Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) never wrote any novels and deeply disliked those written by his mother, Johanna. She had attained notoriety by her romantic novels and reciprocated his son’s literary dislike by calling his essays uninteresting. However, the novels written by Johanna Schopenhauer were quickly forgotten, while Arthur Schopenhauer’s works attracted growing interest. Eventually, his ideas have influenced authors and shaped their novels. Schopenhauer’s influence on literature has taken place more in the novels’ atmosphere than in their explicit philosophy. You won’t find in literature a detailed exposition of Schopenhauer’s theory of the will, only its influence in shaping the background and attitudes of the characters. According to Schopenhauer, the will (“life force”) is driving living entities to secure their survival and reproduction, and to seek pleasure, irrespective of the costs and risks incurred. In his book “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer depicts the dire consequences of falling under the control of the will and focusing only on the short term. Humans can become self-aware, adopt countermeasures and minimise the influence of the will. Schopenhauer enumerated those countermeasures in “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). The countermeasures include prudence, foresight, self-reliance and self-discipline, and artistic contemplation. Authors familiar with Schopenhauer’s ideas have translated his theory of the will into stories where heroes are driven by passion and ambition. Those literary heroes struggle to adopt the countermeasures proposed by Schopenhauer, improve their lives, and attain happiness. Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) created fiction heroes that mirror Schopenhauer’s philosophy. That’s particularly true in his masterpiece “Crime and Punishment” (1866). Its hero is named Raskolnikov and the novel depicts his fears and hesitation after he has committed a murder. Would have Schopenhauer considered Raskolnikov a model of ethics? No, absolutely not. I’m fairly sure that Schopenhauer would have disliked “Crime and Punishment” and all works by Dostoevsky because they present heroes controlled by the will. Dostoevsky’s heroes have their lives ruined by the will, but seldom adopt countermeasures. Their stories match the pattern outlined by Schopenhauer, but Dostoevsky fails to tell readers how to escape those circumstances and build a better future. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-influence-on-literature/

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