Brothers Karamazov-Dostoevsky's Ultimate Message to the World
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Brothers Karamazov is considered one of the greatest and most profound Russian novels of all time. But what’s is story? Why is it important? What are the three main philosophies discussed? What was Dostoevsky’s purpose in writing it? And why Vladimir Putin calls it his favourite novel? And what are some of its weaknesses? And finally what’s it really about?
This is a summary and analysis of the Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Often called his magnum opus, Brothers Karamazov was Dostoevsky’s last novel-published one year before his death in 1881, but it’s also his longest novel, almost twice the length of his other famous novel Crime and Punishment, which I have already summarised here. First I will give a full summary and then give a few points of analysis, mainly the three major philosophies that run through the novel. At the end I will tell you Dostoevsky’s main purpose in writing this novel, which might surprise you.
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Some facts u could have missed, I read it in original and read some literature about Dostoevsky:
• in Dostoevsky’s diaries when he made his first notes of the story and he hadn’t even given names to his characters, he called one character just “a murderer” later this character was given a name - Ivan;
• the Brothers Karamazov may seem like a classical complete novel, but some philologists claim that the story might have been continued, there could be another novels connected by the main character Alyosha(in the prologue Dostoevsky makes it clear that the main character is Alyosha) and this epic novel(just as epic as War and Peace) could have had a name “The life of a great sinner” (Житие выликого грешника) - it is a very popular hypothesis.
• Grusha( or Grushenka) is one of the most common female characters of Dostoevsky novels: infernal woman/femme fatale. It’s may be noticed that the author doesn’t like her, he even writes something like: “She is just a simple Russian woman, that blossoms at her 20s and when she turns 30 this charm disappears immediately.
• The demon of Ivan Karamazov and actually their dialogue is one of the best moments of the story, STILL neither readers nor even philologists cannot surely tell if the demon is real or just imaginary. This is pretty curious.
• I don’t know if this is relevant to foreign Dostoevsky fans but Russians distinguish five his novels and call it “Dostoevsky”s Pentateuch”, these novels are: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons/Possessed, the Adolescent and The Brothers Karamazov. These novels considered as something you should definitely read
BTW thank you for your analysis 😌
This is awesome, Marina! I’m always interested to hear from Russians so thank you for these great facts.
I understood Brothers Karamazov better when I read Notes From the Underground. I still think Notes From the Underground is maybe even his best book.
Yes Ivan’s encounter w the demon was nothing short of incredible
Damn i just bought the book but the first sentences kind of spoiled the whole thing no?
@@ilan8468 don’t worry, it’s definitely not a spoiler. 😅 the Karamazov brothers is not a typical detective story and FD is a pretty dialogic author, I mean he is in a constant dialogue with a reader: he gives you philosophical concept and his point of view through his characters and storyline…that was his point of view and it doesn’t mean you have to agree with him😬
Why are you watching the videos about BK if you haven’t read the book yet, there could be a lot of spoilers
I just finished reading this for the first time.
My perspective is this. I am a former addict and punk rocker who hated religion. Then after a suicide attempt I “found Jesus” at the age of 30. This changed the course of my life and I became a zealot for the Gospel. I have now been working as a minister for 5 years but have become somewhat critical of the Church it’s reason and it’s members. I have also been struggling with might be called a “crisis of faith”.
Many of the things I am struggling with are explored in depth in this masterpiece.
I don’t know if anyone cares about my struggle and I don’t know why I mention it here but just know that this novel has not given me clarity but has given me the ability to bare my soul to myself, to God and those around me.
I hope this novel touches your heart as it touched mine.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hello Devon. Thanks for sharing this. Yes, the crisis of faith returns again and again in our lives. It happens so because there's a force in nature which always wants to test our faith whenever we feel comfortable with it. This duality of nature is what we as humans should embrace. Thats what Brothers Karamazov taught me.
Hey Devon - I appreciate your openness. It makes me want to be open as well. My path isn’t the same as yours - I went from a religious background, to an atheistic one of hedonism, to now…. A spiritual atheist? Not sure what to call it honestly, but maybe we can relate here still.
What I take from this book is not a specific way of life or an objective truth. I don’t think Dostoyevsky ever aims at dictum. But he’s constantly pointing out that a heart filled with love, nurtured in our spiritual and creative essence, is where you will find the better angels of our nature. This nature will forever remain formless to us- which is why Dostoyevsky points out the failure of being overly intellectual and analytical (and why Ivan fails even if he wins the debate in Rebellion) - and we should embrace the mystery and ponder it with wonder instead of reason. Let it form art instead of arithmetic.
That is what I take from it anyway. I think like you it hasn’t given me direct clarity, but I know what you mean by it giving you the ability to bare your soul.
Have you had the chance to read Solzhenitsyn?
The bleak and hard periods that comes, can be your teacher. Whatever that seeks to break you, will be your strength if you don't let it overcome you. What is negative now can be your positives in future. Take this time to build your character - expand your views of reality instead of stupid fantasy. Work on Yourself!
If you ever wanna talk about it....
the most emotional part of the novel for me is the wholesome bond between Ilusha(a little boy whose father dmitri offended) and his family and classmates
The part where the boys who cast stones at him all turned up to his funeral touched me deeply.
"my dear little fellow"
@@BlackSailPass_GuitarCoversI want to believe that Aloysha is introduced to us when Illusha throws stones at him in response to his own stoning by his alienated classmates earlier. Also, did not I
…the military brother (Ivan???) not earlier beat Illusha’s father outside a tavern with little provocation?
I do agree this subtext is so strong.
@@JohnCox-ut3cvnot Ivan but Dmitri. Ivan is the second oldest, the intellectual that shared mother with Alexey.
Alexei, Lyosha, Alyosha, and so on are forms of the SAME name in Russian. Dostoyevsky uses the standard grammatical morphology that the Russian language allows any speaker to play with words to enrich the emotional definition. Each of these name forms carries a various degree of intimacy. Using the full capacity of the language isn't a weakness of the novel. It's a pleasure to read the original text. It's a challenge to translate but it's not the writer's responsibility.
If I had to translate something like this into English then I would not even bother trying to replicate the nuance. I would just call him Alex and call it a day. Even without it the text is still way too complex for my liking.
Вы правы!
Thank you for this summary. As one who grew up in the teachings of the Anglican Christian religion and subsequently turned away, finding the secular and rational the most approachable explanation to our condition, it is refreshing and reassuring that I am not alone and that no other than Fyodor Dostoevsky shared these same doubts. Recent events in the world of finance and even cryptocurrency have shown me that the best and brightest are not above the basest of human desires and the cleverest are not necessarily the best. I think The Brothers Karamazov helps us understand that it is not enough to exceed, but we must exceed with intention and not at the expense of our humanity. Without our humanity, all is lost.
The devil, Ivan's nightmare, amazing chapter. The way the visitor torments Ivan with his own polarising ideas ( the same ideas that fuel Ivan's belief that he predicated the chain of events that led to his father's murder ).
I felt like I had an out-of-body experience listening to that chapter in which I suddenly couldn’t tell if it was my own inner dialogue, or the character from the novel’s. It was so trippy.
Elder Zosima's letter to Alyosha is a treasure trove of profound wisdom
Rubbish! Alyosha was not naive and stupid. Just read the ending with the children where Dostoevsky brings him into his own. Dostoevsky was criticising intellectualism and not intelligence.
I agree.
Alyosha played the fool who is actually clever and self aware child like and honest this it utter garbage when he says he is stupid shows how not in-depth an understanding this person has of the book! Agree
You're both wrong. Alyosha is the pinnacle of being open hearted. This means he is both clever, knowledgeable, wise, and observant but also forgiving, fool hearted, sympathetic, and simple.
He's like the old saints who let a poor man into their home only to find the man robbed them only to then either bring that man the goods he left behind or let him back into his home again. Not because he is stupid, but because he is loving.
@Lunch_Meat I agree with you!
Amen! Alyosha is the pinnacle of the story. He is the ideal man as far is Dostoyevsky is concerned. He is the "holy fool" that confounds the truly foolish wisdom of the world.
I am just reading this masterpiece. It's absolutely terrific, completely wrapped with suspenseful bend along with hugely enthralling and profoundly significant. Dostoevsky's sojourn into religion, psychology, philosophy, morality, relationship between human individuals is absolutely a breathtaking one. The book's abysmal depth will draw you deep down. It's an absolutely enthralling and fascinating voyage I am taking.
Dostoevsky is the only novelist who manages a degree of such sustained Holiness in his novels, that is completely unique and life changing for the reader
Recommended by the greatest of the 20th century-------OSHO
❤
The Grand Inquisitor chapter in The Brother's Karamazov was sooo good!
I have to honest, on my first reading I enjoyed that part the least but on my second reading I enjoyed it more.
being non-religious I found it really boring. But after watching this video and getting a clearer intent behind it, I'm inclined to read it again.
Another perspective on this chapter is that FD used this story to mask his criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church ….
@@SamAntics4 Bro, the chaptet is literally about the Catholic Church.
@Ioseb Dzhugashvili same. It was one of my least favourite chapters in the book. But i'm sure i will reread it at some point when I'm wiser and better educated and find it much more profound
The novel was the prototype for the modern soap opera, perhaps in the best way possible… a bunch of morally bankrupt and wounded characters in webworks of love triangles… one vaguely heroic protagonist who suffers trying to be the peacemaker… some interesting side characters… all set in imperial Russia
Agree it is a great novel.
The UK soap 'Coronation Street' references 'The Idiot' from time to time. A character called 'Ken Barlow' who has been on the soap since the very first episode in the 60s and still on there now is the one that mentions it. He has 3 translations of it and enthusiastically reads a different translation of it in a retirement home he spent a short time in.
@@Fiction_Beast I was captivated from the start by this novel as an American teenager. It was the tone of the narrator that drew me in, hard to describe but like I was reading a "Tales from the Crypt" comic with the "Crypt Keeper" telling a tale. Doubt this would come off that way in the original language. But otherwise, so many memorable scenes.
I’ve always considered dickens to be the prototype for the soap opera. Partly in the way the books were originally published (in parts) and partly for the emphasis on characterisation over plot
Greek tragedies too. 'Eastenders' do for sure.
I cannot every see any novel surpassing this one for me. The feelings I had when reading Ivan's fever dream, and the chapters of the Trial, I was just blown away that that can be done with writing. In a class of his own, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Notes from the underground, all masterpieces (I am postponing reading Demons).
"Бесы" - супер!
@@OLGA_DV Nu da, mozhno mnogo uznat' pro korni i mentalitet russkih biesov tipa Lenin, Stalin, Yezhov, Beria, Putin, Patrushev...
Excellent overview / introduction ... very helpful! Thank you!
The best analysis about Brothers Karamazov that I ever heard. Excellent stuff.
Thanks!
13:00
Knowing too much makes your life tougher, that i believe because we expand the lense of the absurd
15:00
Religious fate gives you power, why people don't want extra power in absurd hard universe
18:00
The ultimate message
of Brothers Karamazov is this. It’s better to be naïve or even stupid but good than smart,
successful but bad
19:00
When you see it you can't unsee it, and sometimes its for the best.
a better life it is
I'm happy and thankful I read this book. I see a part of myself in the three brothers. The ending, the funeral really affected me.
An outstanding work! Dostoevsky's 'Brothers Karamazov' truly delivers profound messages about humanity and life. Thank you for the video that deepened my understanding of this masterpiece!"
Excellent. Analysis and Philosophies are spot on.
Wow, I had never read Brothers Karamavos, but thank you for telling the story, very interesting on how the story was put forth by you.
It is my understanding that Dostoevsky had twenty years worth of novels planned out for later in life, occupying him into his 70s, which included sequels to both Crime and Punishment and Karamazov Brothers, so I'm not so sure he knew he was either dying or that this would be his last novel. It just so happened that it was. Definitive statements about the novels have to include the notion that they are 'incomplete' and merely first chapters in longer narratives. Dostoevsky hoped that Russian Christianity would triumph over collectivism and nihilism and spread brotherhood across the globe. Sadly his nightmare came true, though only his last wife survived to witness it. His warnings still reach out to us today.
This is such a brilliant channel 💜
Thank you!
I agree the names and nicknames was the hardest part for me. I could not keep them straight
the thing about dostoyevsky is that his language in his novels and his way of storytelling is extremly fun to read...in russian...that may be lost in translation...the fun...and the funniness...there are monents that made me laugh hard ...but i dont know if its as funny in translation....the moments when grushenka, which is a,name fot tiny pair btw...the name is fun in itself...so the moment when she comes to visit...forgot her name the other woman in the book...and theyre all like lovedovy..with each other...and the other woman is like oh grushenka, youre an anfel ...why didnt i know you before...i could kiss your legs for eternity....now wont yoy kiss my leg henxe i've kissed yours...and grushenka goes ....you know what, im not gonna kiss your leg....and the other woan goes like...but why? i kissed yours!...and grushenka says, because i dont feel like it.....and then the other woman starts yelling at her...you beast! get out of my house!....that scene was hilarious!...dostoyevsky was so ahead of his time in writing what basically could be a netflix tv show
I agree. His comedy is the best.
i do not know Russian. I am old and tired and lack the patience to learn it. but i am informed by my russian emigre friends that Dostoyevsky is very lyrical in the original russian,
whereas in english he comes out as a screaming fanatic.
your thoughts on this idea?
i read him over 40 years ago but these days i am no longer interested in agonizing over ideas
No one can make me laugh like Dostoyevksy. Even the drunks and characters of the lowest education, upbringing, and status speak with greater refinement, intelligence, and eloquence than anyone in my "America" (as Mitenka calls it and where he once lived with Grushenka) even after having been translated into English.
*grushenka =tiny pear (not "pair")!
I fail to see anything amusing in this episode...
Thank you for doing this exactly what I required in the undimmed eye of day to get to the nuts and bolts. Thank you for your perspective on this Magnum opus a great critique.
You are very welcome
Your channel is the best. Thank you infinitely!
I am nearly 70 years old and have read literally thousands of books. This is one of the very best that I have read. I enjoyed your break down and analysis. That being said, couldn't you have found a copy that didn't have so many loose pages?
What's your favorite top 5?
@@youngman7600 -Not an easy thing to do. I assume you mean in addition to Dostoyevsky. Here's a few of my favorites. How about: the Count of Monte Cristo. All quiet on the western front. Wake of the Red Witch. Lord of the Rings. (I know it's three books, but one story) Morte de Arthur. Stranger in a strange land. Hound of the Baskervilles. The Godfather. Picture of Dorian Grey. The Shining. Dracula. Heart of Darkness. Wake of the Red Witch. Dune.
Sorry I can't pare it down to five. I know they may not all be great literature, but I enjoyed them enough to read them more than once. I read for pleasure, but it's been several years since I've read many novels. I worked maintenance all of my life. If nothing broke down there wasn't much for me to do, so I always had a couple of books with me.
what translation(s) did you read
@@jwylde2 You looking for a good translation of Dostoevsky?
@@russellmarra8520 Thanks Russel!
When you read this legendary novel in
the first time , you will enjoy it like a
mystery and amazing fiction story.
When you read in the second time, all
the relationships and characteristics of
the characters were clearly, you will find
the deep meaning of the dialogues and
their special behaviors and speeches.
Finally, you may not need to read thirdly,
you can think synchronously with the
author of human nature and the core
reason of Mr. Dostoyevsky of writing
this book about the search of ultimate
answer in belief.
Nietzsche said Mr. Dostoyevsky was the
psychologist that he could learn some
knowledges from him. This is the best
evaluation of his thoughts and ideas.
Thank you, valiant effort. I read it 3 times: when i was 20, 35, and 60 (now i'm 70). Perhaps it defies being capsulized. It's so physical! Reads like a movie script. D was spiritual, yes. That chapter on putrification of Zossima? Yes, disgusting. But also a raucous lampoon of religious folks blindly following, submitting to authority. D advocated a thoughtful introspective faith. I studied Russian language, enjoyed learning the nicknames, what an incredible literary heritage. Is it really necessary to identify "best of...?" What a letdown that Russian political power-grabbers defile that historical treasury with immoral massacre. I don't know Putin, i would venture he's missing the main points in the novel
Alyosha has 2 father's, his biological father Fyodor and his spiritual father, Zosimov when he takes birth in the Christian faith.
While I don't agree with hedonism, I actually felt really bad for Fyodor. He may be a mean drunk and not the best dad, I don't think he deserved to die lol. Dmitri was by far my favorite character. Alyosha was a sweetheart. Awesome book, I'll have to read it again in a few years.
I appreciate this analysis. I read this book on my own and ran into some difficulties and the unfortunate idea that I will want to reread it at some point to fully appreciate the novel. Sad that it will be another 1000 page endeavor!
It's a challenging book so you're not alone. Good luck and let me know how you get on.
Thanks, very useful. I finished reading this a couple of weeks ago, and found it a little overwhelming tbh. Not as much as Thus Spake Zarathustra, though. I've never been a huge literature reader, but I'm trying to catch up a bit in my later years....
This was awesome! Thank you for the breakdown! Didn't know that this was Putins favorite book.
What did he think of "The Possessed"?
😂 Putin ? omg🤦
Good summary of the facts, but I would classify Dmitry as a Romantic, not a hedonist. He is passionate but authentic. Also I really don't think the Novel is about a "return to childhood". It's about FAITH, which alone has power to bear fruit, while rational cynicism leads sterility and despair, and in the book, even murder. I suppose, though, unfortunately, many people consider faith and a return to childhood the same thing. But precisely such people are represented by Ivan, in that they confound faith with childhood and naïveté, and therefore reject faith.
This explanation is vapid and surface. Firstly, the chapter of the Putrid Smell made me stagger. When I finally, finally understood why this was written and what it meant did I finally exclaim “Oh my God! That’s brilliant.” The Fr. Zosima was transmitting a message to Alyousha “Beware. Danger.” Ivan’s nightmare far exceeded the Grand Inquisitor. The visitation from the Devil had me howling with laughter. Anyway, it’s a mighty book written by a mighty man and deserves hours if not days of discussion. And why drag in Vladimir Putin? You’re going to sum up this brilliant piece of literature and the current geo-political conflict in a UA-cam chat? Grow up.
One thing that shocked me is how damn _funny_ this book is.
OMG, this is gold!
...never read the book (well, to this day) but always felt I should know at least more of what it is about... this is a very good, succinct description and analysis - from other comments I take that the way D writes can hook and spell-bound you (although there are lenghty parts and side-tracks, which can test your patience), so for checking that I will actually have to start reading... very fascinating to learn that this is Putin's favourite novel and your thoughts on that... I think that makes it such an essential read - to understand not only Putin, but in general the 'Russian soul' a bit better... thank you very much for this blog!
9-
Great stuff 👏
How do you comunicate so much beauty? It's Incredible. I just read it and it brings me to tears. Because I'm reading it and I'm reading about myself. Yeah you've never really read Dostojevskij until you've read it on 5meo DMT. Until you recognize that it's you and that's basically what Infinity is. Sort of like I love you, no I love you, no I love you, no I love you, no I love you more, I love you more, I love you more. Who can love who more? And whoever can love who more is God. You see that long laundry list of stuff about you that you don't love. God loves all of it. I'm sorry for not loving more, that's the only thing you have to be sorry about. Thank you. Thank You For Love! And at this point you realize that that's it, that's the point. That's the only lesson in life. That's my only job. Is to love. Everything else is idiocy and then what you do is you say I love you. For the first time in your life you say I love you because you really understand what that phrase means and you fall in love with God. But as it throws it out there, it's gentle so he throws it out there but then you say oh I can't love it and then what God will say in return is, it's okay. I love that you are not capable of love. I love that. And when that hits you. That's what fills you with enough love to overcome your resistance to love even that next level thing that you could do. No it can't be love. Of course it's love! what else could it be! It's love! No oh my God this is impossible! Of course it's love how could it be anything else!? How could I be so stupid as to think it's anything else. And God is like of course it's love.
that 5 meo is something huh . only God going on
Nice Summary!
Excellent at 12:15. Each generation unknowingly hands power to the sociopaths, malignant narcs, clever psychopaths. These types -given their transactional/not-relational nature, run the government, the security apparatus, the financial system, and of course in our modern world, the corporations. Societies in general are made up of 80% "neurotypical" people who live on the surface, don't like too much seriousness or thinking, are not introspective and are easily manipulated. This group contains the malignant narcs, sociopaths and psychopaths. The rest are 20% neurodivergent types who don't see the point in endless joking and small talk that the neurotypicals use to relate to one another. The neurotypicals, because they live on the surface, don't understand they hand the levers of power to the adults with 2 year old psychological wounds-the malignant narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths. These pathological types realize they have to mirror the neurotypicals to blend in and once they do, they are able to capture each system. In tribes we knew who these people were and we dealt with them. In the nation-state they are able to hide until it is too late and they do tremendous damage.
Thank you again. Love all your videos
Thank you for simplifying this story for me. Thank you.
This was very informative. Thank you.
It's not quite accurate to say Christ came back to tell the Inquisitor and the church to curb their brutality. Christ never speaks a single word in the novel and aside from the miracles he performs at the beginning his only other action is the kiss. Christ came back to (re)inspire the people (including the Inquisitor and the church) and to remind them whom is truly god
What a great channel I found on YT.
thanks for this . Im in the middle of it ..and yr video has really helped . there's alot going on in this one .
Fantastic video and channel. Love it!
Glad you enjoy it!
Hard work in the rational world of Science can reveal simplicity of Nature that will keep life simple for the future generations.
My favourite part, being from the field of law myself, was the closing statement by the defence counsel, showing the inevitable and cruel ambivalence of psychology and what is more, the human nature.
Thank you for your efforts in making us understand dostoeysky's novel "Brothers karamazov". Quiet an observation by Dostoevsky.
Appreciate it
Life is a battle between material and spiritual desire.
Life is best putting spiritual desire and love
ahead of material desire which triggers
MORE craving and increased suffering.
@Fiction Beast - Enjoyed your analysis and found agreement with much of it (also would have preferred to leave contemporary politics out, as some others suggested). Now how about letting us in on your recurring imagery of the damaged paperback copy, attempting to stand it upright, re-insert the loose pages, etc. Спасибо!
Destinations can make us forget that the journey can be the purpose, the last thoughts of a person are the last thoughts and, no matter the level of wisdom, do not match the requirements of the 'living.. Many thoughts come as we get older and to let be is as good an alternative as sharing an individual experience. A failure of what goes on now is the need to associate ourselves with a master without considering flying off the nest on our own. Wokeness in America is influencing a country where self-esteem has been deteriorating and deteriorated for decades. Philosophies acquire top values when seen in relation to their timr: this helps value lateral thinking: adapting to our present.
Just completed the novel and came here for your analysis.. I guess I will take up The Idiot now.. Thanks for your brilliant analysis
I'm working on the Idiot right now.
Great stuff. The idiot is my favorite book from Dostoyevsky but this one is very good, as well
Awesome. Why you prefer the idiot? I got a video coming out but it would be cool to hear your thoughts.
@@Fiction_Beast hey friend, I'm not sure why I prefer the idiot but as a Christian it is very disturbing Dostoevsky's question about the possibility that christ was (or could be) just a moral man. And the dangers of atheism
I read about Dostoevsky's reaction to that painting. I forget who painted it but it's title is "dead christ" and its mentioned in the book. (Its actually the cover of some editions of the book) but the looks on Christ face is pure death and the feelings christ followers would have felt and maybe experience on seeing that christ was just a moral man, would beyond devastating. It's just a very powerful and dangerous question that most men of faith probably better off not looking at. (Crazy stuff lol)
2) I always heard that Dostoevsky's books were ment to be read multiple times and I can understand that. His writings are top tier
Thank you. I think this was well done.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good Job. The Brothers Cosmo Not a Space Odyssey right here on Earth.
The Brothers Karamazov was an excellent book. The ideas of Dostoevsky and Putin to question everything from the West seems quite reasonable, especially after all the crap that has happened since November 2019. One tragedy after another. Maybe a little bit of this Russian attitude rubbed off me during my sojourn there (2014-2023).
It’s no sin to have a “crisis of faith” if we use it to learn to improve our understanding of the world and strengthen our faith rather than turn against God.
“Women in general heal troubled men”
Usual but interesting, at times deep analysis of the work. Also, the shallow understanding of Russia being against the west? After millions of victims in Napoleon's and Hitler's wars, only a simple remark of this form misleads the listener and draws him to simplistic conclusions. Also, the presentation of Putin as a necessarily evil person speaks even more about the author's misunderstanding of the state of Russia before Putin and the mistakes of the West that led to the current tragedy.
Thank you for your summary and analysis. I just read this book but was unable to clearly understand the deeper meanings behind the characters.
No need to CHEAPEN your video with talking about your views on current politics (Putin). It detracts, rather than adds to your presentation. Make a separate political polemic video instead if you must dabble in that.
Politics cheapens literature. I agree.
I loved your analysis! Keep up the good work 😊 !
Glad you enjoyed!
I'm seeing some parallels between Dostoevsky and Holden Caulfield from The Catcher and the Rye as well as Kaileena from Prince of Persia. Holden yearns for the innocence that is withering away in adolescence and Kaileena, the Empress of Time, was haunted by visions of being slain by the Prince in her timeline. Neither of them were fond of knowledge.
Going off tangent, "if you wanna handwrite in microgravity, use a f*kin pencil, Kennedy!" sums up the cultural spirit that some Russians nowadays, such as the idealistic Pussy Riot band, don't share.
Worst review ever. What the hell does Putin have to do with Dostoevsky? Sorry, it just destroys the mood for me.
I believe that all in all, Brothers Karamazov is a long allegory about the Russian society itself. A people who remained in the Middle Ages until the 20th century, who despised freedom and who lived on servitude and religion, not very different from today, and very similar in 1917, the servitude path continued until the Perestroika when Russia lived a period of some kind of democracy. Now it is what it is. Another leitmotiv in the novel is the fact that most people lie, they are unpredictable, and in the end, Dostoievsky shows us how Justice itself relies upon narrative, and the narratives of the 2 brothers differ and it is impossible to find out who's telling the truth, or perhaps none of them, perhaps it was Pavel who killed the father. The sentence is read just because it had to, but it didn't convince anybody. There's a lot of psychology, naturalism, epicurism, and religion in the novel, but mainly it depicts a country where each one does what he wants, provided he's got the monetary means for it. It also shows a country where lying is always above truth. Ultimately it depicts a society ruled by religion form the outside and which is, on the other hand, an emotionally chaotic and disruptive society from the inside.
Healing and evolution of the mind is only possible on earth
In the presence of maximal empathy and benevolence cartoons toward each other!
I cried at the last message from ALYOSHA
In my opinion that was a vision of Dostoevsky of four kinds of Russian in his time. .
That's a good point.
Very good sumary. I add the fact that Dostoievysk was try show with your work the scientific´s news, the counscience, remember, Freud write about it years forward. Fiodor perception´s was exactly that, the man has a conscience that become he difference when can be decide make bad or goodnes. But when he choice the bad, the evolution bring back your guilt, your sense of justice and consequences, this appears most powerfull that our desires and willing. Therefore, Dostoivysk show us that superman don´t exists, all man are priosioner of your counscience, desires and willing, he can´t runwawy of this.
Brillant
Thank you!!!
You're welcome!
Hey,thanks for the video.
Will you please make some videos on Chekhov's philosophy,too?
Keep up the good work👏
Yea sure.
Một phân tích và tổng hợp hay nhất về tác phẩm mà tôi biết ! Cám ơn .
I did not read the book but got some ideas what it is about. Thanks 🙂
Talking of childhood, the three brothers had quite a wretched childhood of absence of their mothers and neglect from their father. It means that the religion saved Alyosha from becoming like their brothers. My question is, what did Alyosha’s fellow monk mean by saying Alyosha is also a Karamazov?
Perhaps that he has all the flaws his others brothers have. In a way we are all karamazov because we all have the demons and saints inside us.
Rakitin says the Karamazovs are voluptuaries and holy fools. He may have been warning Alexey about the voluptuary within. I believe Rakitin was a narcissist.
Your comprehensive analysis would have made Dostoevsky very proud of you.
I guess in the battlefield of emotions and ideas, the human soul finds solace in the clarity of religious guidelines. Thanks a lot.
Your comment perfectly sums up most of Dostoevsky's work: "in the battlefield of emotions and ideas, the human soul finds solace in the clarity of religious guidelines."
Yehhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I love your videos because although I would not have read the book, I get a very good insight into it which allows me to express an opinion. Many thanks.
Your simplification of Putin is simply dumb. Congra6ts on your woke-ism.
Smerdyakov IS smart!!!! Pavel Smerdyakov went to France to study cooking. He speaks French and plays the guitar. His attempts at theologizing are ridiculed by his father. But he is making the effort to impress his brother Ivan, whom he later outwits to the point that Ivan believes himself responsible for the murder. Ivan's pride is offended by this. He does not recognize Pavel as his brother and uses him to project his own inferiorities onto. Being the neglected “bastard” son, Pavel was not given the same education as the others. In our day and age, his treatment would be considered abominable. But all four brothers were neglected and mistreated. Pavel is my favorite Karamazov.
"Reason it out for yourself, Grigory Vasilyevich." I laughed so much at that conversation he had with Grigory.
I am curious to know, if knowing makes you suffer, if the knowledge is the guilt or the implications by the knower. I believe that knowledge and the knower are neutral, innocent and not guilty. How you imply the knowledge to take action makes you suffer in the long run. The naivety can not be the ultimate goal because life is to experience, although judgement is not compulsory. You live your life for learning both good and bad, not judge it.
I agree with you. Knowledge, as a standalone can't be evil. it's only after it's consumed and filtered through our breans that it has potential to both create more good or evill.
I see it as dostoevski thinking that more people tend to interpret the knowledge badly, which is why he believes that it's better for them to not have known in the first place, so that evil wouldn't be created. Just how Pavel only managed took the bad "seeds" from Ivan's ideas and implemented them. I mean, i'm sure there were good "seeds" scattered in Ivan's words as well but Pavel only managed to pick up the bad ones, because his "filter" was too weak.
or smth like that, i mean don't know for sure.
You dismissed “ the kiss”; you missed the whole point of this novel
Best line in the novel " never be afraid" starets Zosima
Very nice narration, great
Glad you liked it!
The greatest novel, by far.
Thank you for your sacrifice in making this video, and convincing me that this book won’t be worth my time
The childhood of Adam and Eve is our own. And its loss from the Tree of Knowledge is the beginning of all our troubles.
Can you explain further ?
The Tree of Knowledge is not the tree of truth. when Truth is applied to knowledge, the you have wisdom. The gift that God gave Solomon.
Dimitri is all about certainties.
Ivan is all about doubt.
Alyosha is a mix.
Alyosha sees the good in the human nature and is certain of our salvation. He took the leap of faith that Kierkeegard ask us to take.
We should be like Alyosha.
Childhood ? Maybe but , resist as best he can, the child remains father of the man !
My understanding of the Spanish inquisition is that it targeted those who formally converted to Roman Catholicism (often with pressure and/or encouragement of the state) but then practiced their original religion or denomination in secret. I may be wrong but I doubt Dostoyevsky would have had a problem with pressuring Jews to convert
Dostoyevsky had issues with using punishments to argue for religion, he wouldn't like forcing jews to convert through force, he would prefer using drama and reason towards jews to convert.
@@johnisaacfelipe6357 - as far as I know, tsarist Russia never forced ("concert or die") Jews to convert. It did employ various pressures and disabilities against Jews that made it very difficult to live as a Jew and thereby encouraged conversion or emigration. I'm not aware of Dostoyevsky speaking out against this but would be delighted to learn otherwise.
Hey Fiction Beast, thanks for saving me from reading this dusty novel. I am now a fan of your work...err..any chance of doing The Old Testament? Peace be unto you.
The narrator's way of pronouncing Alyosha (as AlyOOsha), Karamazov and Dostoevsky (- both strangely quickly) stuck in my ears and makes me wonder about his mothertongue.
This video is a really poor reflection of the actual book. It’s a shame so many people will watch this and consider it not worth reading. If you do read it, you will not regret it, and wish you could shake Dostoyevsky’s hand. It is widely considered one of, if not, the best book ever written. You are doing yourself a disservice by not reading this book! But seriously take this comment as a disclaimer: this video is like entirely wrong. Don’t watch videos on the book. Go read it! Please! If everyone alive today read this book the world would be a much better place! And this video doesn’t come close!
There's not really any weakness in this grand novel, there might be a problem for some of they read it fast.
I agree, it is not an easy novel to read, but a rewarding one.
I am a mix between Ivan and Olyosha. Im christian and devoted. But also intellectual and I tend to overthink everything in life which also causes more suffering. My questioning mind makes it hard to commit fully to God
I find this exercise useful. The heart informs the head and the head informs the will. Accordingly the will drives the heart forces and so the cycle repeats . You could say the heart between the head and the will (or metabolic system) represents the Christ within. It is the moderating warmth between the coldness of the intellect and the heat of the metabolism. I hold this as an image and it certainly balances overthinking.
So for this novel Ivan is the head, Alyosha the heart and Dimitri the will, the metabolism. The classic trinity of the human form.
BTW the Brothers Karamazov is my favourite work of fiction. There is so much to digest and stimulate fine thoughts. Crime and Punishment is pretty good too.
Very poorly communicated ideas. WTF do you have to make this political? 🤢🤮
I agree with Epicurus that art should be under the umbrella of pleasure. Pleasure and love are the two main replacements for religion
NIETZSCHE’S substitute for religion is art