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The King of Stuff welcomes Prof. Scott Yenor to discuss how Russian literature can help us oppose the woke hysteria of today. Scott is a professor of political science at Boise State University and a Washington Fellow at the Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life. His most recent book is The Recovery of Family Life: Exposing the Limits of Modern Ideologies.
Russia endured political upheaval in the 19th century and beyond as the Czarist regime was opposed by liberal reformers, radical socialists, and violent nihilists. Authors such as Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky chronicled the rapid changes and predicted the carnage that would result from communism and scientific materialism. Much of the discussion focuses on Dostoyevsky’s The Possessed (also known as Devils or Demons), a novel exploring how a cell of radical leftists can take down a small community from within.
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Yeah, well Russian lit didn’t save Russia from Lenin, did it?
Great conversation. Thanks.
Good point. I conjecture that Russia did not have the depth and breadth of religious resources to prevail against the communist disaster. It is interesting that the Roman Catholic Church in the USA has systematically eviscerated the it’s religious resources since 1965. It’s colleges, seminaries, convents, etc. have declined dramatically. The colleges that remain have mostly abandoned the traditional faith. The Mass and the sacrements have been weakened. Pope Francis is attempting to stamp out residual traditional faith in the church. Are we now too weak to resist the demons described in Russian literature?
I really enjoyed this podcast. Very good question and answer exchange on history, and the parallels of today. I an wondering what you and your guest, Mr. Yenor, thought of the recent Putin speech at a recent gathering. It is getting a lot of attention. Even “Inside the Vatican” posted a link to it. It feels like those in Eastern Europe, but also Poland and Hungary are pulling up the drawbridge to the “woke” culture, and the larger agenda unfolding from the WEF.
Putin takes his usual swipes at the US, and even Biden without naming him, but he’s correct there. But I would be curious to hear from other Ricochet members, and @jon your interpretation by reading between the lines of his speech. He seems to make good arguments for getting back to faith, family, learning from history’s mistakes, yet just shot a satellite down and is heavily rattling the saber at Ukraine……(!)
Also interesting that he seemed to give a hat tip to China, and used two Chinese quotes…….doesn’t Russia have any good quotes? At any rate, they realize the world is at a unique crossroad, maybe not ever seen in history, and everyone is wearing different colored glasses.
https://insidethevatican.com/news/newsflash/letter-143-2021-fri-nov-12-putin/
I’m also including a short clip with Dr. Moynihan and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, 60, of Astana, Kazakhstan, as part of a series:
https://insidethevatican.com/news/newsflash/letter-146-2021-wed-nov-17-schneider-tape-4/
where they also discuss the New World Order.
I love those authors! Among the greatest novelists ever.
Had just read Professor Yenor’s article in First Things. I recommend it if you access. Thanks for the interview. Does Delingpole know about this guy since he’s dipping into Dostoyevsky?
Out of curiosity, if you’ve read any of them, which of these five great novels would you say is the greatest?
War and Peace, Tolstoy
Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky
Fathers and Sons, Turgenev
I would be hard pressed to pick, but while I think Dostoevsky is the greatest of those novelists, I can’t help but feel that Anna Karenina surpasses them as the greatest novel.
It is VERY tough to pick. I would go with Brothers K because I prefer Dostoyevky. Then I’d go with War & Peace. Turganev is still really great, but he’d be last.
I reviewed his book.
https://ricochet.com/839322/a-history-of-how-intellectuals-ruined-familyhenrys-book-reviews-the-recovery-of-family-life-exposing-the-limits-of-modern-ideology/
Jon, I finally listened to the entire podcast and your discussion was spot on. My reaction if you’re asking was very positive about Scott Yenor. Yes, our times are eerily similar to the 1860s Russia as portrayed in these novels. And you are right about the Reaganite agenda being outdated. My biggest beef with conservatism over the last ten years is that it had over emphasized the Libertarian aspect of conservatism when the culture war was where the battle really was. And Libertarianism, God bless them, may be be sound economic policy but it is moral relativism at its core. And that is a cop out on the really issues of the day. That is why I got on board the Trump bandwagon. Trump may have been crude, but he saw the real fight and fought the real fight.
Demons is one of Dostoevsky’s books I have not read. I will put it on my reading list.