The Jewish Question in the Genre System of Dostoevskii's Diary of a Writer and the Problem of the Authorial Image

In: Slavic review: interdisciplinary quarterly of Russian, Eurasian and East European studies, Band 65, Heft 1, S. 45-65

Abstract

The second edition of theDiary of a Writer(1876-1877) marked a crucial point in Fedor Dostoevskii's literary career: in spite of critics' attacks, many "ordinary" readers were overwhelmed by the author's charisma and began writing to Dostoevskii from different parts of Russia, expressing their views on the moral, social, and political issues dealt with in theDiary. Such success was also guaranteed by the original rhetorical and genre system of theDiary of a Writer, which, wisely modulated and addressed, aimed to involve readers and persuade them to share the author's beliefs. Raffaella Vassena explores the case of the article "The Jewish Question" in the issue of March 1877, where Dostoevskii's rhetoric actually failed to bring about what he had intended. By concentrating on new archival materials, Vassena investigates the reasons for this failure and submits a new perspective on the controversial question of Dostoevskii's attitude toward Jews.