Nicolette Schwab

Ms. Cohl & Ms. Shmidt

FIQUS-10005-HA9

19th November

Sadism and Masochism in 19th Century Russian Literature

In 19th century Russia, large social changes were occurring. Gender roles dating back hundreds of years were being challenged through topics of perversion and sexual decorum. In this time, many Russian authors took it upon themselves to express ideas that came to be known as sadism and mosaicism throughout their works. These topics of perversion connected to character types known as the femme fatale and the fool which portrayed the concept that the only way woman could hold dominance over a man was through her sexual allure. In the texts First Love and The Torrents Of Spring, author Ivan Turgenev uses the roles of Zinaida and Valdimir from First Love and Maria and Sanin from The Torrents of Spring to draw parallels between the character type of the  femme fatale with sadistic behavior and the character type of the fool with masochistic behavior.

Turgenev was seen as rather unique compared to many of the authors during this era in Russia. While several authors began interweaving masochistic and sadistic behaviors in their characters roles, it was typically seen with the accepted gender roles of that time, the man being both physically and emotionally dominate in the relationship and holding the sadistic role.  A woman holding the sadistic role in a relationship was viewed as something that stemmed from personal hatred and physiological vengeance for the “angry” woman against the male (Moore 146). The outlook that a sadistic woman was driven to her sexual and emotional desires only by feelings of evil vengeance was something that bounded the femme fatale character type and the sadistic woman even more. Turgenev challenged these ideas by making the woman play the role of the sadist and the man the role of the masochist. The fact that Turvenegv wrote and represented women with strong sadistic roles gave him the reputation of being one of the more progressive writers in a heavily patriarchal era and reign in Russian society (Costlow 332). Turgenev was credited specifically in the way he represented the woman’s role in his writings: “Turgenev is, perhaps more than any other author, the writer of Russia’s women: woman as enigma, as seductress, as warrant of liberation-she is the center of any number of Turgenev’s narratives, and his ability to recreate convincingly the ethos and emotions of young women lies in the heart of his literary success ( Costlow 332).  Turgenev was seen as an author who gave a voice to the feminine in literature instead of silencing their stories (Costlow 333). This affected the way the public received Turgenev’s writings and further sculpted their opinions on this new wave of sexual liberty that was coming over Russia.

In both of Turgenev’s writings, the female lead character holds complete emotional utter dominance over the man . According to the ideologies of 19th Century Russia, the female was seen as a far weaker being than the male not just physically but emotionally as well. Women were seen as incompetent and unskilled when it came to anything that held masculinity or inner strength. Zinaidas power over Valdimir is rooted in her femininity, her sexual allure, and overall his unbreakable lust for her. The power of sexual desire was virtually the only way in 19th Century Russia that a woman could dominate the relationship with a man (Moore 140). The power of a woman’s desire is not one to be understated, and 19th century Russian authors make that very explicit. Often the tragedy that a woman brings over a man’s heart is so great that it results in his death.

        In Turgenev’s text First Love the relationship between the two main characters, Zinaida and Valdimir is a direct sadomasochistic relationship. Turgenev uses several metaphors throughout the text to further emphasize the dominance that Zinaida holds over Valdimir because of his lust for her. Turgenev writes …’And here I am sitting before her’ I thought; ‘I have made an acquaintance with her…what happiness my God!’ I could hardly keep from jumping up from my chair in ecstasy, but I only swung my legs a little, like a small child who has been given sweetmeats.” (148). Throughout the text, Turgenev uses this metaphor of comparing Vladimir’s passion for Zinaida to that of an ecstatic child several times. This reflects on the idea that Zinaida is superior to Valdimir, not only in a way of admiration, but also of hierarchy respect. The comparison goes further when Turvenegv writes “Ziniadas tears had completely overwhelmed me; I positively did not know what to think, and I was ready to cry myself; I was a child after all..” (170). Even when Ziniada is appearing “weak” in front of Valdimir, a situation where he could hold emoutional dominace over her, he is completely incapable and proves how belittled he feels by simply her presence. Children often are thought to constantly be looking up to someone, for someone to guide them and to be searching for their peers approval. Valdmir portrays this exactly with Zinaida and the reason why she will always hold the sadistic role.

The metaphor of the child also  connects the character type of the fool to the relationship between Zinaida and Valdimir. In Russian literature, the fool character type was explicitly a man; “…the quintessential Russian fool was nonetheless a man, not a woman, a “durak” not a “dura” (Rancour 130). The fools character also was typically seen as constantly trying to seek the approval and pity of his mother, even though the mother was often seen physically and verbally harming the fool (Rancour 129, 130). This masosadistic relationship between the fool and  his mother is seen in First Love with Zinaida and Valdimir. Ziniada is continuously plays mental games with Valdimir; “Zinaida continued to play cat and mouse with me . She flirted with me, and I was all agitation and rapture; then she would suddenly thrust me away…”  (Turgenev 164). The metaphor Turvenev uses “to play cat and mouse with me” is another allusion in which Turvenegv emphasizes Zinaida holding dominace over Valdimir. In the game of cat and mouse, the mouse can never win because the cat will always be physically and emotionally more dominant, the more aggrieve presence, exactly what Zinaida represents in First Love. Zinaida continuously toys with Valdimir’s heart, and yet he still is hopelessly in love with her; and even more so, still holds hope that she will one day adore him too. Zinaidas puzzling mental games are a classic portrayal of the sadistic role that she holds in this relationship.

Zinaida places her dominance over Valdimir with physical sadism as well. Turgenev writes, “The nettles have stung my hands, my back ached, and my head was giddy; but the feeling of rapture I experienced then has never come a second time in my life. It turned to a sweet ache in all my limbs and found expression at last in joyful hops and skips and shouts. Yes, I was still a child.” (173). Even though Zinaida makes Valdimir hurt himself in this scene, he chooses to be giddy with delight as he longs for the masochism which Zinaida does to him.  Turgenev also uses the allusion of the child, “Yes, I was still a child.” (173), to allude again to the relationship between the masochistic fool and the sadistic motherly  role that Zinaida holds. One of the reasons Zinaida’s role with Valdimir could also be interpreted through the fool and mother relationship is because of Valdimirs relationship with his real mother. Valdimir was constantly searching for his mother’s approval, feeling that her opinion was the utmost importance (until Zinaida) “I was afraid of betraying myself before my mother; she had taken a great dislike to Zinaida, and kept a hostile eye upon us.” (164). The approval which Valdmir seeked so desperately from his mother is now transferred over to his relationship with Zinaida in which he submits to her just like he did to his mother. Another pattern that is seen between the fool and the mother in First Love is when Valdimir continuously allows Zinaida to hurt him mentally, belittling his ego and overall aura. The constant submission that Valdmir gives to Zinaida when he accepts her fiery words are what keeps the relationship between the two of them fall into a never ending cycle with Zaniada always being on top. Vladimir’s constant forgiveness and acceptance of her cruel behaviors further lets Zinaida have dominance over him and displays his masochistic role as he is only asking for misery to be repeated time and time again.

Like the text First Love, In Turgenev’s text The Torrents Of Spring the relationship between Dimitry Pavlovich Sanin, and Maria Nikolyevana is another example of how Turgenev was exploring these ideas of masochism and sadism in an untraditional way regarding society’s accepted views on gender roles. In this text there are many parallels [NS18] to first love with the way that Turgenev uses sadism connecting to the character type of the femme fatale which Maria represents in The Torrents of Spring. However, unlike the relationship of Vladimir and Zinaida, which was sadomasochistic in a rather intense emotional way, the relationship between Maria and Sanin was much more bodily. Sanin was regarded as being a “sex slave” (smyrniw 8) in the relationship with Maria, which held an entirely different bond and act of submission to her love . Marias obsession with having Sanin submit to her sexually is a key theme in which the femme fatale character type uses her sexual charm and desire to hold dominance over a man (Moore 146). Turgenev writes “…while Maria Nikolaevna watches him and smiles at him, her bondslave, that smile he knows already, the smile of the proprietor, the slave-owner…” (134). It becomes very obvious and explicit the bond that Maria holds over Sanin in this relationship. Turgenev defines Sanin as a “bondslave” and Maria a “slave-owner”, these terms could be exchanged for masochist and sadist as these characters display these roles explicitly.

Turgenev has a strong use of symbolism in The Torrents of  Spring, in the beginning of the story, before Sanin met the Femme Fatale Maria. Turgenev writes, “Gemma was sitting on a garden seat…” further in the paragraph Turvenegv continues, “… and somewhere a dove was cooing a never-changing, unceasing note.” (64). Throughout the text, the symbol of the dove is associated with the ideal love Sanin has for the character Gemma. Like a dove, Gemma’s love represents purity, chastity, innocence , everything that Sanin has dreamed of in a woman. After Sanin falls under the spell of Maria, Turgenev writes, “Why it was sacrilege! A thousand times he mentally asked for forgiveness of his pure chaste dove, though he could not really blame himself for anything; a thousand times over he kissed the cross she had given him.” (112). Sanin is admitting his want to “sin” for Maria, yet he addresses his desire as not being his fault, but instead places the blame on Maria for seducing him in the first place. It is very common amongst the femme fatale character type that she is seen as the one in the relationship to be responsible for the male’s turmoil after their encounter. The femme fatale is seen as “…as the mythic ‘dark lady, spider woman, the evil seductress who tempts man and brings about his destruction’” (Brofen 113). This is precisely what Turgenev alludes to with his use of symbolism in this section by using the pure dove to represent Sanin’s fragile relationship with Gemma, and asking for its repent after he longs to sin for Maria. As Sanin spends more time with Maria, the more she confuses him, and the more he feels desire for her allure, “…He really was bewitched. His whole being was filled full of one thing…one idea, one desire. Maria Nikolaevna turned a keen look upon him.” (131). Turgenev’s description of Maria “bewitching” Sanin is a direct allusion to the “mythic dark lady” that the Femme Fatale character represents. After Sanin openly professes his desire for Maria Turgenev writes, “She slowly turned over and twisted her unresisting hair, drew herself up, her lips curled with triumph, while her eyes, wide and clear, almost white, expressed nothing but ruthlessness and glutted joy of conquest. The hawk, as it clutches a captured bird, has eyes like that.” (132).  The metaphor Turgenev uses, comparing the victory of Sanins submission to Maria to a hawk gripping its prey paints a perfect portrayal of the power that Maria holds over Sanin. Maria was never genuinely interested in Sanins love, for her it was all about the conquest of getting yet another to submit to her sadistic ways .

In both texts First Love and The Torrents of Spring author Ivan Turvenegv effectively represents the roles of sadism and masochism through the character types of the femme fatale and the fool. Turvengev draws several parallels between the character types and their associated perversions through the metaphors of comparing a woman’s dominance over a man to that of a mother and child, as well as the metaphor of a woman’s mental torment over a man to the game of cat and mouse. Turvegev also uses a great deal of symbolism to represent allusions of the femme fatale character type to that of a menace of physical and emotional torment. This not only brings Turvegenvs texts to life but also gives the reader a much deeper understanding of these topics of perversion in 19th Century Russia and a woman and man’s role within them.

       

 

Karlinsky, Simon. “Misanthropy and Sadism in Lermontov’s Plays[JS1] .” Freedom from Violence and Lies: Essays on Russian Poetry and Music, edited by Robert P. Hughes et al., Academic Studies Press, Brighton, MA, 2013, pp. 77–84. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1zxsk34.9.

 

Moore, Alison. “Rethinking Gendered Perversion and Degeneration in Visions of Sadism and Masochism, 1886-1930.” Journal of the History of Sexuality, vol. 18, no. 1, 2009, pp. 138–157. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20542722.

 

Costlow, Jane T. “Speaking the Sorrow of Women: Turgenev’s ‘Neschastnaia’ and Evgeniia Tur’s ‘Antonina.’” Slavic Review, vol. 50, no. 2, 1991, pp. 328–335. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2500208.

 

Straus, Nina Pelikan. “South Central Review[JS1] .” South Central Review, vol. 13, no. 1, 1996, pp. 71–73. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3189930.

       

 

 

Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich. First Love. Great Loves, 2007.

 

Gan, Elena. The Ideal. Glagoslav E-Publications, 2014