Between Don Quixote and The Brothers Karamazov, which is a more rewarding experience?
I understand they’re both giants of world literature, but I’m trying to pick one of these to read throughout the next couple of months and I’d like a little input if possible.
The translations I have are Edith Grossman and Constance Garnett, respectively.
Don Quixote is more of a "foundational" text relative to the literary canon, so unless you're already extremely skilled in literary analysis you'll probably get more out of The Brothers Karamazov at a faster rate than Don Quixote.
Rewarding in what sense?
Don Quixote is more important to literature as a whole, but you might personally get more from Brothers Karamazov. Just read them both
>Constance Garnett
>Edith Grossman
Read that recently. Love how Bloom's introduction is more about Shakespeare than Don Quixote. He took the Shakespeare pill too hard.
Rewarding probably wasn’t the best word. I’d like a novel that’s going to stimulate interesting thoughts, have themes and topics I can take some notes on, characters that are well developed. I’ve read Notes From Underground and C&P and enjoyed both of them, i found C&P to be a novel that falls in more with my vague-ass criteria though.
It’s the translation that I’ve got, so it’s the one I’d be reading. I’m not really a huge pedant about translations, the biggest complaint I always see about Garnett are that it’s a bit dated.
If you've read C&P that makes reading The Brothers Karamazov easier and more rewarding, as they share very similar themes.
>Constance Garnett, respectively.
Nope, you need a new one
I also reccomend you progress through Dostoe's work, because there is a progression, Notes->C&P->Demons->BK atleast, you have your whole life to read it so don't rush into Karamazov which is incredibly overrated anyway
don quixote by far
but why is it either/or? i read TBK in 4 days