I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 101 Peter and Paul Fortress
More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle described humankind in his book *Zoology*, arguing that humans are the noblest animals in nature because they possess reason and wisdom, enabling them to think, reason, create, and reflect. He considered humans the most outstanding of all animals.

But at the same time, if a person goes astray, he is the worst of all beasts.

Opinions may vary on whether something is right or wrong, but people do often have certain biases in their thoughts and actions.

In terms of ideas, there are always people who can come up with words or concepts that can stir the emotions of most people.

Fairness, justice, honesty, kindness, freedom, and the principle that all men are created equal.
But what is fairness? What is justice? What is freedom? What is kindness?

Will it vary depending on the person?

And sometimes, as it says in Animal Farm, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, the old revolutionary base areas and old laws faced this misalignment between ideals and reality during the Great Revolution.

Those Enlightenment thinkers firmly believed that reason would dominate the world. They turned to reason, regarding it as the sole arbiter of all existing things. They believed that a rational state and a rational society should be established, and that everything that contradicted eternal reason should be ruthlessly eradicated.

Ultimately, however, the rational state was completely bankrupt. Rousseau's social contract was realized during the Reign of Terror, and the bourgeoisie, having lost confidence in their own political abilities, initially turned to the corrupt Directory in order to escape this terror, and finally sought refuge in the despotic rule of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The age of revolution has arrived!
So, after the revolution, did peace arrive? Did society improve? Did the situation of the poor and their children improve?

Or has it gotten worse?

This gives us a general idea of ​​why writers of the 19th and 20th centuries often exhibited counter-revolutionary tendencies. After all, writers are often the most prone to doubt and the most likely to become moralists and humanitarians.

Dickens is a typical example in this regard. On the one hand, he spared no effort in showing the miserable lives of the lower classes in Britain at that time. On the other hand, he also showed the destruction of people and the devastation brought about by the revolution in his book.

Nevertheless, the pursuit and impulse for a so-called "utopia" seems to exist forever in the depths of human nature. There will always be people willing to launch Don Quixote-like charges for an ideal world, even at the cost of their personal freedom and rights.

But things never turned out as expected.

While the feudal era was still ongoing and the era of the bourgeoisie had just begun, in 1515, Thomas More, a member of Parliament, wrote "Utopia" based on stories told by sailors during his trip to Europe.

He wrote in his book that the source of the suffering of British farmers was that sheep ate people, and that private ownership was the source of poverty.

As the Industrial Revolution progressed, more and more thinkers discovered that it only made a small number of people rich. They saw emaciated children in the cities who had to start working at a young age, and workers who spent their days drinking to relieve their worries. They increasingly felt that only a completely new society could save humanity.

So, like Enlightenment thinkers, they began to try to find a new path to realize their ideal kingdom.

Some people only have ideas, while others have already started to try to put them into practice. Although they all eventually faced failure, they have indeed made a new voice heard.

This voice gradually began to resonate across the European continent, and naturally reached Russia, which had long been deeply influenced by European thought. In Russia, this idea stirred certain emotions among many intellectuals, and in short, it was warmly welcomed by some. Among these people, Petrashevsky was indeed among the first to take the plunge, and of course, among the first to face the iron fist.

After hearing Dmitry's words, Mikhail's mind raced with thoughts, but in the end, all he could do was pat the somewhat excited Dmitry on the shoulder and say, "Oh, I see. But I've been a bit busy lately, and there are some things I need to think about. We'll talk about it later."

He found a seat next to Dmitri and sat down.

After a moment of stunned silence, Mikhail gradually came to his senses. Looking at the food on the table, Mikhail, who had been too busy talking to eat much at the party, finally smiled with relief.

Forget it, now that things have come to this, let’s eat first.

So Mikhail began his meal under the somewhat puzzled gazes of Dmitry and Old Dostoevsky.

"Is Mikhail not very interested in these kinds of gatherings?"

The young Dostoevsky whispered to Dmitry, "But he is indeed very busy. After all, apart from playing cards, Mikhail seems to spend the rest of his time working and studying."

"I think it's probably just because I'm hungry."

Watching Mikhail eat, the bear-like man thought for a moment, then looked at the table and said, "After talking for so long, I'm a little hungry too. Let's eat first."

Dostoyevsky: “?”

Dostoevsky, who hadn't eaten much of the rather exquisite food on the table and whose financial situation was rather modest, paused for a moment, then unconsciously nodded: "That makes sense."

And so, the three of them began to eat and drink heartily in this lively atmosphere.

However, while Mikhail was eating, he was also thinking about problems.

To be honest, Petrashevsky and the other members of his group were really unlucky. They happened to be caught in a critical period and happened to encounter Nicholas I's tyranny, which ultimately led to their exile.

After all, the Petrashevsky Group's initial activities were mainly about exchanging ideas, and they did not advocate overthrowing the Tsar's autocratic regime through revolution.

As a result, after the European revolutions broke out in 1848, some radicals in Russia also prepared to follow the revolutionary wave in Europe. Some radical members of the Petrashevsky group advocated that the masses should be mobilized to seize the throne of the Tsar through armed uprising.

Just as they were preparing to establish an underground printing press to spread revolutionary ideas among the people, His Majesty the Tsar gave an order, and heavenly soldiers descended, disguised as spies to find out the whereabouts of the Petrashevsky faction members. They then disguised themselves as revolutionaries, infiltrated the Petrashevsky family to participate in activities, and recorded the meeting and the content of the speeches before reporting to the Tsar.

And so, most of Petrashevsky's members were rounded up and sent to the infamous Peter and Paul Fortress.

But if you look at it from another angle, if Mikhail goes in, then he's really just doing a pilgrimage to the holy site, pshaw!
After eating and drinking his fill, Mikhail realized that the situation wasn't as dire as he had initially thought. However, he still needed to think about what to do, otherwise, when the time came, he might actually end up mining in Siberia with Demi and Old Dostoevsky.
(End of this chapter)