A couple of weeks ago, I finished “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I’d read it before, but this was the first time since I became Orthodox. What was interesting was that when I remembered the book, I remembered episodes, which upon a re-read is really what the novel is – a series of episodes.

I have to admit, though, that when I finished this book, I felt not intelligent. All of these words, positions, episodes, dramatic events just swirled around in my head. I’m not even sure who committed the crime at the crux of the novel. Sigh.

However, now that I’m a few weeks out of it, and doing some research on the Dartmouth University site
I’m feeling more grounded and able to discuss it. I find often that is the case – I need to process, reflect and discuss a book before I can really decide what I thought of it. I’m not sure if this is something everyone deals with, or if it is residual from college.

Another wonderful thing about this site is an excellent article about the Orthodox concept of “Memory Eternal” and “The Brothers Karamazov” (a side note, I realized by looking at his name that I just began a book, “Iconostasis” by St. Pavel Florensky that was co-translated by Professor Sheehan).

An excerpt:

This shape is, of course, the Orthodox shape of Memory Eternal: the present seed of actual love is already becoming the unceasing fruitfulness of memory. And this fruitfulness of memory is - in Florensky's great phrase - "a victory over death," not at all because we erase the dead in our mind's oblivion (what secular culture calls 'getting over it') but precisely because we keep them so strongly, indeed so brightly present in our love. And Dostoevsky is luminously clear in his Orthodox understanding of Alyosha's speech. By holding another in our love, we are becoming like God in that we are remembering the seed of God in ourselves at the very instant we are seeing the fully ripened fruitfulness of the other in God

And, because my mom asked me about the Grand Inquisitor scene, which I’d not quite finished processing (evidenced by my blank stare, I’m sure) but have now, I’d like to link the Wikipedia synopsis as well as the entire text for your reading pleasure.

Let me know what your experience is with both the “Brothers K” as well as other meaty novels; am I alone in processing for weeks?

Illustration from
Alcorn Gallery