What are the characteristics of a "superfluous man?"?

Question

I'm referring to the specific term "superfluous man" as in Russian literature. It'd be nice if you could supply a website where I might find this.

Answer 1

The Superfluous Man in 19th Century Russian Literature and 20th Century Existentialistic Embodiment

Pamela J. Won

Mentor: Lora Mjolsness

Nineteenth century Russian literature often portrays the male protagonist as the superfluous man of the novel. The superfluous man is defined as: the Russian archetype who is usually educated, intelligent, handsome, and idealistic, but unable to engage in effective action. He is a bystander, a drifting individual who cannot bring himself to set a foundation for life, but instead pursues innocuous moments of pleasure until boredom becomes a dominating factor. Often called the Byronic, or epic hero, this archetype struggles with both society and inner turmoil. Superfluous men range from being sympathetic characters like Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (War and Peace 1865), lone idealists like Ivan Karamazov (The Brothers Karamazov 1880), or aloof nobles similar to Pechorin (A Hero of Our Time 1839). Supporting the Russian archetype is the philosophy of existentialism studied by Jean Paul Sartre, whose twentieth century theories relate to nineteenth century character and social developments of Russia. My focus is to show commonalities between the two time periods in a way that existentialism unknowingly and subconsciously plays a pivotal role in Russian literature. Sartre’s definition of atheistic existentialism identifies famous Russian literary protagonists based on how the Byronic hero wants to assume Godlike power, in Sartre’s definition, to fulfill impulsive desires. Main characters in three Russian novels will be analyzed as components that have evolved into contemporary existentialism. Dissertations, publications, and novels were used to get to this research’s theories. A hybrid of classic archetypes and modern philosophy also provides a large scope on social changes.