Russian Literature of the 19th Century

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Russian Literature of the 19th Century
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Eleventh Week

• Next Exam November 4
• Study Guide

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Last Tuesday

• Film continued The Idiot (based on novel by
  Dostoevsky)
• Dostoevsky discussion
• Read Crime and Punishment!

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Idiot 7

• NF changes her mind
• Decides to go with Rogozhin
• Taunts Ganya tosses money in the fire
• Leaves with Rogozhin
• Prince follows
• Moscow NF and Rogozhin in stormy relationship
• Prince losing his money

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Idiot 8

• Prince and Rogozhin
• Prince meets Rogozhins mother
• The KNIFE

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Further plot developments

• More marriage plans
• Prince and Aglaya
• Prince and Nastasya
• Rogozhin and NF
• Outcomes
• Death
• Insanity
• Siberia

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Idiot whats the point?

• People who are hurting
• Nurture their hurt
• Hurt others
• So that they can be hurt more
• People who are not hurting
• Are naïve
• Offer hope
• Will be rejected (probably)

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Flawed Masterpiece?

• Not as uniformly dramatic
• Story line weak

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Main point?

• Victory of forces of darkness beautiful
  individuals cant survive

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Best features

• Character of the prince
• All subordinated to higher ideals
• Pity, compassion
• Confrontations with death
• Possibility of resurrection
• People too damaged?
• Murder/execution experiences run through it

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Psychological issues

• Masochism/sadism
• Possibility of love without sex
• Can a person be perfect if he/she has no sexual
  desire? (Aglaya and NF reject the prince)
• No desiredeficiency?
• Sexual passion inherently selfish?

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Fedor Dostoevsky 1821-81
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Major Works

• Early Poor Folk, The Double
• Notes from the Underground 1864
• Crime and Punishment 1865-66
• The Idiot 1868-69
• The Possessed 1871-72
• Brothers Karamazov 1880
• Legend of the Grand Inquisitor

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Distinctive features

• Insights into irrational passions
• Strong presentation of virtues and vices
• Profound dilemmas, conflicts
• Influential ideas in variety of realms

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Influential

• Philosophical thought existentialism
• Psychology, criminal psychology
• Literature world famous novels
• Theology volumes of discussions of his ideas
• Passionate proponents and opponents

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Notes from the Underground

• Underground Man
• Story
• Views
• Legacy
• Philosophy Existentialism
• Psychology

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Themes

• Rational egoism wrong
• Rational social planning wrong
• People are masochistic and sadistic
• People reject best interests
• Life is nauseating suicide salvation?
• Will pervades everything altruism?

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Crime and Punishment
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Raskolnikovs Room
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Title and Naming

• Transgression biblical subtexts, references
• SonyaSofiya Raskolnikov Razumikhin Luzhin
  Lebezyatnikov

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Genesis

• Depression, anxiety, debts
• Alcoholism The Drunkards
• Illness and guilt, crime
• Atheism without God, all is permitted
• Hero with inner conflict, split
• Consequences of ideas

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Setting

• Vivid stifling heat, smells, dirt
• Real Petersburg streets, bridges

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First chapters

• Rehearses crime hungry and ill
• Fate takes him to tavern
• Meets Marmeladov
• Dreams, poverty, alcohol, self-destructive
  behavior

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Chapter 2

• R vacillates drawn to and repelled by people
• Marmeladov speeches self-degrading
• Why? Explain his behavior?
• Pleasure in abuse by Katerina Ivanovna?
• Major characters introduced
• His flat, wife, children money

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Katerina Ivanovna

• Obsessively cleaning
• Self-lacerating
• Suffers abuse and abuses
• Forces Sonya to the streets yellow card
• Melodramatic 30 silver rubles

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Chapter 3

• Rs place room like a coffin
• Relations with Nastaya, landlady
• The letter from his mother whats wrong?
• Relationship with parent, sister
• Love and sacrifice suffocating him

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Chapter 4

• Hatred for Luzhin
• Sonya and Dunya link
• Drunken girl scene
• Rs feelings!
• Razumikhin

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Chapter 5

• First dream all the dreams meaningful
• Sadistic killing evokes compassion
• Vacillation over plan
• Fate sets it in motion

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Chapter 6

• Possible motives
• Flashbacks concerning Alyona and sister

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Part II

• Murder
• Developing relationships
• Mother and sister
• Marmeladov family
• Police department
• Razumikhin

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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
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Chapter 6
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Chapter 7
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Part III
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Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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Chapter 4
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Chapter 5
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Chapter 6
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Chapter 7