Novel 3: "The Brothers Karamazov"

In my 'restless quest' to read the top 100 novels of all time I am trying to following the list in Daniel S. Burt's book The Novel 100.  Burt ranks Ulysses, by James Joyce, as 3rd on his  'greatest novels of all time' list.  So, naturally that should be my third book to read.  Alas, it was not.  The initial hopeful anticipation that usually accompanies my purchase of a book was soon dashed after I actually started reading the Ulysses.  Frankly, it was beyond me.  It wasn't making sense.  After reading some critiques, analysis, and reviews of the book (which I try to do, in depth, only after finishing a classic) I realized Ulysses is an enigma to even the most astute English professor.  So, I moved on to the 4th book on Burt's list, In Search of Lost Time, by Marcel Proust.  Again, my quest was fraught with difficulty and confusion as I struggled to even find a copy of the novel; and further, it appeared to be one of a series, which I thought was a modern, fantasy genre problem.  Needless to say, I have shelved In Search of Lost Time beside Ulysses in my 'to read later' pile, and have moved on to Burt's 5th book, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, a novel I have read before.

The Brothers Karamazov is full of personal meaning for me, so, full disclosure, it is near and dear to my heart.  In my early 20s I purchased a copy of this novel in a used book store (the old Tramps in Governor Park in Saskatoon).  I was living on my own for the first time and navigating my place in the adult world, and, odd as it may sound, The Brothers Karamazov became a source of comfort for me.  Later, I would meet some friends who shared a passion for ideas and literature, and they had also read the book.  I still meet regularly with these friends, and this  has made this novel a touchstone in my life.  Books become richer once you discuss them with others, and you notice them being referred to in other literature.  It is part of the experience of reading to enter the broader conversation about the book.  the Brothers Karamazov is one of those books for me, and this experience is one of the reasons I want to read more of the classics.

On with the book itself.  The plot in The Brothers Karamazov centers around patricide, the concept, and the act, of killing one's father.  I, by the way, have never thought of this, nor have I had any reason to contemplate the act!  Still, one can relate to the characters, and their feelings, as insidious as they are.  The way Dostoevsky weaves the mystery of Karamazov's life and death through the stories of his three sons is marvellous in itself, but all the more intriguing is the way Dostoevsky explores the deeper questions of life, politics, philosophy, and religion through the characters' dialogue.  This book, written in the 1880s, pre-dates the Russian Revolution and the advent of the horrors of the twentieth century.  This book was ahead of its time.  Like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky diverges into little mini-narratives in the book, and some particular tales, like the Grand Inquisitor, add much to the book.  Personally, I also enjoyed the biography of the Father Zossima, and the final chapter.  I find most classics have these little nuggets, glimmering gems within the main veins of the book, that you only ever enjoy if you read the book because they rarely make the synopsis or the Wikkipedia overview. 

The story is interesting, and I found myself at times laughing out loud (Karamazov is so over the top at times!), and feeling deep emotion for the characters.  I related to Alyosha, and the other brothers at different times.  I think that is the enduring quality of the book  The way the brothers represent us, or the different parts of us, or different parts of people or ideas that we have met.  The small Russian town is not so different from our 'little towns', and the big questions of life become more digestible when parsed through the characters' dialogue.  As the book has meant different things to me at different season in my life, the brothers represent different parts of me at different part of my life.  I think this is at the core of what makes this book easy to relate to, even though it was written across the world over 150 years ago.  The sign of a true classic.


Rating: 93

'Epic'ness = 23.5
Eloquence = 23.5 (fantastic dialogue, intriguing, well-woven narrative)
Exploration of the human condition = 24 (the brothers, and others, are us, and humanities greatest ideas)
Enjoyment = 22 (at times difficult to read, but worth it)