an excerpt from Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

'I've been told that in Rome our artists won't so much as set foot in the Vatican. They consider Raphael scarcely better than an idiot because he's one of the so-called authorities, but they're themselves feeble and untalented to the point of crudity and their imaginations can't rise above "A Girl at the Fountain" no matter what happens! And the girl's usually painted appallingly badly. In your opinion they're fine chaps, eh?'

'In my opinion' retorted Bazarov 'Raphael isn't worth a copper penny and they're no better than he is.'

'Bravo! Bravo! Listen to that, Arkady...That's how young people of today should express themselves! It's unthinkable that they shouldn't follow you! Previously young people had been expected to learn. Because they didn't want to appear to be ignoramuses, they worked hard willy-nilly. But now all they have to say is: Everything in the world's nonsense! and that's that. Young people are delighted. The fact is that previously they were simply dunces and now they've suddenly become nihilists.'