A Gentle Creature by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The story follows a poor, unnamed woman who lives in a small village in Russia. She is a gentle, kind-hearted woman who is devoted to her husband, a soldier who is away at war. She is content with her life, but she is also lonely and yearns for her husband's return. One day, she receives a letter from her husband, informing her that he has been dishonorably discharged from the army and is now a convict. He asks her to come to him in Siberia, where he is being held. The woman is devastated by the news, but she decides to go to him. She sells all of her possessions and sets off on a long and arduous journey to Siberia. Along the way, she encounters many hardships and struggles, but she never loses her faith in her husband or her love for him. When she finally arrives in Siberia, she discovers that her husband has died in prison. She is grief-stricken, but she finds solace in the fact that she was able to fulfill her husband's last wish and be with him in his final moments. Gentle Creature is a powerful story of love, loyalty, and devotion in the face of adversity. It is a timeless classic that has been adapted into several films and plays.
By Fyodor Dostoevsky · First published 1876 · Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Realism, Drama · 11 chapters · 17,530 words
First lines
I MUST apologize to my readers for giving them a story on this occasion in place of the usual ‘Diary' format. But I really have been busy on this tale for the better part of a month. At all events, I crave the reader's indulgence.
Now as to the story itself. I have entitled it ‘fantastic', though I personally regard it as being extremely realistic. Nevertheless, there is an element of the fantastic here, embodied in the form of the narrative itself, which I feel it necessary to explain in advance.
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A Gentle Creature is listed on Textopian as a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, dated 1876 CE.
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- Work type: Novel
- Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Date: 1876 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Philosophical Fiction, Realism, Drama, Romance
- Length: 17,530 words
- Structure: 11 chapters, 138 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for A Gentle Creature by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Similar titles
- A Faint Heart A Story by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Striding Place by Gertrude Atherton
- The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
- A Novel In Nine Letters by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Permanent Husband by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Attack by D. H. Lawrence
Genres
- Philosophical Fiction — A Gentle Creature is a philosophical novel that explores the themes of morality, justice, and faith.
- Realism — The novel is written in a realistic style, with a focus on the psychological and moral development of the characters.
- Drama — The novel is full of dramatic moments and intense emotions, as the characters grapple with difficult moral dilemmas.
- Romance — The novel contains a romantic subplot between two of the characters, which adds an additional layer of complexity to the story.
Tags
psychological · drama · existentialism · love · obsession · isolation · society · morality · fate · despair · human nature · conflict
Contents
- Chapter 1: From the Author
- Chapter 1: Who I Was and Who She Was
- Chapter 2: A Proposal of Marriage
- Chapter 3: The Noblest of Men, but I Don't Believe That Myself
- Chapter 4: Plans and More Plans
- Chapter 5: The Gentle Creature Rebels
- Chapter 6: A Dreadful Memory
- Chapter 1: A Dream of Pride
- Chapter 2: The Scales Suddenly Fell
- Chapter 3: I Understand Only Too Well
- Chapter 4: Just Five Minutes Too Late