This book, an essential reference source for Dostoevsky scholars, charts the great novelist's relationship to, and reception in, Britain. Reprinting for the first time in English a number of articles previously inaccessible, as well as essays by noted British scholars, this book brings together a wealth of material on Dostoevsky's visit to Britain, the extent to which he drew inspiration from British writers and thinkers, and the impact he made on subsequent British culture. A detailed bibliography designed to assist in further research is appended.

In the stories in this volume Dostoevsky explores both the figure of the dreamer divorced from reality and also his own ambiguous attitude to utopianism, themes central to many of his great novels. In White Nights the apparent idyll of the dreamer's romantic fantasies disguises profound loneliness and estrangement from 'living life'. Despite his sentimental friendship with Nastenka, his final withdrawal into the world of the imagination anticipates the retreat into the 'underground' of many of Dostoevsky's later intellectual heroes. A Gentle Creature and The Dream of a Ridiculous Man show how such withdrawal from reality can end in spiritual desolation and moral indifference and how, in Dostoevsky's view, the tragedy of the alienated individual can be resolved only by the rediscovery of a sense of compassion and responsibility towards fellow human beings. This new translation captures the power and lyricism of Dostoevsky's writing, while the introduction examines the stories in relation to one another and to his novels. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Key dimensions of Dostoevskii's writing and life are explored in this collection of specially commissioned essays. Contributors examine topics such as Dostoevskii's relationship to folk literature, money, religion, the family and science. The essays are enhanced by supplementary material, including a chronology of the period and detailed guides to further reading.

The Voice of a Giant looks at seven masterpieces of Russian nineteenth-century prose fiction-Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades", Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Time", Gogol's "The Greatcoat", Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons", Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground", Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and Chekhov's "The Lady with the Dog". Each chapter concentrates primarily on a detailed analysis of one of these works but reference is also made to historical background, the seven author's general attitudes and the distinguishing characteristics of Russian literature. The book is intended for A-Level students, for first- and second-year undergraduates, and for the general reader exploring the richness and subtlety of a body of writing which has profoundly influenced the modern European consciousness.

Introduction by W. J. Leatherbarrow; Translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky

Dostoesky's drama of sin, guilt and redemption transmutes the sordid story of an old woman's murder by a desperate student into the nineteenth century's profoundest and most compelling philosophical novel. Grim in theme and setting, the book nevertheless seduces by its combination of superbly drawn characters, narrative brilliance and manic comedy.

Key dimensions of Dostoevskii's writing and life are explored in this collection of specially commissioned essays. Contributors examine topics such as Dostoevskii's relationship to folk literature, money, religion, the family and science. The essays are enhanced by supplementary material, including a chronology of the period and detailed guides to further reading.

This book contains the Russian text of Dostoevsky's "Dream of a Ridiculous Man," with an English language introduction and notes on the text.