IceM
11-21-2011, 08:39 PM
J.M. Coetzee's The Master of Petersberg centers on the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky and his return to St. Petersberg after the death of his step-son. A melancholy novel, Coetzee focuses on Dostoyevsky's inner-workings and the psychological impact of a revolutionary phase in St. Petersberg.
Coetzee's Dostoyevsky is an amalgam of his novel's characters--undeniably human, yet paradoxical. For many readers, the irritability of Raskolnikov will be tangible throughout most of the novel, as is his occasional capacity for forgiveness; Coetzee seems to combine Raskolnikov and Sonia into an awkward, yet effective protagonist. Overtones of Notes From the Underground permeate some phases of Dostoyevsky, and the suffering of The House of the Dead manifests itself elsewhere. While good source material for the psychology of the author, reading a re-write of the many characters will be frustrating for some readers.
Similarly, one should expect to be frustrated by the characters. Dostoyevsky, at first deserving of sympathy for the loss of his step-son, later deserves ambivalence as the novel progresses. Nachaev, the revolutionary leader described often as a manifestation of a spirit, may appeal to the inner-rebelliousness of our youth, but is flat in development and provocative in his singular nature. Characters who may warrant admiration later warrant scorn. No character exists that deserves one reaction; instead, like humanity, the characters are a mixed bag of traits that sometimes are favorable, sometimes are not. To this reader, they are mostly the latter.
Central themes include the clash between the conservatism of old age versus a revolutionary youth, the connection between a parent and his son, death as an educator, the psychological burdens of death and uncertainty, the role of the outsider in society, familial relations and the structural workings of a revolutionary process.
Whether this novel is one of Coetzee's finest can be debated by the individual reader. The Master of Petersberg is melancholy, frustrating in regards to the character, and may inspire sadness in the reader. However, the novel is insightful, one that compels the reader to complete the novel and reap the benefits of the immediate wisdom. Like the endings of Crime and Punishment and Siddhartha, The Master of Petersberg depicts the degeneration of one man and his descent into adversity. Siddhartha must struggle against secular desires, Raskolnikov must fight against his conscious and Porfiry; likewise, Dostoyevsky must fight against himself. He must painfully overcome the illusions of his step-son and face the reality of what his son was. Yet, like the previously mentioned novels, there is regeneration. Coetzee's novel reminds us of the human strength of acceptance, and is a novel certainly worth reading.
Coetzee's Dostoyevsky is an amalgam of his novel's characters--undeniably human, yet paradoxical. For many readers, the irritability of Raskolnikov will be tangible throughout most of the novel, as is his occasional capacity for forgiveness; Coetzee seems to combine Raskolnikov and Sonia into an awkward, yet effective protagonist. Overtones of Notes From the Underground permeate some phases of Dostoyevsky, and the suffering of The House of the Dead manifests itself elsewhere. While good source material for the psychology of the author, reading a re-write of the many characters will be frustrating for some readers.
Similarly, one should expect to be frustrated by the characters. Dostoyevsky, at first deserving of sympathy for the loss of his step-son, later deserves ambivalence as the novel progresses. Nachaev, the revolutionary leader described often as a manifestation of a spirit, may appeal to the inner-rebelliousness of our youth, but is flat in development and provocative in his singular nature. Characters who may warrant admiration later warrant scorn. No character exists that deserves one reaction; instead, like humanity, the characters are a mixed bag of traits that sometimes are favorable, sometimes are not. To this reader, they are mostly the latter.
Central themes include the clash between the conservatism of old age versus a revolutionary youth, the connection between a parent and his son, death as an educator, the psychological burdens of death and uncertainty, the role of the outsider in society, familial relations and the structural workings of a revolutionary process.
Whether this novel is one of Coetzee's finest can be debated by the individual reader. The Master of Petersberg is melancholy, frustrating in regards to the character, and may inspire sadness in the reader. However, the novel is insightful, one that compels the reader to complete the novel and reap the benefits of the immediate wisdom. Like the endings of Crime and Punishment and Siddhartha, The Master of Petersberg depicts the degeneration of one man and his descent into adversity. Siddhartha must struggle against secular desires, Raskolnikov must fight against his conscious and Porfiry; likewise, Dostoyevsky must fight against himself. He must painfully overcome the illusions of his step-son and face the reality of what his son was. Yet, like the previously mentioned novels, there is regeneration. Coetzee's novel reminds us of the human strength of acceptance, and is a novel certainly worth reading.