I apologize if this has been discussed previously. I didn't see it if it has.
One thing that has always puzzled me about The Brothers Karamazov is the point of view. It's usually third person with loose limitations, but every so often Dostoyevsky uses first person and inserts himself as a sort of historian. Why does he do this? A historian recording reality as a novel certainly wouldn't be privy to the thoughts of the characters, but character analysis through thought is widespread (the part where Alyosha returns to the monestary and listens to the reading of the wedding in Cana comes to mind.) Anyone have any thoughts on this technique?
