Superfluous man

The Superfluous Man (Russian: «лишний человек») is a 19th century Russian literary concept. It relates to an individual, possibly of talent and capability, who does not fit into the state-centered pattern of employment. Often the individual is born into the upper class and is rich and affluent. He may pursue a military career and can often be seen as a fatalist. This is supported by the fact that superfluous men participate in duels and chances of fate such as gambling. Their actions can be attributed to their self destructive nature and their disregard for the social values and standards of the time. The consequence is a man who is filled with ennui, often causing distress to whatever occupies his attention which is often members of the opposite sex.

This character type originates out of Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, which inspired Pushkin to write his novel in verse Eugene Onegin. Many of Pushkin's short stories characterize superfluous men, notably The Queen of Spades. Mikhail Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time also depicted a superfluous man as the hero of his novel. It must be noted that both authors, Pushkin and Lermontov died in duels. Ivan Turgenev's protagonist Bazarov in his novel Fathers and Sons is also considered a superfluous man. Albert Jay Nock earlier titled his autobiography Memoirs of a Superfluous Man.