Fyodor Dostoevsky

[marianna]

Crime and Punishment is by far the most banal and tepid of Dostoevskii's novels, morally it is unconvincing, the characterisation is poor, the ideas it propagates unoriginal and borderline fascist. I also dislike the Idiot, but I do like 'The Demons' and especially 'The Brothers Karmazov', though Dostoevskii is still, in my opinion, inferior to the other Russian greats of the 19th century-Pushkin, Lermentov, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoi and Chekhov, besides he was not really appreciate in Russian literary circles; Turgenev, Tolstoi, Nabokov, Chekhov and Bunin all disliked him, the first two personally.

I'll have to disagree with you. You can't judge writers by the opinion their contemporary writers had about them. Over the years there have been numberless writers and artists whose talent had not been appreciated until their death. Since I am from Greece I can tell you that such an example was Konstantinos Kavafis; he was regarded by his contemporaries as a midiocre poet and today is writely regarded as one of the best Greek poets. So this is not a criteria. In addition, many times jealousness doesn't let people to admit the magnitude of another person. Dostoevsky was a genious, an incredible and unique "painter" of the people' soul and disposition. The worth of Turgenev, Tolstoi, Nabokov, Chekhov and Bunin is also insisputable.

[Svidrigailov]

This is a very strange discussion. Dostoevsky is possible to love or not to love. Any arguments will be useless.
(@ toshiro - I think I understand what you say about Dostoevsky and English-language literature).

[Hamlet]

Please elaborate Svidrigailov...

...but Dostoyevsky was influenced by English language literature, the novel, experimentation, etc. This is friendly btw, not to draw sides, we already know that English Language literature is the greatest. (wink)


but seriously, what is the argument here, we have to nail that down and proceed from there, it could become interesting, as I love both English Language Lit and Russian Lit, and also Japanese, where's Toshiro disappeared to... ??

[Liam]

we already know that English Language literature is the greatest

Why, who said anything different?

[Hamlet]

Somebody earlier, ahem, made a suggestion that it had some intrinsic flaw.

If I recall Liam, once upon a time, before the Russian revolution, but shortly after Napolean, the novel reached it's zenith, and the great writers were glancing at one another (much as they do now in the great stewing pot of world literature) and learning, learning, learning, developing, experimenting, and Europe from a writing pov, if not always politically, perhaps, functioned like this. Traditions.

Now, I know that Dostoyevsky let's say, came over to Britain to see the Crystal Palace, and there's all types of cultural conflicts and wrinkles we could add in, but put simply, great artists respect one another, or some of them do at least, we know that Mr Henry James, ahem, said something about "baggy monsters" but that aside, I'm curious to know how English Language Literature is somehow lacking or lacks somethingeven which has been caught by the Japanese or the Russians or any other literatures, for that matter?

Okay, in short, I can't see it, it's an entirely and even wholly and even ill-conceived and fallatious argument based upon some lack of comprehension as far as i can see, IMO of course.

No, scrub the modesty, so western and British hey, that's a FACT dudes.

[Liam]

fallatious argument

I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one confusing a fallacy with fellatio, .

[Hamlet]

I knew you'd pick up on that one, Liam, nearly hit delete, but left it in.

[Liam]

*Of course you did,* .

[Svidrigailov]

I can't explain in English (about Dostoevsky and about the English-language literature). For me, it would be difficult to do even in Russian language (or in my native language). Too many exact definitions and nuances.

[Hamlet]

No problem! Welcome to the forum anyway!



I probably have an idea of wht you may be struggling with. A few of the texts rely upon some cultural understanding, which may be difficult or rather, is difficult for we natives.

[Liam]

What is your native language, out of curiosity?

[Svidrigailov]

Well. But now there is no time to think. I later write. My native language - Bashkir (Kipchak group of Turkic languages - Altaic language family). I can fully thought in both languages, but is now used as the "operating system" of the Russian language (bilingual - a very strange thing ).

[Svidrigailov]

I thought a little. Yet also a little bit of thought. (This I liked ). Understand that there is no sense of anything to write. Because all logical thinking in the long run lead to a totally subjective assumptions (like/don't like, good/bad, etc.). Himself dispute initially carries too many personal factors (education, culture, character, etc.). Pointless to argue about what tastier: Apple or cherry. This individual characteristics. This applies to the creative work of Dostoevsky (and in relation to English literature). There is no point in dispute.

[parya_]

I read Crime and Punishment twice and now I decided to read again It's really excellent!