Dostoevsky and World Culture Dostoevsky and World Culture 2619-0311 2712-8512 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/2619-0311-2026-3-121-158 Research Article Articles 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) Yeske Arina A. fedor@dostmirkult.ru 25 09 2026 1 3 121 158 the greatest commandment conciliarity the Church excerpts from the notes of V.A. Perovsky The Gambler F.M. Dostoevsky Russian prisoners faith Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 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.