Dostoevsky and Romantic Realism: A Study of Dostoevsky in Relation to Balzac, Dickens, and Gogol

Dostoevsky and Romantic Realism is Donald Fanger's groundbreaking study of the art of Dostoevsky and the literary and historical context in which it was created. Through detailed analyses of the work of Balzac, Dickens, and Gogol, Fanger identifies romantic realism, the transformative fusion of two generic categories, as a powerful imaginary response to the great modern city. This fusion reaches its aesthetic and metaphysical climax in Dostoevsky, whose vision culminating in Crime and Punishment is seen by Fanger as the final synthesis of romantic realism.

"A stimulating and versatile book, not only in terms of its sophisticated comparativist approach to basic literary issues but also in terms of its potential appeal. It is a book that can be enjoyed by both specialist and general reader." --The Nation

"Highly intelligent. . . . Mr. Fanger has written a book which was badly needed, and has written it very well." --Slavic Review