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Title: The Brothers Karamazov: The Constance Garnett Translation Revised by Ralph E. Matlaw : Backgrounds and Sources, Essays in Criticism (A Norton) by Fedor Dostoevsky ISBN: 0-393-09214-3 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 1976 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 (190 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Masterpiece of Philosophical Literary Fiction
Comment: As a Christian, I consider this book essential reading for all Christians. Dostoevsky argues, sometimes covertly, for the essential tie between morality (conscience) and God. The famous quote, "If God does not exist, everything is permitted," assumes that without an objective moral God, everything is objectively amoral (even if subjective morals exist). To me, the novel shows how some (not necessarily all) professing atheists try to philosophically justify their actions that would otherwise be considered immoral. The way they justify their immorality is to subjectivize (relativize) all morality thereby making everything, including murder, inherently amoral. The problem with this approach is that the protest against evil becomes subjective and objectively collapses. Absolute good (God) defines absolute evil. Without God, absolute evil can't exist and Ivan's examples of human cruelty lose their force by becoming objectively excusable types of behavior. Dostoevsky also brilliantly shows the bankruptcy of human courts of justice. We the readers know that Dmitri is innocent of the death of his father, but the evidence makes him look guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt... If there is no just God and life after death (immortality), then we're stuck with human injustice masquerading as justice and no hope of the wrongs in this life being righted in the next. Aside from these Christian topics, the brilliance of Dostoevsky's work is that many atheists such as Camus, Sartre, Nietzsche and Freud have found this work a masterpiece. Dostoevsky showed that saints can look like sinners and sinners can look like saints and we are left wondering who is actually innocent or guilty of what. Read the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.
After reading this novel, check out Franz Kafka's "The Trial." Kafka was another great who learned from Dostoevsky. - Brad Clark
Rating: 5
Summary: It slowly changed my life. It's still haunting me.
Comment: I think I am going to read this wonderful book again. There is so much there to relive and cherish, that it's really worth it.
I want to tell you how this novel changed my life. It was recommended to me by a Russian Orthodox priest (who was an American though), who considered it the best source of Russian Orthodox spirituality in literature. So I read it. I read it because at the time I was striving to become a true Orthodox Christian myself. The result, however, was the opposite: I lost any faith I ever had in the truth of the Church and all its dogmas. This book gave me an idea that if there is God, it is certainly not what we are taught He is.
I think that in this work Dostoevsky reached the very height of what I would call "a war with oneself". He created this unforgettable contrast between what he wanted to believe (and, indeed believed at times) and what he actually was going through in his spiritual search, which were probably indescribable spiritual torments of doubt. I now have this indelible image of Ivan confiding in Alesha, arguing with Satan and, at last, denying God himself in his search for the truth. It was he, who stirred my whole being and it was Dostoevsky himself speaking through Ivan with the most profound sincerety and desperation.
Yes, there also was Alyosha, who didn't doubt, who just loved and believed, but, alas, such a gift is not given to everyone! Unfortunately, most of us are more earthly and human, than the sweet Alyosha was.
I love this book! I love the brothers, even though they are so different! There are so many things to love "The Brothers Karamazov" for, but it is for this brave, but nevertheless desperate challenge to our faith, and at the same time, a great example of living it, that I praise this book so highly. It is truly as rich, thought-provoking and awe-inspiring as life itself.
P.S. I highly recommend the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. It is the most correct and true to the spirit of the book translation available. By the way, they also translated "Crime and Punishment", "The Demons", "Notes from the Underground" and lots more, so I recommend those as well. And if you really would like to get the feel of how Dostoevsky DID NOT write, try the translation by Constance Garnett! It is outdated and, frankly, in some places she took liberties at what to leave and what to take out. I read "The Brothers Karamazov" in Russian and English, going line-by-line sometimes and discovering those literary atrocities in the most straightforward places.
Rating: 4
Summary: A review by a realist
Comment: I'd first like to correct an error from a previous review. The translator is not Constance Garnett; it is one Andrew MacAndrew (tragic name, I know), and the prose is snappy and completely understandable. I was surprised by how informal the writing was at times, and I think the translator probably captured the style, although I can't be sure because I don't know Russian. As for the actual book, the material presented, the characters developed and the themes explored, this book is really good. But not perfect.
It starts out wonderfully. Meeting the brothers, and that crazy father of theirs, is a joy. Hilarious, sometimes painfully awkward. The saga of Grueshenka and Katya is compelling, and the plight of our little boy Ilyusha is the best part of the book. Other parts of the novel are not so exciting. Like the entirity of Book VI, about the Elder Zosima. He tells us all about his life and his thoughts on the Bible, and how you should be nice to kids. If you are looking for a book to skip, this is it. Some of book XII is painful as well. We already know all about the theories of the murder, but we have to listen to both the prosecutor and defense attorney tell us about it from a psychological point of view. Important I know, because Dostoevsky was trying to say something about justice, about crime and punishment. But, all literary snobbery aside, it's boring. So chapters 6-13 in Book 12 can be optional if you're not interested in the nature of judgement.
The book also relies on excessive coincidence and unlikely circumstances. It can get pretty outlandish. But overall, an enjoyable read. Good characterization, and the conflicts and love between the brothers is fascinating to read about. The theories early on in the book about the existence of God are thought-provoking. You'll love that Alyosha, whether you are a believer or non-believer.
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Title: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett ISBN: 0553211757 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 June, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Idiot (Oxford World's Classics) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Alan Myers, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky ISBN: 0192834118 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: May, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Rosemary Edmonds ISBN: 0140444173 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: October, 1982 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Anna Karenina by Mona Simpson, Leo Tolstoy ISBN: 067978330X Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 10 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky ISBN: 067973452X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 30 August, 1994 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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