Something I absolutely adore in Dostoevsky's work is the ways in which he breaks the fourth wall, acknowledging in his narration not only the reader directly but also often musing on the craft of writing and narratives.
My favourite example is in the opening of I believe part 3 of The Idiot in which he spends a considerable amount of time discussing why it is difficult to write an ordinary character who is also interesting. He discusses examples in other works and the general concept before transitioning brilliantly into setting the scene of characters from previous parts to whom he applies his ideas on ordinary characters.
by HenryMaxman