The Brothers Karamazov : Worlds of the Novel

Fyodor Dostoevsky completed his final novel— __The Brothers Karamazov—__in 1880. A work of universal appeal and significance, his exploration of good and evil immediately gained an international readership and today “remains harrowingly alive in the face of our present day worries, paradoxes, and joys,” observes Dostoevsky scholar Robin Feuer Miller. In this engaging and original book, she guides us through the complexities of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece, offering keen insights and a celebration of the author’s unparalleled powers of imagination. Miller’s critical companion to __The Brothers Karamazov__ explores the novel’s structure, themes, characters, and artistic strategies while illuminating its myriad philosophical and narrative riddles. She discusses the historical significance of the book and its initial reception, and in a new preface discusses the latest scholarship on Dostoevsky and the novel that crowned his career. Fyodor Dostoevsky completed his final novel— The Brothers Karamazov— in 1880. A work of universal appeal and significance, his exploration of good and evil immediately gained an international readership and today “remains harrowingly alive in the face of our present day worries, paradoxes, and joys,” observes Dostoevsky scholar Robin Feuer Miller. In this engaging and original book, she guides us through the complexities of Dostoevsky’s masterpiece, offering keen insights and a celebration of the author’s unparalleled powers of imagination. Miller’s critical companion to The Brothers Karamazov explores the novel’s structure, themes, characters, and artistic strategies while illuminating its myriad philosophical and narrative riddles. She discusses the historical significance of the book and its initial reception, and in a new preface discusses the latest scholarship on Dostoevsky and the novel that crowned his career. Contents 7 Preface to the Yale Edition 8 Note on the References and Acknowledgments 18 Chronology: Fyodor Dostoevsky's Life and Work 21 Literary and Historical Context 29 1. Historical Context 29 2. The Importance of The Brothers Karamazov 32 3. Critical Reception 35 A Reading 41 4. Of Prefaces, Preludes, and Parodies Part I: Books I, II, and III 41 5. The Deep Heart's Core Part II: Books IV, V, and VI 76 6. The Plot Quickens Part III: Books VII, VIII, and IX 108 7. Varieties of Guilty Experience Part IV: Books X, XI, XI, and the Epilogue 127 Notes 162 Selected Bibliography 167 Index 177 Fyodor Dostoevsky completed his final novel, "The Brothers Karamazov", in 1880. This work explores the novel's structure, themes, characters and artistic strategies while illuminating its myriad philosophical and narrative riddles. It discusses the historical significance of the book and its initial reception.