Dostoevsky's polyphony versus postmodern nomadism

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the variability of interpretations of F. Dostoevsky in the existential-postmodernist key due to the polyphonic mechanism inherent in the works of the great writer. The question of F. Dostoevsky's influence on F. Nietzsche and other non-classical philosophers has been considered by Western thinkers since the 19th century which led to the understanding of the writer's work in the West as an example of existentialist drama, the aesthetics of tragic absurdity and complex psychology. Existentialist quests and ideas of non-classical philosophy were reflected further in the postmodern aesthetics, where the concept of so-called nomadic subjectivity has been formed — the one that is in the process of permanent formation deprived of selfintegrity. The principal concern of this study is to correlate the model of postmodern “flickering differance” described by the philosophers with the provisionary model of the polyphony of the great Russian writer. The specific model of postmodern subjectivity finds its embodiment not only in the experiments of modern auteur cinematography but also in the trends of mass film industry. Thus, the undertaken analysis is focused not only on direct adaptations of the writer's works but also the most popular screen works of recent years, including series, both foreign and domestic. Opposed to the pessimism and hopelessness of postmodernism F.M. Dostoevsky shows in his works the way out of the existential crisis, proposing a coordinate system for assembling. F.M. Dostoevsky’sworks are highly relevant today as never before, as they teach a mature approach to rendering an accountof the formation of subjectivity.