Love and Literary Form: L. N. Tolstoy’s Ideas Recepted by M. O. Gershenzon

Abstract

The paper examines the influence of L. N. Tolstoy’s thought on the literary and philosophical ideas of M. O. Gershenzon. The development of M. O. Gershenzon’s philosophical search relies on the philosophy of love of L. N. Tolstoy. The research traces the evolution of this search from the 1900s until the 1920s (the period of work on “The Triple Image of Perfection” and the book “Gulfstream”). The article highlights the influence of Tolstoy’s search for a new mode of narration (“without any form”) on literary criticism and humanitarian thought in the first quarter of the 20th century. The author concludes that the evolution of Tolstoy’s thought on the narrative technique influenced many areas of the intellectual culture of the 20th century. Tolstoy’s ideas significantly influenced M. O. Gershenzon, from early responses to the philosophy of love to reflection on the essence of literary form and “cohesion” as the base of the slow reading theory.

Keywords

• m. o. gershenzon
• l. n. tolstoy
• philosophy of love
• literary form
• fragmentariness
• aphorism
• diary
• essay