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 A.M.GORKY INSTITUTE OF WORLD LITERATURE
OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

Povarskaya 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia
fedor@dostmirkult.ru

ISSN 2619-0311 (Print)
ISSN 2712-8512 (Online)

The Ecclesiological and Christological Role of the Publication "From the Notes of the Late Count Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky" in F.M. Dostoevsky's Novel The Gambler (From the Notes of a Young Man)

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  • Author: Arina A. Yeske
  • Information about the author:

    Junior Researcher, A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Povarskaya St., 25A, bld. 1, 121069 Moscow, Russia; student, S.P. Korolev Samara National Research University, Moskovskoe shosse, 34, 443086 Samara, Russia.

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Funding Sources:

    The research was carried out at IWL RAS with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 25-18-00009: "Characters' Writings, Languages, and Readings in Dostoevsky's Mature Works (1859-1881)."

    For their support, assistance, and insights, I thank Gennady Yuryevich Karpenko - Professor of the Department of Russian and Foreign Literature and Public Relations, Doctor of Philological Sciences at Samara National Research University named after Academician S.P. Korolev; and the Editorial board of the journal Dostoevsky and World Culture. Philological Journal for their valuable comments and observations on the work.
  • For citation:

    Yeske, A.A. "The Ecclesiological and Christological Role of the Publication 'From the Notes of the Late Count Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky' in F.M. Dostoevsky's Novel The Gambler (From the Notes of a Young Man)." Dostoevsky and World CuIture. Philological journal, no. 3 (35), 2026, pp. 121-158. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-3-121-158
  • Received: 18 June 2026
  • Approved after reviewing: 08 Aug. 2026
  • Published: 25 Sept. 2026
  • Issue: 2026 no. 3 (35)
  • Department: POETICS. CONTEXT
  • Pages: 121–158
  • DOI: Visit Website
  • EDN:

    https://elibrary.ru/DFDHHV
  • UDK: 821.161.1.0
  • BBK: 83.3(2Рос=Рус)
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • Keywords: the greatest commandment, conciliarity, the Church, excerpts from the notes of V.A. Perovsky, The Gambler, F.M. Dostoevsky, Russian prisoners, faith
  • Abstract: For the first time, this article examines the role of excerpts from the notes of Count V.A. Perovsky in the structure of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Gambler. The protagonist, Alexei Ivanovich, cites these excerpts as an example during an argument with a Frenchman in the first chapter of the novel, at a dinner given "in Moscow." V.A. Perovsky's notes serve as an internal standard and become an important point of reference for understanding the soteriological significance of the story, as Alexei Ivanovich himself defines his notes at the end of the narrative. Parallels in the structure of the two texts are identified: both are characterized by a focus on crucial events in the protagonists' lives and an open ending. Meaningful connections are also revealed at several levels: in interpersonal relations; in the characteristics of French and Russian national identities as manifested in 1812 and under new historical circumstances; and, at a higher spiritual and mystical level, in the motifs of gathering in the Church, the Third Day, a state of transition, and passage through hell. The article concludes that the presence of excerpts from Count V.A. Perovsky's notes creates the inner spiritual plot of the novel as a conciliar work centered on the fulfillment of the greatest commandment. The historical situation of 1812 is partially repeated in a new context: the past is not forgotten but acquires new significance, prompting an appeal to it. A unified textual space is thus formed in which the heroes of the past and present, together with the readers, are united by the author. The final chapter, structured through the interplay of different temporal dimensions, affirms the Resurrection and opens toward the eternity of the spiritual.

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Reference list of audio and video sources

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