One of the most important psychological works of international literature is Dostoevskyâs novel The Brothers Karamazov. Reviews of the book prove that it concerns the secrets of the human soul and answers the painful and even insoluble problems that any reader may encounter in everyday life. Before the heroes of the novel, in the fatal period of their fate, throwing appears between God's and the devil's beginnings. What will they choose - a heavy fall or an internal feat? We suggest that you get acquainted with the storyline of the novel, find out how many pages are in the book âThe Brothers Karamazovâ, and what theatrical and artistic productions exist.
What inspired Dostoevsky to write a psychological drama
Reviews of the book The Brothers Karamazov, critical articles indicate that it has become the highest level of creativity and the personification of all the plans of the famous master of classical Russian literature. The idea of ââcreating a "psychological drama" Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was puzzled in 1974. But on the development of images of the heroes of the novel, the writer began to work much earlier. The characters of the characters in the drama show many parallels with other works. Alyosha Karamazov and Grushenka are very similar to Prince Myshkin and Nastasya Filippovna from the book The Idiot, Ivan Karamazov is identical to Rodion Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment, and Elder Zosim to Saint Tikhon from Demons.
The formation of the plot content of the book âThe Brothers Karamazovâ was influenced by Dostoevskyâs trip to prison to the convict Ilyinsky, who was mistakenly sent to hard labor, accusing him of killing his father. At the beginning of the writing of the novel to Dmitry, the writer also gave the surname Ilyinsky, but then replaced it.
Reviews of the book "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky confirm that the novel was the result of a rethinking of the writerâs entire life. Children's memories are intertwined with the impressions of recent years. Fyodor Mikhailovich not in vain introduces three brothers into the plot: Dmitry, Ivan and Alexei. They became symbols of the three stages of the spiritual development of the writer himself.
The novel has a complex, multifaceted structure, its genre is difficult to determine. Many readers are interested in how many pages are in the Brothers Karamazov book. And not in vain. The work is very voluminous, although events in it occur within two weeks. During this time, various stories, disputes, conflicts, ideological contradictions are opened before the reader. From such a wealth of material one could write several detective works with a philosophical and family direction.
The reader sees two lawsuits in the development of the novelâs actions: the trial of Elder Zosim and the criminal trial of Dmitry Karamazov. Itâs not for nothing that Dostoevsky chose this sequence. The writer thereby emphasizes that a crime follows the moral downfall of the heroes, their departure from morality, and the neglect of spiritual truths.
The work "The Brothers Karamazov" Fyodor Mikhailovich finished writing in November 1880 and published in the journal "Russian Bulletin". Two months after this event, the writer himself died. Perhaps that is why Dostoevsky at the end of his life was so important the questions raised in the book about morality, God and freedom.
Storyline of four parts and 12 novel books
The entire novel "The Brothers Karamazov" is divided into 4 parts, each of which includes three books. There are 12 books in drama. The first two are called introductory. The third book reveals the negative characters - the father of the family Fedor Pavlovich Karamzin and the lackey Pavel Smerdyakov. The fourth book introduces us to various characters leading a âdecentâ lifestyle. Here the writer shows Katerina, the Snegirevs, Ferapont's father. These heroes have no ideological convictions, they profitably respect decency. Only in the fifth book do we meet the main characters - Ivan, Dmitry, Alyosha, Zosima. The brothers continue to meet many trials in which the life ideas of each of them are manifested. The seventh book shows the searches of Alexei, in the eighth - Dmitry, in the eleventh - Ivan. The twelfth book tells how society evaluates the moral principles of brothers.
So, the action of the work takes place in the city of Skotoprigonevsk. The basis for this name was Staraya Russa. First, we get acquainted with the main character of the novel, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, a 55-year-old burner who married a wealthy woman and favorably disposed of her condition. He often whipped, for which his wife beat him. They had a son Dmitry, but his wife threw him at Fyodor Pavlovich, she left for St. Petersburg with a young officer. Soon she died, and Karamzin got her fortune, which he began to dispose of at his discretion. Son Dmitry was of little interest to him. Soon Fyodor Pavlovich married a poor, beautiful orphan, who gave birth to his sons - Ivan and Alexei. Karamazov-father in every possible way mocked his wife, led a dissolute life, so she went crazy and died.
The children of Karamazov were first raised by a servant Gregory, then guardians took care of them. The matured Dmitry chose military affairs, and Ivan and Alexei began to study at the university. Fedor Pavlovich did not care about his children. Alexei eventually dropped out and went as a novice to the monastery. There he met a mentor, the elder Zosim, who gave him parting words on how to behave with his father. Alexei was very afraid that his father would show his unworthy behavior before the old man. This is exactly what happened in the 2nd book of The Karamazov Brothers. Fedor Pavlovich made a scandal in the monastery, behaved like a jester. After this incident, Elder Zosima dies, and Alyosha bequeaths to "serve the world."
But this did not end there - father and son Dmitry fell in love with the same woman (Grushenka). This is a wayward bourgeois with certain means. For the sake of love for her, Dmitry left his bride Katerina Verkhovtseva. Dmitry demands from his father three thousand inheritance, but Fedor Pavlovich spends this amount on courtship for Grushenka. He took this amount, wrapped it in paper with a ribbon and put it under its mattress. Dmitry, not knowing about it, decided to steal money from his father at night. When he climbed over the fence to his fatherâs estate, then there he was met by the servant Gregory, a skirmish ensued between them. Gregory accidentally called Dmitry "father-killer", for which he hit him on the head, and he escaped. In the morning it turned out that Fedor Karamazov was really dead. The son of Dmitry was accused of his death.
But even before the accusations, Dmitry meets with Pear, who confesses his love to him and says that she is ready to start a new life with him. But after that the police appears and arrests him. At the preliminary investigation, the young man swears that he did not kill his father, but took 3,000 loans from Madame Verkhovtsova. All evidence and testimonies of people testified against Dmitry. The convict himself considered the murderer Smerdyakov, who was in his fatherâs house that evening. But, despite this, the young man was taken into custody and sent to prison.
At this time, Ivan's middle brother was tormented by remorse, because he, too, had repeatedly wished his father death. He wants to figure out who the real killer is. With suspicion, Ivan goes to Smerdyakov and seeks his confession of death. Ivan dreams that on the day of the trial he will surely betray the real killer. This did not come true. In the evening, Ivan had a fever on a nervous basis, hallucinations appeared. Smerdyakov hanged himself. Nobody believes Ivan, who has lost his mind, that Smerdyakov committed the murder. On the one hand, the jury does not believe in Dmitryâs guilt, but there is no 100 percent evidence of this, and they pronounce the verdict âguiltyâ. He received 20 years of hard labor. One Alyosha believes in the innocence of his brother and draws up an escape plan for Dmitry. For those who are interested in how many books are in The Brothers Karamazov, we recall that there are twelve of them.
Brief description of the main characters
Reviews of the "Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky prove that the work has a very deep meaning. The heroes of the novel have a very difficult fate and characters. It is difficult to name the exact prototype of Fyodor Karamazov, but some contemporaries of the writer said that this character very much resembled the father of Dostoevsky himself.
In the novel, the writer showed him a flabby man, with long, meaty bags under arrogant eyes. Readers disgust him. When Fedor Pavlovich spoke, he sprinkled with saliva. The writer called him an "old jester." He volunteered stupid jokes. L.N. Tolstoy would later compare the image of Karamazov with Ivan the Terrible in a famous painting. And Shchedrin will call him âwerewolf,â âunclean animalsâ in the human form.
The father of the family loves easy money, has fun with women. He does not understand the truth and lies, good and evil. Sons are very ashamed of such a father, they regret that they got such a parent. After all, he only constantly ridicules them undeservedly and mixes them with dirt. This man lives on animal instincts. Good and beneficence are alien to him. He considers people with a sense of responsibility fools. Such a person could easily kill for profit. We see Fedor as a cunning and devoid of compassion. This is a mean and greedy man, a brawler.
Next, let's try to characterize the middle son of Ivan Karamazov. There was a deeply hidden spiritual weakness in him. The young man was distinguished by a dark character. In secret, he dreams of killing his bad father. His stepbrother, Smerdyakov, had the same feeling. Decisive actions for Ivan were alien. It is Ivan Smerdyakov who confesses to the murder, and he understands that it was he who exploited him to such a step. Ivan is a weak man, intelligent and lonely. This leads him to craziness.
With a twenty-eight-year-old lieutenant, we see the eldest son of Karamazov - Dmitry. He has a strong physique, good physical strength. In his youth, he happened to get part of the money from his dead mother, which he spent on entertainment. He wants to live for his pleasure, so he still requires money from his father. In the army, Dmitry led a dissolute lifestyle, was a womanizer and managed to fall in love with one woman with his father. To achieve his goals, he does not understand the means. He also has an impulsive, explosive character. He is very emotional in all his actions. Dmitry is constantly moving forward and does not look around. His stupidity leads to failure, awkward and embarrassing situations. Dmitry was a source of stormy but pure feelings. The whole and straightforward Dmitry leaves bright feelings for the reader.
A positive and wonderful person, we see the youngest son of Karamazov - Alyosha. Together with Ivan he was brought up by trustees. The young man was very fond of reading. He possessed a wild, idle modesty and chastity. As an adult, he came to his father to find out where his motherâs grave was. Then he found himself in a monastery near Father Zosim, to whom he entered as novices. Even his appearance was thoughtful and calm. Alyosha was in good mental and physical health. This hero is childishly direct, natural, naive, chaste. He loves life and sees the meaning of existence in this. Alyosha is the connecting link between all the heroes. Mild and open, he listens to everyone and empathizes. He is constantly tormented by questions about good and evil, justice. But in all the clashes, Alyosha remembers love for people, love-compassion, love-all-perception, which helps to survive in the world. Alyosha Karamazov can be called a doctor, treating other people's wounds and soothing another's pain. With this image, Dostoevsky connects the theme of childhood, the future in the novel.
Features of artistic reproduction
Reviews of the novel "The Brothers Karamazov" suggest that Dostoevsky was extremely stingy with the use of facial expressions and gestures of characters. Some of them are repeated in the text many times. The writer, Ivan the Grushenka, Ilya draws sparkling eyes. This feature was inherent in the adventure novel. Fedor Mikhailovich puts the word and dialogue in the first place. Before showing any conversation, the writer first shows the hero. The most important thing for Dostoevsky was to display the special metaphysical properties of the Russian soul. For this, the narrative in the novel is conducted on behalf of a fictional narrator. He is very close with the heroes of the book, lives with them in the same district of the city. This narrator is a subtle moralist who subtly assesses the facts presented.
Philosophical disputes in the book of Dostoevsky
Dmitry, Ivan and Alexey Karamzins solve questions about the essence and purpose of life. Each brother has his own way and his own views on God and the immortality of the soul. Ivan thinks over the phrase: "If there is no God, then everything is allowed." Dostoevsky carries this idea through the whole novel with high artistic persuasiveness. Dostoevsky himself was an atheist in his youth, but then he still believed in God. So Ivan cannot believe in the immortality of the soul and suffers from it.
Alyosha has no doubts about the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. He chooses for himself the path of a novice in the monastery. Dmitry Karamazov, despite his eccentric character, believes in mystical powers. He believes that the world is fighting the devil with God, and the battlefield is the hearts of people. But sometimes Dmitry is tormented by doubts, and he considers a person to be the chief of the earth and the universe. As a result, he comes to the conclusion that people cannot be virtuous without God. Dostoevsky also endowed the earth itself with mythological and poetic significance.
How many pages in the book "Brothers Karamazov"
This novel is an attempt to combine a fascinating thriller with deep philosophical thoughts. The main ideas of this ingenious work were: the struggle of âthe devil with God, the socialization of Christianity, the psychology ofâ crime and punishment. âThe work is quite voluminous and takes about 1,000 pages. The text includes approximately 2,200 unique words of 10,000 units. 49.03% of the text is assigned to the novel, while the original text occupies 7.54%.
Criticism of the Brothers Karamazov
Many critics have written review articles of Dostoevskyâs latest novel. In 1880, critical materials were published by K.N. Leontiev entitled "On universal love." Interesting judgments about the work of M.A. Antonovich. Also responded to the novel N. Alekseev. The âBrothers Karamazovâ admired F. Kafka, A. Einstein, S. Fitzgerald, Camus. The psychologist Sigmund Freud also did an analysis of the work.
From the reviews of the book The Brothers Karamazov, it can be seen that Dostoevsky penetrated deeply into the inner world of his heroes, laid bare their souls, made it possible to understand the motives of their actions, torment, doubts and delusions. Many critics noticed that the main task of the author was not to keep the intrigue, but to show the mysterious Russian soul. He did this with the help of monologues, disputes, scandals and insults, sounding from the mouth of the characters. The reader is constantly in suspense.
Fedor Pavlovich, Dmitry, Ivan Karamazov morally degrade, their behavior is called by critics âKaramazovismâ. Dostoevsky saw the path to the moral healing of the Russian people precisely in condemning this phenomenon and getting rid of it. After all, the kingdom of "Karamazovism" is permissiveness, cruelty, selfishness. In such circumstances, a crime is inevitable. And it is not just one who is guilty of this, but everyone. Although Dmitry did not commit the murder, but he committed it in his thoughts, so he acknowledges the verdict of the court. Thus, he seeks through suffering and repentance to purify the soul.
Reader reviews on the book of Dostoevsky
Many readers have much to learn from The Brothers Karamazov. Indeed, unfortunately, even today the problem of low spirituality is very relevant. Readers especially like the bright image of Alyosha Karamazov. After all, he tries to forgive everyone, treats with understanding the cunning depraved father, quick-tempered Dmitry, the godless fighter Ivan. Alexei is trying to notice in people only the good, he feels that everyone needs. The Karamazov family held on to his love and support for some time. He sees the future of mankind in the spiritual perfection of personality. He is sure that people need to turn to face God.
Readers see that Dostoevsky condemns the decaying and dying nobility of the 60s of the XIX century. In the book, everyone for his actions and thoughts has his own reckoning.
2009 film of the same name
For all the years after the release of the novel by Dostoevsky, he was put on the stage many times and filmed. Films based on the work were shot by German, French, Italian, American, Belgian, Czech, Turkish, Japanese directors. Russian directors filmed the worldâs masterpiece several times.
But in 2009, the serial film "The Brothers Karamazov" was released. Reviews about him are very positive. It was directed and directed by Yuri Moroz. He shot eight episodes that aired on Channel One. And the DVD version included 12 episodes, where all the cut scenes are present. Reviews about the film "The Brothers Karamazov" in 2009 are many.
The cast of the movie
The reviews of the 2009 âBrothers Karamazovâ indicate that the directors were able to reveal in several episodes the fullness and depth of the writerâs thoughts and questions posed to readers. The role of Fedor Pavlovich Karamazov was played by Sergey Koltakov. Dmitry Karamazov was brilliantly portrayed by Sergey Gorobchenko. In the image of Ivan was Anatoly Bely. Alyosha Karamazov, played by Alexander Golubev, was especially successful. The charming Grushenka was played by the brilliant Elena Lyadova. The role of Pavel Smerdyakov went to Pavel Derevyanko. Each hero and actor needed to present one or another facet of the writerâs visions about morality, God and freedom.