All 15 Uses of
nihilism
in
The Idiot
- They are Nihilists, are they not?†
Chpt 2.7
- "No, they are not Nihilists," explained Lebedeff, who seemed much excited.†
Chpt 2.7
- According to my nephew they are more advanced even than the Nihilists.†
Chpt 2.7
- Educated men, learned men even, are to be found among Nihilists; these go further, in that they are men of action.†
Chpt 2.7
- The movement is, properly speaking, a derivative from Nihilism—though they are only known indirectly, and by hearsay, for they never advertise their doings in the papers.†
Chpt 2.7
- "They are growing into Nihilists!" she repeated over and over again.†
Chpt 3.1
- Is she a Nihilist, or simply a fool?†
Chpt 3.1 *
- A Nihilist!†
Chpt 3.1
- However, a week ago, I called in a medical student, Kislorodoff, who is a Nationalist, an Atheist, and a Nihilist, by conviction, and that is why I had him.†
Chpt 3.5
- Kislorodoff told me all this with a sort of exaggerated devil-may-care negligence, and as though he did me great honour by talking to me so, because it showed that he considered me the same sort of exalted Nihilistic being as himself, to whom death was a matter of no consequence whatever, either way.†
Chpt 3.5
- Many of our young women have thought fit to cut their hair short, put on blue spectacles, and call themselves Nihilists.†
Chpt 4.1
- According to the reports of the most talented gossip-mongers—those who, in every class of society, are always in haste to explain every event to their neighbours—the young gentleman concerned was of good family—a prince—fairly rich—weak of intellect, but a democrat and a dabbler in the Nihilism of the period, as exposed by Mr. Turgenieff.†
Chpt 4.9
- As a characteristic addition to the above, it was currently reported that the young prince really loved the lady to whom he was engaged, and had thrown her over out of purely Nihilistic motives, with the intention of giving himself the satisfaction of marrying a fallen woman in the face of all the world, thereby publishing his opinion that there is no distinction between virtuous and disreputable women, but that all women are alike, free; and a "fallen" woman, indeed, somewhat superior to a virtuous one.†
Chpt 4.9
- For instance, it was reported that the poor girl had so loved her future husband that she had followed him to the house of the other woman, the day after she had been thrown over; others said that he had insisted on her coming, himself, in order to shame and insult her by his taunts and Nihilistic confessions when she reached the house.†
Chpt 4.9
- So that if our readers were to ask an explanation, not of the wild reports about the prince's Nihilistic opinions, but simply as to how such a marriage could possibly satisfy his real aspirations, or as to the spiritual condition of our hero at this time, we confess that we should have great difficulty in giving the required information.†
Chpt 4.9
Definition:
the belief that there is no universal truth or underlying reality that supports moral values, and that ultimately existence is meaningless