Poor Folk

Style and Technique

«Poor Folk» by Fyodor Dostoevsky is an epistolary novel where the entire narrative is constructed through the exchange of letters between the two main characters: Makar Devushkin and Varvara Alexeyevna Dobroselova. Makar's letters are characterized by awkwardness and naivety, highlighting his social and educational status. Varvara's letters exhibit a more structured and expressive style. The novel sheds light on the lives of the impoverished, using lively colloquial language, which was innovative for Russian literature at the time. The text is rich in details describing the squalid lives of the characters, creating a realistic depiction of society.