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Any correct order to read Dostoevsky?
Posted on 9/5/21 at 8:51 pm
Posted on 9/5/21 at 8:51 pm
I’ve had The Brothers Karamazov on my bookshelf for years (bought at a Barnes and Noble book sale on classics) and have just never picked it up to read it. Recently started listening to a podcast that talks a little of Dostoevsky’s life and I read what little was promoted about his life in the front of this book that included a listing of some of his works and when they were written.
I type all that to ask this, as one of his later works, should I hold off on reading or starting The Brothers Karamazov and read some of his earlier works first?
I type all that to ask this, as one of his later works, should I hold off on reading or starting The Brothers Karamazov and read some of his earlier works first?
7
Posted on 9/5/21 at 9:30 pm to Oilfieldbiology
Crime & Punishment sucked me in like a tractor beam. I could not put it down and found immense satisfaction in reading it from start to finish.
The Brothers Karamazov…not so much. I actually just put it down and traded it in for Tolstoy’s War & Peace, which I’m enjoying immensely.
That said, a lot of people on this board say that The Brothers Karamazov is their favorite Dostoevsky work, and for that I am determined to get back into it at some point.
As for his other works, can’t comment but to say that they also come highly recommended. I don’t think you need to adhere to some order.
I’d just say…if you find yourself getting stuck or not getting totally sucked in, you might want to put down that book and switch to another. I think state of mind has a lot to do with which books stick when.
The Brothers Karamazov…not so much. I actually just put it down and traded it in for Tolstoy’s War & Peace, which I’m enjoying immensely.
That said, a lot of people on this board say that The Brothers Karamazov is their favorite Dostoevsky work, and for that I am determined to get back into it at some point.
As for his other works, can’t comment but to say that they also come highly recommended. I don’t think you need to adhere to some order.
I’d just say…if you find yourself getting stuck or not getting totally sucked in, you might want to put down that book and switch to another. I think state of mind has a lot to do with which books stick when.
This post was edited on 9/5/21 at 9:34 pm
Posted on 9/6/21 at 12:13 pm to Oilfieldbiology
Crime and Punishment is his most accessible book and you should start there.
Posted on 9/6/21 at 12:13 pm to When in Rome
quote:
he Brothers Karamazov…not so much. I actually just put it down and traded it in for Tolstoy’s War & Peace, which I’m enjoying immensely.
That said, a lot of people on this board say that The Brothers Karamazov is their favorite Dostoevsky work, and for that I am determined to get back into it at some point.
BK starts slow but it gets very rewarding.
The problem with Dostoevesky for so many readers is that his books are dry and dialogue driven.
Posted on 9/7/21 at 8:10 am to HailHailtoMichigan!
I have every intention of returning to BK, particularly when I can devote a big chunk of time getting into the first third or so of the book uninterrupted to get that momentum going. I don’t mind the style at all; I just kept getting interrupted and had to keep rereading sections to re-familiarize myself with all of the characters. This stagnation led to frustration and I finally said to heck with it 
Right now War & Peace seems to suit my current lifestyle/state of mind because the chapters are composed of shorter chunks of different stories.
Right now War & Peace seems to suit my current lifestyle/state of mind because the chapters are composed of shorter chunks of different stories.
Posted on 9/7/21 at 12:29 pm to When in Rome
quote:
I have every intention of returning to BK
I’ve tried 3 times and have yet to stick to it.
Posted on 9/7/21 at 2:15 pm to LSUfan20005
Posted on 9/7/21 at 5:37 pm to LSUfan20005
quote:
I’ve tried 3 times and have yet to stick to it.
The book is too long, for sure.
Honestly, your best bet at this point is just to read summaries of the subsections that are dry, and really immerse yourself in the famous parts of the novel (the grand inquisitor, the chapter right before grand inquisitor, and the part where the devil visits Ivan)
Posted on 9/7/21 at 8:06 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
That’s not how I roll I am way too stubborn to do something like that. Nope, I’m going to read the whole thing, and I’m going to like it, dammit!
I am way too stubborn to do something like that. Nope, I’m going to read the whole thing, and I’m going to like it, dammit! 
Posted on 9/7/21 at 8:07 pm to Oilfieldbiology
C&P is his most accessible start there.
BK - His best book, it's the best step up
Notes from the Underground - Necessary at this point where it makes more sense, but you can read it first.
Demons. It is a must read, but probably his least interesting of the big books. You could read it second as well.
The Idiot. Where BK is his best book. The Idiot is his most sincere and deepest. Best to end on.
BK - His best book, it's the best step up
Notes from the Underground - Necessary at this point where it makes more sense, but you can read it first.
Demons. It is a must read, but probably his least interesting of the big books. You could read it second as well.
The Idiot. Where BK is his best book. The Idiot is his most sincere and deepest. Best to end on.
This post was edited on 9/7/21 at 8:08 pm
Posted on 9/8/21 at 10:12 am to Freauxzen
I'm reading Brothers K now. Not my favorite but portions are great.
Posted on 9/16/21 at 9:35 am to When in Rome
quote:that’s not stubborn. That’s a non lazy way to read a book. Who the hell wants to half-read a novel
That’s not how I roll I am way too stubborn to do something like that. Nope, I’m going to read the whole thing, and I’m going to like it, dammit!
Posted on 11/2/22 at 7:01 pm to Peepdip
Just read Notes from Underground and was pretty gripped by it despite there being very little story. The Hotel de Paris made me so anxious I started sweating.
What do y'all recommend next? Crime and Punishment?
What do y'all recommend next? Crime and Punishment?
This post was edited on 11/2/22 at 7:02 pm
Posted on 11/3/22 at 8:35 am to Oilfieldbiology
Following others, C&P is the most accessible and summarizes his work to subvert nihilism. But if you want to understand the evolution of his writing and thought, start from the beginning and see his shift from being a pompous ideologue before his imprisonment to understanding salvation post imprisonment. Like a volume of albums, his sound changes via life experiences. As once swept by the influences of French utopian socialism, he lands on Russian nationalism that’s founded on the church’s identity to Beauty that will save the world (Christ).
I deeply appreciated The Double, House of the Dead, C&P, The Idiot, and Brothers K (my favorite) in that abridged order, but it took me two years to read his complete works.
Now I’m working on Jospeh Frank’s 5 volume biographical set of FD.
I deeply appreciated The Double, House of the Dead, C&P, The Idiot, and Brothers K (my favorite) in that abridged order, but it took me two years to read his complete works.
Now I’m working on Jospeh Frank’s 5 volume biographical set of FD.
This post was edited on 11/3/22 at 8:44 am
Posted on 11/3/22 at 3:56 pm to Oilfieldbiology
Board, please educate me. I don’t have a desire to slog through something simply because it’s a classic.
I work 65 hours a week and mostly do Audible.
So listening is for pleasure.
I know you don’t know me, but does the collective think his books would be enjoyable to listen to?
I’ve either read or listened to very long books like Musashi, Shantaram etc. so I’m ok with long
I work 65 hours a week and mostly do Audible.
So listening is for pleasure.
I know you don’t know me, but does the collective think his books would be enjoyable to listen to?
I’ve either read or listened to very long books like Musashi, Shantaram etc. so I’m ok with long
Posted on 11/3/22 at 5:52 pm to Tigertown in ATL
Yes, but you’ll have to focus and be ready to hit the rewind button. You can’t just listen through, because his work demands rereading and pausing to catch the irony and the many philosophical propositions.
Posted on 11/3/22 at 7:02 pm to Alyosha
quote:
You can’t just listen through, because his work demands rereading and pausing to catch the irony and the many philosophical propositions.
I have 3 masters degrees, so I’m not a numbskull, but none in literature, and I listen/read for fun so it might not be for me. Haha!
Posted on 11/3/22 at 7:40 pm to Tigertown in ATL
It’s not a slight. People with PhDs in Dostoyevsky have to do it as well.
This post was edited on 2/19/23 at 5:06 pm
Posted on 11/6/22 at 8:33 pm to Oilfieldbiology
I read BK first and then C&P
Posted on 11/6/22 at 10:00 pm to Oilfieldbiology
It is very impressive that all of you know Russian. Kudos to y’all
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