Native soil philosophy and the organic criticism of Apollon Grigoryev. Jubilee musings

The article is devoted to the Native Soil philosophy and the “organic criticism” of Apollon A. Grigoryev in connection with his jubilee. The reasons why Grigoryev’s creative work is apparently undervalued in Russian scholarly literature are explained. The interrelations between Grigoryev’s ideas evolved during the period when he worked for the “young editorial group” of the Moskvitianin magazine and the later Native Soil principles established during the critic’s work for the brothers Dostoyevskys’ Vremia (Time) and Epokha (Epoch) magazines. The sources of Grigoryev’s Native Soil ideas going back largely to Schelling’s philosophy are traced, which led the thinker to the creation of an independent “organic criticism” concept, as well as an opposition of the Native Soil movement to the ‘theories” of liberal Westernist and radical opposition, “negative” trends, as well as to the ideas of “pure art”. Interrelations of Grigoryev’s organic criticism with the views of the Early Slavophiles, which were regarded by Grigoryev as no less “theoretical” or rationally preconceived and violating the organic character of life than those of the Westerners. Grigoryev’s views on Pushkin’s creative work and his influence on the development of Russian literature in terms of the organic principles are explored. Grigoryev’s interpretation of the Russian national type and his concept of meek and predatory human types are investigated