so I've been wanting to get into this for a while now and now think I might be ready. But before I begin I want to know if there is anything I should read beforehand.
I have an ok knowledge of the Bible, read C&P, and Notes but haven't read any earlier Russian Lit. Anything more I should read that's necessary to get the full experience?
Thanks
Its arguably the best book ever writtren.smerkavov killed the old man
Depends where you're from and how familiar you are with Slavic culture and political circumstances of Eastern Europe of 19th century. If you're not you might be slightly confused at times, but internet serves as a brilliant and quick reference guidebook to learn about specific customs or habits. Other than that at least basic understanding of Catholic and Orthodox theology and hierarchical structure of those churches would help. Westerners might also miss out on some thinly veiled humor Dostoyevsky inserts between the lines, but it's a detail more than anything.
I've literally read this book as my first serious, classical literature novel at the age of 17 and it has blown me away so extensive literary knowledge isn't necessary. Stunning emotional and aesthetic experience. I still come back to it every now and then and each time I revel in Dostoyevsky's genius.
>smerkavov killed the old man
no
The version in your pic has endnotes so you're good
Then who?
You'll be fine desu.
Should I read Notes from Underground before brothers K?
>to get the full experience
It makes some references to Schiller, Faust and Gogol.
I haven't read Brothers K yet, but you could probably finish Notes in a day so why not?
You'll read this book and you'll either detest it or love it. The latter denounces you as a they-self of Veeky Forums which roughly translates to "pretentious young adult who wants to belong". Good luck wasting your time reading "The Adventures of the Russian Sherlock Holmes: I'm going to mash "The Idiot" with "Crime and Punishment" together edition™.
>in a day
O-oh
Great read. You are ready, go for it.
Don't mind this spas, he doesn't know what he's talking about.
This
Too deep for you clearly.
Don't worry user, it took me about a week as well.
It was his first book that I ever read and I loved it. Since then I've read a few more books, a short story, and currently reading Demons/The Possessed.
Yeah read Dead Souls to fully understand the whole Troika metaphor
>Anything more I should read that's necessary to get the full experience?
Every other major novel of course. Since you already read Crime and Punishment, you need to read them in the following order:
>The Idiot
>Demons
>A Raw Youth
>The Brothers Karamazov
I tried to read C&P and couldn't get past the first few chapters. I read this and loved it to bits. Am I a pleb?
Not OP.
I'm reading Crime and Punishment right now, should I read Notes after then follow this list?
I haven't read many books, but I just started Crime and Punishment and I'm sucked in since the translators introduction.
On another note, how do you know you get a solid translation?
I'm reading Oliver Ready's translated C&P, introduction seemed great to me, has a LOT of information on Dostoevsky, biography stuff, end notes too.
>Not OP.
>I'm reading Crime and Punishment right now, should I read Notes after then follow this list?
I don't know anything about Notes from the Underground, since I never read it. It is well known among the English translations, but in my mother tongue (German) only the major novels are well known, including The Gambler.
I'd recommend reading the novels I've enlisted. But I'm not really interested in the short novels from Dostoyevsky, because I cannot imagine he could met his standards of psychological depth like in his five major novels.
Thanks for the reply, i'll save the list for later.
The words can be scanned by your eyes in a day yeah.
You must extensively know the works of Pushkin and the orthodox Bible
>read a 700 page masterpiece
>can't figure out the basic plot