“A Gentle Creature” is a short story published by Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1876 under the Russian title "Кроткая (Krotkaya)". The story may also be found under such alternate English titles as “A Gentle Spirit” and “The Meek One.” All these variations of translation of the original Russian indicate the underlying theme of the story of a teenage girl considered an iconic representative of innocence marring a man who seeks to exploit that gentle spirit within for his own narcissistic desires.
The story of a pawnbroker inching closer to the edge of madness by an innocent revealing herself to be more worldly than he imagined has fueled the imagination of many filmmakers. The story has been adapted for the screen at least seven times since 1960 by filmmakers in Russia, France, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam and the United States, thus confirming the universality of its deceptively simple story as well as the profundity of its themes.
