"Dostoevsky was a psychological realist, and laughter in his handling invariably has a psychological component. It can reveal a character's mood at a given instant, it can reinforce an earlier perception about a character's makeup, and at times it can also invalidate that perception in a flash. It will be shown in this study that some of the leading figures of Crime and Punishment are indeed good candidates for reassessment on the sole basis of the nature of their laughter.".

"Since human laughter served, in a sense, as Dostoevsky's model, the author pays some heed to the highly controversial subject of real-life laughter, along with the leading theories that seek to elucidate its causes and implications.".

"The present study offers new insights into the utilization of belletristic laughter not only in Crime and Punishment but also in the rest of Dostoevsky's major works. Additionally, it seeks to demonstrate that Dostoevsky's use of laughter bears a certain resemblance to the technique of other authors who employ laughter for artistic purposes - Leo Tolstoy, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Umberto Eco among them."--BOOK JACKET.