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

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

 “I am a great, great sinner”: The Theology of Sin in Crime and Punishment and The Idiot

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  • Author: Tatyana A. Kasatkina
  • Information about the author:

    Doctor of Philological Sciences, Head Researcher at the Gorky Institute of World Literature RAS, Head of the Centre “Dostoevsky and World Culture” at the Gorky Institute of World Literature RAS, Head of the Research Committee for Dostoyevsky’s Artistic Heritage within the Scientific Council for the History of World Culture RAS (Moscow).

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  • For citation:

    Kasatkina T.A. “I am a great, great sinner”: The Theology of Sin in Crime and Punishment and The Idiot. Dostoevsky and World Culture, Philological journal, 2020, No 1(9), pp. 16-30
  • Issue: 2020 № 1(9)
  • Department: HERMENEUTICS. SLOW READING
  • Pages: 16-30
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • UDK: 821.161.1
  • BBK: 83.3(2=411.2)+63
  • Keywords: Dostoevsky, Napoleon, Rothschild, The Idiot, the myth of Napoleon, Rothschild, Herzen, Heine, The Adolescent
  • Abstract: The understanding of Dostoevsky’s views about sin defines the basic understanding of Dostoevsky’s texts by readers and researchers. In case the reader does not understand sin the way the author did, the meaning of key moments in the texts can be distorted beyond recognition. In Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky tried to write down his views plainly, thus arousing sharp rejection from the editor of the Russian Messenger of the chapter about the reading of the Gospel. The author was obliged to rewrite it significantly, trying to maintain his intent now indirectly and to conceal it from direct criticism and censorship. At once this episode served as an additional impulse to create the “stepping aside” way of expressing philosophical and theological ideas that can be found in other Dostoevsky’s artistic texts. The article is dedicated to Dostoevsky’s understanding of sin and how it was translated in Crime and Punishment and The Idiot.

References

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2. Dostoevskii F.M. Poln. sobr. soch.: v 30 t. [Complete works: in 30 vols.]. Leningrad, Nauka Publ., 1972-1990. (In Russ.)

3. Kasatkina T.A. Bogoslovie Dostoevskogo: problemy ponimaniia i opisaniia [Dostoevsky’s Theology: Problems of Understanding and Description]. Dostoevskii i mirovaia kul’tura. Filologicheskii zhurnal [Dostoevsky and World Culture, Philological journal], 2019, No 3(7), pp. 16-33. (In Russ.)

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5. Tikhomirov B.N. Iz tvorcheskoi istorii romana F.M. Dostoevskogo “Prestuplenie i nakazanie”: (Sonia Marmeladova i Porfirii Petrovich). [From the history of Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” (Sonia Marmeladova and Porfirii Petrovich)]. Russkaia literatura [Russian literature], 1986, No 2, pp. 217–223. (In Russ.)

6. Tikhomirov B.N. “Lazar’! griadi von”. Roman F.M. Dostoevskogo “Prestuplenie i nakazanie” v sovremennom prochtenii: Kniga-kommentarii [“Lazarus, come forth!”. A modern reading of F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment”: a book-commentary], 2nd ed., revised and expanded. St. Petersburg, Serebrianyi vek Publ., 2016. 556 p. (In Russ.)

 

 

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