/lit/ - Literature

>>3556581
yeah, buying a second hand book, what a pleb move

>reading books that aren't soul-crushingly poignant, world-view rocking, mind-eclipsing, fantastically inspiring, and downright earth shattering with the first 10 words

So i've started reading a few of the Russian authors, and I need something explained to me..

I guess it's a cultural thing, but why do characters get called by three or four different names? Sometimes someone will be addressed with their first two names, or only their last name, or another, shortened version?

For example, Rodion Ramonovich Raskolnikov could be Rodion Ramonovich, Raskolnikov, or Rodya..

Seems to me the shortened version (Duneshka>Dunya, Ivan>Vanya) are mainly used by characters who are close to one another relationship-wise, but I've been wondering why the other two.. It doesn't really make it hard to understand or anything, I'm just curious.

pic unrelated, not my face whilst reading

Don't really have anything to contribute, but thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread