I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 172 Different Reader Groups and New Trends

Regarding what it's like to be the chief editor of "The Modern Man," Nikichenko, a censor and professor at St. Petersburg University, can only say that he has a lot of profanities to say, though he doesn't know whether he should.

Although under normal circumstances nothing really happens to "The Modern Man" magazine, Nikichenko can't help but feel a sense of unease whenever he sees Mikhail with the magazine's staff.

That would have been fine; Nikkichenko would have just taken a salary, done some basic tasks, and not had to deal with them. But the magazine "Modern Man" would hold banquets from time to time.

Normally, Nikichenko could simply not participate, but for some unknown reason, the fearsome Mikhail would invite him on many occasions whenever they met. Then one day, faced with Mikhail's outstretched hand and his argument, "We're just getting together to eat and drink, what bad intentions could we possibly have?", Nikichenko ultimately made a mistake that many people easily make.
This is because, besides Mikhail's humble and gentle attitude making him easy to like, another reason is that, as a censor working for "The Contemporary," any new articles Mikhail had to go through him first. Sometimes, he would even get his hands on them before Mikhail's friends had even seen them.

Perhaps it was because she had read so much that Nikichenko felt she had been unknowingly deceived. Otherwise, how could she have shed tears for the novel "Gooseberries" and been so deeply moved by its almost uneventful plot? And how could she have been so shaken by the confession of that shameless duke that she actually showed leniency in the censorship?
Yes, I am innocent!

Although Nikki Kenko comforted himself with this thought, the reaction to the latest issue of "Modern Man" still made his heart jump. In fact, the first thing he heard was praise.

Simply put, his identity as the editor of "Modern Man" couldn't be kept secret, especially when he heard it from his students:

“Huh? I think I saw Professor Nikichiko talking to Mr. Mikhail earlier.”

"I saw it too, they all seemed to be holding hands and hugging each other!"

"I really envy Professor Nikki Kwanko."

Nikki K.: "???"

Nonsense! Where did you hear about this? I have no idea!

In short, after that, his identity could no longer be concealed, and for some reason, the students looked at him with even more kindness.
Since many students at St. Petersburg University were avid readers of "The Contemporary," on the very day the magazine was released, Nikichenko, who was in charge of teaching later classes, overheard the students discussing it on his way to the classroom:
"What an utterly shameless and shocking confession! How could a person be so despicable?"

"There are far too many people like this! Some of them are just hiding themselves! This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to those hypocritical members of high society!"

"The Duke's evil has been elevated to a philosophical level! He is by no means an ordinary negative character. Even today, I wonder how many people are living with this philosophy of life. It's hateful that some things have become so bad because of the existence of people like him."

Nikki K.: "?"

How long has it been since the release, and you've already finished watching it?
As for their discussion about the Duke's role, Nikkichenko was actually quite interested in hearing it. After all, when he first saw this part, his emotions were probably similar to those of these students. However, given his status, he obviously couldn't share this with anyone.

While listening to the students discussing the character, Nikkichenko soon heard these words:
"How could such content pass censorship? We really have to thank them this time! Otherwise, how could we possibly see content that touches the very depths of our souls?"

"Yes, it's rare for the examiners to do something good."

"Wait, it suddenly occurred to me, isn't Professor Nikki Tsenko one of them?"

Upon hearing this, although Nikichikko vaguely sensed some students casting admiring glances at him, he felt a chill run down his spine and quickly hurried away from this troublesome place.

And it wasn't just the students; after Nikkichenko finished his class absentmindedly, for some reason, even his colleagues looked at him with strange eyes.
Nikkichenko: "."

Things aren't as you think!
To hedge against the risk, Nikichenko quickly launched into a critique of the novel in front of his colleagues, listing numerous criticisms such as "tedious narrative" and "slightly excessive." Seeing his reaction, the expressions on his colleagues' faces softened somewhat. After the brief critique, these scholars began discussing some more academic issues:

"However, the narrative structure of this novel is indeed very interesting, a dual narrative structure? Wouldn't that seem too disjointed, thus affecting the overall coherence?"

"I think this narrative structure makes the novel more substantial, and the interplay between elements greatly enhances the emotional impact."

"Is it really good for characters to express their emotions in such a 'hysterical' way? It seems too long and complicated, even a bit morbid."

"I actually appreciate this approach more; it almost has a tension that can tear the soul apart."

The work contains numerous independent and unintegrated voices and consciousnesses, each with equal importance and value. These polyphonic voices do not unfold layer by layer under the author's unified consciousness, but rather express their own opinions equally. This is the concept of polyphonic novels that later had a profound influence on literary theory.

In this day and age, such literary theory is certainly ahead of its time, but when these scholars discuss this novel, they have undoubtedly touched on a certain point.

Of course, Nikkichenko's attention was not on this aspect. He only noticed that at the beginning, everyone was calmly criticizing the novel, but as they talked, the pace of their speech became faster and faster, and they even said they wanted to hold a seminar on the novel on the spot.

Undoubtedly, even if some people's opinions weren't so positive, the fact that they were discussing it so enthusiastically proves that they had definitely read the currently serialized novel and had certainly gained some insights. Nikki Kwanko: "?"

Could it be that.
A moment passed, and the professors and scholars present seemed to realize something. The atmosphere quickly became awkward, and while offering polite but embarrassed smiles, they hurriedly said:

"I have class, so I'll be going now."

"I'm going to eat now; I haven't eaten for days."

"Oh, I have something to do too, I'll be going now."

Soon, the professors all left, leaving only Nikkichenko in deep thought.

Because this issue's content was so straightforward and impactful, it didn't just resonate on campus. As time went on, within just two or three days, magazines and newspapers that usually waited for the monthly issue of "Modern People" to be published before offering their reviews began to question and criticize the content of this issue, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

Articles accusing the aristocracy of excessively vilifying their image, inciting hatred among the lower classes, undermining social stability, and glorifying the dark side of society have been published one after another. Some newspapers have even invited a reader to speak, claiming that this anonymous gentleman is a noble aristocrat. This anonymous gentleman seems to have been genuinely angry from the start.
"Who does he think he is? How dare he criticize a duke? And even go so far as to vilify him like this! This kind of person deserves a good beating! I can say with certainty that such people do not exist in our noble class, but are widely found among shameless literati and despicable serfs."

Faced with such attacks, although Mikhail usually doesn't retaliate against the overwhelming barrage of criticism, this time it was rare for the magazine "Modern Man" to publish a statement in a newspaper. The gist of the statement was that, of course, the image of the Duke was not meant to criticize all nobles, but rather to represent a small group of people, and that truly noble and innocent gentlemen would probably just laugh it off.

After the disclaimer was issued, *Modern People* magazine basically stopped paying attention. After all, it had been serialized for quite some time, and there were critics and loyal readers who liked the novel. Among them, the general also spoke out righteously in the newspaper:
"If I were to encounter such a despicable person, I would certainly ask His Majesty the Tsar for permission, and once I receive it, I would personally kill such a scoundrel!"

To this, Mikhail could only say that the general was not only very temperamental, but also a true connoisseur of food, with a whole repertoire of disclaimers and preconditions.
This is normal, given the current atmosphere in Russian officialdom. Most officials would rather stick to the rules than dare to overstep the boundaries. After all, according to the current Tsar's governing philosophy, the most important thing for an official is obedience.

Under this ideology, the Tsar naturally received increasingly better news, and no one dared to disobey him as he did things. In the end, Nicholas I headed straight for his destined Crimea.

However, another group of readers of Mikhail's novels were completely unconcerned about these debates and statements in the newspapers. After all, they might not even be able to read, so why would they care about such arguments?
As for why someone who can't even read can still read this novel, well, some young gentlemen have gone mad for some reason and actually went to places where ordinary citizens or even serfs in the city gathered to read it.

If it were one of those obscure and confusing novels, these people wouldn't even bother with it. But this serialized novel had many captivating aspects, and the tragic circumstances of the characters inevitably reminded them of their own lives.

In short, over such a long period of time, Mikhail's novel has indeed gained many more ordinary readers. Even if they are reluctant to spend money to buy such an expensive literary magazine, there is always a group of young people who are willing to do so whenever "The Contemporary" is published.

They often do it with great enthusiasm, and if asked why, besides being willing to share, some would say, "Mr. Mikhail would be very happy to see us doing this!"

To be honest, Mikhail was quite happy to know about this, though he hoped they would mention me less.
As for this part of the content, these readers might not participate in any overly troublesome or complicated discussions, but after hearing the duke's shameless confession, many of them couldn't help but whisper among themselves:
"How could this be? I originally thought that the duke had become a good person, otherwise why would he agree to their marriage? Now it seems that everything was just a pretense?"

"It's even worse than that. If you disagree, why put on that attitude? Now you're insulting others with this vicious face!"

"There is no more fitting name for the insulted and the injured!"

Even though some people seemed agitated, they certainly didn't dare to say anything too critical. They could only suppress their emotions and leave after listening. But no matter what, there was always a hint of anger in their eyes.

Since this issue of the magazine happened to be at this point, the number of reader letters has increased significantly compared to before. Many readers didn't even think about urging for more updates or the harsh words "I want your life!" They simply wanted to express their opinions and ask about the upcoming plot.

Some reacted vehemently, calling the Duke's evil suffocating and deserving immediate execution. Others more tactfully suggested that the Duke should be punished, and that justice should be served for the steward and others. Still others defended the Duke, arguing that his ideas weren't so unacceptable, but rather that the author harbored malice towards such a character.
These letters are just for reading; as for the happy ending that some readers are hoping for, Mikhail can only say that when the series comes to an end, he hopes they won't be too impulsive.

Just as Mikhail was reviewing this issue's reader letters, Nikichenko, who was unsettled by the various opinions published in recent magazines and newspapers, came to Mikhail's door, asking in a slightly flustered manner:

"Mr. Mikhail, aren't you afraid of these voices? Take my advice and be careful!"

Faced with such advice, Mikhail simply shook his head slightly, then smiled and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Just walk your own path and let them talk!"

Nikki K.: "?!"

I really need to retire soon!

Of course, there was another reason why Mikhail said such a thing: Turgenev had already written, meaning he would be leaving for Russia soon.

Undoubtedly, Turgenev will bring a lot of good news, which will help to counteract the current situation.
(End of this chapter)