New Reader

I have just recently started reading The Possessed, by Dostoevsky and I would like to discuss some parts of the novel with at least one person. I am now reading "The Sins of Others," and there are parts of the text that are somewhat difficult to understand thoroughly. You may feel free to contact me at [email protected], rather than leaving a reply on this forum, as I will not be able to always check the forum.

Thanks in advance,

Mark

Dear Mark,

I find this book to be the most difficult among all of Dostoyevky's. What I do for all his novels--note down the names and personal traits of each character on the fly leafs at the end of the book--is even more imperative in this case. For example, the author gives very unclear information about the relationship of Maurice Drozdov to Lisa Tushin who, of all things, is called the daughter of Mrs. Drozdov! When I realized this, I wondered if Maurice was her cousin because I couldn't accept his being her brother, if they were thinking of getting married! I had to go way back and reread a few sections in order to see that he has no blood relationship to her. He's a cousin-in-law so to speak.

So, this book is not to be read in bed nor on the beach. It has to be actually studied with full attention. I tried reading it in bed for a few weeks, because I need a book in order to fall asleep. This was a mistake. After about 150 pages, I realized I didn't know for the life of me what was going on. So, I stopped reading it, and only came back to it several months later, starting out from the very beginning again. It was as if I had never read the book before. It is hard work. But it definitely pays off. It was not until I reach a little over the first half of the book when I started enjoying it thoroughly. Then it was still work, but work that is lots of fun.

This book I find to be most illuminating for me on the question of politics. In particular, it is revealing a lot to me about what is happening in the United States during my own lifetime.