Numerology in Crime and Punishment

[Oksana Willis]

Probably Dostoevsky knew something about China. In "Дневник писателя" (1873) he 
writes: "<...> в Китае было бы несравненно выгоднее, чем здесь, издавать 
"Гражданина". Там всё так ясно... Мы оба предстали бы в назначенный день в 
тамошнее главное управление по делам печати. Стукнувшись лбами об пол и полизав 
пол языком, мы бы встали и подняли наши указательные персты перед собою, 
почтительно склонив головы. Главноуправляющий по делам печати, конечно, сделал 
бы вид, что не обращает на нас ни малейшего внимания, как на влетевших мух. Но 
встал бы третий помощник третьего его секретаря и, держа в руках диплом о моем 
назначении в редакторы, произнес бы нам внушительным, но ласковым голосом 
определенное церемониями наставление."

Oksana Willis



________________________________
From: Alina Israeli <aisrael at AMERICAN.EDU>
To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
Sent: Wed, December 22, 2010 7:12:39 PM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Numerology in Crime and Punishment

Even numbers of flowers for funerals, odd numbers for birthdays and other lively 
occasions. Ulitskaya plays on this in her short story "Zürich" where the Swiss 
brings her a dozen flowers.

Four is bad in Chinese and Japanese because the word for death is homophonic to 
the word meaning four 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture#Four.

Did Dostoevsky know Chinese? Or Chinese customs?

AI

Dec 22, 2010, в 6:00 PM, anne marie devlin написал(а):

> Four flowers are often given at a funeral.  I'm not sure whether this applies 
>only to the number four or to all even numbers
> AM
> 
>> Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2010 20:33:47 +0000
>> From: wfr at SAS.AC.UK
>> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Numerology in Crime and Punishment
>> To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
>> 
>> The Russian world is a big place - can you be more specific about who
>> believes this?
>> Will
>> 
>> On 22/12/2010 19:56, Lewis B. Sckolnick wrote:
>>> In the Russian world the number four is the number which represents
>>> death.
>>> 
>>> Lewis B. Sckolnick
>>> The Ledge House
>>> 130 Rattlesnake Gutter Road, Suite 1000
>>> Leverett, MA 01054-9726
>>> U.S.A.
>>> 
>>> Telephone 1. 413. 367. 0303
>>> Facsimile 1. 413. 367. 2853
>>> info at runanywhere.com
>>> 
>>>> I am currently teaching Crime and Punishment to a group of Advanced
>>>> Placement high school seniors. We are trying to figure out the
>>>> significance of
>>>> numbers in the book, especially the number four which he uses
>>>> constantly.
>>>> The scene in the police station shortly after the murder is inundated
>>>> with the
>>>> number four and most people live on the fourth floor. Razuhmikhin,
>>>> however,
>>>> lives on the fifth floor. Don't want to make too much out of it, but
>>>> when
>>>> someone of Dostoevsky's caliber emphazises a number there is most likely
>>>> something behind it.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for any input!
>>>> 
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>>>> options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>>>> http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>> options, and more. Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>> http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                         
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
>  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
>                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alina Israeli
Associate Professor of Russian
LFS, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington DC 20016
(202) 885-2387     fax (202) 885-1076
aisrael at american.edu

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                  http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------



      

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------