I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 124 Existence Prior to Essence and Turgenev in France
Kafka's works are, in a sense, precursors to existentialism, so to understand his works to some extent, it is probably necessary to briefly mention what existentialism is.

To put it simply, one of the core tenets of existentialism is that existence precedes essence. This means that when a person is born into this world, does he already possess something called essence?
For example, there is the saying "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good".

Sartre, a leading figure in existentialism, argued that such a thing as essence does not exist. Human existence precedes essence; each person exists first, and then creates their own essence. In other words, humans are destined to create their own meaning. Each person is like an actor pulled onto the stage before they've memorized their lines; there's no script, no prompter whispering instructions. We must decide for ourselves how to live.

If people truly possess this freedom, and truly want to create their own meaning, then when exactly did certain ideas enter our minds and become something that seems unbreakable?
When exactly did we begin to accept concepts such as the collective, the nation, the ethnic group, as well as the individual, autonomy, and freedom, and genuinely feel moved to tears by them?

Why should people follow a generally fixed procedure to live their lives? Moreover, the external order seems unstable. Can money be trusted? Can order, fairness, and justice be trusted? Can the law be trusted?
What do these things that people construct really mean to an individual? A prison or a platform?

In short, in Kafka's time and society, many things were uncertain, everything seemed meaningless, and it seemed that everything would soon be destroyed in the next war. Even the once-powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire, to which Kafka belonged, disintegrated after World War I.

In such an environment, it is easy to conclude that nothing is meaningful, because no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Even in a relatively stable modern society, there are still people who feel very frustrated and bored at times.

Does this frustration and boredom also contain a sense of confusion about one's situation and meaning? Why get married and have children? Why carry a mortgage for decades? Why be stuck in a certain job, sometimes even suffering mistreatment?
If one cannot feel meaning, one will inevitably feel a sense of alienation at times. This alienation can lead to feelings of despair, boredom, disgust, and absurdity, so much so that modern people have to seek solace in various forms of entertainment and other forms of thought.

This sense of alienation, in a sense, points directly to the essence of modern society.

In the specific story "At the Gates of the Law," there are some obvious things that Belinsky could certainly hear:
“Mikhail, I think I understand at least to some extent what kind of story you want to tell, like in your novel, where a steward seems capable of taking on a duke, but I think it’s inevitable that he will lose the case.”

The doors of the law may seem open to everyone, but in reality, they remain a tool for a select few. A country bumpkin might spend his entire life without ever truly entering. For most, let alone defying the guards deeper within, a single word from a lowly guard is enough to nail them to their spot. They would rather wait indefinitely than dare to take even half a step forward.

Even if he tried to bribe, he received a comforting reply like, "My purpose in accepting this is simply to prevent you from thinking that you have been impolite." How is this any different from the officials in Russia today?
So, is it that he himself has bound himself by the door of law that was opened specifically for this countryman?

Does your deeper meaning mean calling on everyone to take action and break these things? It doesn't seem like that's entirely true.

At this point, Belinsky, who seemed to have grasped the concept but still felt it wasn't quite accurate, began pacing back and forth in the room with a frown. The others, who had been quiet, became more certain of their vague ideas after hearing Belinsky's explanation, and they started discussing it.

When they first heard that Mikhail was going to write a novel about law, most of them actually thought that Mikhail was going to write a legal story based on specific legal provisions, perhaps satirizing the barbarity and absurdity of Russian law, or perhaps wanting to write about which direction Russian law should go.

But now it seems that Mikhail is undoubtedly measuring the law and more with a higher and deeper perspective, just like this allegory. It is appropriate in Russia, but why is it not appropriate in other European countries?
However, just like Mikhail's previous novels, besides the story being exciting enough, this young man undoubtedly possesses a discerning eye that can see through appearances to the essence. He can always find those despicable and ridiculous things in things that people have taken for granted.

His previous novels, no matter what, were all based on real life. But this one, while very close to reality, gives the impression that he wants to go a step further and write about a predicament that is not just a Russian problem, but a problem for all of humanity.

Has Mikhail been writing for a year?

Even though he had practiced extensively before, starting with short stories that offered insight into Russian reality and then moving on to novels that presented a new style, is he now trying to make the themes of his novels more profound and sophisticated?
Even though many people present were already stunned by Mikhail's performance and had no more ideas, they were speechless when they realized that Mikhail wanted to continue expanding his literary territory.

Many of these people were also writers, which made them all the more acutely aware of this terrifying feeling. It was one thing to be a genius, but what was even more frightening was that this person wasn't planning to rest on their laurels.
“Mikhail, I have a feeling you want to write an unusual novel.”

After walking back and forth for a long time, Belinsky still couldn't figure out that special feeling, but he decided to wait until he read Mikhail's complete novel before speaking: "As for this allegory alone, apart from those aspects that are quite close to reality, there seems to be something else that is about to emerge. If you think about it carefully, you always feel that there is something deeper in it, which is not divorced from reality, but seems to be able to reach some deeper level."

At this point, Belinsky couldn't help but glance at Mikhail again and again. Most people thought that Mikhail was simply going back to university to get a degree and then make plans for advancement in the officialdom, since a university degree was still quite valuable these days.

Belinsky, however, thought further ahead than others. He always felt that as the situation changed, Mikhail was likely to become the kind of person who could command a large following. In that case, it wouldn't hurt for Mikhail to show his face to some people more often.

But now it seems that none of them were entirely right. While accomplishing the two things mentioned above, Mikhail also seems to be preparing to challenge himself to reach even greater heights in literature. Where does he get so much energy? He's juggling this and that, and in the end, he's also trying to grasp literature.
"Let's wait until the complete version comes out before we talk about it."

Seeing that everyone's thoughts seemed to be getting more and more far-fetched, Mikhail waved his hand and said, "It's just another attempt. We haven't even started writing yet."

There are quite a few things to change before writing "The Trial," and it's hard to say what the final result will be. However, just as Belinsky felt, this novel certainly has real-world significance.

Incidentally, even though the path of literature doesn't have a particularly obvious progression through levels, based on Mikhail's current performance, he's certainly far from reaching the pinnacle of this path. However, Mikhail is still too young; there's no need to rush things. He should focus on paving the way first.

If too many paths like this are inadvertently paved, then in the next century or two, many writers might have to say, "I saw a certain possibility in Mikhail."

Of course, let's not fantasize about such things yet. After discussing these potentially serious topics, lunch at the Panaev family's house was almost served.

As time went by, Nekrasov and Belinsky's economic situation improved considerably, so they no longer secretly scrambled to eat as before. Instead, they became much more relaxed, chatting with the people next to them while eating.

Mikhail didn't care about any of that. What was he muttering? Just eat.

Seeing Mikhail like this, Old Turk, who was originally hesitant about whether just eating there was too unseemly, immediately stopped arguing and started eating with Mikhail.

While Mikhail was enjoying a hearty meal at Panayev's house after a long absence, Turgenev was trying to make a name for himself in a French cultural salon in another country far away.

Regarding how Turgenev left the country, at Mikhail's request, he wrote a letter after leaving to recount his journey.

If traveling by land, the first stop would be from St. Petersburg to Moscow, then westward from Moscow into Poland, then through Prussia into the German Confederation, then via southern Germany or Vienna, and finally to France, the old revolutionary base of this era.

Having studied abroad before, Turgenev was naturally familiar with this route. After arriving safely, Turgenev, in a sense, put Mikhail out of his mind. Throughout the journey, his mind was increasingly occupied by the singer Polina, whom he found very beautiful.

So much so that upon arriving in Paris, he couldn't wait to visit her, even though the actress wasn't particularly enthusiastic about Turgenev's arrival. After all, a famous singer like her had seen far too many followers like him.

But since Turgenev was already somewhat engrossed, he was naturally not discouraged. After all, as Mikhail said, where there's a will, there's a way. When the singer was still in Russia, Turgenev had gotten to know her by first getting to know her husband. Now that he couldn't make any further progress with the singer, Turgenev chose to continue deepening his relationship with her husband, Louis.

To be honest, Mikhail was shocked when she learned about this approach, but others, even the singer's husband Louis, didn't seem to find anything wrong with it.

However, strictly speaking, such things are not uncommon in the rather abstract world of French literature. A more common example is that Mérimée fell in love with Madame Blue, the lover of Stendhal, the author of "The Red and the Black," which led to a tumultuous love triangle.

A more abstract example is the story of Victor Hugo, who is now a renowned figure in the French literary world, and his original admirer and critic, Sainte-Beuve. Simply put, in 1822, Hugo married Adele. At this time, Sainte-Beuve paid no attention to Hugo's wife at all. On the contrary, he was completely devoted to Hugo, and he devoted all his admiration and worship to Hugo.

However, as Hugo's career flourished, the small circle surrounding him continued to expand. Saint-Beuve, noticing this, was furious. He believed that the younger generation was encroaching on his territory, and their fervent worship overshadowed Saint-Beuve's former friendship.

Sainte-Beuve then became jealous, feeling abandoned by Hugo, and wrote to Hugo like a disfavored woman:

"Judging from recent events, your life is being tormented by those around you. Your former friendships have also left you, and you are now surrounded by a group of foolish and crazy people. I am in pain because of this, but I can only reminisce about the past and have to wave goodbye to you and hide in some unknown corner."

At that time, Hugo devoted more of his energy to literary creation and naturally didn't have much time to pay attention to these things.

And guess what?

Hey! Sainte-Beuve immediately fell in love with Hugo's wife, Adele, and even confessed his growing affection for her to Hugo.

Although Hugo was greatly surprised, he didn't immediately break ties with Saint-Beuve. However, after Hugo later neglected his wife Adele, Adele seemed to lose some of her appeal to Saint-Beuve, and he began to doubt his feelings for her.
It can only be said that in the Tauren world, the old version was already very authoritative in this era, and its version is still far ahead.

Putting all that aside for now, when Turgenev finally remembered Mikhail, he tried to make his way in French literary salons, hoping to meet more people and then introduce Mikhail's novels to the world.

However, in this process, Turgenev increasingly discovered that the French literary scene was even more brutal than he had imagined. Even though he initially had great confidence in Mikhail's novels, as he became more and more aware of just how difficult it was for newcomers to rise to prominence in the French literary world, a question eventually arose in Turgenev's mind:
Will it win?
(End of this chapter)