/lit/ - Literature

I thought "crime and punishment" was excellent, "brothers karamazov" was good but "the idiot" was boring. basically nothing happened until the wedding and prince myshkin's pursuit. I could have enjoyed the novel if the banter was good but even that was lacking. I'd like to hear from others on why you liked it or thoughts in general.

Do you really have to be an idiot to be a good person in this world?

What are some general rules and problems you look for you when doing a first edit of something you've written.
For example a few basics I've been going by:

->Clean up tenses
->Find would not, could not, and can not and change verbs to make them positive
->Foreshadow more, set up something that will happen later in any unfilled spaces
->Make sure geography and plot have no loopholes or continuity issues
->Clean up all narration voice issues (can the narrator refer directly to the audience? etc.)
->Clean up tenses (seriously.)

Pic sorta related because he made some really interesting choices with narration and foreshadowing

>>9775690
lolmao https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Religiosity_and_intelligence

>A meta-analysis found a negative correlation between intelligence quotient (IQ) and religiosity for western societies. The correlation was suggested to be a result of nonconformity, more cognitive and less intuitive thinking styles among the less religious, and less of a need for religion as a coping mechanism.

that first scene in the train; the straight-forward, earnest, naivety - how can i learn to act like that?

Is this the funniest book ever written?

Spoilers but when Ippolit tries to kill himself at Prince Myshkins birthday and is horrified when he realizes that he forgot to load the gun and everyone makes fun of him I laughed til I cried. You will NEVER go to a party that is THAT /lit/

The real idiot is the person who bought this shit book, the greater idiot is the one who actualy slugged through it

The characters all suck and the plot is so weak it is nearly non existant, it could be written in a 50 page soap opera for house wives

Just finished part 3. When it's intense, it's amazing, but when it slows down to the "boring" parts it drag on for so long. Was having this as my introduction to Dostoevsky instead of, say, C&P a mistake?

>>8914078
You're not fully wrong here. I find all the women in his books to be loud, bombastic, immature, and unabashed. I'm not sure if he is trying to lay down a form of criticism on Russian Aristocratic society by creating such unbelievable characters, or I'm being presentist by trying to draw a line to 19th century behavior with 21 century behavior. I'm simply not sure.

Either way, his characters are often long winded and robust; filled with hidden agendas. I may not be fully a fan, but I certainly do appreciate the few books I have read of his.

Perhaps people in this thread will be so kind as to explain in more detail Dostoevsky's purpose, style, and themes for us laymen. I would appreciate it very much.

I'm a little new to the Russian Classics.
Maybe it's because the book takes place in 1800s Aristocratic Russian society, but I'm having a difficult time relating to these characters.

I know (from reading the introduction) Prince Myskin is suppose to be a Christ like character, full of love, compassion, and innocents, but this isn't all that I gather from him.

Keep in mind I'm on page 337 out of 556. So, I've yet to finish it, I plan on finishing the rest in the nest 2 days.

The Prince seems very innocent. Thus far, the only section of the book that gave me any impression that he was of saint-like or Christ like qualities was that of Marie and how he “corrupted the youth” into treating her with love, compassion, and dignity. Indeed, this corrupting of the youth was no doubt a node to Socrates and his trail.

However, when it comes to the world of women, relationships, and marriage, The Prince seems more of a child infatuated with beauty than any truer understanding of love. It is a young love, and love that is hopeful, blind, and full of energy, but deprived of any full thought or discourse. Indeed, this is where I see The Prince as a relatable young fool madly falling in love with a women he knows very little of. Surely, men of this age have all been struck in this way, only to find later in life how blinded we truly are to our own ambitious lower desires. Infatuation seems to be where the Prince resides when it comes to his love interests, reflecting the inexperience and ill window of youth.

That being said, it's interesting to see how the aristocratic society interacts with him.

I'm hoping the last 200 pages are a real gem, because at the moment, I'm dragging myself through the pages.

I just started it today.
I'm not sure what to think.
I am currently reading the Garnett translation.
Is this a decent translation? Also, is this a good book. I've read TBK last year, thought I would have another go at a Dostoevsky book.

180 pages in, holy fuck this book is boring.

>half the characters serve no purpose at all
>anecdotes and pages-long rants that don't lead anywhere (Hippolit)
>best moments in the novel are what is spoken about, not what is seen (Liev talking about a man about to be beheaded in France. I want to read THAT book, not this one)
>subplot that do not lead anywhere (the mystery of Liev's father)
>the second part is 85% filler (after Parfen tries to kill Liev, everything after is filler)
>the ending is universally hated (and for good motive)

The real Idiot is who spent so much time reading this.

Just finished it ... What did you think was the moral of the story?

Fuck me that ending was bleak. We spend most of the book seeing how the prince's kindness makes ever all the others around him a little bit better people only to go back at point zero at the end.
Also, why the fuck did he go back with the crazy bitch?

>>7775550
o okay then
pic related, it's me

Just found this on an old shelf and looks interesting. Is it worth a read?

>>6019735
>muh distance familys general husbands workers soon to be wife's paintin i fapped over

Which book should i read first by Fyodor? the idiot or crime and punishment or the brothers karamazov?

Which one did you like the most if you read them? i'm not looking for just a novel but something with symbols, metaphors, lessons for life and that sort of thing

>>5135445
Just abour every time I read something by any Russian author.

What book have you been putting off reading the longest, /lit/? You know, THAT ONE collecting dust on your shelf for months or years

>>5117282
>>sincerely trust people

I am going to University to get a degree in Writing because while I do not possess any great skill in it, it is the only thing I think I am even slightly above average in. I have few friends and I don't have a job. My parents are paying for my University just to get me off the couch, though I feel I will also owe them for it in a few years time. I do not believe I have the skill or determination to make anything of my degree and am only going to University for a few years of hedonistic relaxation. I feel bad for my parents on some level but I am weak and I see this as the only pathway to an easy life no matter how temporary. The logical side of my brain sees me as a leech on society and art as nothing more than a distraction for the weak. The emotional side enjoys this distraction and doesn't give a fuck if it's a leech on society. Unfortunately I lack the grit to either make something of myself or kill myself, so I will most likely float around in a jobless limbo for the next decade destroying my parents lives until someone kills me in a bar fight or I get a job at McDonalds and accept my fate.

deal with it

Hold me /lit/, i finished "The Idiot" ;_;