He merely reveals that the story takes place in a relatively small provincial
town in Russia, and he forces the reader to infer the time period in which it is
set from his descriptions of historical events. Dostoevsky deliberately
describes his setting vaguely in order to emphasize that the themes and ideas of
the novel are so universal that they transcend time and place.
Although Dostoevsky reveals almost nothing about the setting of the
novel, he is still able to develop an almost tangible atmosphere of tension and
tragedy through his choice of words. Dostoevsky establishes the atmosphere in
the first sentence of the novel; he states that Fyodor Karamazov is to die “a
tragic and fishy death.” He reinforces the uneasy, dire atmosphere throughout
the novel with subtle yet descriptive phrases; he says several times, for
example, that a “catastrophe” is about to occur, and that the Karamazov
household “reeks of foul play.”
The words and actions of the characters exude anxiousness and despair as
well, and therefore help to contribute to the development of the tense and
oppressive atmosphere. Dmitry’s impassioned vows that he will kill his father,
for example, serves to heighten tenseness and suspense. Similarly, the scorn
inherent in all of Ivan’s words and actions adds to the negativity of the
atmosphere.
STYLE
Dostoevsky’s style is very realistic and straightforward. He almost
never uses flowery or poetic language or figures of speech; his language is
simple and spare, as if he tried to eliminate all that wasn’t absolutely
necessary. Similarly, he is unpretentious in his choice of words. He generally
states things in the simplest terms possible. Contrastingly, however, his
sentences are often fairly complex; despite their complexity, though, they are
easy to understand and thus do not detract from his simplicity and
straightforwardness.
Because the book consists largely of dialogue, Dostoevsky changes his
style frequently, for each of his characters has a unique style of speaking that
complements his character. Dostoevsky writes Ivan’s dialogue, for example, in a
very verbose, complex style that reinforces Ivan’s characterization as an
intellectual. He writes Dmitry’s dialogue in a very random, disjointed style
that underscores Dmitry’s tendency to allow his passion and his emotions to
cloud his logic. Finally, he writes Alyosha’s dialogue in a simple style very
similar to his own, as Alyosha is himself simple and unpretentious.??O?