White Nights

“White Nights” was written in 1848, a time of increasing social and political tension in Imperial Russia. While the Revolutions of 1848 swept across much of Europe that year, Russia experienced a more subdued but no less significant undercurrent of unrest. The rise of intellectual circles and literary salons in St. Petersburg and Moscow reflected a growing interest in individual expression, emotional authenticity, and philosophical idealism. Censorship under Tsar Nicholas I remained strict, and literature became a crucial outlet for exploring personal freedom, social isolation, and moral questions—often through symbolic or sentimental narratives. 

In this context, Dostoyevsky’s story captures both the psychological and cultural atmosphere of the time. The narrator, a solitary dreamer wandering the streets of St. Petersburg, embodies a figure increasingly familiar in Russian literature: the sensitive outsider disconnected from public life but rich in inner experience. His longing for connection and meaning reflects a broader social condition shaped by rigid class structures, limited social mobility, and the lack of institutional support for individuals living on the margins. 

The story also dramatizes gender roles and expectations of the era. Nastenka’s dependence on her grandmother and her vulnerable position in society highlight the restricted agency of young women in mid-19th century Russia, while her desire for love and self-determination subtly critiques these constraints.