I’ve gotten further along in The Idiot and one of the more interesting things covered in the book is the concept of the death penalty. It was an important, and dangerous, topic to cover in the time that the novel was written. In Russia, capital punishment was abolished in 1753-54 under the empress Elizaveta Petrovna, but reintroduced by Catherine II in the 1860s because of anarchist and terrorist movement and was then resorted to quite frequently. Dostoevsky had to use some tricky wording in certain conversations the Prince has throughout the book in order to bypass censors from editing the book.
The death penalty was a very important topic to cover for Dostoevsky as he himself had actually been subject to a “mock execution” (an incident which is talked about by the Prince in the novel) because he was a member of a group of progressive-minded “commoner-intellectuals” called the Petrashevsky Circle. Dostoevsky, who is referred to by the Prince telling the story as “a certain man”, was taken with many other members of the circle to be put to death, but at the last minute before their execution was let free. Dostoevsky argues (via the Prince) that, although death by the guillotine is quick and painless, the waiting and panic that preempts the ultimate execution are worse than any prison sentence a man could serve.
The Idiot is widely considered an existential piece of literature, and the subject matter of execution is covered in many other classic, existential novels. Most notable are L’etranger by Albert Camus, which follows a man being sentenced to death by the guillotine up until his last minutes of life, as well as a personal favourite to Dostoevsky: The Last Day of a Man Condemned to Death by Victor Hugo.
It is very interesting to see the death penalty be talked about by a man who not only had friends who were taken by it (21 of his contemporaries in the Petrashevsky Circle were put to death), but who had experienced the panic and fear of being in the guillotine and lived to tell the tale.
The death penalty was a very important topic to cover for Dostoevsky as he himself had actually been subject to a “mock execution” (an incident which is talked about by the Prince in the novel) because he was a member of a group of progressive-minded “commoner-intellectuals” called the Petrashevsky Circle. Dostoevsky, who is referred to by the Prince telling the story as “a certain man”, was taken with many other members of the circle to be put to death, but at the last minute before their execution was let free. Dostoevsky argues (via the Prince) that, although death by the guillotine is quick and painless, the waiting and panic that preempts the ultimate execution are worse than any prison sentence a man could serve.
The Idiot is widely considered an existential piece of literature, and the subject matter of execution is covered in many other classic, existential novels. Most notable are L’etranger by Albert Camus, which follows a man being sentenced to death by the guillotine up until his last minutes of life, as well as a personal favourite to Dostoevsky: The Last Day of a Man Condemned to Death by Victor Hugo.
It is very interesting to see the death penalty be talked about by a man who not only had friends who were taken by it (21 of his contemporaries in the Petrashevsky Circle were put to death), but who had experienced the panic and fear of being in the guillotine and lived to tell the tale.
The reference to research is rich here Jonny. Are you able to cite passages which would reflect the significant role of this social issue and would support your argument that this novel is an exemplary piece of fiction (considering style, not just content)?
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