Poor Folk · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.
Chapter 1
April 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
Makar writes to Barbara, expressing confusion over her teasing and defending his paternal feelings for her. He reflects on his past life in a cozy room with his old landlady and her granddaughter Masha, contrasting it with his current lodgings. He declines to visit her in person to avoid gossip, and asks her not to chide him for his uneducated letter.
Chapter 2
April 8th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
Barbara writes to Makar, gently scolding him for sending her expensive gifts like geraniums and bonbons, which she knows he cannot afford. She expresses concern for his living conditions and health, urging him to visit her in person. She also reflects on her own sadness and uncertainty about the future, haunted by past sorrows caused by wicked people.
Chapter 3
April 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
Makar writes to Barbara, expressing confusion over her teasing and defending his paternal feelings for her. He reflects on his past life in a cozy room with his old landlady and her granddaughter Masha, contrasting it with his current lodgings. He declines to visit her in person to avoid gossip, and asks her not to chide him for his uneducated letter.
Chapter 4
April 9th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
Barbara writes to Makar, expressing concern that he has taken her previous words as a jest and fallen into despondency. She reassures him of her gratitude for his protection and asks him not to be offended, while also mentioning her own illness and Thedora's worry.
Chapter 5
April 12th: Dearest Mistress Barbara Alexievna
Makar writes to Barbara, expressing concern for her health and describing his living quarters in detail. He recounts the unpleasant conditions of the house, the gambling habits of the other tenants, and the impoverished family of Gorshkov, whose silent suffering deeply moves him. He ends by lamenting his lack of education and his inability to write with style.
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53 more companions → free preview- Chapter 6April 25th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 7May 20th: My Dearest Little Barbara
- Chapter 8June 1st: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 9I
- Chapter 10II
- Chapter 11June 11th: How I Thank You for Our Walk to the Islands Yesterday, Makar Alexievitch!
- Chapter 12June 12th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 13June 20th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 14June 21st: My Own, My Darling
- Chapter 15June 22nd: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 16June 25th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 17June 26th: My Dear Little Barbara
- Chapter 18June 27th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 19June 28th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 20My Dear Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 21July 1st: Rubbish, Rubbish, Barbara!
- Chapter 22My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 23July 7th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 24July 8th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 25July 27th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 26July 28th: My Priceless Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 27July 28th: Dearest Little Barbara
- Chapter 28July 29th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 29August 1st: My Darling Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 30August 2nd: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 31August 3rd: My Angel, Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 32August 4th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 33August 4th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 34August 5th: Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 35August 5th: My Darling Little Barbara
- Chapter 36August 11th: O Barbara Alexievna, I Am Undone
- Chapter 37August 13th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 38August 14th: What Is the Matter with You, Makar Alexievitch?
- Chapter 39August 19th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 40August 21st: My Dear and Kind Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 41September 3rd: The Reason Why I Did Not Finish My Last Letter, Makar Alexievitch, Was That I Found It So Difficult to Write
- Chapter 42September 5th: My Beloved Barbara
- Chapter 43September 9th: My Dearest Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 44September 10th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 45September 11th: My Darling Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 46September 15th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 47September 18th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 48September 19th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 49September 23rd: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 50September 23rd: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 51September 27th: Dear Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 52September 27th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 53September 28th: My Dearest Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 54September 28th: My Beloved Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 55September 29th: My Own Barbara Alexievna
- Chapter 56September 30th: My Beloved Makar Alexievitch
- Chapter 57Beloved Barbara—My Jewel, My Priceless One
- Chapter 58Endnotes