THE PROBLEM OF THE IDEA OF “EASTERN PESSIMISM” AND THE CRISIS AT THE TURN OF XX CENTURY IN G.K. CHESTERTON’S NOVEL “THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY”

Abstract

The article deals with one of the religious and philosophical problems in G.K. Chesterton’s novel “The Man Who Was Thursday” which is the background of the destructive ideas in the society at the turn of the XX century. The novel was the writer’s reaction to the existential crisis at the turn of the century, its life-affirming pathos is polemically directed not only against the negative and destructive tendencies in culture, art and social life, but against the very idea of pessimism and skepticism in the attitude of minds. The author of the article discovered in the text of the novel indirect evidences of the background of the destructive ideas, which belong to “a rich and powerful and fanatical church, a church of eastern pessimism” which supports ideologically such social troubles as atheism, anarchism, nihilism and terrorism. The author suggests that the spiritual and ideological background of pessimism, negative worldview and the social troubles of the decadence era lies in the doctrine of gnostisism. His conclusion is based on the analysis of Chesterton’s novel, on the study of its historical and biographical context and philosophical and theological works on gnostisism. The article helps to widen the horizon of understanding of Chesterton’s novel “The Man Who Was Thursday” and proves that the work of G.K. Chesterton deals with complicated and significant religious and philosophical problems.