Honors Theses
Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Valentina Iepuri
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Individual and public space creates the reality of daily existence for a human being. The ideological perspectives a person maintains are direct products of individual space experience because the larger societal context of a region constructs the norms for behavior and belief Dostoevsky writes concentration narratives that focus on the urban and rural space surrounding a protagonist, and contrasts between these two settings to illustrate the impact of environment on the human psyche. This study examines the use of external conditions to describe literary characters and the ideologies and behaviors they maintain. In researching space and time in the literature of Dostoevsky, I critically analyzed six major works including White Nights, The Gambler, Crime and Punishment, Notes from the Underground, The Brothers Karamazov, and The Idiot and studied his methods utilizing both spatial imagery and time within a narrative. I began my research by studying Dostoevsky’s use of urban constituencies and then used these findings to compare the way in which he describes cities to that of rural locales. Dostoevsky’s use of space is purposeful; I aim to prove this through uncovering the parallels between a protagonist’s internal consciousness and the space in which he inhabits. Finally, this paper illustrates how Dostoevsky employs time as the historical delineator of attitude and belief amid both a populace and an individual. Few critics discuss time and space in their analyses of Dostoevsky’s literary works; instead, most critics focus on the psychological states of the characters without regard for their environment, or they study the way in which Dostoevsky integrates religion into his writings. I believe space and time constitutes much of what Dostoevsky’s character exhibit in thought, belief and action. Space and time constitute individual reality and are a driving force behind both the societal norms and ideologies in the six writings I have discussed. To understand why the protagonists persist in the way they do, it is imperative to comprehend the society and external conditions that constmct their daily lives. This thesis is a testament that Dostoevsky was not only a writer of psychological and religious novels, but also was a wnter who used Russia as creator of human ideology and action.
Recommended Citation
Bagwell, Laura Claire, "Environment, Behavior, and Internal Consciousness: A Study of Space and Time in Dostoevsky" (2007). Honors Theses. 2173.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2173
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