The narrator (person telling the story) is unnamed, and though he knows the coldness and darkness of the subjects he writes about, he writes warmly and inventively in a tone of serious comedy. Although the narrator is sometimes allowed to be , he also talks of himself as "I", says things that are not directly related to the plot, in a style that some people have criticized. It is possible that this writing style is because of the way Dostoevsky's books were written: in the day, he would hurriedly write down ideas in his notebook, and at night, his wife, Anna Snitkina Grigoryevna, who was a , would have them copied neatly out:
The critical reception of The Brothers Karamazov has been quite special and strong. Dostoevsky published his books in a series of journals, and every one made people argue about it and think very much about it. Sigmund Freud called it “the most magnificent novel ever written.” Franz Kafka was greatly influenced by Dostoevsky’s works.
Critic Robin Feuer Miller wrote that "The Brothers Karamazov" was Dostoevsky's "...last and arguably greatest novel."
Virginia Woolf said, "Alone among writers Dostoevsky has the power of reconstructing(making again) those most swift(quick) and complicated states of mind... This is the exact opposite of the method(way) adopted(used), perforce(for instance), by most of our novelists. They reproduce all the external(outside) appearances-tricks of manner, landscape, dress, and the effect of the hero upon his friends-but very rarely, and only for an instant, penetrate to the of thought which rages within his own mind. But the whole of a book by Dostoevsky is made out of such material... We have to get rid of the old tune which runs so persistently (continues) in our ears and to realize how little of our is expressed in that old tune."
On 7 June, 1880, on the night before his famous "Pushkin speech", he wrote at midnight to his wife: "As I walked across the hall during intermission, a host of people, youths and graybeards and ladies, rushed toward me exclaiming, 'You're our prophet. We've become better people since we read The Karamazovs.' (In brief, I realized how tremendously important The Karamazovs is.)" The next evening, after the triumph of his speech, he wrote to her, "When I appeared on the stage, the auditorium thundered with applause... I bowed and made signs, begging them to let me read-but to no avail(no use): elation(joy), enthusiasm (all because of The Karamazovs)!"
However, not everybody loved "The Brothers Karamazov". Tchaikovsky, an important writer of music in Russia, was interested in "The Brothers Karamazov", but finally decided that it was "" and that all the characters were "crazy". Some people, like Henry James, Vladimir Nabokov and D. H. Lawrence were very critical of it (did not like it). For example, Lawrence said that in "The Brothers Karamazov", he did not like "these Russians, morbidly wallowing (swimming) in adoration (love) of Jesus, then getting up and spitting in His beard... It's all , half-baked, and one gets tired of it. One gets tired of being told that Dostoevsky's Legend of the "Grand Inquisitor" 'is the most profound (deepest) declaration which ever was made about man and life.' ... The more Dostoevsky gets worked up (excited) about the tragic (sad) nature of the human soul, the more I lose interest. I have read the "Grand Inquisitor" three times, and never can remember what it's really about." He also said "The Brothers Karamazov" was too depressing "because, alas, more drearily true to life. At first it had been lurid romance. Now I read "The Grand Inquisitor" once more, and my heart sinks right through my shoes."
Georgetown, Ontario
Georgetown is a community in Ontario, Canada. It is part of the town of Halton Hills, Ontario. A neighbouring community is Acton, Ontario.
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution, was the throwing off of Charles X of France from power. His cousin Louis-Philippe, the Duc d'Orléans became king. However, after 18 hard years on the throne, he, also, would be taken off the position of king. It showed the change from one kind of monarchy to another. This change was from the Bourbon Restoration to the July Monarchy. This also marked the change of power from the House of Bourbon to the House of Orléans. People who supported Bourbon would be called Legitimists. Supporters of Louis-Phillipe were called Orleanists. Louis-Philippe was king of the French (not King of France) until the French Revolution of 1848.
On September 16, 1824, Charles X came to the throne of France. He was the younger brother of Louis XVIII. When Napoléon Bonaparte was defeated, he had become King of France. Both Louis and Charles ruled because of their birth, not because a great number of people wanted them to. This was the first of two things that began "Les Trois Glorieuses", the "Three Glorious Days" of the July Revolution.
When Napoleon abdicated in 1814, Europe, and mostly France, was in great confusion. The Congress of Vienna met to draw the continent's political map again. A great number of European countries came to the congress. However, there were four most important powers that controlled the decision. These powers were the United Kingdom, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, represented by King Frederick William III. Another very important person at the Congress was Charles Maurice de Talleyrand. He was a French diplomat under Napoleon. France was considered an enemy state.
Talleyrand suggested that Europe go back to its first, "legitimate" government. He meant the government before Napoleon. This plan was largely accepted by members of the Congress. France went back to its 1789 borders and the House of Bourbon came back to the throne. In the eyes of the Congress, the political situation in France and Europe was now back to normal. However, the new king, Louis XVIII, felt that ideas of nationalism and democracy were still in his country. So, they made and signed the "Charte constitutionnelle française", the French Constitution. It is also known as "La Charte". This was the second thing that began the July Revolution.
People quickly learned about the Saint-Cloud "ordonnances" from the "Le Moniteur". Angrily, workers were fired, and business closed down. Unemployment, which had been growing through early summer, increased. "Large numbers of... workers therefore had nothing to do but protest."
Newspapers such as the "Journal des débats", "Le Moniteur Universel (Le Moniteur)", and "Le Constitutionnel" had already stopped being put in print. This was because of the new law. Almost 50 journalists from 12 city newspapers met in the offices of the liberal "Le National". There they signed a protest, and promised their newspapers would continue to run.
That evening, police came to a news press and took away newspapers that were against the law. An angry, unemployed mob shouted hotly, ""A bas les Bourbons!" "Vive la Charte!!"" Armand Carrel, a Republican journalist, wrote in the "Le National":
"France... falls back into revolution by the act of the government itself... the legal regime is now interrupted, that of force has begun... in the situation in which we are now placed obedience has ceased to be a duty... It is for France to judge how far its own resistance ought to extend."
As if living in a dream world, the Paris "Préfet de Police" wrote on the evening, " ...the most perfect tranquility (peace) continues to reign (rule) in all parts of the capital. No event ... of attention is recorded in the reports that have come through to me."
Baja Bug
A Baja Bug is an original Volkswagen Beetle changed so that it can operate in open desert, sand dunes and beaches. Other kinds of air-cooled Volkswagens are sometimes changed this way.
Baja Bugs were first made in Southern California in the late 1960s as an inexpensive answer to the commercial-built, Volkswagen-based dune buggies of the mid-1960s, especially the Meyers Manx.