative literature.
In a death scene at the end of the second chapter of Notes from the House of the Dead by Dostoyevsky, an iconic figure of the golden age of Russian literature and comparable to Leo Tolstoy, a cross appears multiple times. In such a house of the dead, a young prisoner died. In his unconsciousness of dying, he pulled off the wooden cross that he wore. However, it was put on again later. At that time when the Orthodox Church was regarded as their state religion, it was not uncommon to wear a cross. The discussion of the seminar centered on whether the cross the author mentions is a realistic and objective depiction, or has any indications.
For some people, the novel is a remarkable book because it presents a very unique world to readers. Dostoyevsky is the only one who experienced the death sentence, pardon, and exile. It is an unusual experience and challenging for a writer to describe exile vividly without experiencing it first-hand. Professor Li focused on studying the theological symbols in this scene.
Symbol 1: cross
Did this dying man pull off the cross to imply the heaviness of the cross or loss of faith? He might be reflecting reality while imposing meaning on the wooden cross, the professor said. "Try to imagine a bony felon stripped naked with nothing but a cross and shackles..."
In Dostoyevsky's description, it is a cross in an extremely eerie context. A cross that is wooden, colorless, and hung on a prisoner on death row. Everything had lost its luster. It is hard to determine whether it is a sign of faith. If it is, pulling it off might indicate abandoning the faith.
The book reads, "…the sergeant on duty came in, in a helmet and with a sabre …He went up …he stood stock-still… The sight of the naked and wasted body with nothing on but the fetters impressed him, and he suddenly unbuckled his sword-belt, took off his helmet… and solemnly crossed himself."
In this work, death is the main theme of nature, awakening the compassion that is deeply hidden in the heart of mankind. "That's why I say that in Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead, the heaviness of the wooden cross that appears in the description of a natural and real death, is inadvertently coordinated with the benevolence and compassion in the depths of human nature in that particular space and time. Because of this combination, there is something profound in it," Professor Li added.
Symbol 2: light
The book reads: "…on a bright frosty day. I remember the glowing slanting rays of the sun pierced through the green frozen panes of our windows. The sunshine was streaming full on the dying man."
Light is also mentioned in the Book of Job. When the disaster struck, Job asked the question: " Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul?"
"Meanwhile the dead face was growing rigid; the sunlight was flickering on..."
"Here is the light again. Can the light help the dead? What is the meaning of the light?" he asked.
Symbol 3: mother
Next, "…at that moment…, an inmate stared the whole time mutely and intently into the sergeant’s face… He said to the sergeant: 'He too had a mother!' I remember those words stabbed me in the heart. What made him say them, what made him think of them? ..."
"Mother" appears several times in the Book of Job, "Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed?"
Job complained about why his mother gave birth to him. He was saying that if I hadn't been born, I wouldn't have suffered like this. When the character in this novel utters the comment, is he repeating or answering Job's question?
"He too had a mother!" Everyone has a mother, and a mother is an image of compassion and mercy. The professor stated that the author depicted a cross on the dying person in the context of Christian culture. Through the image of the skinny dead body, the description of the symbol is deeply and powerfully impressive. Although death is the main theme in Dostoevsky's novel, symbols such as "cross", "light", and "He too had a mother!" reveal men’s mercy deep down inside.
The writer inadvertently combines the heaviness of the wooden cross in the process of death with benevolence and compassion in the depths of human nature in a particular time and space. It does not appear to advocate divinity specifically. However, the combination creates a profound implication, which is Orthodox theology. From this point of view, the comments of the Russian theologians have not mistaken: "Orthodox theology is not in the works of Russian theology, but in Dostoevsky's literature."
- Translated by June I. Chen
Professor Shares Compassionate Humanity in Cruel Reality of Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead
