Dostoevsky: The Seeds of Revolt 1821–1849 (the first of four volumes of the life and works) is a salutary event in a time when the Newest Criticism is declaring the bankruptcy of the unified text. Not that a great text like Notes from Underground or even a lesser one like The Double is susceptible to easy solutions. If Joseph Frank believes Dostoevsky's work can be convincingly interpreted in the terms of the novelist's intentions, he knows how formidable the critic must be. He must have judgment, a gift for literary interpretation, a deep knowledge of Russian political and social history, a sensitivity to individual psychology, and a general culture that make it possible for him to place Dostoevsky in currents that flow beyond Russia. As important as these powers is the capacity to integrate them.

Joseph Frank has the requisite combination of powers, and his book is an exemplary interweaving of history, psychology, and literary criticism. Unlike most critical biographers, Frank is never gratuitous in his use of information. Nothing is ever given simply for the sake of creating the density of a life. Frank's patient detailing of the class affiliations of the Dostoevsky family life, for example, is not meant simply to satisfy the reader's curiosity. He wants to establish a true perspective on values in works that might appear ambiguous or obscure without the family history.