SERS4012 Dostoevskii: Narrative, Ethics and Identity

Summative Assessment

2 Hour Examination (100%)

Formative Assessment

TWO unassessed coursework essays of 2,000 words are assigned as formative coursework, at the half way point and at the end of the course. Marks and written feedback will be given within four weeks, with an opportunity for further discussion with the course tutor.

Examination: Students will normally receive generic feedback on examination papers and/or model answers and be permitted access to markers comments on individual scripts in line with the SSEES Policy on Examination Feedback.

Module Outline

The course provides an in-depth examination of the works of one of Russia’s most powerful and influential writers, Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevskii (1821-1881), including one of his great novels, Idiot, as well as a selection of shorter works, such as Dvoinik, Zapiski iz podpol’ia, Igrok and stories from Dnevnik pisatelia. The philosophical, psychological, political and religious dimensions of Dostoevskii’s works are considered both in the context of the Russian and European intellectual and spiritual traditions, and in relation to the development of his unique novelistic world. We will study a range of key concepts in Dostoevskii’s thinking, including the role of money in his work, the theme of identity, and the opposition of Russia and Europe. We will also investigate forms of narrative in both his fictional and non-fictional texts.

Indicative Texts

• Set texts include Dostoevskii’s Bednye liudi¸ Dvoinik, Zapiski iz podpol’ia, Igrok and Idiot.

Initial secondary reading:

• Catteau, Jacques, Dostoyevsky and the Process of Literary Creation (Cambridge U P, 1989)

• Frank, Joseph, Dostoevsky: A Writer in his Time (Princeton UP, 2010)

Please note: This outline is accurate at the time of publication. Minor amendments may be made prior to the start of the academic year.