The Story “The Cossacks” and the Struggle Between Romantic and Anti-Romantic Tendencies in the Worldview of L. N. Tolstoy in the 1850s

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Evlampiev, I. I. “The Story ʽThe Cossacks’ and the Struggle Between Romantic and Anti-Romantic Tendencies in the Worldview of L. N. Tolstoy in the 1850s–1860s.” Dva veka russkoi klassiki, vol. 8, no. 3, 2026, pp. 108–137. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2686-7494-2026-8-3-108-137
Abstract:
This article demonstrates that Romanticism, understood as a philosophical worldview that emphasizes the human personality and its spiritual richness, was the main tendency of 19th-century Russian culture and determined the creative and ideological development of Leo Tolstoy in the 1850s. This worldview is evident in the story “Albert,” where the brilliant violinist serves as a typical example of a Romantic supreme personality, rising above all others thanks to his spiritual development. At the same time, an opposite, anti-Romantic tendency develops in Tolstoy’s war stories, which finally comes to the fore in the story “The Cossacks.” In the story’s protagonist, Tolstoy portrays a personality directly opposed to the Romantic model. In an attempt to approach the Cossacks, Olenin downplays his spiritual impulses, striving to approach the level of semi-animal existence characteristic of the Cossacks. This model of man, influenced by the ideas of J.-J. Rousseau, later defined the main tendency of Tolstoy’s philosophy of history in “War and Peace.” However, in 1869, Tolstoy became fascinated by the philosophy of A. Schopenhauer, which led to his return to the Romantic worldview and the concept of supreme personalities.
Keywords: L. N. Tolstoy, Romantic worldview, concept, higher personalities, Fichte, Enlightenment philosophy, Rousseau, natural man
Author: Igor I. Evlampiev
Information about the author:
Igor I. Evlampiev, DSc in Philosophy, Professor, St. Petersburg State University, Mendeleevskaya line, 5, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7209-2616.

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Received: January 13, 2026
Approved after reviewing: April 16, 2026
Published: September 25, 2026
Issue: 2026 Volume 8 No. 3
Department: Russian Literature of the 18th–19th Centuries
Pages: 108-137
DOI: Visit Website
EDN:
https://elibrary.ru/KRZGHI
UDK: 821.161.1.09"19"
Publication Type: Research Article

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