Poor FolkPoor Folk is written in the form of letters between the two main characters, Makar Devushkin and Varvara Dobroselova, who are poor third cousins twice removed. The novel showcases the life of poor people, their relationship with rich people, and poverty in general, all common themes of literary naturalism. A deep but odd friendship develops between them until Dobroselova loses her interest in literature, and later in communicating with Devushkin after a rich widower Mr. Bykov proposes to her. Devushkin, a prototype of the clerk found in many works of naturalistic literature at that time, retains his sentimental characteristics; Dobroselova abandons art, while Devushkin cannot live without literature. |
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Common terms and phrases
afraid angel angry Anna Fyodorovna Anyway ashamed Belinsky boots Bykov child cold darling Dear Makar Alekseyevich Dear Varvara dearest Varvara Alekseyevna Dostoevsky Emil Ivanovich everything Excellency eyes Faldoni father feel felt Fontanka friend Makar Devushkin furbelow gave give Gogol Goodbye Gorokhovaya Street Gorshkov Gostiny dvor happened happy heart kind landlady laugh leitmotif letter literary living look mean midshipman mignonettes mind morning mother never night novel perhaps Pete Petersburg Pokrov Pokrovsky poor Poor Folk precious Pushkin Pyotr Petrovich Ratazyayev remember ROBERT DESSAIX Romanticism roubles in silver rubbish ruin sake samovar Sasha sleep someone sometimes sort soul started strange suddenly sweet talking tears tell Teresa terrible Theodora there's thing thought told took turned walk whole wife woman word worry write Yermak yesterday Zyuleika