Table Of Content

DOSTOEVSKY Vintage RUSSIAN Library Advisory Committee Cyril E, Black, Princeton university Robert F. Byrnes, Indiana university Philip E. Mosely, council on foreign relations Ernest J. Simmons, formerly of columbia university DOSTOEVSKY The Making of a Novelist B Y ERNEST J. SIMMONS Vintage Books A DIVISION OF RANDOM HOUSE New York VINTAGE BOOKS are published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and Random House, Inc. Copyright, 1940, by Ernest J. Simmons All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in New York by Random House, Inc., and in Toronto, Canada, by Random House of Canada, Limited. Manufactured in the United States of America First Vintage Edition, October, 1962 “Stagnation! O, Nature! Men are alone on earth—that is the misfortune! ‘Is there a living man in the field?’ cries the Russian hero. I cry the same, though not a hero, and no one answers my cry. They say the sun gives life to the universe. The sun rises and—look at it, indeed, is it not dead? Everything is dead, and everywhere there are the dead. Only men, and silence round them—this is the earth! ‘Men love one an other’—who said that? Whose command is that?’’ dostoevsky, A Gentle Creature Preface The present book—a study of the works of Dos toevsky—is an attempt to throw some light on those factors that influenced his creative process and his religious, political, and social thought. Biographical material is used only when it seems to contribute to this general purpose. Quotations from Dostoevsky’s fiction have been based on the admirable translations of Constance Garnett, but in every instance these have been compared with the originals, and, when it seemed advisable, changes have been made. All quotations from Dostoevsky’s non-fictional works—letters, notes, and articles—have been translated, with very few exceptions, from the Russian. Italicized words in the quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are in the originals. I am much indebted to my friend, Mr. John Webster Spargo, for his careful reading of the manuscript. E. J. S. Contents Introduction xi 1 Creative Beginnings 3 2 Poor Folk 12 3 The End of the First Literary Period 25 4 Revolution and Prison—The Spirit and Art 47 5 Uncle's Dream and The Village of Stepanchikovo 64 6 Time and The House of the Dead 83 7 The Insulted and Injured 94 8 Notes from the Underground 109 9 In the Author’s Laboratory 127 10 Raskolnikov 141 11 The Art of Crime and Punishment 158 12 The Gambler 172 13 A Positively Good Man 185 14 An Unattainable Ideal 204 15 The Eternal Husband 219 16 Conflicting Designs 226 17 The “Devils” and Their Disciples 243 18 The Politics of The Possessed 271 19 A Raw Youth 284