This book takes four stories by the Russian Romantic author Vladimir Odoevsky to illustrate 'pathways', developed further by subsequent writers, into modern fiction. Featured here are: the artistic (musical story), the rise of science fiction, psychic aspects of the detective story, and of confession in the novel.

The four chapters also examine the development of the featured categories by a wide range of subsequent writers in fiction ranging from the Romantic period up to the present century.

The study works backwards from Odoevsky's stories, noting respective previous examples or traditions, before proceeding to follow the 'pathways' observed into later Russian, English and comparative fiction.

Whilst appealing to specialists in Russian and comparative literature, these chapters are accessible to a student readership taking courses involving the main areas featured - including the arts in literature, fictional artistic biography, interplanetary flight and civilisations, detective fiction, and novelistic confession.