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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
“The terrible thing is that beauty is not only fearful but also mysterious. Here the devil is struggling with God, and the battlefield is the human heart.”
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
De Gebroeders Karamazov (Братья Карамазовы, Brat'ja Karamazovy) uit 1880, is het laatste boek van Fjodor Dostojevski, uitgegeven zo'n vier maanden voor zijn overlijden. Dit boek is een van de bekendste titels als het gaat om wereldliteratuur en altijd in de top 10 van beste wereldtitels. Het draait om de moord op de vader van deze broers en de constante uitwerkingen van verschillende filosofische thema's met betrekking tot religie en het bestaan van God. Dostojevski is een meester in het beschrijven van bepaalde psychologische ontwikkelingen die de personages meemaakte, dit is goed te zien in dit boek. Verder bevat dit boek twee parels aan hoofdstukken (Duivels en De Groot Inquisiteur) die ik apart heb geanalyseerd. Ook maakte ik een volledige review van het boek! Ik hoop dat het bevalt.
De volledige Review: https://youtu.be/2RxGIeh446I
De analyse van De Groot Inquisiteur: https://youtu.be/LM6E71QnNk0
De analyse van Duivels: https://youtu.be/vfVFUum9dx8
De volledige Review: https://youtu.be/2RxGIeh446I
De analyse van De Groot Inquisiteur: https://youtu.be/LM6E71QnNk0
De analyse van Duivels: https://youtu.be/vfVFUum9dx8
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Immediate thoughts are never as eloquent as one would like (as though I could point to any writing at hand as an example of true eloquence) but I am compelled to write something anyway. The Brothers Karamazov is one of those famous books everybody cites as a life-changer and a classic, regardless of whether they've read it or if they claim to. I don't want to quantify things in terms of perceived 'hype', but certain prejudices were inevitable coming in. This is my fourth Dostoyevsky novel, and it was essentially the one I was always reading around, reading to prepare for.
Initially I was disappointed - but this is not what I want to devote any reasonable time to. Dostoyevsky has his repeated motifs. He's celebrated as a master of psychology, but many of his characters are repeated book-to-book, with erratic idiosyncrasies eventually defining them. Halfway through, I was worried the Brothers K was celebrated only by those without much familiarity with Dostoyevsky's style.
I was wrong, of course. Nabokov's criticisms are perhaps too pedantic to categorise Dostoyevsky as overrated or anything else. There's too much interesting here, too much worthwhile to study both as an exploration of Humanity and as a literary work. The book is philosophy-first, plot-second, and it is at its strongest when it manages to combine both, because Dostoyevsky has the ability to infuse anything with a pulpy mode of tension without undercutting its essential seriousness. Despite what blurbs may imply, there is no mystery in this murder story, and yet it feels so much more nerve-wracking despite everything going as expected. I can't put it into words. Not yet. The flaws in the writing are apparent, opaque - but it all works, completely.
Initially I was disappointed - but this is not what I want to devote any reasonable time to. Dostoyevsky has his repeated motifs. He's celebrated as a master of psychology, but many of his characters are repeated book-to-book, with erratic idiosyncrasies eventually defining them. Halfway through, I was worried the Brothers K was celebrated only by those without much familiarity with Dostoyevsky's style.
I was wrong, of course. Nabokov's criticisms are perhaps too pedantic to categorise Dostoyevsky as overrated or anything else. There's too much interesting here, too much worthwhile to study both as an exploration of Humanity and as a literary work. The book is philosophy-first, plot-second, and it is at its strongest when it manages to combine both, because Dostoyevsky has the ability to infuse anything with a pulpy mode of tension without undercutting its essential seriousness. Despite what blurbs may imply, there is no mystery in this murder story, and yet it feels so much more nerve-wracking despite everything going as expected. I can't put it into words. Not yet. The flaws in the writing are apparent, opaque - but it all works, completely.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fyodor Dostoevsky, where are my words? Perhaps my thoughts are still trapped between the pages of your book, yearning for clarity, not wanting to let the tragedy of the brothers to end. My heart lies in Alyosha’s gentle hands, my mind feels like a labyrinth, echoing Ivan’s, and my soul is entwined with Mitya’s tormented spirit. The greatest Russian writer they all name you, and you indeed live up to the name. You have transported me into a world that lays bare the profound complexities of the human condition.
This is a story about brothers on divergent paths: Dmitri, a hedonistic retired official; Ivan, an arrogant and prideful intellectual atheist; and Alyosha, a compassionate and devout novice monk. Their journeys are joined together by the threads of their contradictions, as they fall from grace and eventually to profound transformation through suffering and self-reflection.
At the heart of their turmoil lies their father, Fyodor Karamazov, whose debauchery and neglect catalyzed the conflicts that tear the family apart. His selfishness and lack of moral integrity sow the seeds of discord among his sons, driving them further into their respective vices and struggles. The father;s behavior is the root of much of the quarrels, reflecting the moral decay that plagues each of the Karamazovs.
Yet, this is not merely a tale of three brothers. The side characters— Grushenka, Smerdyakov, Katerina, Father Zosima, and Ilyusha, among others– each add depth and significance to the narrative, making the world of the Karamazovs all the more engaging. Each character, no matter how minor, holds a mirror to the brothers, reflecting and amplifying their struggles, making me sympathize, curse, celebrate, and grieve alongside them.
Through the Karamazovs, Dostoevsky dissected the eternal battle between good and evil, faith and doubt, love and hatred. And I have upheld the belief that conscience emerges as the greatest judge of all, an inescapable force that lies buried deep within each character, reminding them—us— of their own horrors time and time again. In the end, it is not just a novel; it is a profound exploration of the human mind and soul, a journey through the labyrinth of our own minds and hearts, where we confront the darkest and brightest aspects of our nature. It's a story that stays with us long after the final page, leaving us changed, much like the brothers themselves.
This is a story about brothers on divergent paths: Dmitri, a hedonistic retired official; Ivan, an arrogant and prideful intellectual atheist; and Alyosha, a compassionate and devout novice monk. Their journeys are joined together by the threads of their contradictions, as they fall from grace and eventually to profound transformation through suffering and self-reflection.
At the heart of their turmoil lies their father, Fyodor Karamazov, whose debauchery and neglect catalyzed the conflicts that tear the family apart. His selfishness and lack of moral integrity sow the seeds of discord among his sons, driving them further into their respective vices and struggles. The father;s behavior is the root of much of the quarrels, reflecting the moral decay that plagues each of the Karamazovs.
Yet, this is not merely a tale of three brothers. The side characters— Grushenka, Smerdyakov, Katerina, Father Zosima, and Ilyusha, among others– each add depth and significance to the narrative, making the world of the Karamazovs all the more engaging. Each character, no matter how minor, holds a mirror to the brothers, reflecting and amplifying their struggles, making me sympathize, curse, celebrate, and grieve alongside them.
Through the Karamazovs, Dostoevsky dissected the eternal battle between good and evil, faith and doubt, love and hatred. And I have upheld the belief that conscience emerges as the greatest judge of all, an inescapable force that lies buried deep within each character, reminding them—us— of their own horrors time and time again. In the end, it is not just a novel; it is a profound exploration of the human mind and soul, a journey through the labyrinth of our own minds and hearts, where we confront the darkest and brightest aspects of our nature. It's a story that stays with us long after the final page, leaving us changed, much like the brothers themselves.
One of my absolute favourite books of all times. It is truly a masterpiece. While everything that one can experience in a life comes across, we gain profound knowledge of psychological, philosophical, religious and mostly humanly discussions. I will not waste too many words, I would simply highly highly recommend this book for everyone at any point in any time in every life. It is more than 5 stars imo. Enjoy hopefully!
Dostoevsky’s masterwork, The Brothers Karamazov, delves through the lives of three antithetical brothers and examines the lasting influences inherited from their morally corrupt father. The trio, together and apart, traverse paths of paradoxical belief, intense belief in, and outright denial of, God, mismatched love, greed and lust, lives of moral impoverishment, and psychological torment.
Finished months before the great writer’s death, the work is both long and precise, and the pages are so cluttered with text that one immediately feels intimidated, hopelessly lost in a sea of words. And why not? For Dostoevsky depicts dark reflections of tangled, miserable minds, while allowing speech free reign to tread endlessly onward.
But stay calm, let yourself be carried along. Admire the work as it unravels before you — and do not rush: Look for meanings both inherent and hidden; consider them, reject them; let them inform your being. One must allow Dostoevsky room to work, for grand is his vision. Many lifetimes of thought are revealed in this masterpiece, created by a mind linked to the past, alive in the present, and looking to the future.
Finished months before the great writer’s death, the work is both long and precise, and the pages are so cluttered with text that one immediately feels intimidated, hopelessly lost in a sea of words. And why not? For Dostoevsky depicts dark reflections of tangled, miserable minds, while allowing speech free reign to tread endlessly onward.
But stay calm, let yourself be carried along. Admire the work as it unravels before you — and do not rush: Look for meanings both inherent and hidden; consider them, reject them; let them inform your being. One must allow Dostoevsky room to work, for grand is his vision. Many lifetimes of thought are revealed in this masterpiece, created by a mind linked to the past, alive in the present, and looking to the future.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes