All Questions
Tagged with fyodor-dostoyevsky russian-language
39
questions
13
votes
1
answer
546
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Narrator in The Idiot
I'm struggling to understand the narrator in The Idiot. He seems like an omniscient narrator, talking of characters in third person. But, in Chapter I of Part One, while describing know-it-alls, the ...
CommunityBot
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9
votes
1
answer
416
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What kind of censorship was Dostoevsky avoiding by obscuring place names?
In the opening paragraph of Crime and Punishment, two locations, S— Lane and K—n Bridge, are identified only by their first and final letters. My translation has a footnote which says that Dostoevsky ...
- 1,886
5
votes
3
answers
556
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In the Brothers Karamazov, did Dostoyevsky take those characters out of real life?
In the novel The Brothers Karamazov, did the writer take those characters out of real life? Or did he just build the characters with time?
6
votes
2
answers
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Why did Smerdyakov kill himself in the Brothers Karamazov?
It is being said that he committed suicide out of desperation. The Defense Lawyer, Fetyukovich, actually stated Smerdyakov did not kill himself out of guilt and remorse, but because he knew there was ...
- 1,809
11
votes
1
answer
716
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How was Crime and Punishment originally published?
I know that Crime and Punishment was originally published in "The Russian Messenger". I read that it was a Monthly journal. But how exactly was Crime and Punishment formatted in its initial release? ...
7
votes
1
answer
173
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What does Dostoyevsky's character's statement about Permissiveness mean for Morality in Western Civilization?
One of Western civilizations most important and well-respected piece of literature is The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoyevsky. Among other important religious issues, Dostoyevsky has one of his ...
CommunityBot
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2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Locating a quote in Dostoevsky's The Idiot
I am trying to locate this quote that I came across. I believe it was spoken by Aglaya (or Nastasya?) in The Idiot, but I'm having trouble locating it:
“I want to talk about everything with at least ...
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1
vote
1
answer
266
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What is the significance of the money given to Liza in Notes from Underground?
At the end of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground, the following occurs (from Wikipedia):
After all this, he still acts terribly toward her, and, before she
leaves, he stuffs a five ruble note ...
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5
votes
2
answers
243
views
"Hamlet" reference in "Crime and Punishment": translator's invention?
I am reading Pevear & Volokhonsky's translation of Crime and Punishment. In part II, chapter 6, Raskolnikov is at the "Crystal Palace" restaurant, where he runs into the clerk Zamyotov ...
- 96
5
votes
1
answer
2k
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Is there any special significance in Dr. Rutenspitz's last words to Mr. Golyadkin?
Throughout The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, there had been hints that maybe Mr. Golyadkin Jr., the double, was a product of Mr. Golyadkin Sr.'s imagination — and that it was either a way to signify ...
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0
votes
0
answers
49
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What is the main idea and the main problem of Dostoyevsky's Demons?
What is the main idea and the main problem of Dostoyevsky's novel Demons? I have tried to identify one main idea and the main problem of the novel, but in the end nothing came out.
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11
votes
2
answers
8k
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Was Dostoyevsky atheist or Christian?
We see atheist and Christian heroes in Dostoyevsky's books. In many cases the works of an author reflect elements of their own life. However, the extent to which this occurs vary by author. Especially,...
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8
votes
0
answers
378
views
What is the significance of the Grand Inquisitor in The Brothers Karamazov?
In The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan tells a long story to Alyosha about the Grand Inquisitor. I have been trying to grasp its meaning for some time, but what is the significance of that story?
- 47.3k
3
votes
2
answers
118
views
What does it mean to look like "a hair-dresser's assistant"?
In the 1st Chapter, Part I of Dostoevsky's The Idiot (Eva Martin's translation) you can find the following passage, in which Rogojin is describing the first time he saw Nastasia Philipovna:
I was ...
- 6,200
11
votes
2
answers
3k
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Use of "pounds" instead of "roubles" in passage of "The Idiot"
In the 1st Chapter, Part I of Dostoevsky's The Idiot (Eva Martin's translation) you can find the following passage:
These men generally have about a hundred pounds a year to live on (...)
In this ...
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