Often in novels, the life of an author is reflected in his or her literature. For a writer experience can serve not only as a teacher, but also as the foundation of a story line. Some of the most well known authors have used this Romana Clef technique, for example, Charles Dickens in his famous novel, David Copperfield. The Russian author, Fyodor Dostoyevsky does this as well, in his novel Crime and Punishment. Various individuals …showed first 75 words of 2918 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2918 total…and prostitutes filled the city and were thrown in the face of the author everyday. Living in such an environment influenced the author to create similar living conditions, those that are not conducive to healthy living. Personal experience of living in St. Petersburg laid the foundation for Dostoyevsky’s setting in his novel, which is one that creates an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness-feelings that were always far too common in the author’s life.