Something that’s amazed me about this book so far is its ability to maintain a really unique form of emotional intensity, even though (a) it’s hundreds of pages long, (b) it’s translated from 19th century Russian, and (c) its characters themselves are often discussing very abstract philosophical-religious issues.  I mean when I read a George … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book VII – Alyosha →

Seen from a certain angle, book VI and (its testament to faith) is the ideological counterweight to Book V’s atheism.  There is a problem here though, which is two-fold.  First, the views expressed in Book VI are very closely connected with Dostoevsky’s own views; second, to be blunt, Book VI is a little bit boring.  … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book VI – The Russian Monk →

This is really long.  I thought  a lot about it.  I hope you will read 🙂 Book V is the ideological heart of TBK.  In a series of chapters set at a local inn, Ivan and Alexei discourse about belief in God and moral responsibility.  The centerpiece of this is the “Grand Inquisitor” chapter, a … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book V – Pro and Contra →

Book 4 contains one of the sequences that really stood out in my memory of the first time I read this book: Alyosha’s strange confrontation with the schoolchildren.  More shades of Wes Anderson – these super-serious little children speaking in dreadful terms about honor, revenge, etc.  I guess I’m thinking of that scene in Rushmore … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book IV – Strains →

The Brothers Karamazov – Book 3  - “Sensualists” The next two books are still, by and large, introductory.  The cast of characters is broadened, mostly by our following Alyosha around as he’s sent to manage everybody’s affairs.  It reminds me a little bit of a computer roleplaying game, where the main character brings items from … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book III – The Sensualists →

First a summary then some observations - the events of Book 2 (“An Inappropriate Gathering") are probably easier to relate, but they mostly take place against a backdrop of almost a dozen characters, many of whom are briefly, it at all, introduced by the narrator. // Begin Summary On the appointed day for the Karamazov’s … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book II →

Point of joy #1 (actually, hysterical laughter while reading): “They thought I was gone, and here I am!” he shouted for all to hear (87). “He” is Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov.  I’ll try to explain what’s so funny about this moment, as a way of summarizing what happens in the first two books of TBK.  I’ll … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov – Book I →