Dostoevsky and Social and Metaphysical Freedom

In asserting people's responsibility for their actions, and ultimately their fate, Buzina (global studies, Trinity College) contends that Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-81) constantly argues with his characters, who sometimes adhere to different and often much more deterministic representations of fate. She describes the full spectrum of ideas about fate encountered in his works, in order to demonstrate their interrelation, to trace their evolution, and to show how characters fluctuate between different notions of fate. Drawing on both anthropological and literary approaches, she juxtaposes his ideas with those of German philosopher Schelling. The text is double spaced. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).