Abstract This fourteen page paper examines fear and angst in Dostoevsky's works. It specifically examines the pervasive presence of fear, anxiety, and angst in "The Brothers Karamazov", "Notes from Underground", "The Idiot" and "Crime and Punishment" and demonstrates that Fyodor Dostoevsky believed these negative emotions are triggered primarily because people inevitably become aware that their constantly struggling to understand the meaning of human existence is futile.
From the Paper "Dostoevsky's Writings: A Comparative Analysis of Existentialist Fear and Angst Examining the pervasive presence of fear, anxiety, and angst in The Brothers Karamazov, Notes from Underground, The Idiot and Crime and Punishment demonstrates the Fyodor Dostoevsky believed these negative emotions are triggered primarily because people inevitably become aware that their constantly struggling to understand the meaning of human existence is futile. Acknowledging this futility compels them to either give up and descend willingly into moral degradation or to continue struggling even if it appears useless. In terms of how Dostoevsky used fear in his writing and the manner in which his expression of fear reflects the existentialistic idea, it is evident first of all that his main characters in these four novels have been crafted to display the darkness of the human condition."
Abstract This paper looks at the main male figures in T.S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" and their ineffectiveness in relationships with the people around them, specifically women. The paper looks at how both of these men hide behind their fear in different ways but still manage to both ruin their lives.
From the Paper "Eliot and Dostoevsky's Pathetic Little Men In the novella Notes from the Underground by Dostoevsky and the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot, we see examples of the myth of the pathetic and ineffective man who is tormented by his life and relationships with women. Both of the main narrative characters of these works of literature are men who are in essence unhappy with themselves and their lives, and whose attempts at normalcy fail miserably. This is most apparent in their relationships with the women that they attempt to have interactions with, but fail because of their overwhelming unpleasantness or ineffectiveness cause by a deep and underlying lack of self worth and fear. Prufrock's narrator is a middle aged man who has realized that he is running out of time to do the things he once thought he would eventually get around to doing (Eliot 4)."
Abstract This paper discusses the thesis that the events of Dostoevsky's life and of Russia during the 1800s helped encourage much of his work and defined Fyodor Dostoevsky's concepts and views of freedom.
It looks at how Dostoevsky examined many different types of freedoms and aspects and used them as a central theme to many of his novels, such as "Crime and Punishment", "The Brothers Karamazov", and "Notes from the Underground". It also discusses how his background played an important part in how he portrayed freedom in his novels and how Dostoevsky had extreme views that landed him in jail for a period of time.
From the Paper "Throughout his life, Fyodor Dostoevsky surrounded himself with influences that helped to create his thoughts on freedom which he applied to characters throughout his numerous works. Many of Dostoevsky's novels focused on man and freedom. The Russian often used freedom in multiple forms and as an obsession of one or more characters (Jones 44). Fyodor Dostoevsky believed that any man held from his desire and need of freedom feels both social and psychological consequences (Amoia 283). Kept away from sensing and feeling freedom, man will start to break down mentally and want freedom more. Oftentimes, Dostoevsky does not mention freedom without connecting it to good and evil. "
Abstract Considering all the torments that Dostoevsky lived through - torments that he then channeled in to some of his most famous fictional creations - was Dostoevsky sincere when he penned the famous quote in The Idiot: "Beauty will save the world"? Did Dostoevsky equate beauty with goodness, or was he simply using Myshkin's naivete to underline the worthlessness of purity and aesthetics in a world of sin and strife? This paper, through an examination of Dostoevsky's life and how the events of his life were filtered in to some of his most famous works, will take the position that both ideas are possible.
From the Paper "Stories of Dostoevsky's cruel treatment at the hands of his father have reached near legendary status, thanks in no small part to Sigmund Freud's famous essay on the writer's psychological development. After returning home from work each day, Dostoevsky's father would take a nap. His children were assigned to stand guard over him while he slept, remain completely quiet, and swat flies that came anywhere near the sleeping doctor's head. While much psychoanalytic theory has been poured in to the effects of his upbringing on the writer's portrayal of father figures such as that in The Brothers Karamazov, the idea that Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov was actually based on Dr. Dostoevsky has been called in to question by Joseph Frank, the famous biographer of Dostoevsky. Frank claims that letters and personal accounts attest that the father and son actually had a close, loving relationship."
Abstract This paper explains that Fyodor Dostoevsky's most influential works are "Crime and Punishment" (1866) and "The Brothers Karamazov" (1879-80), which, like most of his literary work attempted to justify the necessity of faith and of God as conditions of true freedom. The author points out that all works of Dostoevsky can be divided in two undying questions about the existence of God and about immortality of soul. The paper states that Dostoevsky was very interested in the theme of sin as related in his novel "Crime and Punishment": Sins can be different: when you offend a person, it is a sin; when you murder, it also is a sin.
From the Paper "In his works, Dostoevsky proves that God exists in, or for, every person. The choice between 'Yes' and 'No' - the two answers that can be given to the transcendent, personal existence of God - is for Dostoevsky the same thing as the alternative: 'To be or not to be.'" His works are filled with Evil, but at the same time he clearly proves how this Evil is defeated by the idea of Christian morality - or in other words - belief in God. Without God life is a complete inanity. With this idea, Dostoevsky tries to show to the people that before they want to see a change in the society, it must begin with them first. People that came to be Believers, accepted laws of Christ as a guide for their entire lives, become more understanding of moral values. Because of that the most important judge of their actions is their own conscience, namely - their soul. It judges a person and it punishes him."
Abstract This paper examines the similarities and differences in Camus'
"The Stranger" and Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment", with specific reference to the murder that takes place in each book. Camus' murder is an examination of existentialism and an expression of the futility of believing that there is meaning in any act. Dostoevsky's murder is an expression of the senselessness of the ruling school of thought in the 19th century Russia. While each novel centers on a murder, they differ entirely as to the point and reason for each.
Describes the symbolism that was lost in the translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" from Russian to English and also takes a look at the general symbolism of the book and some history.
Abstract Explains some history of Russian dialogue, Russian history, and Fyodor Dostoevsky's life experiences. It tells the symbolism of the names in "Crime and Punishment," how Fyodor Dostoevsky was imprisoned, and the history of Russian tsarist government.
From the Paper "Authors write their novels using literary techniques such as symbolism. However, when entire novels are translated from the native language to another, there are some things that are lost in translation. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment in Russian and when the novel was translated to English, symbolism was lost in translation. The symbolism requires knowledge of Russian history and language and some history of Fyodor Dostoevsky's life, to know and understand. Without prior knowledge of the use of some names and words, the symbolism is unknown to the reader."
Abstract This paper discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, "Crime and Punishment," claiming it to be a critique of the super-rationalism of the 18th century Enlightenment, particularly the philosophies of J.S. Mill and Rousseau. The focus of this paper is Dostoevsky's use of Raskolnikov to expose fundamental flaws in Mill's utilitarianism and Rousseau's concept of natural man. The paper examines how he does this by using Raskolnikov as a representation of a typical psyche and by relying on an intuitive argument to show the inability of these philosophies to reflect empirical evidence.
From the Paper "The character of Raskolnikov exposes flaws in Mill's utilitarianism and Rousseauvian philosophy. Dostoevsky's philosophy is unique and radically different from the prevailing ideas of eighteenth century enlightenment because of its reliance on the existence of certain truths common to the psyche of man, instead of a focus on rationality, coupled with the exclusion of other psychological elements. Raskolnikov's two major conflicts are between the rational and emotional portions of his personality and, stemming from this, his tendency to both lament and perpetuate his separation from society. His inability to reconcile these opposing facets of his being results in the great imbalance in his life."
Abstract Dostoevsky, clearly an existentialist, focused much of his literary work on debunking nihilism. Because he believed that human natural could only be fully displayed through the supernatural, Dostoevsky fought the growing trend of applying scientific and rational thought to all aspects of the human experience. By examining some of his most important passages in his works, "Notes From the Underground", "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov", this paper displays the clear battle that the author fought during his literary career, ultimately culminating in the defeat of Ivan Karamazov in "The Brothers Karamazov".
From the Paper "Dostoevsky was concerned with the dangers of Nihilism. He believed that reason, while the prevalent thought in society, could do little to explain human nature. In so codifying human behavior and necessitating a need for predictable outcomes, Dostoevsky surmised that reason would overstep its own laws in a desire to curtail human nature and explain natural irrationality. He believed that predictions could do little to explain love, passion, personality, individuality; it could only offer a formula on how to suppress it. Rationality, along with industrialization, psychology, and capitalism, sought to replace free-choice for, as he would put it later, a loaf of bread."
Abstract The paper discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" and his concern that if science is used as the only tool to discover meaning and lay blame, then human emotion and free will will no longer exist. The paper explains how Dostoevsky worries about the loss of responsibility for one's actions, which would eventually allows people to legitimately act with cruelty. The paper also shows how his words foreshadow the times that would come, when the German "scientific" culture would convince millions to take the lives of innocents in WWII.
From the Paper "Dostoevsky, lived in a time when science and new ideas were coveted all over the world, but when his homeland Russia oppressed it with zeal. Bureaucracy and administration censored new findings and ideas with a vengeance so great even great literary minds such as Dostoevsky would spend some time in exile in Siberia as a result of "subversive" wittings and political affiliations. Though Dostoevsky was initially sentenced to death, with several of his affiliation members, his sentence was commuted to four years of exile in Siberia, only after he and his fellow liberals were standing outside for some time awaiting execution. (Dostoevsky vii)"
An examination of the underground man in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel,"Notes from Underground," and the way in which he has evolved in works by other writers.
Abstract This paper discusses the novel "Notes from Underground," by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and how his creation of the "underground man" has influenced Russian and other literature. The writer describes Dostevsky's underground man, who is in essence an anti-hero, and explains what makes him such a revolutionary and original character for his time. The writer also discusses several Russian writers who either created characters in imitation of Dostoevsky's underground man or in reaction to him. The paper concludes that traces of the underground man can be found everywhere in contemporary novels, and he will not go out of style, since the debate each person has within themselves about their purpose on this planet will always be at the forefront of human consciousness.
From the Paper "Dostoevsky's best skill as a writer was his ability to convey complex philosophical ideas through characters and plots. He chose to communicate both his religious and political ideas through fiction instead of non-fiction. Because his novels involve fictional characters and are not too caught up in an exact historical moment, they are still relevant to social problems today. Even so, in Dostoevsky's cornerstone novel, Notes from Underground, he chose to be more explicit by writing the first section of the novel in philosophical prose, and the second as narrative fiction depicting the previous parts' ideas."
Abstract This paper explores the under lying concepts of Russian literature's "Progressivism", by explaining the events between 1889 and 1920 as exemplified in the works of Chekhov and Dostoevsky. The paper argues that the fictional societies lost faith in religious concepts but still wanted these values in their politics and economy. The paper also shows the historic change and progress in the Russian society as a result of modernization.
From the Paper "'Progressivism' is a term, usually describing a nebulous concept, a persuasion, explaining the events between 1889 and 1920. It was political only on its surface. At its core it was religious, an attempt by people from all social classes, but chiefly the middle class, to restore the proper balances among moral values, capitalistic competition, and democratic processes, which the expansion of business in the New Age seemed to have changed in alarming ways. Societies had lost literal faith in religious concepts but still wanted these values in their politics and economy and every other field."
Abstract This paper discusses the ideological and philosophical issues raised by the characters of the book. While the writer acknowledges that the book encompasses a great deal of the Russia of Dostoevsky's time and even more of human experience, he claims that the philosophical discussion is what gives the novel resonance and power.
From the Paper "The story of the Grand Inquisitor is a complex parable presented as a poem written by Ivan Karamazov. This element in the story tells much about the history of the church in Russia at the time and about theological concerns of the time. The story is presented as a battle between the Old Cardinal and Christ, with the Old Cardinal imprisoning the returned Christ because the example Christ sets is seen by the Cardinal as having placed a burden on mankind that the human being cannot meet. The focus of the poem is on a dialogue between the Grand Inquisitor and Christ. The Grand Inquisitor represents the Church that has come into being purportedly in support of Christ's teaching and to maintain Christ's example, but the Grand Inquisitor shows that the Church is actually teaching what Christ should have represented to mankind. This all relates back to Christ's rejection of the three temptations--if he had accepted the bread, mankind would know security; if he had performed a miracle to get down from the pinnacle, human beings would have something miraculous to worship; and if he had accepted the power Satan offered him, he could wield that power for humankind."
Abstract This paper offers a comparison of Susan Glaspell's short story "Trifles" with Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment," based on the interplay of conscience, crime and social experience. The paper describes plots of premeditated murder and the investigation surrounding the murders.
From the Paper "This research examines ways in which social experience informs conscience and behavior with reference to Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" and Glaspell's play "Trifles" and the short story on which it was based, "A Jury of Her Peers." The research will set forth the cultural context of each narrative and then compare and contrast how conscience-related issues are treated by the texts with a view toward identifying ways in which inter penetrations of conscience and social constructs affect or explain behavior."
Abstract This paper discusses Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, who were all for all intents and purposes religious thinkers in a manner of speaking; no less importantly, they were religious thinkers who also placed a great deal of emphasis upon human freedom. The paper will examines the relationship between the faith which animates the writings of these individuals and the heavy emphasis each man places upon freedom. In conclusion, this paper contends that Nietzsche's view of what constitutes freedom is not genuine freedom at all because it makes no allowance for the fact that mental and spiritual freedom (the sort of freedom brought about by peace of mind and by spiritual contentment) is just as important as any other form of freedom, emphasizing the satiation of the physical senses.
