The descriptions of bodies, and above all of mimicry and gesture in F.M. Dostoevsky’s novels Crime and Punishment and The Idiot have a very big conceptual significance. Descriptions can often replace character’s text, and author’s remarks can describe character’s personality more and better than their own words. Physical transmission of their psychology and sensations is one of the most peculiar Dostoevsky’s literary techniques, a sign of his mastership.
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