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In general, Dostoevsky s religious beliefs in the post-exile period have been treated as a unified whole. Careful analysis of the novels written between Dostoevsky´s return from Siberia and his death gives evidence, however, of an evolution in his theology. This is particularly true in the case of Dostoevsky s Christ figures, characters intended, at least to some degree, to embody the positive values seen in the life of Christ. Over time, Dostoevsky s Christology becomes less apocalyptic, less separate from humanity, and more grounded in how Christ-like values might transform earthly reality. The tragedy of Prince Myshkin in ´The Idiot´ becomes the beginning of a series of literary experiments with moral authority, experiments that culminate in the character of Alyosha Karamazov and his central role as example and influence.

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Lindsay Sargent Berg received her Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from Northwestern University. Her primary area of specialization is the 19th-Century Russian novel. Additional areas of interest include Russian Orthodoxy and theories of the self in literature and autobiography.

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