| Unit name | Dostoevsky and Native-Soil Conservatism |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSSM0002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Coates |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit examines the relationship between Dostoevskii's journalism, written in the period immediately after his return from Siberian exile, and his major fiction (especially Crime and Punishment, The Devils, and The Brothers Karamazov). It explores the way in which Dostoevskii's fiction is informed by and itself shapes the vigorous ethical, social and political debates of Russia of the 1860s and 1870s. In particular a study is made of Dostoevskii's contribution to debates on aesthetics, his perception of the differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, his response to the widespread contemporary loss of faith and to the growth of radical philosophical doctrines and political movements, and his reflection on crime, the condition of the family, social fragmentation and other social problems. eaching is in weekly seminars, and the unit will be assessed by one essay of 5,000 words.
