Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov"

Art, Creativity, and Spirituality. Edited by Predrag Cicovacki and Maria Granik.

This volume combines essays by well-established scholars of Dostoevsky with those by newer voices; it brings together authors from several different countries (France, Germany, USA, Russia, England) representing varying traditions of approaching Dostoevsky's novels; most importantly, however, it attempts to cross the often too rigid lines between philosophy and literature. While there have been a number of attempts to re-establish a significant dialogue between literature and philosophy in recent years, virtually no cross-disciplinary studies of Dostoevsky have been attempted. This absence of interdisciplinary literature is remarkable given that Dostoevsky is often acknowledged to be a leading 'novelist of ideas'. There is no better place to begin such a collaborative effort than Dostoevsky's last novel, "The Brothers Karamazov", which Freud called 'the greatest novel ever written'. Apart from its twelve essays, the volume also contains an interview by Predrag Cicovacki with Joseph Frank. Contents: I. Stories and Dialogues: Julian W. Connolly: Confession in "The Brothers Karamazov". - Horst-Jürgen Gerigk: Dialogue and Pseudo-Dialogue. - Deborah A. Martinsen: The Devil Incarnate. - Robin Feuer Miller: Divine Conversations. -- II. New Connections: Robert Belknap: The Trial of Mitya Karamazov. - Diane Oenning Thompson: Islamic Motifs. Poetic Transformations of Historical Events. -- III. Ethics in Literature: Ruben Apressyan: The Practices of Mercy. - Paul J. Contino: Incarnational Realism and the Case for Casuistry: Dmitry Karamazov's Escape. - Maria Granik: The Politics of Love. -- IV: The Affirmation of Life: Evgenia V. Cherkasova: The Poetics of Life Affirmation. - Predrag Cicovacki: Dostoevsky's Uncommon Worldview. An Alternative Ethics, or an Alternative to Ethics? - Jacques Catteau: From the Great Sinner to the Grand Inquisitor. -- V. The Legacy of "The Brothers Karamazov": Predrag Cicovacki's Interview with Joseph Frank. 232 Seiten, gebunden (Beiträge zur slavischen Philologie; Vol. 16/Universitätsverlag Winter 2010)