The Russian Antihero, Or: The Eastern Alternative to the Western World

The Eastern Alternative to the Western World

Abstract

The article is an attempt to reflect on the category of the Russian antihero not only as a literary phenomenon, but also as a philosophical and cultural one. The concept of antihero refers to problems that are important for the formation of modern culture, because it models a certain type of anthropology of characters who critically fit into the traditionally established model of heroism and European identity. The Eastern (Russian) perspective adopted here provides an alternative to both Western anthropology and the Western antihero. The specificity of the Russian antihero can be described, among others, on the basis of distinctively Russian problems, such as the so-called ‘superfluous man’ or ‘broad soul.’ The Russian antihero is open to criticism of Western values, such as reason, ‘disenchantment of the world’ (rationalization), and social activism.