Joseph de Maistre and Peter Chaadaev: Cultural transfer of Catholic ideas

Abstract

The influence of Joseph de Maistre on P.Chaadayev is a confirmed fact, though the textological analysis of his “Philosophical Letters” has not yet been carried out. The problematic aspect of the topic is the variety of interpretations of the thought of the Savoyard philosopher in Russia, which leads to the paradoxical possibility of reaching opposing conclusions based on the same works of de Maistre. He also inspired the conservative thinkers and Chaadayev, whose works were perceived by his contemporaries as opposing the theory of official nationality. The methodology used to investigate this problem is M.Espagne’s methodology of reception studies, which suggests the possibility of creating a new semantic meaning when an idea is perceived from a different cultural or political perspective. In this article, we focus on Chaadayev’s strategies in interpreting de Maistre’s thought and the significant differences that arise in adapting the Savoyard philosopher’s ideas for the readers of the “Philosophical Letters”. The novelty of the study lies in comparative analysis of the texts, which makes it possible to move away from stating the fact of borrowing to its specific use, characteristic of the author and the era when the work was written in Russia. With this approach, the focus of the study shifts to the recipient’s text and the perception of the Savoyard philosopher’s thoughts in a specific historical context.