Abstract: Apart from the sensation caused by the first publication, Notes from the Dead House has not received enough attention in the Dostoevsky studies, though it builds up the basic framework, the core elements of Dostoevsky's pochvennichestvo. The realistic description of characters' profiles in the novel implicates Dostoevsky's humanism spirit, his Orthodox solicitude towards criminals. The keyword “the unfortunate” in the novel explicates the phenomenon of Russia, Russian Orthodox Church identity. Actually “the unfortunate” embodies both the experience of Orthodox Church idea “sobornost” from a different point of view, the kinship of Russian orthodox spirit with pochvennichestvo. The pursuit of orthodoxy identification is the core of pochvennichestvoin the novel, which is the real, main reason why Notes from the Dead House strikes a responsive chord in the hearts of Leo Tolstoy, other thinkers.

Key words: Notes from the Dead House, “the unfortunate”, Russian Orthodox Church, pochvennichestvo