Literature and Politics the Impact of Dostoevsky - 9582 Words

LITERATURE AND POLITICS: THE IMPACT OF FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY Dostoevsky and the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, by Vasily Rozanov. Translated and with an Afterword by Spencer E. Roberts. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1972. Pp. xi. 232. $12.50. Political Apocalypse. A Study of Dostoevskys Grand Inquisitor, by Ellis Sandoz. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1971, Pp. xviii. 263. $13.50.* ostoevskys great novels have spawned a vast library of critical 1/literature, a library which extends well beyond traditional literary criticism to cover the range of disciplines dealing with the human condition: philosophy, theology, psychology and sociology in particular. In this effusion of comment the real Dostoevsky†¦show more content†¦A Study of Dostoevskys Grand Inquisitor. In style, approach, and viewpoint, these two works stand in contrast. Rozanovs is a frankly personal interpretation, with an approach more impressionistic than scholarly, while Sandoz offers a thorough, scholarly, highly technical analysis, from the perspective of a Western political scientist familiar with twentieth-century events and recent currents in political theory. But with all their differences—in date of composition, stylistic approach, and nationality and philosophical background of the authors—the two studies agree regarding many salient elements of Dostoevskys philosophy Both Rozanov and Sandoz utilize the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor and its prologue entitled Rebellion (Book Five, Chapters IV and V of The Brothers Karamazov) as the text most accurately reflecting Dostoevskys mature philosophy. Their choice is justified, since The Brothers Karamazov is the most philosophical of Dostoevskys great works, was completed shortly before his death (thus presumably represents his final views), and within it the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor encapsulates, in poetic form, a profound religious, philosophical, and political view of mankind. Readers will recall that Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov, who had been reared separately for most of their lives, meet in a tavern to get well: at least they would lack all theirShow MoreRelatedChristianity And Its Effects On Modern Culture And Society2000 Words   |  8 PagesChristianity, the way and teachings of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is the largest and most popular religion in the world with about a whopping 2.1 bil lion religious followers positioned all around the world. Christianity has had such an important impact on the course of the history of the world since its creation about 2,000 years ago that even today both Christian followers and non-Christians still follow the moral and ethical teachings presented by Jesus Christ within Christianity in their everydayRead MorePioneers Trio of Indian English Fiction4480 Words   |  18 Pages† Indian English literature originated as a necessary outcome of the introduction of English education in India under colonial rule. In recent years it has attracted widespread interest, both in India and abroad. It is now recognized that Indian English literature is not only part of Commonwealth literature, but also occupies a â€Å"great significance in the World literature.† Today, a number of Indian writers in English have contributed substantially to modern English literature. Ram Mohan Roy whoRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesstruggle through life — a focus on the subjective life that we all actually live, rather than a search for objective truths external to us. Topics in Existentialism * The Absurd * Existentialism amp; Religion * Existentialism amp; Politics * Existentialism amp; Phenomenology * Existentialist Philosophers * ------------------------------------------------- Absurdism * The idea of the  absurd  is a common theme in many existentialist works, particularly in  Camus. AbsurdityRead MoreIndian English Novel17483 Words   |  70 PagesEnglish novel evolved as a subaltern consciousness; as a reaction to break away from the colonial literature. Hence the post colonial literature in India witnessed a revolution against the idiom which the colonial writers followed. Gradually the Indian English authors began employing the techniques of hybrid language, magic realism peppered with native themes. Thus from a post colonial era Indian literature ushered into the modern and then the post-modern era. The saga of the Indian English novel thereforeRead Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 Pagesadmissible in great literature, posing universal problems, as seriousness. Certain essential aspects of the universe are accessible only to laughter.†10 Bakhtin includes the Frenchman Rabelais, the Spaniard Cervantes (author of Don Quixote), and the Englishman Shakespeare as the three great writers of this early era when humor often reflected wisdom. He also mentions the Dutchman Erasmus’s In Praise of Folly (1509) as â€Å"one of the greatest creations of carnival laughter in world literature.†11 Since Erasmus