Mykhailyn I. L. The mass man in literary criticism of Dmitry Pisarev
Keywords:
D. Pisarev, a mass man, an uprising of the masses, education, journalism, public opinion.Abstract
D. Pisarev (1840–1868) perceived fiction as a fragment of reality and set the task of literary
criticism in discussions about life itself. From this view his concept of the mass that in many elements
anticipating H. Ortega y Gasset's book “The Rebellion of the Masses” (1929) appeared. According to
D. Pisarev, the mass is inert, accepts reality as it is and does not think about its improvement. Mass
never used its own mind to solve some problems. Others think and act instead of it – an elite minority.
However, D. Pisarev seemed the mass as a temporary phenomenon.Its origins he saw in social
inequality. Therefore, it is enough to feed the hungry and dress naked, give them a solid education –
and the mass man will disappear. The society will pass to self-management in which the leading role
will be played by journalism and public opinion.
