I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 166 Overcoming this era within oneself

Generally speaking, after a newcomer's work is read aloud at a salon, the important figures in the room will begin their comments. However, due to the unequal status among them, these comments often carry a guiding and condescending tone.

But perhaps because the two great writers on stage had just been arguing, after listening to the novel, they couldn't help but start arguing about it again.

In this process, although Balzac was initially jealous and disdainful of the shallowness of the novel "Around the World in Eighty Days" and was prepared to severely punish the lucky foreign boy, after listening to the novel "My Uncle Jules", he had to admit that the novel suited his taste very well.

Every character in this novel is so real and believable that you can find their prototypes if you pay a little attention to life. This is unlike the overly idealized characters created by George Sand, who seem exciting but are impossible to find in real life.

To some extent, this is one of the key differences between romanticism and realism. Romantic protagonists are often so noble, full of fighting spirit, and so idealistic that their failures are so regrettable.

Realism, on the other hand, tries to tell you what life is really like, without any embellishment. Yes, humanity and human society are just that mundane and realistic. Don't think too much about other things.

For Balzac today, he certainly appreciates the latter aesthetic principle more.

This novel depicts the starkly naked monetary relationships between people, the dramatic shifts in attitudes caused by money, and the weight given to kinship.
Therefore, even though Balzac subjectively intended to ridicule and criticize the novel, he inevitably expressed his appreciation for it during his debate with George Sand, and at the same time, he became increasingly aware of its brilliance.

Perhaps due to the difference between long and short stories, this novel, in its depiction of the influence of environment and money on people, does not employ the same sweeping and expansive style as in "Old Goriot." Instead, like "The Necklace," it cleverly uses extremely small things and very short plots to depict extremely broad themes.

As for George Sand, her point of contention with Balzac was the subtle human nature under such monetary interests, and the complexity and sorrow of people living in poverty.

In her view, the characters in the novel undoubtedly have their own sufferings and cannot be regarded as purely negative characters. What she finds best is the novel's unique perspective, which uses the narrator, a child, to see everything in the adult world. In the end, the ten copper coins she received as a tip and the silver coins she later gave to a beggar demonstrate that even in such a social situation, there is still human brilliance.

In short, it wasn't a wasted trip!
The debate between the two great writers was quite fascinating, and during the process, Turgenev would occasionally interject with literary theories and methods that Mikhail had mentioned to him, and convey some of Mikhail's views on the great works of these two writers.

Especially in this part about Balzac, there are terms like "representation of characters" and "typical characters in typical environments."
Balzac, who was completely bewildered by what he was hearing, asked, "?"

Frankly speaking, for a great writer like Balzac, the number of people flattering him was only slightly less than the number of his creditors, and his admirers were countless. Logically, he should have long been immune to such things. However, almost everything that the distant Russian writer expounded resonated with him.

It almost gave Balzac the absurd illusion that he understood his work better than he did.

In short, these details suggest that the rumored young, handsome, and wealthy Russian writer was very familiar with his work and might even be an admirer. Thinking of this, Balzac, who had been keeping a straight face, began to laugh so hard he patted his belly.
In the end, he himself took the initiative to ask about Mikhail, but in this inquiry, Balzac inevitably made a comparison:
Does he have creditors?

“In the past, he incurred huge debts to achieve what many of us shared, but he was right. Even with such a high-stakes gamble, he won with ease. Now, it should be others who owe him money.”

"Are there many noble ladies who want to meet him? Are they willing to sponsor him?"

“There are many, but he never readily accepts these things. He once said that if he can achieve something on his own, he doesn’t need to bother others.”

Balzac: "?"

Confused!
The more questions he was asked, the worse Balzac's expression became. Fortunately, he finally had a flash of inspiration and asked, "How is his appetite?"

When asked this question, a confident look undoubtedly appeared on Balzac's face.

On one occasion, while dining at a restaurant in Paris, he devoured over ten slices of lamb, a dish of duck stew with radishes, a Normandy pomfret, two grouse, and over a hundred oysters. Finally, he enjoyed a dessert consisting of twelve pears, along with numerous other sweets, fruits, and liqueurs.

Balzac was indeed famous for his voracious appetite, and Turgenev was naturally aware of it as well.

Even so, he hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Not bad."

"Then I understand."

Upon hearing this answer, Balzac naturally assumed it was just so-so, and thus he finally ended his questioning with satisfaction.

As for George Sand, her questions were relatively broader; simply put:
“From the novel, I seem to have understood his views on the era that is about to come. So how did he think about and act on all of this?”

He said the first thing to do is to overcome this era within oneself.

As these debates and conversations unfolded, some of the content was so captivating that the hostess and other guests alike were frantically taking notes. Some were even already planning how to compile the evening's events into an article and submit it to newspapers and magazines!

Given the immense popularity of "Around the World in Eighty Days," many readers in Paris were naturally curious about the author's identity and his words and actions. Under such circumstances, writing such an article would undoubtedly have earned him a considerable sum from the newspapers. Not to mention, his writing, his views on literature, and other remarks are all so exquisite and thought-provoking!
If he were in Paris right now, he might soon become a darling of Parisian high society and have a romantic affair with one noblewoman after another.

Witnessing the debate between these two great writers over this short story, some people couldn't help but think of one title after another.
Just as a storm seemed poised to break out in Paris concerning Mikhail, far away in St. Petersburg, Mikhail, completely unaware of the image he had cultivated in the eyes of others, was at this moment looking at the letters he had received with a rather troubled mind.

Speaking of this, it naturally goes back to that evening when he attended Mrs. Rostopchina's salon. Mikhail thought it was just an ordinary literary salon, something he was already quite used to.

To his surprise, Mikhail was first taken aback by the large number of female listeners, and then he received many letters after the party.

In Russia at that time, it was not uncommon for aristocratic women to correspond with writers. Alexander Pushkin even drew a lot of inspiration for his poetry from this. Mikhail must have encountered many such cases as well; the monthly letters from magazine readers alone were enough to keep him busy.

However, it's normal for a few of these kinds of things to happen, but if there are too many, it becomes a burden. As for communicating with so many people at the same time, that's even more impossible.

Therefore, in his replies to these people, Mikhail tried to be as polite and formal as possible, and basically avoided discussing any personal topics, so as to avoid any further complications.

Even so, just writing back to so many people had nearly killed off Mikhail's brain cells.

In addition, when Mrs. Rostopchina said that she wanted Mikhail to come and visit often, it was not just a polite remark. From then on, the salon would send Mikhail invitations almost every time. Even if Mikhail did not come, out of her appreciation and admiration for him, Mrs. Rostopchina used her influence and the salon to help enhance Mikhail's literary reputation.

Given this situation, Mikhail often found it difficult to refuse. Fortunately, Mikhail was still a university student, so when faced with Mrs. Rostopchina's invitation, Mikhail replied truthfully, essentially saying that school was about to start and he needed to review his lessons, otherwise he might not be able to graduate this year.

Mrs. Rostopchina, upon seeing this reply: "?"

It turns out he actually had to go to school.
While Mrs. Rostopchina was somewhat surprised by this reason, she did understand and even mentioned that she knew some acquaintances if Mikhail encountered any trouble at school.

Of course, many people Mikhail knew had said similar things, but what bad intentions could an honest student like Mikhail possibly have? He basically had no need for these connections.

And the statement about the start of the semester was certainly not a lie. As time went by, the holiday at St. Petersburg University was about to end, and as for the scholarship that Mikhail had mentioned earlier, it had basically been settled during this holiday.

This kind of thing is certainly not suitable to be carried out in a big way on campus, otherwise it will inevitably attract the attention of some ill-intentioned people and even reports. So during this holiday, after Mikhail identified suitable candidates, he simply went to these poor college students in person to talk about this matter.

When Mikhail first visited, his classmates were often taken aback, and then began to feel embarrassed about their living conditions and circumstances. After all, some of them lived in cheap apartments or even basements, and some didn't even have a place to entertain guests.

Some people might think that a big shot like Mikhail would find it hard to adapt to such places, but to be honest, Mikhail felt like he was coming home when he returned to these places.

So when Mikhail mentioned his past circumstances, he quickly connected with his fellow alumni. During this casual conversation, Mikhail did see a reflection of his past in these classmates: they had fallen ill due to poverty and the harsh winter in St. Petersburg, and they had little money, and they might not have survived the winter if they were not careful.

After chatting and learning more about the situation, Mikhail naturally revealed his idea for the scholarship, which surprised many people. Upon learning that such funding required no return, some people immediately became emotional:
“Dear Mr. Mikhail, is there anything I can do for you? Please don’t hesitate to ask, and I will certainly not refuse!”

Mikhail: “?”

You're too impulsive, bro. Besides, what could possibly be inconvenient for me?
"You should focus on completing your studies."

When faced with this situation, Mikhail simply smiled and shook hands with the other person, saying, "If you really want something, do good deeds. Changing your own destiny might also change the destiny of others. When that time comes, that moment will be just like this moment."

Others were more impulsive. One student, perhaps because the emotions and atmosphere were right, confessed to Mikhail on the spot: "I really don't know what to say to you. If it weren't for you, I might be a murderer now. For various reasons, a terrible plan had been swirling in my mind! And it was at this moment that you came."

Mikhail: “.”

Why does it sound so familiar?

Perhaps anyone who is in a difficult situation will have all sorts of thoughts.

In short, during this process, Mikhail did indeed communicate with many people and truly understood their situations. As for whether he could get anything in return, Mikhail really didn't think about it much.

All I can say is, I hope they can do more good deeds.

After thinking about the matter briefly, Mikhail continued to look at the letters in his hand, and as he read, he racked his brains and wrote a few more replies.

After finishing all this, Mikhail, whose energy was completely depleted, finally lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep without any trouble.
(End of this chapter)