Victor Terras on Dostoevsky and Tolstoi
In his book, Reading Dostoevsky, Victor Terras makes a few interesting comparisons and contrasts between Dostoevsky and Tolstoi. In regard to heroes, “Tolstoi’s heroes and heroines are ordinary people,...
View ArticleSolzhenitsyn on Dostoevsky and Beauty
In Solzhenitsyn’s Nobel Lecture (given in the 70’s), he recalls something that Dostoevsky once said—something that he used to consider quite puzzling, viz., “Beauty will save the world.” (“Мир спасет...
View ArticlePart I: A Brief Introduction to Sergei Bulgakov
My brief introduction to Bulgakov is based on Fr. Aidan Nichols article, “Wisdom from Above? The Sophiology of Father Sergius Bulgakov”[1]-an article that is worth reading in its entirety. Bulgakov,...
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Justice and a Peasant Boy Named Ilusha
In book IV.7, we encounter one among many of the powerful passages in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. What takes place below is conversation between Alyosha Fyodovovich Karamazov and a poor peasant...
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Part II: Alyosha and Zarathustra on Com-passion and a Genuine Embodied Life
[Click here for part I] We see the manifestations of Nietzsche’s pessimism in contrast with Dostoevsky’s optimism in their widely divergent views of love, compassion and pity. Operating out of a...
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Part III: Alyosha and Zarathustra on Com-passion and a Genuine Embodied Life
With these things in mind (see part II), we may speculate on some of the connections which Dostoevsky’s polysemous text invites. Alyosha and Fr. Zosima, both characters noted for their concrete,...
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Part IV: Alyosha and Zarathustra on Com-passion and a Genuine Embodied Life
In addition to a positive view of mystery (see part III), both authors offer strong critiques against reductionistic rationalism and scient-ism. In a section entitled, “The Leech,” Zarathustra...
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Part V: Alyosha and Zarathustra on Com-passion and a Genuine Embodied Life
[This is the final post in this series] The first thing to note about the “Grand Inquisitor” story is that it is Ivan’s tale, which he decides to share with Alyosha. Thus, the content of the story...
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Williams on Dostoevsky’s Faith and Ivan’s Inquisitor
The church and postmodern culture blog recently posted my brief essay, “Rowan Williams on Dostoevsky’s Faith and Ivan’s Inquisitor.” If you are interested in Dostoevsky and did not have time to read...
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Dostoevsky on Sobornost: Are We Our Brothers’ and Sisters’ Keepers?
With the debates raging in America over healthcare reforms, I was reminded this morning while reading an article on Dostoevsky’s novel, Brothers Karamazov, of our lack of sobornost, an important...
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