The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Start Free Trial

Dostoyevsky as Existentialist? Should Dostoyevsky be considered an existentialist writer? Does The Brother's Karamazov, in particular, qualify him as existentialist? I've seen this connection made before, but I think there is room for debate...

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The late Walter Kaufmann, a leading authority on existentialism, observed in his work Existentialism that Dostoyevsky was given to writing about characters who were very different than he was, or at least who did not share his beliefs. Dostoyevsky was a Christian, and many of the existentialist ideas that he gave to his characters, the athiest Vanya for example, are not his own.

Approved by eNotes Editorial Team
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Are you asking about this book or all of his books?  Being his last novel, it makes sense that this one would best reflect the culmination and full development of his work.  Since one of the main questions is about existence, and existence of God, I'd say it is existential.

See eNotes Ad-Free

Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial Team