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 A.M.GORKY INSTITUTE OF WORLD LITERATURE
OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Povarskaya 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia
fedor@dostmirkult.ru

ISSN 2619-0311 (Print)
ISSN 2712-8512 (Online)

Prince Myshkin’s Calligraphic Experience in Dostoevsky’s Novel The Idiot

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  • Author: Tatiana N. Flegentova
  • Information about the author:

    PhD Candidate, A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya St., 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia; teacher of Russian language and literature, PEI "Orthodox Gymnasium named after Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles," Komsomolsky pr., 55, 650003 Kemerovo, Russia.

    https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4680-2538

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • For citation:

    Flegentova, T.N. "Prince Myshkin's Calligraphic Experience in Dostoevsky's Novel The Idiot." Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological journal, no. 2 (34), 2026, pp. 60-82. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-2-60-82

  • Received: 13 Nov. 2025
  • Approved after reviewing: 29 March 2026
  • Published: 25 June 2026
  • Issue: 2026 no. 2 (34)
  • Department: HERMENEUTICS. SLOW READING
  • Pages: 60-82
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/TCCZXO
  • UDK: 821.161.1.0
  • BBK: 83.3(2Рос=Рус)
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • Keywords: Dostoevsky, calligraphy, beauty, freedom, health, black-and-white colour combination
  • Abstract: This article examines why and how calligraphy becomes a form of self-expression, a means of experiencing beauty and freedom for Prince Myshkin, and why this novelistic situation is crucial for understanding the novel. Through an analysis of the hero's image as a calligrapher, the significance of the art of beautiful writing in his spiritual biography is explored. The cultural and historical context of the hero's education and upbringing, including the situation surrounding his illness, is reconstructed. It is shown that calligraphy in the novel fulfills not only a professional and aesthetic function (copying scripts becomes a form of spiritual work) but also reveals Myshkin's aspiration for beauty and inner freedom. Five calligraphic examples are analyzed, with their artistic and semantic layers reconstructed. Particular attention is paid to the connection between calligraphic motifs and the fate of Nastasya Filippovna, including the symbolism of writing instruments and the paper on which the prince works. It is concluded that calligraphy can become the key to understanding the hero's spiritual experience.

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