A Brief Introduction to Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Works
Стивен Далил
Prior to arriving at William & Mary last fall, I had stumbled across the novels of a Russian author named Fyodor Dostoevsky. One day in March, I went to my local public library and rented out Notes from Underground. His reputation preceded him, as I had picked up Notes from Underground thinking that this book would be intellectually breathtaking, serious, and full of suffering. Sure enough, after reading his novels, I found out that these components of the Russian mystique that surround Russian authors of the 19th and 20th centuries are included in his works. However, what was more important to me was that I had a new favorite author. An author who was not so good at writing eloquently, but who was frighteningly superb at evoking keen emotions. In this article, I will make a brief case as to why he is an amazing author and suggest a reading order for anyone looking to begin reading Dostoevsky’s novels.
In my first semester at William & Mary, I enrolled in Professor Prokhorova’s class “Dostoevsky in Translation.” Before going into the class I had finished Notes from Underground and Crime and Punishment, and I was excited to tackle The Brothers Karamazov under the guidance of Professor Prokhorova. To start, Professor Prokhorova is a fantastic lecturer, who never fails to get the class laughing at least once in every class. Because of her teaching style I came to class ready to answer questions and talk about each novel. I think that Professor Prokhorova’s teaching style, and the luxury of having a great novel explained to you step by step was the critical combination that cemented the novel as my favorite book of all time.
Now I will make a brief case for Fyodor Dostoevsky’s greatness through The Brothers Karamazov. To set the scene, The Brothers Karamazov is centered around the question of whether or not one should have faith in the existence of God. I often find that novels centered around answering a question are typically non-fiction or academic, so a fictional novel with this characteristic, in my eyes, is unique. Furthermore, the contentious nature of this premise is bound to incite both praise and scorn, which is at the very least a reason for its perpetual popularity. In all honesty, no matter how interesting this question is, the question itself is pointless if the answer does not reveal some greater motive to live a better life. Dostoevsky knows this, so throughout The Brothers Karamazov there are often beautiful and painstakingly described scenes of keen emotions. Scenes like Alyosha shedding tears at how beautiful the night sky is, or his speech at the end of the book are why Fyodor Dostoevsky is such a great author. He knows that nobody reads fiction to learn answers to difficult abstract questions, they read fiction to find out new things about themselves and how they feel about this world. That is why he is one of the greatest authors of all time.
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s unmatched ability to show readers new insights into themselves and how they feel about the world is what compelled me to read the rest of his large novels. Although, none of them quite matched up to the dramatic conclusion to his oeuvre, The Brothers Karamazov. Nonetheless, I still think that everyone should read the following Fyodor Dostoevsky novels in the following order:
Poor Folk
Notes from a Dead House
Notes from Underground
Crime and Punishment
Demons
The Brothers Karamazov
These novels are in chronological order. If you were to read them in this order, you would see the incremental development that led to his magnum opus. Here, I will give a brief description of each book, some historical and biographical context, and why I deem it a must-read book of his.
Poor Folk
Fyodor Dostoevsky first burst onto the scene of Russian literature in the late 19th century with Poor Folk. The novel is an epistolary novel, which means that it is written as a series of letters. These letters are correspondence between two characters: Makar and Varvara. Makar, known to everyone but himself, is unrequitedly in love with Varvara. If the novel does not already sound particularly poignant, you will have to read it to find out how much more emotional it gets.
Notes from a Dead House
This was Fyodor Dostoevsky’s first novel he wrote after he finished his term in a Siberian prison. This novel is written as a semi-autobiographical fictional novel, where Fyodor Dostoevsky’s insights and anecdotes from his prison term are interspersed with fictional characters. Separating truth from fiction in this novel is a challenging task, if you choose to take it upon yourself to do so. However, I suggest that you read this novel as fiction. I believe that this book is a must-read novel of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s because it is the foundation of the myth of Russian literature, according to scholar Maria Bloshsteyn. If you are interested in learning more about the myth of Russian literature, the title of her book on this topic will be found in the works cited below.
Notes from Underground
This is Fyodor Dostoevsky’s prelude to the final arc of his career, which spanned five sprawling novels with a few shorter works in between. This is the philosophical foundation of the novels following it. This novel is a must read because it is Fyodor Dostoevsky’s first attempt at answering a question: What is it like to be a person living in the modern world?
Crime and Punishment
The most famous of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels, Crime and Punishment’s reputation precedes itself. There is not much that I need to say because it is a must read simply for its outsized reputation.
Demons
This novel is the satirical novel in Dostoevsky’s oeuvre. This novel satirizes the political movements happening in Russia during the end of the 19th century, as well as the gentry class in Russia. There is a hilarious satire of the writer Ivan Turgenev within the book that I will not spoil. Outside of its hysterics, this novel is filled with Russian history, politics, and philosophy, more so than any of his other novels. Easily, this book is a must read for all those interested in learning more about Russia during the 18th century.
The Brothers Karamazov
Concluding this list of must reads is the previously mentioned The Brothers Karamazov. The uniqueness of this book cannot be understated, even the title is uniquely rendered into English. It is strange, it is beautiful, and there is no book that even comes close to matching what it accomplishes. Read it.
Now that you have heard a brief argument for Fyodor Dostoevsky’s greatness and an introduction of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels, I sure hope that you will take a chance on this 18th century Russian author by picking up one or two of his novels. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Works cited
BLOSHTEYN, MARIA. The Making of a Counter-Culture Icon: Henry MIller’s Dostoevsky. University of Toronto Press, 2007. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442684973. Accessed 22 Oct. 2024.
