Father Sergius
by Leo Tolstoy
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A young man of great affluence and potential is set to be wed, but on the night before the ceremony, he discovers that his wife-to-be has betrayed him. He commits himself to a religious life in order to recover from the profound shock, but despite an ever-increasing reputation for holiness and piety, Father Sergius remains racked by doubt and unhappiness throughout his life. Will he ever find true enlightenment and freedom from his past?.
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This story is about a man with a problem. As the story opens you may not immediately realize what the problem is for he is described as "a handsome prince who everyone predicted would become aide-de-camp to the Emperor Nicholas I and have a brilliant career,". What could be better than that? For young Prince Stepan Kasatsky apparently there was something better, for he "left the service, broke off his engagement to a beautiful maid of honor, a favorite of the Empress's, gave his small estate to his sister, and retired to a monastery to become a monk".
After a flashback to his youth and his success in all his efforts the narrator shares his decision to throw all of that over for the monastery. Yet, he did not change his personality and show more his primary motive of pride. For in becoming a Monk he was aiming to "be above those who considered themselves his superiors". Most of all he was consumed with "contempt with all that seemed most important to others and had seemed so to him while he was in the service". But is that really what the life of a monk is all about? He finds that it is not and his journey toward his own unique form of spirituality is just beginning at this point. It has a long way to go with many temptations for he has a great deal of difficulty dealing with his all-consuming pride and vanity. Despite his being removed from the world, he is still remembered for having so remarkably transformed his life. One winter night, a group of merry-makers decide to visit him, and one of them, a divorced woman named Makovkina, spends the night in his cell, with the intention to seduce him. She inflames Sergius to the point where he resorts to personal physical mutilation. It is a painful and dramatic moment, but the effect wears off making the episode seem pointless in retrospect.
This tale, while differing in details from others from Tolstoy's pen, seems to adhere to a pattern of presenting a protagonist living a problem-filled life which ends in a miraculous reversal of character. For Sergius his ultimate conversion (some might say redemption) comes in a dream. But several pages before his dream he has a moment alone under an elm tree that seems to foreshadow his ultimate change. The narrator described the landscape at this moment at the cusp of the end of the day in terms of such natural beauty that it seemed to be touched with the ghost of St. Francis of Assisi.
One thing missing from Sergius's life is happiness. He first has worldly success followed by weariness, vanity, striving, and ultimately acceptance of what he claimed to be the feeling of god within him. He seemed to be fulfilling what was revealed to him to be god's plan, but some might question the nature of his revelation. Could it have been yet another form of the hubris that afflicted him his whole life? Possibly one might say, that once a Prince - always a Prince. show less
After a flashback to his youth and his success in all his efforts the narrator shares his decision to throw all of that over for the monastery. Yet, he did not change his personality and show more his primary motive of pride. For in becoming a Monk he was aiming to "be above those who considered themselves his superiors". Most of all he was consumed with "contempt with all that seemed most important to others and had seemed so to him while he was in the service". But is that really what the life of a monk is all about? He finds that it is not and his journey toward his own unique form of spirituality is just beginning at this point. It has a long way to go with many temptations for he has a great deal of difficulty dealing with his all-consuming pride and vanity. Despite his being removed from the world, he is still remembered for having so remarkably transformed his life. One winter night, a group of merry-makers decide to visit him, and one of them, a divorced woman named Makovkina, spends the night in his cell, with the intention to seduce him. She inflames Sergius to the point where he resorts to personal physical mutilation. It is a painful and dramatic moment, but the effect wears off making the episode seem pointless in retrospect.
This tale, while differing in details from others from Tolstoy's pen, seems to adhere to a pattern of presenting a protagonist living a problem-filled life which ends in a miraculous reversal of character. For Sergius his ultimate conversion (some might say redemption) comes in a dream. But several pages before his dream he has a moment alone under an elm tree that seems to foreshadow his ultimate change. The narrator described the landscape at this moment at the cusp of the end of the day in terms of such natural beauty that it seemed to be touched with the ghost of St. Francis of Assisi.
One thing missing from Sergius's life is happiness. He first has worldly success followed by weariness, vanity, striving, and ultimately acceptance of what he claimed to be the feeling of god within him. He seemed to be fulfilling what was revealed to him to be god's plan, but some might question the nature of his revelation. Could it have been yet another form of the hubris that afflicted him his whole life? Possibly one might say, that once a Prince - always a Prince. show less
This short novella indicates Tolstoy's growing dissatisfaction with the Church and his leaning towards Christian anarchism, which later influenced many prominent nonviolent resistance movements throughout the world. Tolstoy was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church for his beliefs. Written some time in 1890s and not published until after the author's death, 'Father Sergius' clearly breaks away from Tolstoy's previous body of work. It is this character, father Sergius, who becomes an inspiration for Tolstoy in the last days of his own life.
“The causes of struggle were two: doubt, and lust. And always they came together. He took them for two distinct foes; but actually, both were one.”
Have you ever read a book that made you ask your own faith? And go further with telling subtly how the urge to be better ourselves has brought pride to us. This is what Tolstoy wrote in Father Sergius. This work of classics were published after his death and written some time in 1890. With this story, Tolstoy had radically shakes the foundation of dogmatic theology.
It began with the story of Stepan Kasatsky, once was a handsome military cadet, which then changed his life after knowing the love of his life was the mistress of Russian’s Tsar. He then avoiding temptations and fully putted show more himself to be a monk with the vision was to be a better person than anybody else, even the Tsar himself. He changed his name and then was known as Father Sergius. In the monastery life, he found all human’s temptations were easy to be avoided yet he didn’t find his inner peace. Later on he lived on a solitude life, determined to found the peace he had seeked so far. Yet he wondered in solitude for why doubt and lust came to him again and again as if they were two demons when they’re actually one temptation. Deep down, he felt doubt to God, yet those seek were getting further from him because he then was known as “the healer” and deep down he was glad to be known as this.
His vainglory was followed when he met a girl and the lust jumped back to him, yet his failure somehow brought a new hope for him. Felt ashamed for sin he had done, Father Sergius then searched for a girl that once in his boyhood was bullied by him and his friends. The woman seemed to had a fail life in human’s eyes, yet Kasatsky understood that she was better than him, because when of all his life he was only doing it for men and pretending to do it for God, the woman had pretending to lived for the men while she actually lived for the God. From then on Kasatsky found his inner peace and had a better relationship with God.
Salvation and hypocritical life had been the theme of this book. Salvation does not belong to those who look down for others or being faithful only to feel better than anyone else. Salvation came to anyone that accept theirselves. show less
Have you ever read a book that made you ask your own faith? And go further with telling subtly how the urge to be better ourselves has brought pride to us. This is what Tolstoy wrote in Father Sergius. This work of classics were published after his death and written some time in 1890. With this story, Tolstoy had radically shakes the foundation of dogmatic theology.
It began with the story of Stepan Kasatsky, once was a handsome military cadet, which then changed his life after knowing the love of his life was the mistress of Russian’s Tsar. He then avoiding temptations and fully putted show more himself to be a monk with the vision was to be a better person than anybody else, even the Tsar himself. He changed his name and then was known as Father Sergius. In the monastery life, he found all human’s temptations were easy to be avoided yet he didn’t find his inner peace. Later on he lived on a solitude life, determined to found the peace he had seeked so far. Yet he wondered in solitude for why doubt and lust came to him again and again as if they were two demons when they’re actually one temptation. Deep down, he felt doubt to God, yet those seek were getting further from him because he then was known as “the healer” and deep down he was glad to be known as this.
His vainglory was followed when he met a girl and the lust jumped back to him, yet his failure somehow brought a new hope for him. Felt ashamed for sin he had done, Father Sergius then searched for a girl that once in his boyhood was bullied by him and his friends. The woman seemed to had a fail life in human’s eyes, yet Kasatsky understood that she was better than him, because when of all his life he was only doing it for men and pretending to do it for God, the woman had pretending to lived for the men while she actually lived for the God. From then on Kasatsky found his inner peace and had a better relationship with God.
Salvation and hypocritical life had been the theme of this book. Salvation does not belong to those who look down for others or being faithful only to feel better than anyone else. Salvation came to anyone that accept theirselves. show less
This book should definitely be adapted into movies for the modern viewers, and I fancy there can be at least two different versions, depending on the targeted audience.
The R-rated version: The hero is a handsome, passionate prince with an uncontrollable temper, who attracts women everywhere and gets into fights (verbal and physical) with men. There would be plenty of scenes of sexual tension, seduction and violence (with blood spills and severed body parts). The main appeal, however, should still be the flawed hero himself, his humanity, his rise to greatness and tragic decline.
The ecclesiastical version: The hero is a proud, ambitious man, who, after he was used and disillusioned by the Russian high society to which he aspired, becomes show more a monk and strives for excellence in the service of God. Tolstoy provides an incisive portrayal of his internal conflicts, his lust, pride and emotional barrenness. His struggles and triumph over sexual temptations are compelling, but his spiritual burnout and subsequent downfall are even more poignant and instructive, considering how many church leaders today have fallen into the same trap. show less
The R-rated version: The hero is a handsome, passionate prince with an uncontrollable temper, who attracts women everywhere and gets into fights (verbal and physical) with men. There would be plenty of scenes of sexual tension, seduction and violence (with blood spills and severed body parts). The main appeal, however, should still be the flawed hero himself, his humanity, his rise to greatness and tragic decline.
The ecclesiastical version: The hero is a proud, ambitious man, who, after he was used and disillusioned by the Russian high society to which he aspired, becomes show more a monk and strives for excellence in the service of God. Tolstoy provides an incisive portrayal of his internal conflicts, his lust, pride and emotional barrenness. His struggles and triumph over sexual temptations are compelling, but his spiritual burnout and subsequent downfall are even more poignant and instructive, considering how many church leaders today have fallen into the same trap. show less
Great study of how to be a good person, if depressing in its conclusion that you have to luck into it. Love Tolstoy.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
Great study of how to be a good person, if depressing in its conclusion that you have to luck into it. Love Tolstoy.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
Great study of how to be a good person, if depressing in its conclusion that you have to luck into it. Love Tolstoy.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
Like it even better the 2nd time around.
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Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born on September 9, 1828 in Russia. He is usually referred to as Leo Tolstoy. He was a Russian author who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. Leo Tolstoy is best known for his novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). Tolstoy's fiction includes dozens of short stories and several show more novellas such as The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Family Happiness, and Hadji Murad. He also wrote plays and numerous philosophical essays. Tolstoy had a profound moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870's which he outlined in his work, A Confession. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him to become a fervent Christian anarchist and pacifist. His ideas of nonviolent resistance which he shared in his works The Kingdom of God is Within You, had a profund impact on figures such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. On September 23, 1862 Tolstoy married Sophia Andreevna Behrs. She was the daughter of a court physician. They had 13 children, eight of whom survived childhood. Their early married life allowed Tolstoy much freedom to compose War and Peace and Anna Karenina with his wife acting as his secretary and proofreader. The Tolstoy family left Russia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union. Leo Tolstoy's relatives and descendants moved to Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the United States. Tolstoy died of pneumonia at Astapovo train station, after a day's rail journey south on November 20, 1910 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography) Count Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828 on the family estate of Yasnaya Polyana in the Tula province. He married in 1862 & was the father of 13 children. Tolstoy managed the estate of Yasnaya Polyana & ran its peasant schools, while writing his great novels, "War & Peace" (1869) & "Anna Karenina" (1877). He died in 1910. (Publisher Provided) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Father Sergius
- Original title
- Отец Сергий
- Original publication date
- 1890-1898
- People/Characters
- Prince Stepan Dmitritch Kasatsky (Father Sergius); Tsar Nicholas I; Countess Korotkova; Makovkina (Mother Agnes); Marie; Praskovya Mikhaylovna
- Important places
- St. Petersburg, Russia; Tsarskoye Selo, Russia; Tambov, Russia
- First words*
- Negli anni Quaranta a Pietroburgo accadde un fatto che stupì tutti: un bellissimo principe, comandante di uno squadrone di corazzieri del reggimento imperiale, destinato, pensavano tutti, alla carica di aiutante di campo del... (show all)l'imperatore e a una brillante carriera alla corte di Nicola I, un mese prima delle nozze con un'affascinante dama di corte, che godeva della particolare benevolenza dell'imperatrice, diede le dimissioni, sciolse il suo legame con la fidanzata, cedette la sua piccola proprietà alla sorella e si ritirò in un monastero col proposito di farsi monaco.
- Last words*
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)«Che Cristo te ne renda merito», rispose Kasatskij senza rimettersi il berretto e chinando la testa calva.
- Original language
- Russian
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English
- LCC
- PG3270.5 .T657 — Language and Literature Slavic languages and literatures. Baltic languages. Albanian language Slavic. Baltic. Albanian Russian literature Collections Prose
- BISAC
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- 11 — Catalan, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Farsi/Persian, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish
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- ISBNs
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- ASINs
- 11
