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happiness, to run after intoxication of the senses and
degradation, or they deceive from pure weakness and
instability in themselves. And to these men, whom no
one can trust, and whose sudden outbursts of passion
and sudden cessation thereof surprise themselves not
less than others, correspond women on whom it is just
as impossible to depend, women who are on the point of
being able to love, but cannot, like Marie Odinzof, in
“Fathers and Sons;” women who unintentionally
insnare, abandon themselves, draw back, like Iriona in
“Smoke;” and, finally, cold Bacchantes, like that Maria
Nikolayevna who carries away Sanin from Gemma.
Sometimes, the inconsistency and treachery remain
rather unsatisfactorily explained, as in “Spring Floods;”
in that case, it depends upon the fact that Turgenief
assumes, so to speak, that this trait of character of
his young men is known. In his earliest great novel,
“Rúdin” (1855), the study of inconsistency is so
thorough and exhaustive that, through the weakness of this
one character, we understand the weakness of the
Russian character everywhere. That which most excites
our admiration for the skill of the artist in this, is that
he has been able to awaken a no small degree of
sympathy for Rúdin; that in the milksop and phrase-monger
he has shown us the sincere enthusiast. Rúdin, who
speaks so warmly, tells a story so fascinatingly, and
possesses all “the music of eloquence,” is lazy, despotic,
everlastingly playing a part, forever living at the
expense of others, cold when he seems to be warmest,
intellectually weak when he seems to be about to
accomplish something. And yet Turgenief shows that he
deserves our pity far more than our ill will, and that he
rightfully exerts a great influence on young souls.
Men with constant hearts and strong wills do not
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