CRIME AND PUNISHMENT FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY Russia, 1856

1. CRIME AND PUNISHMENTFYODOR DOSTOYEVSKYRussia, 1856 During the second half of the nineteenth century, the time Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment was written, Russia was defined by social, political, and existential struggles. The country was isolated from the west, backward, and its power was centralized in the hands of Tsar Alexander II and his advisors.

2. Tsar Alexander II pushed through reforms that created the possibility for social and political change. There was much poverty, ignorance, and social unrest in the country. Bureaucratic tradition was always strong in Russia. Overcentralized and very often corrupt, it was not very popular. However, because of censorship and a scarcity of independent media outlets, in the 19th Century critical social commentary on bureaucracy was not widespread.

3. While social conditions began to change in the late 19th century in Russia, producing a new, urban working class that emerged from the rural peasantry and a new merchant class most Russians continued to live in the same social categories they had been in before the Emancipation of the Serfs in 1861. The gap between the aristocratic rich and the peasant poor continued to be just as great.

4. Writers and thinkers were divided. Some believed in a revolution to replace the tsar with a socialist regime while others promoted a gradual, democratic change. Russian culture had entered an acute crisis. As Russia expanded eastward and southward throughout the course of the 19th century, the country absorbed a number of new nationalities. While European Russia always had a large Jewish population, new Jewish settlements became part of the empire in Central Asia. To the South, a wide variety of ethnic groups from the Caucasus became subjects through Russian conquest. To the East, many different Nomadic Tribes in Siberia were absorbed as the boundaries of the country were stretched to the Pacific Ocean.

5. Utopian Socialism, popular among the intelligentsia in the early 1840s was grounded in Christian social moral ideals. However, by the mid 1840s, the Christian elements were discounted and replaced with science and reason. Russia used to have may churches and religion was important part of its culture until the reforms of the late nineteenth century and the following Communist revolution denounced religion and forbid the practice of it, leading to the closing of the churches and the destruction of hundreds of them.

6. The Orthodox Christian religion, though officially banned, was still practiced behind closed doors and remained an important factor in the lives of the Russian people, as is evident from these art pieces.

7. Religious paintings from the19th century

8. Art in 19th century Russia With the rise in national spirit there was a new interest in peasant life, culture, and traditional costumes, as can be seen in the works of Aleksei Venetsianov. His realistic portrayal of the Russian peasant and his poetic attitude towards the Russian landscape are important starting points of this tradition. Other painters, examined the middle class and in their works gave first examples of social criticism, a trend which would increase in the second half of the nineteenth century. The art of this period became known as romantic realism. It was characterized not only by a growth of naturalism, but also by focusing attention on the individual, and by an increased appreciation for the Russian landscape, for the life of the Russian peasant, and for the medieval heritage of Russia. The art was purchased by wealthy merchants and industrialists, supporting the new artists.

9. 19th century Russian composers In the middle of the 19th century, many composers who lived outside of the mainstream musical countries, such as Germany and France, tried to establish their own identity by using folk elements from their native lands, reflecting national styles and trends. Two famous composers of the time that Dostoyevski’s Crime and Punishment was written are Peter Tchaikovksy and Petrovich Mussorgsky. Both studied and performed in St. Petersburg.

10. 19th Century Russian Architecture For most of its history, Russian architecture has been predominantly religious. Churches were practically the only buildings made of stone and they are built in the shape of a Greek cross (all four arms equal) with high walls and few openings, sharply sloped (“tent”) roofs, and many domes. The characteristic onion dome first appeared in the eleventh century. Inside is an altar screen with the church’s icons mounted on it. During the 19th century there was a fresh interest in traditional Russian forms and old style wooden structures.

11. 19th Century Russian Cuisine The Russian kitchen has dishes that have existed for centuries. Some have been added from outside influences and have become part of the national menu. In the 19th century, the high cuisine with its elaborate service and imported delicacies was only available to the aristocrats and richest city people. The bulk of the people were peasants, who were isolated and ate simple, basic foods they grew on their farms, forests and streams nearby. Their meal mostly consisted of a single, hearty dish, such as borscht (beet soup) or shchi (cabbage and vegetable soup) or ukha (a fish soup), served with a coarse cooked grain (buckwheat, groats, millet, wheat, or barley) mixed with bits of vegetables and chicken called kasha, and a glass of kvas, a thin beer made from left-over bread soaked in water until it fermented, or tea served in a samovar. The staple was rye bread, slowly baked in a brick oven so it took on a tough crust. It was eaten in thick slices with lots of butter.

12. 19th Century Russian Dress