The Themes of Dostoyevsky

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The Themes of Dostoyevsky Fyodor Dostoyevsky, born in 1821, would become one of the greatest writers in Russian literature. Fyodor received an education in engineering in St. Petersburg, but decided to follow a literary career. He was a person who wrote how they felt about certain topics, and felt that everyone should know about the government. Dostoyevsky joined the underground group, the Petrashevsky circle, the to bring out the truth in these books, which were forbidden in the public. Through these themes, Dostoyevsky wrote about many topics. Dostoyevsky achieved success with Notes from Underground, a psychological study of a spiritual and intellectual misfit. Dostoyevsky’s greatest success came with four novels that rank among the masterpieces of world literature. Crime and Punishment concerns a student who murders because he imagines himself to be superior to most people, but who cannot face the enormity of his crime. In The Idiot, Dostoyevsky tried to portray a truly good Christian person. “The Possessed, also published as The Devils, is a prophetic portrait of Russian revolutionaries. Dostoyevsky’s greatest novel is probably The Brothers Karamazov. It centers on the murder of the evil Fyodor Karamazov and the effect of this crime on each of his four sons” (Crone). Sin, punishment, and atonement were major themes in Dostoyevsky’s writings. He influenced many writers, and writers influenced Dostoyevsky as well: Crime and Punishment is an echo of Anglo-Saxons that predominate: Dickens, but above all Hawthorne, with his themes of sin, punishment, and atonement. Dostoyevsky influenced Poe with his invention of the detective story and his researches into the human psyche. In The Brothers Karamazov there are echo... ... middle of paper ... ...alog in Queens College library. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Quotes from www.brainyquote.com. 2004. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/fyodor_dostoyevsky.html. Haskins, Susan. Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor. London. 1993. Harcourt Brace & Company. Heinegg, Peter. “The First Anti-Hero.” America. Vol. 191. 2004. 24,25. Kasia, Andrzej. “ Dostoyevsky and the Polish Pope.” Dialogue and Universalism. Vol. 12. 2002. 90,91. Prusak, Bernard G. “Pride and Prophecy.” Commonweal. Vol. 124. 1997. 29,30. Stange, Christiaan. Quotations on and from Dostoyevsky. 2002. http://www.kiosek.com/dostoevsky/quotations.html#top. Vaghin, Evgenii. “Dostoyevsky behind Barbed Wire.” National Review. Vol. 35. 2003. 938-940. Wasiolek, Edward. Dostoyevsky: The Major Fiction. Cambridge, MA. 1964. The M.I.T. Press.

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