In “The Brothers Karamazov,” Dostoyevsky puts Russia itself on trial, JenLouiseWilson writes.
“No, gentlemen of the jury, they have their Hamlets, while we still have only our Karamazovs!” Arguments are under way in the state’s case against Dmitry Karamazov, on trial for the murder of his father, Fyodor Karamazov, and for the theft of three thousand rubles from the old man’s room. In a crowded courtroom, the prosecutor, Ippolit Kirillovich, is reminding his audience of the unpredictable, inconsistent nature of the Russian character.
Dostoyevsky was as addicted as anyone to the crime stories flooding the papers. He contributed to the frenzy, covering trials in his magazine,, where his reporting sometimes slipped into personal testimony. Of a woman whose attacker was acquitted, he wrote, “She endured several minutes ofis? . . . It’s almost the same as a death sentence being read to one tied to a stake for execution while they pull the hood over his head.” He was drawing from memory.
“The Brothers Karamazov” is the last in Dostoyevsky’s tetralogy of so-called murder novels, following “Crime and Punishment,” “The Idiot,” and “The Possessed.” In it, Dostoyevsky satirizes the theatrical nature of Russia’s court system and treats what he sees as its limitations with deadly seriousness. Though no longer a socialist, Dostoyevsky could never shake his faith in the collective. He was wary of any system that held individuals responsible for the failures of society.
The only wrinkle in the prosecutor’s case is the victim. No one liked Fyodor Karamazov. He was a landlord and a lecher, a proud “sensualist” who likened himself to “an ancient Roman patrician of the decadent period.” He held drunken orgies in front of his children. The town doctor testifies that as a little boy Dmitry was left to wander by himself on the estate with just one button holding his trousers together.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dave Annable Misses ‘Brothers & Sisters’ & Wants A Reunion: “We Didn’t Get To Say Goodbye”Dave Annable is longing Brothers & Sisters and feels like the series should have a reunion, twelve years after it aired its last episode. “I miss that show,” the actor told People in a re…
Read more »
Two Waffle Brothers spots seized for unpaid taxesWaffle Brothers restaurants closed two spots after the City and County of Denver seized the properties over unpaid taxes. Signs dated July 14 state the restaurant owed $27,643 in taxes.
Read more »
2023 Streamy Awards Nominees: Jonas Brothers, Kate Hudson and MoreThe show will take place Sunday, Aug. 27 and will stream live on Streamy Awards social channels.
Read more »
Big Brothers Big Sisters downtown Tucson building sold for $1.4MFor Star subscribers: The nonprofit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona is moving to a new space in midtown Tucson. Find out what's happening to its downtown digs.
Read more »
'The 10th Kingdom' Is Still the Best Fairy Tale ShowNo fairy tale series paid tribute to the Brothers Grimm better than this one.
Read more »
Hear Sturgill Simpson's Song From 'The Righteous Gemstones'Sturgill Simpson, who plays militiaman Brother Marshall in 'The Righteous Gemstones,' covered Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band’s “All the Gold in California” during Sunday night’s episode.
Read more »