The transgression of limits is a central theme of the novels by Dostoyevsky and Shelley. The stories examine the world of thought and action of two characters feeling trapped within certain limits and trying to break through them, while in their failures other limitations manifest themselves. These different levels add to a total picture reflecting the limits of a consciousness that seeks to overcome its own finitude – manifested in the embodiedness of the self and the factual resistance of the world – through the assertion of the self, but ends up trapped within itself. The stories eventually culminate in the realization that only the opening towards a genuine other can lead out of the entrapment within the self and factuality, and open up a dimension in which the embodied world and every single consciousness is given meaning and value.
I will show that the inner conflict of the two characters is essentially the same, despite the different personal convictions of the authors – Dostoyevsky as a conflicted Christian, Shelley in her critical opposition to religion – and that because of this difference, a resolution of the conflict is possible only in one case. Both authors place their figures in an ultimately profane world from which the latter have alienated themselves to the core of their existence and essence. The opening of the self towards an other is crucial for reconciliation – interhuman relation, however, is also met with limitations within the embodied world. The (im)possibility of overcoming these, at last, is not only conveyed through the content of the stories but concretely realized in the distinctive form of their narrative.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Limits for the Profane Mind
1. Empathy and Morality
2. Sexuality and Mortality
III. Overcoming Limits: Self-Absolutizing
1. Reason and Ethics
2. Science and Spirit
IV. Limits in a Secular World
1. Materiality and Immorality
2. Self-Containment and Death
V. Overcoming Limits: Transformation through the Other
1. Image and Language
2. Dialogue and Grace
VI. Conclusion: Transcendence in-and-beyond the Embodied
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the central theme of the transgression of limits within Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and Shelley's Frankenstein, exploring how both protagonists attempt to assert the self against their respective limitations. The research investigates whether the realization of human meaning is possible through an opening toward the "other" versus the self-destructive entrapment of an isolated, absolutized consciousness.
- The intersection of morality, empathy, and the transgression of existential boundaries.
- The role of science, spirit, and materiality in defining the human condition.
- The significance of dialogue and intersubjectivity in overcoming personal isolation.
- The comparative analysis of Raskolnikov’s and Frankenstein's paths toward self-absolutizing and their eventual failure.
- The theological and philosophical implications of transcendence within an embodied existence.
Excerpt from the Book
1. Empathy and Morality
Raskolnikov has a complex relationship with morals. He seems a morally sensitive and empathetic person to the point where his dreams reflect his subconscious engagement with morality; he is able to feel deep sorrow over the iniquity and suffering prevailing in the world. Instinctively, he confronts this iniquity and does good where possible. In the face of the tragic fates of others he feels their pain just as his own. On the other hand, we find a huge gap between his self-conception and his conception of other human beings. This is manifest in two aspects.
He repeatedly and consciously calls the pawnbroker Aljona, under whose injustice he suffers, a “louse”. After murdering her in a coldly calculated move and, under unfortunate circumstances, being forced to taint himself with her sister's blood as well, he is not able and/or willing to admit its being a moral lapse, even less to feel remorse for his deed. Through this seemingly singular case the whole of his moral actions towards others as mentioned is relativized. His derogatory view of Aljona by degrading her to a subhuman cements his inability to universal empathetic relation to his fellow human beings.
Raskolnikov has constructed for himself his own metaphysics or anthropology of ethics in which he differentiates two classes of human beings: there is the common, low-minded man that is subjected to the moral law, and he whose sublime nature entitles him to transgress it. This enables the latter to deploy their ingenuity to the progress and the good of all humankind. Under this seemingly altruistic motif, Raskolnikov claims to be part of this class.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter introduces the core theme of limit-transgression in Dostoevsky and Shelley, establishing the comparative focus on the two protagonists' entrapment within their own consciousness.
II. Limits for the Profane Mind: This section explores how the characters grapple with empathy, morality, and the finiteness of the body, contrasting their internal worlds with external moral expectations.
III. Overcoming Limits: Self-Absolutizing: This chapter analyzes the attempts by Raskolnikov and Frankenstein to transcend human limits through self-divinization, rationalism, and scientific ambition.
IV. Limits in a Secular World: This part examines the failure of the protagonists to find meaning within a purely factual, material world, leading them deeper into isolation and death.
V. Overcoming Limits: Transformation through the Other: This section discusses the possibility of transcendence through genuine dialogue, the recognition of the other, and the role of grace in breaking the self-imposed prison of the mind.
VI. Conclusion: Transcendence in-and-beyond the Embodied: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, noting that true human potential is realized not through the denial of limits, but through the acceptance of them within a communal and transcendental context.
Keywords
Dostoevsky, Shelley, Crime and Punishment, Frankenstein, limit-transgression, self-absolutizing, empathy, morality, intersubjectivity, consciousness, transcendence, embodied existence, materiality, existentialism, dialogue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work explores the theme of boundary transgression in two literary classics, analyzing how the protagonists attempt to escape their existential limits.
Which authors and novels are compared?
The paper performs a comparative analysis of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
What is the primary goal of the study?
The aim is to show that while both protagonists seek to transcend their human nature, they ultimately fail because they reject the necessity of intersubjective relationships and the acceptance of human finitude.
What methodology does the author employ?
The study utilizes a literary and philosophical analysis, drawing on concepts from existentialism, theology, and ethical theory to interpret the narratives.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The body analyzes the characters' development through their struggle with morality, science, self-containment, and their ultimate encounters (or failures to encounter) with the "other".
How can the work be summarized via keywords?
Key concepts include self-absolutizing, transcendence, the embodied human, empathy, and the failure of individualistic ego-centric worldviews.
Why does Raskolnikov view his murder of the pawnbroker as justified?
He constructs an anthropology where he divides humanity into two classes, believing that a "sublime" individual is entitled to transgress moral laws for the progress of mankind.
How does the concept of "dialogue" serve as a solution in the paper's conclusion?
The paper argues that meaningful existence is not found in isolation, but by overcoming the "self-absolutizing" mind through genuine relation to the other, which allows for grace and true transformation.
- Quote paper
- Céline Sun (Author), 2018, The Significance of Limits. The Parallels between Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" and Shelley's "Frankenstein", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/449020
