The world has become sad because a puppet was once melancholy. The nihilist, that strange martyr who has no faith, who goes to the stake without enthusiasm, and dies for what he does not believe in, is a purely literary product. He was invented by Turgenev, and completed by Dostoevsky. Robespierre came out of the pages of Rousseau as surely as the People's Palace rose out debris of a novel. Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it, but moulds it to its purpose.

Summary

This quote suggests that the sadness and melancholy experienced by a fictional character, such as a puppet, can resonate with and affect the real world. It argues that nihilism, exemplified by a martyr without faith or enthusiasm, is a concept purely created in literature, starting with Turgenev and expanded by Dostoevsky. The quote also claims that historical figures, like Robespierre, can emerge from the pages of literature, and literature has the power to shape and influence real life rather than simply imitating it. In essence, literature has the ability to anticipate and shape society.

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