First, you absolutely do not need a degree to have a profoundly deep understanding of literature. It's okay to not vibe with something even if it's highly regarded. It doesn't mean that you're stupid.
Second, Dostoevsky's goal with Prince Myshkin was to develop a character who was perfectly ethical, honest, and pure-hearted, and to see how this type of character would react to various moral dilemmas. It's an interesting concept, and I love the first 100 pages of The Idiot, but Dostoevsky himself said that he stood by the idea but not by the book as whole.
Third, I don't know what your background is, but Dostoevsky was a Christian, so if you're unfamiliar with the foundations of Christianity, I could see how you might not fully understand what you're reading - not necessarily saying that's your situation, but there are many such cases.
I understand what you're saying, I try to tell myself that most of the things that I 'know' I didn't know from birth, I learnt them. So, it's the same for literature, if I don't automatically know what they're about, all I have to do is go and learn.
Thank you for the kind explanation. And yes, I did figure out that not being born and brought up in a Christian family or having too much knowledge about Christianity was one of the factors that affected how I read the book. Dostoevsky in general is very much Christian in his beliefs but I think it was the most prominent in The Idiot (I haven't read Brothers Karamazov, so that I don't know). I only understood it after someone kindly explained it to me on Instagram.
I have felt like this too, especially reading Dostoyevsky because I didn't really understand The Brothers Karamazov. I would like to try The Idiot but it puts me off because I had a hard time with The Brothers Karamazov so it's deterring me from trying his books again.
Yes, it's kind of discouraging tbh. But I'm reading analysis posts and watching some video on YouTube to help me understand the story better. Now I'm enjoying the story a lot more.
Try the YouTube channel Fiction Beast or the Fiction Beast podcast. He is a Russian writer. He is very knowledgeable and very informative. I guarantee you will definitely understand a lot after he explains some things. If you have a hard time understanding western religions I could help maybe explain some of this or point you somewhere where it can be explained simplistically.
Something that might be useful is if you are not knowledgeable about philosophy , religion, European history a lot of Russian Literature and complex literature is going to be very difficult.
Yes it's true. Reading more and more definitely eases the feeling, that's why I keep reading. And also, thankfully we have a lot of resources available online, so we can refer to them.
First, you absolutely do not need a degree to have a profoundly deep understanding of literature. It's okay to not vibe with something even if it's highly regarded. It doesn't mean that you're stupid.
Second, Dostoevsky's goal with Prince Myshkin was to develop a character who was perfectly ethical, honest, and pure-hearted, and to see how this type of character would react to various moral dilemmas. It's an interesting concept, and I love the first 100 pages of The Idiot, but Dostoevsky himself said that he stood by the idea but not by the book as whole.
Third, I don't know what your background is, but Dostoevsky was a Christian, so if you're unfamiliar with the foundations of Christianity, I could see how you might not fully understand what you're reading - not necessarily saying that's your situation, but there are many such cases.
Thank you for your kind words!!!
I understand what you're saying, I try to tell myself that most of the things that I 'know' I didn't know from birth, I learnt them. So, it's the same for literature, if I don't automatically know what they're about, all I have to do is go and learn.
Thank you for the kind explanation. And yes, I did figure out that not being born and brought up in a Christian family or having too much knowledge about Christianity was one of the factors that affected how I read the book. Dostoevsky in general is very much Christian in his beliefs but I think it was the most prominent in The Idiot (I haven't read Brothers Karamazov, so that I don't know). I only understood it after someone kindly explained it to me on Instagram.
I have felt like this too, especially reading Dostoyevsky because I didn't really understand The Brothers Karamazov. I would like to try The Idiot but it puts me off because I had a hard time with The Brothers Karamazov so it's deterring me from trying his books again.
Yes, it's kind of discouraging tbh. But I'm reading analysis posts and watching some video on YouTube to help me understand the story better. Now I'm enjoying the story a lot more.
Try the YouTube channel Fiction Beast or the Fiction Beast podcast. He is a Russian writer. He is very knowledgeable and very informative. I guarantee you will definitely understand a lot after he explains some things. If you have a hard time understanding western religions I could help maybe explain some of this or point you somewhere where it can be explained simplistically.
Something that might be useful is if you are not knowledgeable about philosophy , religion, European history a lot of Russian Literature and complex literature is going to be very difficult.
Yes, I think I'm missing a lot of context, which definitely isn't helping.
The truth is, I love to feel intimidated by books! I find it intelectually stimulating
I see what you mean. It definitely is a feeling, but the feeling of not being good enough unfortunately is also there 😅
Yes it's true. Reading more and more definitely eases the feeling, that's why I keep reading. And also, thankfully we have a lot of resources available online, so we can refer to them.