C & P or Notes

[Illini88228]

I've finally decided to tackle Dostoyevsky this summer, and I've come into possession of Brothers, Crime and Punishment, and Notes from Underground. I've already been advised not to start with Brothers, but I don't know whether I should start with the shorter Notes or if I should tackle Crime and Punishment then move on.

I know the Russians boys are popular on this forum, so which one should I start with?

[dfloyd]

but when I read Dostoyevsky I read in the folowing order: 1) Crime and Punishment, 2) The Brothers Karamazov, 3) The Possessed, and 4) The Idiot. Afterwards I read most of the remaining: The Gambler, Notes from Underground, A Raw Youth, House of the Dead, the Eternal Husband,etc. the four numbered above are vintage Dostoyevsky and his best novels, which I would attack first.

[Brad Coelho]

for the sake of brevity I voted for Notes- that said, it is atypically humorous, existential and more along the lines of an ADHD tour de force...C&P is the most affecting novel I've ever read, but it is a brooding, un-relenting neurosis that is as deep as it is wide. The are both historical artifacts of literature and must reads; let your mood dictate your beginnings...

[Illini88228]

I see there's a little disagreement so far...interesting. Thanks to both of you. I haven't decided yet; I've still got some school work before the end of the semester, so my own reading is still on the back burner.

[mal4mac]

It's a difficult call, both are superb, both are often recommended as good ones to read first. Dostoevsky is emotionally wearing, and both novels cover similar ground, so whichever you decide to go with I would recommend reading something in-between them, just to recharge the batteries. Try Tolstoy's "the Cossacks"!

[keilj]

Neither. I really recommend you start with The Eternal Husband

But if it has to be one of the 2 - start with Crime and Punishment

[Shatov]

Neither. I really recommend you start with The Eternal Husband

But if it has to be one of the 2 - start with Crime and Punishment

Indeed, if it's one of the two, I'd also say C&P is the better one to start with.


But I myself would recommend The Gambler over The Eternal Husband, if only because it is a short read that still contains a good deal of leitmotifs typical to Dostoevsky's work. In that sense, I think it serves as a good springboard for jumping into other works.

But everyone has their "introductory favourites", I suppose. =D

[mayneverhave]

Having read all three in the order of: Crime and Punishment > The Brothers Karamazov > Notes from Underground, I would argue that Crime and Punishment works as a better gateway into Karamazov because they are stylistically and thematically more similar. Both Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are made up of small, almost episodic scenes taking place in drawing rooms in behind closed doors. Thematically, Karamazov develops the ideas made in C&P, while bringing in other considerations.

[mal4mac]

I disagree about "The Gambler", I found it to be minor and rather trivial. It came with my Oxford Classics version of "Notes", so I read them back to back. "Notes" was *far* superior IMHO. "Notes" and C&P might be more hard core, but they are the Dostoevsky at his best, and why read anything but the best...

[Babak Movahed]

Well I would say Crime because it is honestly a masterpiece in every way you could imagine. Notes is great too but in my opinion it isn't as gripping as Crime.

[Desolation]

I'd start with Crime and Punishment, as it's substantially more gripping as a novel.

Notes is brilliant, but it's half mock philosophical manifesto and half story that doesn't really go anywhere.

[milktea]

I'm in the voting minority, but Notes From the Underground is Dostoevsky's philosophical preface to Crime and Punishment and the works which followed--it underpins Raskolnikov's arguments and will deepen your understanding and appreciation of his motives.

Notes 1864 --> C/P 1865-6

This is the chronological progression of the author's thoughts, which you can understand by reading these books in order. So if you really are concerned about which to read first, then perhaps you read as Dostoevsky wrote?

I'm attempting an argument, so perhaps some one can offer a logical rebuttal for reading Crime and Punishment first?

My opinion is that either is fine.

[Tarvaa]

The Brothers Karamazov is my favourite from Fyodor, and I have read that 3 times now. But I did start with Crime & Punishment. I found that it was more gripping than I had expected for "one of the Russians". It is a great story that is easy to follow. The only problem is getting used to the names. Read it and you have opened the doors to the wonderful world of Russian literature.