EPHEMERAL LOVE AND QUEST FOR MEANING: A LOGOTHERAPEUTIC ANALYSIS OF DOSTOYEVSKY’S WHITE NIGHTS

Abstract

To comprehend how the unnamed dreamer's ephemeral love becomes a source of meaning, this study examines White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky through the lens of Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy. Although the novella's themes of loneliness, imagination, and existential conflict have been the subject of numerous studies, very few have specifically examined them within Frankl's theoretical framework. This lack of investigation forms the central gap that this study aims to address. The main goal of the study is to examine how, despite the relationship's brief duration, a brief emotional encounter changes the dreamer's mental state and gives him a new sense of purpose. The study takes a qualitative approach and uses textual analysis of Dostoyevsky's novellas as the primary source. It also draws on relevant secondary sources, including scholarly articles, literary criticism, and psychological studies of meaning making. The guiding theory is logotherapy, with an emphasis on personal transformation, emotional connection, and experiential values as means of finding meaning. Findings indicate that the dreamer’s short-lived relationship with Nastenka functions as a powerful existential experience. Even though the love remains unfulfilled, it grants the dreamer emotional clarity, hope, and a deeper understanding of human connection. This suggests that temporary experiences can hold lasting significance and can act as catalysts for inner development. The study concludes that ephemeral love in White Nights is not merely a romantic episode but a meaningful psychological event that closely aligns with Frankl’s concept of meaning derived from fleeting yet profound encounters.