Brothers Karamazov prep

Im about to embark upon my first reading of Doestoevsky's Brothers Karamazov. I've read C&P and The Idiot, and while I enjoyed them both, I feel as if I missed most of the significance of the sub-plots and for this reason the books (at times) felt as needlessly long and full of filler. I don't want this to happen in BK. What themes and things should I be on the look out for in order to avoid this. Also, what should I know before begining (apart from knowledge of the Bible, which I already have)
Thanks.

The whole thing consists of sub plots that include character studies, meditations on religion, morality, and russia. The murder trial is only that which follows. Pay attention to each character and see how they compare.

Prep?Just start with the greeks

Might want to stretch before you do bro.
Start with some cardio get your heart rate up bro

beginning is slow... i remember like the first 50 pages are just a summary of each character...

then it goes into more of the story which unravels somewhat slowly...

different interesting conversations are had throughout the book like any doestoevsky's novels. there are some really great pieces found in that book, really top knotch- other times the book is dull. i found the plot to be rather uninspiring to be honest.

ivan and smerdyakov usually have the most interesting conversations and refined arguments of all the characters imo.

alyosha is very easy to fall in love with, i think he is supposed to be the representation of jesus.

dont read slow read this book, read it fast.

the main characters within the brothers k are supposed to be a representation of russia and of the differing opinions and social classes...

i personally like the last portion of the book the most. with the trial etc.

'the grand inquisitor' is worth re-reading a few times. it's a very profound chapter that is worth looking into the references, and he will reference the bible many times throughout the chapter. i studied that chapter for a few days and the references he was making.

big, at times slow, some really mind blowing portions throughout this goliath work.

there is a movie with william shatner in it, i actually liked the movie- it misses a ton of themes in the book- but the actors did a great job in portraying the characters themselves. i watched the movie as i read along.

Thanks! I appreciate it. Overall, how would you rank it with Dosto's other works?

Not him but I think it's the best Russian novel ever written.

ive read crime and punishment, the double, the gambler, and notes.

i will read the idiot probably soon.

personally my rank is :1st crime and punishment, 2nd brothers k 3rd notes 4th the gambler 5th the double

they're all kind of different in many respects though- crime and punishment and brothers k are very different story wise. hard to compare them, but i just liked crime and punishment for whatever reason.

i heard the idiot was originally supposed to be his masterpiece that he wanted, but he had to rush it for external reasons.

to elaborate- crime and punishment is more focused on the story with philosophy in the background whereas brothers k is more focused on philosophy with the story as the background.

just my assessment

>dont read slow read this book, read it fast

Is this because it's a translation and the prose isn't worth tasting, or because it's a data gather then the pleasure comes from reflection?

All about Alyosha. Also, familiarize yourself with the Russian naming structure-I.e how partinomic names work, formal vs. I for al, and def reference nicknames. Otherwise, you'll surely get confused.

many of the russian works were being recited in public. sometimes the authors wrote works they knew were going to be read aloud to gatherings of listeners.

this is especially true with the short stories and novellas. it was more or less a stylistic phenomena at the time in russia.

especially with dostoevsky ive found he tends to get his point across even if you missed him the first time, he's certain to elaborate on a given theme until the argument is dissected and understood.

it's kind of a waste to stop and re-read something- ive found he's much more enjoyable to just keep reading until you finish a section and if you stumbled across something that really compelled you to read again than go ahead.

but i feel his work is meant to be read through. its very poetic really

Sounds like he wants me to audible.com

agreed, character lists help as a reminder when they alternate names interchangeably . pretty important

lol your speech patterns change after reading him for awhile.

different authors have different rythyms in their writing.

a lot of authors are more colorful, and use more imagery in their writing. dostoevsky is more of a mad scientist who rants, raves, and obsesses over trivial topics. some like that style, others hate it.

he was not without harsh critics.

my buddy loves tolstoy but hates dostoevsky

tolstoy is more polished in his writing style. but dostoevsky is more fulfilling imo

Westerners never gonna fully understand russian literature, do dont even try

Maybe not the most efficient, but I'd read it once through, take notes and understand the main plots and idea, then read it again (or just reread the most significant parts) and start to analyze it.

Also I'd recommend getting a version that's got a notes section (I know the P&V translation has them), they note all the different biblical and Russian lit allusions, it's really helpful.

Tolstoys matter of fact. In D you feel the struggle of cognitive evolution with all its procreation and death.

How much am I missing without having read the Bible?

wanna read some doestoevsky, but i dont care about being too thorough.

Where do I start?

The Gambler, Notes, and then C&P.

Most of it.

OP here.
Not that much really. I was raised catholic so that helped a lot. I read C&P without reading the bible and then the Idiot after doing so. There really wasn't a notable difference. I would say that having a decent understandig of Cristianity, is more than enough. I may be wrong do

>only read Crime and Punishment and The Idiot before
>didn't consider reading Demons and A Raw Youth
Do yourself a favor and read Demons, and then A Raw Youth, and finally Brothers Karamazov. You'll see all the parallels to Dostoyevsky's previous grand novels in Brother's Karamazov.

Is A Raw Youth as good as the other major Dosto novels? I haven't heard much about it, and what I've heard is generally not positive.

Yes it is. I think what many don't like about A Raw Youth is that it doesn't feel like it has a firm premise, and in the end you're more puzzled than satisfied, at first to say the least. This book also references all his previous major novels. This one is actually the fourth major novel of Dosoyevsky, and while I think it is the weakest, it is by no means bad, in fact it is very good, and equally as well written as the other books.