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Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

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Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#31

This was an incredible read! This is my first introduction to Dostoyesvky and I’m engrossed. So from these excerpts, his profound writing reminds me of another great writer I admire the most; Poe. Poe’s writing has had a profound effect on me and so has this story by Dostoyesvky. I see the similarity in the sense that both of these writers seem to distill such great truths about life and translate them into poetical…

It’s wordy and all over the place, but I loved the Brothers Karamazov in my early twenties.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#32
post #3

That was a very good read. Thank you very much. I purchased the Kindle version of "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" after reading this. I have never read Dostoyevsky before. Any recommendations on where else to start?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Inquisitor

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#33

This was an incredible read! This is my first introduction to Dostoyesvky and I’m engrossed. So from these excerpts, his profound writing reminds me of another great writer I admire the most; Poe. Poe’s writing has had a profound effect on me and so has this story by Dostoyesvky. I see the similarity in the sense that both of these writers seem to distill such great truths about life and translate them into poetical…

Can you point out what great truths Dostoevsky distills?

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#34

This was an incredible read! This is my first introduction to Dostoyesvky and I’m engrossed. So from these excerpts, his profound writing reminds me of another great writer I admire the most; Poe. Poe’s writing has had a profound effect on me and so has this story by Dostoyesvky. I see the similarity in the sense that both of these writers seem to distill such great truths about life and translate them into poetical…

Can you point out what great truths Dostoevsky distills?

I would say that it's less about some kind of absolute truths about existence, which are often things that we have long heard about (be kind to your neighbor, etc) but rather more about the characters and the experiences that they go through in order to arrive at these truths. He strikes me as a person who actually lived through the things that he writes about and he bases his characters and their experiences on them.

Some writers may have some truth that they want to convey in their book and so they create characters that are simply vehicles for these ideas and not much more (ie Ayn Rand). Dostoyevsky's characters are not simply posterboys for some moral agenda but are more like personality archetypes that you would actually come across, that's what makes his writing so relatable and believable, and the interactions between these characters so lifelike.

Some of it does get lost in translation, there's something about Russian dialogue that it translates very awkwardly to English.

PS: Another example where his insight was pretty accurate was his book The Possessed. It was published over 40 years before the communist revolution in Russia but it definitely offered some very on-point commentary about the nature of the people who lead these kinds of movements. It was prescient in many ways, really. It's a lesser known book but I highly recommend it, in many ways I think it's relevant to what's (still) happening in politics today.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#35
post #31

This was an incredible read! This is my first introduction to Dostoyesvky and I’m engrossed. So from these excerpts, his profound writing reminds me of another great writer I admire the most; Poe. Poe’s writing has had a profound effect on me and so has this story by Dostoyesvky. I see the similarity in the sense that both of these writers seem to distill such great truths about life and translate them into poetical…

It’s wordy and all over the place, but I loved the Brothers Karamazov in my early twenties.

I think a lot of the parts in that book that seemed to be all over the place would have later come together into something more cohesive by the end of the second book.

It was supposed to be the first part of two books but he died before he wrote the second. Which is why I think there was much more to the plot and there may have been some more twists beside what was already revealed in the first.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#36
post #3

That was a very good read. Thank you very much. I purchased the Kindle version of "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" after reading this. I have never read Dostoyevsky before. Any recommendations on where else to start?

In my experience Dostoevsky novels can be a bit of a slog at the beginning because nothing much happens and it’s lots of character analysis. Then about halfway through some significant event happens and the rest is absolutely fascinating because you’ve spent so much time getting into the characters’ heads.

I've only read Crime and Punishment, but this was exactly my observation of it. I really wasn't impressed with it, and then suddenly, almost exactly half way in, it kicked off and I was engrossed.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#37
post #19
post #3

That was a very good read. Thank you very much. I purchased the Kindle version of "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man" after reading this. I have never read Dostoyevsky before. Any recommendations on where else to start?

I loved Brothers Karanazov. Brilliant. In fact the Russian authors are amazing. It’s a shame I discovered them when I was in grad school and not earlier.

I first discovered Dostoevsky in undergrad engineering school. Needed gen eds and ended up taking a class that sounded interesting that talked about the philosophies of the superman (ubermensch) and it started with Crime and Punishment.

It was the best class I took in undergrad, it was so interesting to read and discuss. I think I needed to be in that class, though, to really get what I got out of it - so perhaps it is ok to come across them later in life. They almost require experience.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#38
For anyone who loves Dostoyevsky, I’d recommend Alexander Solzhenitsyn too. His writings have a stronger political bent, but his style is firmly in the Russian tradition, with a mastery of the polyphonic voice—the ability to bring life to many perspectives—and explores every aspect of life and humanity. A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich—a portrait of a gulag prisoner—is the quickest introduction.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#39
post #8
post #7

Dostoyevsky changed my life.

How?

For me, his writing helped me understand human nature better such that I see people less as slowly clawing their way up a mountain towards being a better person and instead to view people more like a Jekyll and Hyde struggling between two extremes of good and evil.

I'm off to celebrate Christmas with family but I don't think you can be honest with yourself about who you are unless you appreciate the depths of human depravity, with that understanding you can build a truer foundation for your personal convictions about life.

Re: Dostoyevsky's “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” (2014)

#40
post #29
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd only recommend to take out Notes from the underground and replace it with Idiot , which Dostoevsky himself liked the most of all his works. Devils and Gambler are just below these three. Also, Humiliated and insulted allegedly made Nietzsche cry. But that one I haven't read (yet).

If you're having nihilistic thoughts, Notes from the Underground is a must. Idiot is good if you have a Jesus complex. :)

I think Zossima's arc from Brothers Karamazov feeds Messiah complex better than Idiot :)
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