The Brothers Karamazov

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Further Brothers Karamazov Context Notes

I curate more specific and limited context for weekly handouts. However, I put less abridged resources here if there is any interest and so I can draw on them personally. These are directly related to the context of Brothers Karamazov. See the General Dostoevsky Resources tab if interested in more general information. 

Russian Populism and Dostoevsky:

Dostoevsky's novels of the 1860's were targeted at the popular ideologies of Rational Egosim and Russian Nihilism (see below). However, in the 1870's his major novels and journalistic efforts sought to combat the new movement of Russian Populism. I provide a short summary how the two interacted. 

Rational Egoism v. Russian Nihilism:

Many of Dostoevsky's most famous novels (Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, The Idiot, and Demons) took aim at the ideologies of rational egoism and nihilism. The Brothers K moves beyond these ideologies, yet the dialectic (and Russian society) was still very much influenced by them. I provide a short summary of both. 

Dostoevsky as Popular Journalist:

We know Dostoevsky primarily as a novelist. However, in the years leading up to Brothers K, Dostoevsky reached the pinnacle of his fame as a journalist or a kind of editorial "newspaperman." I provide a summary of his journalistic efforts, his public persona, and the public reception. 

Publication Context and Popular Reception of The Brothers Karamazov:

The Brothers K  was published serially over a span of thirteen months. These months were ones of great social turmoil and political violence. Dostoevsky, as a very public intellectual, took up the mantel of a prophet. I provide a summary of the immense public impact of The Brothers K and some of the publishing context such as editorial and government censorship concerns. 

German Romanticism, Fredrich Schiller, and The Brothers Karamazov:

The Brothers K was deeply impacted by German Romanticism. In particular, both the plot and the major themes of the novel are heavily influenced by Fredrich Schiller and his play The Robbers. I provide a short summary of German Romanticism and how The Robbers relates to Brothers K. I also provide textual examples from Schiller to show this resemblance. 

Serial Publication of The Brothers Karamazov:

The Brothers K was published in a literary journal, The Russian Herald.  However, like other novels of the time, it was published serially. The Brothers K  was published in 16 installments over 23 months, between January 1879 and November 1880. The breakout is shown through the link above. 

Summary  Plot and Themes of 'Rebellion' and 'The Grand Inquistor'

The most famous chapters of The Brothers K are 'The Grand Inquistor' and 'Rebellion'. They are often read apart from the larger novel as a formulation of the problem of evil and kind of free will defense.  I provide some thematic summary and how it relates to the plot and characters as opposed to theological or philosophical argumentation. 

Example of Critique Against Dostoevsky's Zosima-esque Teaching of Universal Brotherhood

Not everyone loved Dostoevsky's teaching put in the mouth of Zosima and given at the Pushkin Festival. This a few pages from Joseph Frank (2002) showing representative criticism. 

Timeline of Events in Brothers K Image 

Selections from Other Works

Epilepsy scene in The Idiot  (3 pgs) 

Like Dostoevsky, Smerdyakov has epilepsy. The disease was also given to Prince Myshkin in The Idiot. Here Dostoevsky gives us his own experience with epilepsy. 

Radical Students Arguing in Demons (10 pgs)

The thirteen-year old Kolya acts as a miniature Ivan in his staunch radical beliefs. However, these principled beliefs appear rather silly and funny in someone so young. D. plays a similar trick in Demons  where he had two young students arguing to "prove" how much they know at a top-secret radical meeting. The need for approval is apparent and played for laughs. Just like Kolya they espouse the standard radical agenda as it were all old hat and scientifically proven. 

Parricide Passages from Notes from a Dead House (2 pgs)

Clearly parricide is important in The Brothers K. Dostoevsky, recalls the psychology of a parricide he knew in prison. 

Selections on Dogs in Dostoevsky and Gogol (17 pgs)

The dog Zuchka plays an important role in the schoolboy subplot. There are several other occurences of dog companions in Dostoevsky and in Gogol's societal commentary.