| Synopsis: |
Although Dostoyevsky began his first notes for The Brothers Karamazov in April 1878, he had written several unfinished works years earlier. The Brothers Karamazov is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's final, perhaps most masterful novel. It is a deeply passionate and philosophical novel that delves into the difficult terrain of free will, morality, faith, doubt, reason, with ever-modernizing Russia as its setting. The narrative itself contains different perspectives which are embodied in its main characters: the four brothers Karamazov who are the spoiled materialist Dimitri, the tortured intellectual Ivan, the (illegitimate), cruel and meddling Smerdyakov, and the kindly, spiritual Alyosha, who is the Dostoevsky's hero. Each brother represents a different dimension of the Russian spirit, and in some ways a microcosm of the whole of mankind. Some consider this as much a work of philosophy as a novel, but it is also a murder mystery, an examination of corruption, religious institutions, and a satire of human corruption. |