Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment

Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

Born in Moscow Mother loving and religious Father strict, violent alcoholic who was educated as a doctor and as nobility could own serfs. Father murdered and castrated and choked with liquor by serfs

First novel D educated in School of Military Engineers in Petersburg D hailed as “New Gogol” by Belinsky in 1845 after writing POOR FOLK PF showed D’s emphasis on psychological awareness of inner workings of mind

Radical D D belonged to several socialist circles including “Petrashevsky circle” They read French Socialist Fourier and discussed socialism and criticism of the current government Set up secret printing press to circulate anti government literature

Prison 1849 –arrested with several others for circulation of anti orthodox and anti government lit Condemned to death by firing squad First group already dead when sentence was changed to four years of hard labor and subsequent service in the army

Labor Camp Later wrote about labor camp in Notes from the House of the Dead Labor camp is where D experienced a religious and philosophical conversion Rejected progressive ideas of his youth and converted to Russian Orthodoxy and aggressive right wing journalist Came down with epilepsy

Slavophile Part of Slavophile revival Targeted Jews, Poles, Germans, Catholics, Socialism, and entire West Believed in necessity of suffering Strong will = criminality, humility = humanity Russia better than any nation Russia only ones who understand Christianity

Laissez faire – change of heart Why? Environmental determinism: conflict and separation between classes is ineviatlbe Revolutionaryism is pointless since life and writing would be impossible Ideological: political systems do not necessarily affect private life, don’t matter to one personally

Conservatism Changed belief about man – Used to believe man was rational and correctable Now views man as someone whose goal in life was to accept suffering and humbling Believes people should be humble, passive, feel unworthy and guilty Sinful to be satisfied, proud, or happy

Most famous novels Crime and Puhishment 1866 The Idiot 1867 The Possessed 1871 The Brothers Karamazov 1879

Hard Times Brother and wife both died and he took on all of their debts Gambling problem Married secretary who then typed all of his manuscripts Hid abroad from creditors for four years Later had four kids and settled down

The End Died of lung hemorrhage in St Petersburg at 59 in 1881 Considered Russia’s greatest writer at death Today considered one of the world’s greatest writers