"Leatherbarrow's synthesis of past critical achievement judiciously discriminates between factual commentary and interpretation, as well as between interpretation supported by evidence of Dostoevsky's documented or manifest intent, and interpretation generated by a critic's philosophy or idiosyncratic response to the text....Leatherbarrow's book will be a valuable teaching aid, but it is also a work well worth the literary scholar's time." Victor Terras, Slavic Review

This textbook series is ambitious in scope. It provides concise and lucid introductions to major works of world literature from classical antiquity to the twentieth century. It is not confined to any single literary tradition or genre, and will cumulatively form a substantial library of textbooks on some of the most important and widely read literary masterpieces. Each book is devoted to a full acount of its historical, cultural, and intellectual background, a discussion of its influence, and a guide to further reading.

Note on the text
Chronology
Introduction
1. The background to the novel
2. The novel
3. The critical reception
Guide to further reading.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK]