'Only by It... Life Holds and Moves': The Theme of Parental Love in I. S. Turgenev’s Works

The plot of Turgenev’s novellas and novels typically explore complex situations related to the relationship between a man and a woman. However, the theme of child/parent relations occupies an equally significant place in the writer’s work. In early works, he often solves it at the household level, in the form of parental concern for the socialization of their child, and sometimes it is also associated with the motive of parental authority. However, since the late 1850s, Turgenev’s portrayal of parental love takes on spiritual dimensions. Christian motifs, such as parental blessings and prayers for children, are becoming increasingly important. The intensification of such intonations also occurs in later years, when Turgenev is involved in the polemics relevant for that time about the relationship between the instinctive and the moral, including in child-parent relations, which captures even the animal world from him. In some of his later works, inspired by observations of birds, the writer depicts parental care for their offspring and translates these behaviors to a human context, underscoring the supernatural significance of parental love.