The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett

The early part of the book was heavy on religious discussion. The end was a murder trial. In between it was quite slow moving. The early writing was good, but it went on for too long. The trial was fast paced and tied in some of the moral discussions of the early part.

Notes from the Underground

Notes from the underground is the story of a grumpy old man as thinks and meanders around St. Petersburg. Actually, calling it a "story" is probably stretching things. There is not much of what you would call a plot. (Though there are a few "episodes" that follow some sort of structure.) The events happen, and you get a feel that this guy thinks about things a little too much. He has trouble living his life because he is constantly worried about some small perceived wrong. Then he looks for revenge, but is conscious of it, and usually ends up punishing only himself. It is not "action" centric, and takes some focus to really appreciate.

Crime and Punishment

A man is living in Russia, struggling to make ends meet. He contemplates the cruelty of an old miserly lady who has lots of money, yet will donate it all to a monastery after her imminent death. He has fleeting thoughts about robbing her, but his nature prevents him from acting. He has also written academic papers describing situations where one great man (such as a Napoleon) is required to act "above" the law to achieve goals. Is he a great man?

One day he hears people talking about a similar moral dilemma. Wouldn't many people be better off if she was dead and her money were used to help the poor? The sacrifice of one life would be justified in the improved state of many.

That was enough for him. He decided to go out and murder her with an ax. He succeeded, but made himself miserable in the process. Most of the narrative concerns his psychological experience in committing the crime and its internal repercussions. He goes on for a while before there is any external consequence. However, internally, he is all but destroyed. His intellectual rationale could not cover for his internal moral position.

This book is long, and many of the characters have similar sounding names. However, it is possible to miss some of the details and still experience the moralistic force of the book. (

When he finally confesses to the crime, the punishment is relatively minor, just a few years in Siberia. His internal suffering (and resultant pain he inflicted on others) was probably worse than the true punishment.