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Secrets, Dark and Deep in Dostoevsky
Dina Babushkina
Department of Political and Economic Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of (elsinki, Finland
ȋeMail: dina.babushkina@helsinki.fiȌ
Abstract The novels of Dostoevsky that are analyzed in the present paper (The
Devils, The Brothers Karamazov) show that the human world is full of secrets.
Why do humans surround themselves with secrets, and what do people hide? I
approach these questions in Dostoevsky by distinguishing between the surface of
the secret (criminal and shameful facts) and its deeper level (the ideas and desires
that justify the crime or go against morality). I talk about three secret facts:
parricide, conspiracy, and perversion. I suggest that the first case is one of
rebellion, resentment, and trampled pride. The second case is that of “conspiracy
theorists” (Airaksinen 2009: 123) in action; it is an example of the disastrous effect
of the wild beliefs that become a motto of revolution. Lastly, I consider a case of
wicked will. My main point is that secrets in Dostoevsky are the way humans view
the world and comprehend themselves.
Keywords secret, conspiracy, crimes, Dostoevsky, wicked will, morality
1. What is implied by secret?
Dostoevsky uses the two words “sekret” and “tajna” as synonyms. The
Russian word “tajna” is broader than the English word “secret”. Firstly,
“tajna” is associated with mystery. The Greek “ȝυıIJȒȡȚοȞ” refers to the
initiative cults of the Greeks such as the Pythagorean or the Orphic cults.
“ΜυıIJȚțȩȞ”, the corresponding Greek word for secret, initially means
“connected to the Mysteries”. It originates from “ȝȪıIJηȢ”, meaning “the
initiate”; the participant of the mystery or the one who was able to learn a
privileged knowledge. This noun, in turn, comes from the verb “ȝυȑω”
that means “to initiate”, “to teach” or “to instruct”. The origin of this word
is the verb “ȝȪω”, “to shut” or “to close” (to shut the eyes or to abate and
to put to rest). Mystical are, thus, most often the divine knowledge and
practices open only to a group of initiated people, while concealed from