Dostoyevsky, страница 197 - гдз по английскому языку 11 класс (spotlight) учебник Афанасьева, Дули

Spotlight on Russia - страница 197.

Условие.

Which famous Russian authors have you read? We learnt about the most famous Russian novelist and his best known work.

Spotlight on Russia presents Fyodor Dostoyevsky and 'Crime & Punishment'

Dostoyevsky

Part 4 Chapter 4

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

(1821-1881) was a Russian novelist whose work has had a huge impact on world literature. He is still the most widely read author in Russia. 'Crime and Punishment' (1866) is the story of a young man, Raskolnikov, who believes that he can commit any crime because he has something worthy to offer humanity. He commits murder to try and prove his theory, but then he has to struggle with his guilty conscience. He tries to help a man he sees get hit by a carriage, but the man dies. He gives all his money to the man’s widow and becomes attached to his daughter, Sonia. He sympathises with her and sees her suffering as noble. He finally confesses to Sonia and goes to a Siberian prison for eight years. Sonia follows him and helps him to reform.

"What’s to be done, what’s to be done?" repeated Sonia, weeping hysterically and wringing her hands.

"What’s to be done? Break what must be broken, once and for all, that’s all, and take the suffering on oneself. What, you don’t understand? You’ll understand later. … Freedom and power, and above all, power! Over all trembling creation and all the ant-heap! … That’s the goal, remember that! That’s my farewell message. Perhaps it’s the last time I shall speak to you. If I don’t come tomorrow, you’ll hear of it all, and then remember these words. And some day later on, in years to come, you’ll understand perhaps what they meant. If I come to-morrow, I’ll tell you who killed Lizaveta. … Good-bye." Sonia started with terror.

"Why, do you know who killed her?", she asked, chilled with horror, looking wildly at him.

"I know and will tell… you, only you. I have chosen you out. I’m not coming to you to ask forgiveness, but simply to tell you. I chose you out long ago to hear this, when your father talked of you and when Lizaveta was alive, I thought of it. Good-bye, don’t shake hands. Tomorrow!"

He went out. Sonia gazed at him as at a madman. But she herself was like one insane and felt it. Her head was going round.

"Good heavens, how does he know who killed Lizaveta? What did those words mean? It’s awful!" But at the same time the idea did not enter her head, not for a moment! "Oh, he must be terribly unhappy! … He has abandoned his mother and sister. … What for? What has happened? And what had he in his mind? What did he say to her? He had kissed her foot and said … said (yes, he had said it clearly) that he could not live without her. … Oh, merciful heavens!"

Sonia spent the whole night feverish and delirious. She jumped up from time to time, wept and wrung her hands, then sank again into feverish sleep and dreamt of Polenka, Katerina Ivanovna and Lizaveta, of reading the gospel and him … him with pale face, with burning eyes … kissing her feet, weeping.

On the other side of the door on the right, which divided Sonia’s room from Madame Resslich’s flat, was a room which had long stood empty. A card was fixed on the gate and a notice stuck in the windows over the canal advertising it to let. Sonia had long been accustomed to the rooms being uninhabited. But all that time Mr. Svidrigailov had been standing, listening at the door of the empty room. When Raskolnikov went out he stood still, thought a moment, went on tiptoe to his own room which adjoined the empty one, brought a chair, and noiselessly carried it to the door that led to Sonia’s room. The conversation had struck him as interesting and remarkable, and he had greatly enjoyed it – so much that he brought a chair that he might not in the future, tomorrow, for instance, have to endure the inconvenience of standing a whole hour, but might listen in comfort.

• How do you feel about reading Dostoyevsky in English?

• Have you read 'Crime and Punishment'? If yes, what do you think of the novel? If no, why not?

ACTIVITY

Write a short biography of your favourite Russian author and describe their most successful novel.

Решение 1.

Решение 2.

Решение 3.