Literature Study: Fyodor Dostoevsky

The past few weeks I have taken on the classic Russian Novel of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have often heard this novel considered among the greatest works of literature with Dostoevsky's name at the forefront of great Russian writers alongside Leo Tolstoy. This is the first of his works I have read and surprisingly I have been able to follow along quite well. The story is quite stimulating, a bit on the dark side, but has a very original style to it. I find myself genuinely enjoying the book which is often not the case for older works of literature that I read. I'll later have a full review in a separate post, but for now I wanted to focus on the author himself, Fyodor Dostoevsky. 

I remember the first time I heard mention of Dostoevsky was in an episode of Lost, where the villain was clearly influenced by his writings. It's from then on that I had associated the classic novel of Crime and Punishment and any other work of Dostoevsky to be rather dark content. I further came to better understand him when listening to the audiobook of The Brothers Karamazov which demonstrates some of his usual themes. This is usually pertaining to the topic of God's existence, atheism, or nihilism among his characters. Dostoevsky presents his philosophical ideals thru these complex characters and takes us into their inner conflicts and thoughts throughout his writings. 

So now I'd like to compose a full biography on the life of Dostoevsky to better understand his works. He lived in Russia from 1821-1881 and ushered in a golden era of Russian literature. His greatest works are Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). He wrote 13 novels, three novellas, seventeen short stories, and many other works. His writings influenced great philosophers and writers alike such as the playwright Anton Chekhov, the German philosopher Friederich Nietzsche, and the French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre. Dostoevsky's works gave way to the philosophical study of Existentialism and the psychological study known as Freudianism.    

The Life of Fyodor Dostoevsky

Despite his books concerning the question of God, atheism, and the idea of nihilism (life without purpose) Fyodor Dostoevsky was raised a Christian and remained one all throughout his life. His father was a physician and he spent much of his early childhood living on the hospital grounds among the lower class. From an early age he enjoyed stories and showed a keen interest in the Bible, famous novels, the Homeric Epics, and the works of Nikolai Gogol. Some of the incidents he witnessed as a child on the hospital grounds made their way into his writings, such as the rape of a 9 year old girl. Fyodor was described as a pale, introverted dreamer and later sent to boarding school by his strict father. 

At the age of 15 after his mother died, he was sent to a military engineering academy in St. Petersburg. He remained a recluse within the class, preferring his books over scientific studies. He was still however respected for his discipline and sharp knowledge on literature and religion. By 1843 after his father had died, he had graduated from the academy and took on a job as a lieutenant engineer. He began some of his earliest writings at this point but did not find much success and began to struggle financially. His breakthrough finally came in 1845 when he published his first novel, Poor Folk which was considered Russia's first ever social novel. 

Following the success of his first book he resigned from the military to focus on his writing. He published several more novels and short stories during this time and became more politically involved. He favored the leftist ideals of socialism that supported the lower working class folks and eventually joined the Petrashevsky Circle in 1846. This was a society of influential writers and thinkers who favored a political revolution on Imperial Russia. Following the Revolutions of 1848 that spread all throughout Europe, the Russian authorities made a political purge against dissidents including the Petrashevsky Circle. Fyodor was arrested as a conspirator, imprisoned for four months, and then sentenced to death by a firing squad. This was however only a mock execution, and he was spared moments before the firing squad. Instead his punishment was exile into Serbia for four years.    

Dostoevsky was sent to a prison labor camp in Omsk Siberia and suffered from various illnesses such as seizures, hemorrhoids, and hash fevers. He still managed to keep his mental strength by reading the bible and the writings of Charles Dickens. He was finally released from the prison camp in 1854 and relocated to Semipalatinsk. He remained under police surveillance for the rest of his life, returned to military service and got married in 1857. He resumed his writing and in 1861 he published The House of the Dead which was based on his experience in the Siberian labor camps. The book brought him some financial success once again and he was able to travel Europe to meet prominent writers. One of his most notable visits was to see the Crystal Palace exhibition hall in England, which he saw as a wicked monument to capitalism and materialism.

During his travels across Europe, he lost much of his finances due to his gambling addiction. His first wife and his brother both died in 1864 and he later returned to St. Petersburg. It was during this time that he wrote his most famous work, Crime and Punishment, which was first published in the Russian Messenger magazine in 1866. He married his second wife a year later and then went on a 4 year honeymoon traveling across Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. During this time he wrote two more of his famous works, The Idiot and Demons which were both published in the Russian Messenger. However he also continued to struggle with his gambling addiction. 

Despite the success of his books, Dostoevsky was always struggling financially due to the gambling. He moved back to St. Petersburg in 1871 with his family and established his own publishing company. The company was a success managed by his wife selling many copies of Demons and new essay writings in his periodical called Diary. Around this time Dostoevsky's political ideals shifted to more conservative, ethical, and religious ideals. His health began to significantly deteriorate by 1876 with frequent seizures and shortness of breath. However he was honored by Tsar Alexander II who asked Dostoevsky to tutor his son. This increased Dostoevsky's national fame and he acquainted with many other prominent Russian artists of the time such as the realist painter Ilya Repin. He wrote his final great novel, The Brothers Karamazov in 1880. He died in 1881 from a hemorrhage and spent his final moments with his family quote biblical verses. His funeral was attended by more than 100,000 mourners which demonstrates the public fame he had achieved.

The Works of Dostoevsky

The writings of Dostoevsky all reflect the life he lived, his experiences and his beliefs. This mostly pertains to leftist political ideals favoring justice and the impoverished while also supporting the structure of Christianity and faith. Some of the common themes in his books deal with poverty, social problems, the debate of religion, and inner conflict. He incorporates a very unique style of philosophical and psychological components to each of the characters in his writings. The writing is no doubt a bit on the gothic side yet still incorporates realistic fiction with deeper meanings. I think his books can be used as a great study on real human psychological reactions. 

• Poor Folk (1846)
• This was Dostoevsky's first major novel based off his experience as a young child growing up with impoverished families on hospital grounds. The novel depicts a correspondence between two family members as they struggle with their low self esteem from living in poverty. 
  
• House of the Dead (1862)
• 
  This novel is a fictionalized memoir of Dostoevsky's four year experience in a Siberian labor camp. The story demonstrates the narrator's mental struggles while trying to survive the harsh conditions of the camp. He finds strength thru the other prisoners he meets there. 
• Notes from the Underground (1864)
• This unique story is written as a confessional of Dostoevsky's philosophy thru the narration of a retired civil servant from St. Petersburg. The main narrator lives in his basement as recluse quite bitter at society and writes down all the wrongs that have led him to this circumstance. The character eventually tries to find some hope thru a poor prostitute.  
• Crime and Punishment (1866)
• Considered Dostoevsky's magnum opus it pertains to the inner conflict of a man who commits a murder he believes to be justifiable. He is however overcome with great guilt, remorse, and even madness as he tries to come to terms with his acts. He must eventually face the authorities knowing there is no way he can live on without confessing.  
• The Gambler (1867)
• Also another fictionalized memoir of Dostoevsky's problems with gambling. Set in a hotel in Germany, a young educated tutor hopes to regain wealth, love, and happiness thru gambling. However he gets in too deep and falls into a downward spiral of financial loss.
• The Idiot (1868)
• The title is a sarcastic reference to the main character who is a good, honest, and righteous person that is taken advantage of by the rest of society. Dostoevsky uses this simple structure of good man living in a cruel world, to demonstrate his philosophical and religious ideals pertaining to modern day society. 
• Demons (1871)
• Considered one of Dostoevsky's darkest and most violent books it demonstrates a psychological thriller of a man struggling with nihilist ideals. Dostoevsky creates a fictional dystopian town that is overrun by anarchy, crime, and a lack of Christian principles. The book ultimately demonstrates the problems with nihilism and anarchy and that the true path is one of faith.
• The Brothers Karamazov (1879)
• Once again Dostoevsky creates a plot of characters discussing philosophical and spiritual ideals in this famous novel. It's essentially an argument between two brothers who are faced with the death of their father. One is an atheist while the other is a believer and the two argue ideals as it pertains to the modern day society of Russia.