The Grand Inquisitor by F. M. Dostoevsky: A Legend or a Poem?

Abstract

The Grand Inquisitor holds a special position within the oeuvre of F.M. Dostoevsky, not only because it is highly imaginative, but also because it is rather intriguing in terms of its genre classification. The writer's designa- tion of this text as a poem, in opposition to it being labeled as a legend by numerous critics, proves to be an important one since it reveals some of Dostoevsky's key poetic features. His continuous search for the novel-poem, as an ideal genre that could reflect the overall creative enterprise, puts Dos- toevsky within a wider European context, where Gogol's poem Dead souls imposes itself as the key to understanding the poem in broader terms. With regard to this, Dostoevsky's closeness to Gogol's genre settings is visible at the beginning of his career, reaching the full swing in The Grand Inquisitor, which encompasses virtually all genre features of the poem and uses them to reach an all-human and universal meaning. By doing so, the literary term of poem shows much greater genre potential than that deemed in conventional terms. The poem can and should be understood in much broader context, not only as a literary term but also as a quality that goes beyond purely versified poetic forms, as a specific sensitivity allowing writers to determine their novels through the characterisation of the protagonist as a common human being, who serves as a reflection of an entire epoch, along with all virtues and flaws it features.