While Fyodor Dostoyevsky experienced more difficulty and suffering than he did happiness, his point of view reveals aspects of humanity that are essential to the way we relate to each other now. A thorough and rich video explores Dostoyevsky's life and how he explores the true nature of existence in his many works of literature, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and The Brothers Karamozov.

Concepts

fyodor dostoyevsky, russia, author studies, literary themes, crime and punishment

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the video as a model for a class project in which groups research another author, read a variety of his or her works, and create a similar presentation about the overarching themes
• Connect the video with a unit on Russian literature or Tsarist Russia prior to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917

Classroom Considerations

• Opens with an advertisement that you can skip
• Closed captioning is set to Arabic, but you can choose another language in the viewer settings
• A spoiler alert at the two minute mark notes that the rest of the video will discuss major plot points for Dostoyevsky's books
• Discusses "The Grand Inquisitor" from The Brothers Karamozov, which has been historically controversial to the Catholic church; establish a protocol for discussing sensitive issues in a fair and objective way

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Provides an insightful commentary of the ways Dostoyevsky's writing reveals his (often pessimistic) worldview, as well as the ways the literary themes reflect society and human nature
• Animation is engaging and holds learners' interest

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.6 RL.11-12.2 RL.11-12.6 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RH.9-10.2 RH.11-12.2