“We Read Pushkin Together, We Read it All”: Annenkov’s Edition of Pushkin’s Works in the Novel The Idiot

Abstract

The article examines the significance and purposes of the presence in the novel The Idiot of the Annenkov edition of Pushkin’s collected works. Pushkin’s physical and material presence is described by the novelist in a persistent and emphasized manner. The article addresses Dostoevsky’s notion of the enduring presence of a departed individual in the structure of humanity if he or she has left behind a remarkable life story and/or significant books as the primary (obvious and basic) level of immortality. The concept of books as a new body for the deceased is considered. The alignment of Pushkin’s and Dostoevsky’s authorial theories of work as well as how the first, biographical volume of Pushkin’s works is woven into the fabric of the novel is examined. The meaning of prince Myshkin’s reproduction of Igumen Pafnuty’s “own handwriting” is discussed. Additionally, the article reveals several previously unrecognized allusions to Pushkin’s texts in the characters’ statements. The nature of the publication of Pushkin’s poem “The Poor Knight” in Annenkov’s edition is explained.

Keywords

• book in the book
• dostoevsky
• the idiot
• pushkin
• annenkov
• collected works as a new body for the author
• “once lived a poor knight...”
• “the hall shone
• the chorus roared...”