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Dostoyevskys Anti Semitism

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While celebrated as a literary genius who explored the depths of human psychology, Fyodor Dostoyevsky harbored and expressed deeply anti-Semitic views that merit critical examination. Through textual analysis of "The House of the Dead" (1862) and "The Diary of a Writer" (1870s), alongside a revelatory 1877 epistolary debate with Jewish critic Abraham Uri Kovner, a pattern of systematic Jewish caricature emerges in Dostoyevsky's work. His character Isay Fomitch Bumshtein exemplifies this tendency, constructed through derogatory stereotypes and mockery of religious practices. The author's anti-Semitic sentiments intensified following his Siberian imprisonment, coinciding with his ideological shift from liberalism to extreme Russian nationalism and Orthodox messianism. His later writings betray conspiracy theories about Jewish financial control and perceived threats to Russian imperial destiny. Notably, prominent Jewish literary critics, including Isaac Bashevis Singer, have largely overlooked these prejudicial elements in their assessments of Dostoyevsky's work, raising crucial questions about critical responsibility when presenting potentially harmful material to vulnerable audiences.

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    Published 1977

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  • Publication Credits

    Arthur Chiel