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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on this earth?"
Dostoevsky: "No. Absolutely not."
What a fantastic novel! Although I myself am not religious, I have a deep and unabiding respect for the Christian faith. I don't mean to politicize this excellent book, but I think it has a great deal of contemporary resonance, given the rise of Russian imperial-philia among the Russian Orthodox. Dostoyevsky's book is ultimately a scathing critique of Russian imperial society from the perspective of a devout Christian. He argues that Russian society is so corrupt that not even Jesus Christ himself could endure it. Of course, this story may well be interpreted as heretical, but the character of Prince Myshkin is depicted so highly that it is clear Dostoyevsky has much more respect for (Orthodox) Christianity than Russia itself, patriot as he was. Dostoyevsky's make this a superb case for why admiration for the Russian Empire is misguided at best. True, Orthodoxy was far more widespread and was institutionalized in the state, but it is important to ask to what extent the imperial Orthodox hegemony was Christianity as it was intended, or whether Myshkin's attack on Catholicism could just as well be the case for the Orthodox establishment in the mid-19th century.
I am not Russian, so perhaps my review here is unfair, but I think there is something in this book capable of combatting imperial nostalgia (admittedly, the Soviet Union was no better). I'd be very interested in hearing the opinions of others in the comments and any comment or criticism of this write-up will be welcome.
I am not Russian, so perhaps my review here is unfair, but I think there is something in this book capable of combatting imperial nostalgia (admittedly, the Soviet Union was no better). I'd be very interested in hearing the opinions of others in the comments and any comment or criticism of this write-up will be welcome.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sooo slow. I didn’t like or cared about the main character :/ The writing and language however is beautiful and a few scenes are very shocking and intense and will stick with me for quite a bit. Sadly, the only characters I liked and was interested in were Rogozin and Kolya (Ganjas Brother). And I hated Hippolite with a true passion after his long af monologue that went on for (what felt like) 100 pages. The love story/love triangle wasn‘t very believable and also quite repetitive. Crazy ending that felt a bit rushed, which is a crazy thing to say after 900 pages. All in all Crime and Punishment is way better in my opinion.
Here is another Dostoevsky book finished. I should like to give a review without sounding too dumb/ignorant or reading too much into this.
For some reason I couldn't get myself to like more of the prince when he was such a ..complete and true idiot.
An idiot with epileptic episodes, I should like to say. Perhaps they have nothing to do with each other, and there is no link between Myshkin being an idiot and having epileptic episodes, for his idiocy seems to come from being a pushover and scarcely defending himself.
It's weird how much I seem to have liked Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment, an actual murderer, than Myshkin; a true Christ-like figure.
"For the prince will certainly forgive it, and has probably forgiven it already .. he has found an excuse for him in his own mind by now most likely; that's true, prince, isn't it?" - This is a line directed to Myshkin, and it seems to embody every everything that the prince stands for. He is forgiving, a pushover, accepts vice and other's insults towards him, lacks a certain kind of pride that allows other people to push forward the idea that perpetuates his plain idiocy. Everyone around him is awful, and he's the complete opposite of them, and it creates such an interesting contrast that it sort of made me like Myshkin less, and less, and less. There were several instances where Myshkin sat in the presence of a group of people, all of which are horrible in some way or another, and they took turns spitting one sentence after another about how much of an idiot he is, and he just simply takes it all in.
There were several scenes that will probably forever etch their existence into my mind.
> When Myshkin was describing the man climbing up the scaffold to be executed. That was one haunting chapter. I felt every ounce of it chilling the marrow of my bones.
> Rogozhin's attempt to murder the prince. The hiding and chasing, the eyes spotting, and being saved by an epileptic episode. All of that conjured the most horrifying images in my brain, and I absolutely loved it.
> The scene when the men took turns telling everyone about the most awful thing they've ever done. There was one story when a man felt guilty for screaming at a dying old woman, and he had no idea she was dying. I'll never forget this story. And oh god, the woman with the dog story.. I've never laughed so hard. It's absolutely brilliant.
And because this is Dostoevsky, obviously almost everyone is mad, one way or another. But you always have the characters that seem to be the beacon of logic, and their complete opposite. It's always a pleasure having to navigate my way through his novels to try and figure that out.
For some reason I couldn't get myself to like more of the prince when he was such a ..complete and true idiot.
An idiot with epileptic episodes, I should like to say. Perhaps they have nothing to do with each other, and there is no link between Myshkin being an idiot and having epileptic episodes, for his idiocy seems to come from being a pushover and scarcely defending himself.
It's weird how much I seem to have liked Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment, an actual murderer, than Myshkin; a true Christ-like figure.
"For the prince will certainly forgive it, and has probably forgiven it already .. he has found an excuse for him in his own mind by now most likely; that's true, prince, isn't it?" - This is a line directed to Myshkin, and it seems to embody every everything that the prince stands for. He is forgiving, a pushover, accepts vice and other's insults towards him, lacks a certain kind of pride that allows other people to push forward the idea that perpetuates his plain idiocy. Everyone around him is awful, and he's the complete opposite of them, and it creates such an interesting contrast that it sort of made me like Myshkin less, and less, and less. There were several instances where Myshkin sat in the presence of a group of people, all of which are horrible in some way or another, and they took turns spitting one sentence after another about how much of an idiot he is, and he just simply takes it all in.
There were several scenes that will probably forever etch their existence into my mind.
> When Myshkin was describing the man climbing up the scaffold to be executed. That was one haunting chapter. I felt every ounce of it chilling the marrow of my bones.
> Rogozhin's attempt to murder the prince. The hiding and chasing, the eyes spotting, and being saved by an epileptic episode. All of that conjured the most horrifying images in my brain, and I absolutely loved it.
> The scene when the men took turns telling everyone about the most awful thing they've ever done. There was one story when a man felt guilty for screaming at a dying old woman, and he had no idea she was dying. I'll never forget this story. And oh god, the woman with the dog story.. I've never laughed so hard. It's absolutely brilliant.
And because this is Dostoevsky, obviously almost everyone is mad, one way or another. But you always have the characters that seem to be the beacon of logic, and their complete opposite. It's always a pleasure having to navigate my way through his novels to try and figure that out.
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes