| Summary: | Three principal aspects of A.I. Ertel's (1855-1908) art are considered in this reassessment of his life and works. The
first is his religious ethnography, whereby he represents the felt quality of the religious revival of his time in all its
diversity. The second aspect is the dialogue which his works form with the question of national destiny. The third is the
spiritual autobiography which his oeuvre represents. Accordingly, the approach taken in this study is, from one perspective, historical and biographical, while from another it will make use of M. Bakhtin's notion of "polyphonic artistic thinking" in analyzing Ertel's works. It is the third aspect of Ertel' s art which gives this
thesis its structure. In Part I, "Confrontation," representative early works are considered within the context of
three philosophical confrontations: first, with the notion that the meaning of life is self-evident; second, with philosophical
pessimism; and third, with Tolstoyism.
Part Two is devoted to two novels which reflect Ertel's philosophy of "Compromise." These works present a hopeful view
of both individual and corporate moral development in spite of diversity and sweeping social change. Part Three, "Counter Idea," examines two works which reflect the author's ultimate dissatisfaction with "all-embracing theories" in these works Ertel confronts the reader with reasons for hope and despair with regard to progress and
the destiny of Russia. The Conclusion attempts to re-establish Ertel's place in
Russian literature, giving consideration to the relevance of his works for today and to his particular narrative style.
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