The Brothers Karamazov/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • High Octane Nightmare Fuel: Ivan's and Lise's discussions of child abuse. Lise's introduction of stewed pineapple into the picture does not help.
  • Straw Man Has a Point: The Contra view was not the one Dostoyevsky wanted to endorse. Whether Ivan's expression of his nihilistic views is sufficiently refuted by Alyosha and Zosima is up to you, but in terms of dramatic impact, the Pro views have hardly the same power as Ivan's accusation.
    • Except not quite - Dostoevsky knew that he had to make as powerful of an argument as he could against the existence of God, so he deliberately made the contra good. There are few straw men in Brothers Karamazov, least of which being Ivan.
  • The Woobie: Ilyusha and his father.
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