The Book On the Subjection of Women by the Positivist Scholar John Stuart Mill in A Gentle Creature

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Author: Andrey A. Belov
Information about the author:
Junior Researcher, А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya St., 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia.

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8668-3730

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Funding Sources:
The research was carried out at IWL RAS with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 25-18-00009: “Characters’ Writings, Languages, and Readings in Dostoevsky’s Mature Works (1859–1881).”
For citation:
Belov, A.A. “The Book On the Subjection of Women by the Positivist Scholar John Stuart Mill in A Gentle Creature.” Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological journal, no. 1 (33), 2026, pp. 32–46. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-1-32-46
Received: 28 February 2026
Approved after reviewing: 03 March 2026
Published: 25 March 2026
Issue: 2026 No. 1 (33)
Department: HERMENEUTICS. SLOW READING
Pages: 32–46
DOI: Visit Website
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BBK: 83.3(2Рос=Рус)52+83+87
Publication Type: Research Article
Keywords: Dostoevsky, On the Subjection of Women, John Stuart Mill, A Gen- tle Creature (The Meek One), A Writer’s Diary, character reading, book in the book
Abstract: This article analyzes the presence of John Stuart Mill’s On the Subjection of Women in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story A Gentle Creature. It is argued that Mill’s work, introduced into the text through the mention of the author’s name and the reproduction of its main tenets, exerts a significant influence on the reader’s perception of A Gentle Creature. The narrative refutes not only the pawnbroker’s position but also Mill’s theses, overcoming the one-sidedness of rationalist doctrine in addressing the “woman question.” According to Mill, despite the inherent equality of the sexes, women at the present historical moment are profoundly unoriginal and dependent on men in all their judgments. The pawnbroker draws inspiration from Mill’s words in creating his “program,” while rejecting the postulate of gender equality. He dreams not only of “social” superiority over the Gentle Creature but also of depriving her of her spiritual freedom altogether. The pawnbroker’s individualism goes far beyond “rational” egoism: Dostoevsky clearly conveys the metaphysical nature of his egocentrism by associating the hero with Mephistopheles and Pushkin’s Demon. In this regard, it is particularly significant that Dostoevsky placed a number of Mill’s theses in the preparatory materials for The Devils into the mouth of the Prince (the future Stavrogin). There, Dostoevsky also acknowledged the historical futility of positivist science for the fate of humanity. Thus, the pawnbroker’s quotation—“And here Mill himself can do nothing!”—as an authorial statement may be extended to the entire theme of A Gentle Creature. The theme of A Gentle Creature is examined in the context of Dostoevsky’s statements on women’s issues in the pages of A Writer’s Diary. It is shown that the context of Mill’s biography, as presented in the Russian press (particularly in The Citizen), confirms Dostoevsky’s central idea of the “necessity of belief in immortality,” expressed in the chapter “The Sentence.” The paper concludes by raising the question of the specific publication of Mill’s work that influenced Dostoevsky.

References
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The Book On the Subjection of Women by the Positivist Scholar John Stuart Mill in A Gentle Creature

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