Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky ( 1822-1881), was a Russian novelist, journalist, short-story writer, whose psychological penetration into the human soul profoundly influenced the 20th century novel. His central obsession was God, whom his characters constantly search through painful errors and humiliations. Famous for his complex analyses of the human mind, he creates the extreme situations and emotions in his novels not out of mere sensationalism, but to plumb the depths of human experience. Ultimately they deal with moral and philosophical questions. Among his most famous novels; `Poor Folk', 'The House of the Dead', 'Crime & Punishment' & 'The Brothers Karamazov'.
I am currently reading 'The Brothers Karamazov' & I’m in love with it! His story telling is rich in apathy, love for humanity & a deep sense of religion. Below are some of my favorite quotes & extracts from the novel that I would love to share with you. Sometimes his words ring true, some times they’re just fascinating to contemplate. But the most endearing trait perhaps of this great thinker; is that he can make you too, stop for a moment & think.
From The Brothers Karamazov ..
“The mystery of human life is not only in living, but in knowing why one lives” Page-285
“Love is regardless of logic, as you say. Yes, most certainly regardless of logic, for only then will I grasp its meaning” Page- 260
“Beauty! It makes me mad to think that a man of great heart and high intelligence should begin with the ideal of Madonna and end with the ideal of Sodom. What is more terrible is that a man with the ideal of Sodom already in his soul does not renounce the ideal of Madonna, and it sets his heart ablaze, and it is truly, truly ablaze, as in the days of his youth and innocence. Yes, man is wide, too wide, indeed. I would narrow him. I’m hanged if I know what he really is! What appears shameful to the mind, is sheer beauty to the heart” Page- 126
“”To fall in love doesn’t mean to love. One can fall in love with a woman and hate her at the same time” Page-122
“That from the worst unto the better
Man his soul may raise up high,
He must join his ancient mother,
Mother earth his best ally.
But the trouble is, you see, how am I to enter into an alliance with earth for ever? I don’t kiss the earth, I don’t cut open her bosom-so what am I to become: a peasant or a shepherd? I go on and on and I don’t know whether I shall find myself amidst stench and shame or light and joy. That’s the trouble, old man, for everything in the word is a mystery! And every time I happened to plunge into the very depths of the most shameless debauchery, I always read that poem about Ceres and man. Did it reform me? Never! For I am a Karamazov. For if I am to precipitate myself into the abyss, I shall do so without a moments reflection, head over heels, and indeed I shall be glad to fall in such a degrading attitude and consider it beautiful for a man like me. And it is at this very moment of shame and disgrace that I suddenly begin to intone this hymn. Let me be damned, let me be vile and base, but let me kiss the hem of the garment in which my God is clad; let me be running after the devil at that very moment, but I am still thy son, O Lord, and I love thee, and I feel the joy without which the world cannot be and exist” Page-125
“A man’s face often prevented many people who were inexperienced in love from loving him” Page-266
“One can’t go on living in a state of rebellion, and I want to live” Page-276
“… It is not worth it, because her tears remained unexpiated. They must be expiated, for otherwise there can be no harmony. But how, how are you to expiate them? Is it possible? Not, surely, by their being avenged? But what do I want them avenged for? What do I want a hell for torturers for? What good can hell do if they have already been tortured to death? And what sort of harmony is it, if there is a hell? I want to forgive. I want to embrace. I don’t want any more suffering. And if the sufferings of children go to make up the sum of sufferings which is necessary for the purchase of truth, then I say beforehand that the entire truth is not worth such a price. And, finally, I do not want a mother to embrace the torturer who had her child torn to pieces by his dogs! She has no right to forgive him! If she likes, she can forgive him for herself, she can forgive the torturer for the immeasurable suffering he has inflicted upon her as a mother; but she has no right to forgive him for the sufferings of her tortured child. She has no right to forgive the torturer for that, even if her child were to forgive him! And if that is so, if they have no right to forgive him, what becomes of the harmony? Is there in the whole world a being who could or would have the right to forgive? I don’t want harmony. I don’t want it, out of the love I bear to mankind. I want to remain with my suffering unavenged” Page- 275
“People are quite right when they say that it’s nice to have a chat with a clever man” Page-310
“You will go forth from these walls, but you will live in the world like a monk. You will have many adversaries, but even your enemies will love you. Life will bring many misfortunes to you, but it is in them that you will find happiness and you will bless life and make others bless it” Page-316
“Darling Mother, there have to be masters and servants, but let me be the servant of my servants. Let me be the same as they are to me. And let me tell you this, too, Mother: every one of us is responsible for everyone else in every way, and I most of all” Page-319
posted by Peach @ 3:43 AM
9 Comments:
im liking it
when i read this:
“A man’s face often prevented many people who were inexperienced in love from loving him”
i couldnt help but think of:
"a woman's face often encourages many ppl who are inexperienced in love for loving her"
Hey Temee, Glad you liked it ;) Do you mean that a woman's face would encourage ppl to love her? I never thought about it this way before! Though it did cross my mind that the same sentance can be aplied to women as well, and so can all the other referals to men. I think they can all be switched around to mean human.
yeah, i think he's saying "some men are not loved, just because of the way they look.. althu those men deserve it"
so im thinking "some women are loved just becoz of the way they look, althu they dont really deserve it"
I just adore Dostoyevsky..ya chose the very lines which are moving in his writings, Dosto is like this, hiding those lines in between huge novels with zillion pages, but, suddenly, ya found yrself in fornt of those lines, like sun ablazed with beauty and grace...
Great post really
about faces and women, I think the wormth and kindness are the very thing makes me--personally--love a woman, not "lust" a woman..
I read that book years ago, I have almost forgotten what effect it had on me, now reading your quotes from the book makes me think that it’s time to read it again with a different perspective.
Very nice post peaches and my favorite quote was the last one although all of them are great mind provokers.
Tem,
So true & this too works both ways ;)
Aladin, I knowwww! The book is like a gazillion pages long & its taking me forever to read but not just cuz its long. Every time I come across some of these hidden words I read them several times, take notes & find meanings of words I don't understand. Its really loads of fun. Only problem is that my list of to read books after this one just gets longer & longer! lol I want to read "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy when I'm done, but it doesn't look like its gonna be any time soon! ;)
Ayya, I'll bet u'll love it even more the second time round ;) My favorite is the last quote too! In fact its both the last two ;)
Sounds like a good read. I'll have to look for it.
Very interesting! Try Mothanna or The Family book shop is Salmiya ;)
You've been tagged ;)
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