The Idiot Readalong Post 3 and 4: Parts 3 and 4.

I want to welcome you all to the second of two posts on Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot. Originally, there was supposed to be 4 posts, but with school and a busy schedule, I moved it down to 2. If you still wrote two posts on each of the separate sections, please leave links to both below.

This was my third experience with Dostoevsky and by far the easiest to get through. Don't interpret that as "Dostoevsky is an easy afternoon read," but rather that "The Idiot is not as deeply complex as the other two (The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment)."

I have found in my small explorations into Russian literature, that the more you soak yourself into the story, the easier it is to understand and appreciate. My first exposure was Crime and Punishment, and I think that while I really loved it, I would find far more in it than I did in my reading of it a year and a half ago. I think it is common to think far too much about Russian literature. As a native English speaker and reader, I am too used to my phrasing, my names and commonalities. I need to just accept the depth and richness of the Russian style.

I finally think I succeeded in that with The Idiot. I seemed to understand Dostoevsky's point of view much more clearly this go around and I am wondering if that has to do with my own growth as a reader, or the fact that the theme and message of this one seemed far easier to grasp hold of.

Speaking of that theme...

From my interpretation of Dostoevsky's words and story, it seems that all of us have a little selfishness and greed in us. I think we wouldn't be human if we didn't. Presented with his wholesome character, I seemed to acknowledge the fact that Myshkin's goodness isn't something that is a reality for many. I mean, I know many good, faithful, innocent people, but none can compare to Myshkin's thoughts and actions. Here is a man who tries so hard to please, honor, and support those around him, even at cost to himself.

I admire that. And I admire the fact that Dostoevsky uses Myshkin to show us all that we succumb to greed, desire, and money far too often. I am sure this is even more true today than in 1868/1869 when the novel was published. How many times do we see news stories where the crime centers around greed, sex, power, and money (because it is close to home, I think of ex-mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick and his crimes while in office)? It has become a state of being for many, not that honorable idea of protecting other people first.

But beyond people's morals, I think Dostoevsky is also making a connection to the Russian people. From the little history I know, Russia was always an outsider to "the west" until the mid-1800s. When Russia started to adopt Western ideas, it transformed the country. This is where you get that big transformation between the old and the new (something I saw in Turgenev's Fathers and Sons last year as well). I think Dostoevsky really plays with this idea. That the new are becoming corrupted by progress and change from the West, and those who stick with the "old," like Myshkin, cannot survive in such a cutthroat kind of environment. Again, these are my guesses and assumptions, and I could be completely wrong. But I see evidence of all of that in Dostoevsky's words.

What did you make of The Idiot? Harder or easier than other Russian literature? Your first foray? Leave links to your posts below so I may link them here, and thank you for participating!

The Idiot Readalong Post 1 and 2: Parts 1 and 2.

Welcome to the combined post of parts 1 and 2 of the readalong for Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot hosted here at A Literary Odyssey!

I had every intention of sticking to the schedule I had made to keep the posts separate, but life happens and I had to deal with it. Of course I'm not happy about not sticking to my schedule, but it happens.

"There is something at the bottom of every new human thought, every thought of genius, or even every earnest thought that springs up in any brain, which can never be communicated to others, even if one were to write volumes about it and were explaining one's idea for thirty-five years; there's something left which cannot be induced to emerge from your brain, and remains with you forever; and with it you will die, without communicating to anyone perhaps the most important of your ideas."

We are now about halfway through The Idiot. Rather than recap every little thing that has happened so far, I thought it would be better to explain to you what I am loving about this novel so far.

I love the characters. Perhaps it is the Russian names, nicknames, and my inability to pronounce their names, but I love the characters in this novel. Prince Myshkin is without a doubt my favorite. I love his naivety and innocence. I love the way he interacts with those around him in a seemingly simple way. He made me smile when he was telling stories. He isn't afraid of embarrassing himself or those around him. He appears to be perfectly humble and giving.

I find it refreshing to read about him. How often are we granted a character who is so inherently good? He appears to only want the best for those around him and seems willing to do anything to make that happen. I wish there were more people like that in the world-who sincerely care for those around them....

The choice in naming the book The Idiot is one I have been mulling over. It is definitely a play on how the others in the book perceive Myshkin. He really isn't an "idiot" in his mentality, he just isn't as world-wise as everyone else. I wonder what Dostoevsky means when he calls Myshkin an idiot...did he really think he was? It just adds more depth to Myshkin's character.

I have found, that in all of the Russian novels I have read so far, that this depth in character seems to be a staple (other Russian titles I have so far include Fathers and Sons, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov and War and Peace). There is something about the breadth of these novels that allows the reader to become insanely intimate with the characters. In the other two novels by Dostoevsky, I find that he really strove to accomplish that. I find this one to be no different.

In addition to the depth in characters, I also love the complicated plots with the characters interacting all over the place. It give the readers a great place to focus on and become accustomed to. I am finding this to be a staple in Russian literature as well. If you can't tell, I definitely love the novel so far and I am looking forward to how things work out for dear Myshkin and the others within it (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a happy ending).

How are you all faring? Hopefully it is going well? Let me know in the comments! And don't forget to give me links to both your posts so I can link them here!

The next post on part 3 will go up on June 15. I will see you then!

Weekly Wrap-up for April 17, 2011.

I just typed in the date and had a mini-freakout. This month is flying by! I suppose when you are working two jobs and recovering from pneumonia, these things happen. :)

I am feeling much better by the way. After going to the doctor on Wednesday afternoon, he ordered me to stay home in bed on Thursday and Friday. I did that and while I still don't feel 100%, I do feel a lot better than I did early next week. I worked yesterday (the park) and I think I am on the mend.

Going into this week, I need to remind myself to take it easy and not overdo it. Luckily we have a 4 day week (we have Good Friday off), so that will definitely help. I am trying to keep a balance between school and my home life as I continue working through the middle of June. I think that is the only way to keep my head on straight as I continue to work both jobs (if you missed it on Friday, I announced that I would be continuing to teach, as the teacher I am subbing for decided she is not coming back this school year-definitely exciting).

Anyway, I am feeling good about things after having time to digest everything, and I am looking forward to spending the next 9 weeks with my kids. :)

Reading and blogging has suffered a little, but I have made a few changes to keep my head on straight. I have some personal goals I am working on, so hopefully you'll see some of that happening here. :)

One personal goal I don't mind sharing is that I am trying to get back in the gear of going to the gym on a more regular basis (right now, I physically can't do some things because of the pneumonia). I decided to combine that with my desire to read all of the Harry Potter books before the last movie comes out in July. I have all the books on CD, so I am going to be burning them to my IPod so I can listen to them while at the gym. I have to finish them before the movie, so this is a great motivator.

I launched the next two readalongs yesterday. I realized as I was getting ready to put the posts up that I was going to be diving into both The Iliad and The Aeneid at the same time. That didn't sound fun to me so I switched Virgil out for Dostoevsky's The Idiot. If you are interested in signing up for both, or would like to spread the word, here are the links:

• May/June 2011 Readalong for Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot
• May 2011 Readalong for Homer's The Iliad

I am planning on making some big progress with the books I am currently reading. The first one I need to finish is Lady Chatterley's Lover for the second readalong post (I should finish it today). Next up I need to plow through Atlas Shrugged. I put it aside a little while ago and I suppose that I need to read it...*grumble*.

I also started Their Eyes Were Watching God during the last few hours of the readathon, but haven't touched it since. I also have a big urge to read Silas Marner, so maybe I can squeeze those in before the end of the month.

How has your reading been going? What are your plans for the coming week?

The Idiot May/June 2011 Readalong Sign-ups.

Welcome to the sign-ups for the May and June 2011 readalong of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot hosted here at A Literary Odyssey! You might be wondering what happened to Virgil's The Aeneid...well, in looking at the readalong schedule, it dawned on me that I would be reading two big Greek pieces at the same time, and that didn't sit well, so I switched it for this big Russian masterpiece.

To say I am pumped up for this one would be a complete understatement. I have been surprised by how much I have LOVED the Russian novels I have read in this process. All of them are lengthy, but each has surprised me with its level of accesibility. Don't let the length scare you! Or the names! These are wonderful books! I will say that a part of me is a little sad that I am reading this one now, as it is the last Dostoevsky on my list. I am sure I will be reading more of his work in the future (I have previously read Crime and Punishment (book 2 in this process) and The Brothers Karamazov (book 40)).

If you are unsure if this is the book for you, here is a little synopsis taken from Goodreads.com;

"Just two years after completing Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky produced a second novel with a very different man at its center. In The Idiot, the saintly Prince Myshkin returns to Russia from a Swiss sanatorium and finds himself a stranger in a society obsessed with wealth, power, and sexual conquest. He soon becomes entangled in a love triangle with a notorious kept woman, Nastasya, and a beautiful young girl, Aglaya. Extortion and scandal escalate to murder, as Dostoevsky’s “positively beautiful man” clashes with the emptiness of a society that cannot accommodate his innocence and moral idealism. The Idiot is both a powerful indictment of that society and a rich and gripping masterpiece."

Excited? I am!

I am basing the page numbers on my edition, which is the lovely Pevear and Volohonsky translation that makes up the image for our readalong. I read a random translation when I read Crime and Punishment, and switched to the dynamic duo for The Brothers Karamazov, and there is a DRASTIC difference. These two translators are great at capturing the essence of the novels they translate (they also translated the edition of War and Peace I read back in January and February). I highly recommend them.

Here is the posting schedule (again, based on my edition):

• Post 1 will go up on May 19 and cover Part 1 (roughly 170 pages-the longest part!)
  
• Post 2 will go up on May 31 and cover Part 2 (roughly 140 pages)
  
• Post 3 will go up on June 15 and cover Part 3 (roughly 130 pages)
  
• Post 4 will go up on June 30 and cover Part 4 (roughly 150 pages)

This one definitely isn't as scary as some of the others, but the names will trick you up a bit if this is your first go at a Russian novel. Don't let that sway you. After a bit, you will be used to the names (and make up fun pronunciations in your head in the process).

If you are interested in joining in on the fun, leave a comment below with a link to your blog so I can link it here. I look forward to tackling my last (for now) Dostoevsky with you!

Participants:

KC
Read the Book
ChristaJLS
bibliophiliac
Christina
Becca A.
The Book Nook
Jessica
Jay
Laura
Grace
Jenn
Fiona

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 4/Finished.

As I said in a previous post, I am reading The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky with a group of other bloggers. It is being hosted by Dolce Bellezza, who is also providing links to all of our thoughts. We'll be posting every Thursday in April about each part we read that previous week (4 parts in the book). You can read my review of the first part here. And my review of the second part is here. And the third part, which I finished last week, can be found here.

I am really quite proud of myself for finishing this novel. I almost gave up during Part 2, since I was so bored of the endless discussion, but I ended up pushing on and thoroughly enjoying the rest of the novel. After Part 2, the novel pushes forward with a lot of intensity. And I am going to talk quite openly about what happens, so if you don't want spoilers, stop reading.


One of my favorite parts of the entire novel was at the beginning of Part 4, where Kolya eventually goes and visits Ilyushka with the dog. The scenes with the two boys, watched by Alyosha (one of the brothers) are touching. It is almost as if Kolya is forgiving Ilyushka for what he did to the dog. And since Kolya seems to be a boy that is in power, his forgiveness means everything to Ilyushka and his family.

So of course, I was sad when Ilyushka dies rather than gets better, but it does serve as a great foil to the other central family in the novel-the Karamazovs.

The Karamazov family is dysfunctional from the beginning and shows how circumstances and choice can bring you to where you end up. Father Karamazov, Fyodor, did not even raise his own sons, so he cannot claim to have any real influence on their growing up and the actions they then take as adults. They have seen the darker side of life through him and his actions towards them.

Whereas in Ilyushka's home, his father seems to care deeply for him, and Ilyushka's "bad" actions are only a result of his love for his father, not like the Karamazov's hatred of theirs.

Both of the families shows the opposite sides of life. Even with money, the Karamazov brothers are unhappy and vengeful, whereas in Ilyushka's home, love seems to triumph over all of the difficulty.

The only thing that bothers me about the end of the novel is that we are never definitely told who murdered Fyodor. We simply must accept the circumstances and assume.

Overall, I loved the novel. I think Dostoevsky created a piece that plays a lot on opposites and foils. Each of the characters fits a role and shows how choice and circumstance put them where they are, and sometimes, not even a result of their own circumstance. While I am not a pro at Russian literature, I would say that this novel really is a showpiece of Russia. It highlights village life and the Russian way of thinking about family, honor, and religion. For that, I am grateful, since I only know Soviet Russian history.

In all, a beautiful novel and one that I know I will read over again. It was not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be and the translation was wonderful.


Now I only have 1 Dostoevsky novel left on my list for this project (The Idiot), but I think I am going to save it for a bit. And perhaps now that I have some courage, I may give that other Russian heavyweight a chance-Tolstoy.