Dostoevsky as Suicidologist

Amy D. Ronner is professor emeritus of law at St. Thomas University and author of Dostoevsky and the Law.

• AcknowledgmentsChapter 1: Introduction: Suicide as a Social FactChapter 2: Fatalistic Convulsions in Notes From the House of the DeadChapter 3: Egoistic Self-Deceminantion in Crime and Punishment and The IdiotChapter 4: Anomy in Demons and The Brothers KaramazovChapter 5: Conclusion: The Antonymous Creative ProcessBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

The book adds a valuable perspective to our knowledge of Dostoevsky’s novels. A law professor, holding a Ph.D. in English literature, Ronner writes with passion, eloquence, and erudition. The abundance of footnotes bears evidence to her painstaking work. The central thrust of her study is compelling and convincing. It vindicates the idea that being an accurate “tool” for understanding people’s behavior, great literature often anticipates the discoveries of sociology, anthropology, and psychology. The book reminds us that Dostoevsky recognized the importance of familial, religious, and social ties, and demonstrated the negative impact of individualism, egoism, and nihilism.