My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Grand Inquisitor: With Related Chapters from the Brothers Karamazov
This new edition presents 'The Grand Inquisitor' together with the preceding chapter, 'Rebellion', and the extended reply offered by Dostoevsky in the following sections, entitles 'The Russian Monk'. By showing how Dostoevsky frames the Grand Inquisitor story in the wider context of the novel, this edition captures the sublety and power of Dostoevsky's critique of modernit...more
Paperback, 80 pages
Published
October 1st 1993
by Hackett Publishing Company
(first published 1880)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,587)
I have read this short story from the BK several times, and every time I read it, it moves me deeply. It inspires me to reflect on the radical freedom offered by Christ, to sorrow for the weakness of man in feeling he needs to surrender his freedom to governments and religious institutions for bread and security and justification, and also to feel gratitude for the gentle, liberating love of Christ, which woos rather than demands. Every time I read this story, it inspires a new question, a new c...more
view 1 comment
A chapter taken from The Brothers Karamazov in which a parable is related to us whereby The Grand Inquisitor converses with Jesus who has returned momentarily and whom The Grand Inquisitor immediately places in prison.
Reading this chapter as a stand-alone with the accompanying context of the book, one does not receive the full impact; however, it is still readable and one can carry something away. But, please, do take the time to read The Brothers Karamazov in its entirety. Havin...more
Reading this chapter as a stand-alone with the accompanying context of the book, one does not receive the full impact; however, it is still readable and one can carry something away. But, please, do take the time to read The Brothers Karamazov in its entirety. Havin...more
This is my second reading of the Brothers Karamazov. The translation I have currently is not the one I would have chosen, but I took what was available. (My current translation is by Andrew MacAndrew; the preferred translation is by Pevear and Volokhonsky; my first reading was the Manuel Komroff translation). I've read most of Dostoevsky's other works (The Adolescent (aka The Raw Youth), The Double, Crime & Punishment (twice), The Idiot, The Possessed (Demons)(twice), The House of the Dead, Note...more
Ok, so 'The Brothers Karamazov' was perhaps the most influential book I have ever read. I was quite pleased to find that this "book" is really just a small piece of that story. Brother Ivan (the Atheist) is telling his little brother Alyosha (the pious one) a fictional tale about the return of Christ during the Inquisition. The Grand Inquisitor arrests Christ and informs Him that he intends to burn Him at the stake although he knows exactly who he is. Only Dostoyevsky could wade into s...more
Part of my Kosovo fiction reading list. Quick, easy read with a some very important messages. Jesus returns during the Inquisition and finds that the church feels that humanity might be better off in their care than in His. Lots of interesting insight into the human condition.
It turns out (and how did I not know?) that this is excerpted from The Brothers Karamazov. The story is presented by Ivan (intellectual, progressive, atheistic) to his younger brother Alyosha (novice monk, gentle, naive) and is a bit of a thought experiment about the three temptations of Christ.
It bears much more consideration before I say much more, but what is most intriguing to me at the moment (in the larger context of the Brothers K that I am still reading) is that it is not en...more
It bears much more consideration before I say much more, but what is most intriguing to me at the moment (in the larger context of the Brothers K that I am still reading) is that it is not en...more
Wow - there is quite a bit of truth in here!
Dostoyevsky continues to impress me with both the depth of his subjects and the eloquence with which he explores them:
"There exists no greater or more painful anxiety for a
man who has freed himself from all religious bias, than how he
shall soonest find a new object or idea to worship. But man seeks
to bow before that only which is recognized by the greater
majority, if not by all his fellow-men, as hav...more
Dostoyevsky continues to impress me with both the depth of his subjects and the eloquence with which he explores them:
"There exists no greater or more painful anxiety for a
man who has freed himself from all religious bias, than how he
shall soonest find a new object or idea to worship. But man seeks
to bow before that only which is recognized by the greater
majority, if not by all his fellow-men, as hav...more
Recognizing the magnificance of the novel, The Brothers Karamazov from which this novel is taken, and its achievement as a classic in its own right, it's difficult for me to rate this book. It's thought-provoking and certainly stretched this mind of mine; it's interactive and doesn't leave one unmoved. The exhortations of The Russian Monk are particularly compelling and it would seem he ascribes to the teachings in Matthew's Gospel, chapters 5, 6, and 7, which is fantastic since there is no othe...more
I refuse to shy away from any book regardless of its theme. I know that many may feel uncomfortable reading any book that is of a religious nature or hints of it. However, I can not ignore the heritage of mankind because I truly believe there is great wisdom hidden within them that can be beneficial. Unfortunately, I feel as though many easily get lost in either the symbolism, metaphors or are repulsed by the mere idea of something hinting of religion. I only say this because of the immediate...more
One of the greatest pieces of writing I have ever read. The fable of the Grand Inquisitor is an except of three chapters from The Brothers Karamazov is so strong and so enduring that has been published separately as a set piece for many years.
I went to Half-Price Books to look for the Brothers Karamazov, but all they had was The Grand Inquisitor. So I bought that instead. What makes these three chapters a super-classic in the middle of a reknowned classic is the depth of understandi...more
I went to Half-Price Books to look for the Brothers Karamazov, but all they had was The Grand Inquisitor. So I bought that instead. What makes these three chapters a super-classic in the middle of a reknowned classic is the depth of understandi...more
Apparently when I read this in college, I didn't realize it was a chapter from The Brothers Karamazov. What I do know, however, is that this is a retelling of Jesus's three temptations by Satan in the desert, except that the setting is different (it mainly takes place in a jail), Jesus never is mentioned explicitly by name (he's most often called "Him" or "Thou"), and the three temptations are reinterpreted (dare I say updated?) by Dostoevsky in a way that seems to me to be t...more
Unbelievable. I had read Brothers Karamazov a few years back, but had a desire to crack it open to reread the Grand Inquisitor portion that this book is excerpted from (beginning with Alyosha and Ivan meeting at the bar, and ending when they leave). This is perhaps the best exposition of Jesus' temptations ever to be written, and it has a great deal to say about human freedom. It's one of those books I will probably need to read every year or two to keep it fresh in my mind.
Oh Dostoyevsky - you be so naughty!
Either religion is a sham, or, more intriguingly, the iron law of religion is God's gift of happiness.
By the way, this book is excerpted from the Brothers Karazmov. So if you buy that, locate this passage - you can read it out of context.
I have never read this passage IN context, so I have no idea how it links to the story. It seems to me that it may stand alone easily.
Either religion is a sham, or, more intriguingly, the iron law of religion is God's gift of happiness.
By the way, this book is excerpted from the Brothers Karazmov. So if you buy that, locate this passage - you can read it out of context.
I have never read this passage IN context, so I have no idea how it links to the story. It seems to me that it may stand alone easily.
This book is so interesting. Though short, 30 pages or so, it took me a long time to read it. The concepts and theories are just so thought-provoking that you have to read through it multiple times to grasp it. Then once you've understood something, you want to go back to another subject you've already encountered to tie the two together. Any philosopher should take a gander at this book.
En serio, ¿Hace falta hablar de Fiodor?
Ok, grandioso libro. La inquisición, la tan temida y sagrada inquisición y sus incontables muertes.
Narrada de manera perfecta por uno de los escritores rusos mas importantes e influyentes de la literatura
El maestro del sufrimiento, el escritor eternamente atormentado.
Libro altamente recomendado, ni siquiera es largo
AnÃmense a leerlo.
Ok, grandioso libro. La inquisición, la tan temida y sagrada inquisición y sus incontables muertes.
Narrada de manera perfecta por uno de los escritores rusos mas importantes e influyentes de la literatura
El maestro del sufrimiento, el escritor eternamente atormentado.
Libro altamente recomendado, ni siquiera es largo
AnÃmense a leerlo.
This is some of Dostoyevsky's richest writing. In this chapter from The Brothers Karamozov, Dostoyevsky inquires into the ideas of freedom, free will and whether we would rather be free or enslaved while living under the illusion of freedom. He also considers the role of religion in culture and whether it contributes to our freedom. This is a rich and heady read.
According to this Reddit thread, this book is some seriously thought-provoking fiction.
It's terrible. And the worst part about it is how everyone's using it when they want to show they have depth:((
(Okay, it's not so bad...but I still find it annoying that such a mediocre passage is so widely quoted)
(Okay, it's not so bad...but I still find it annoying that such a mediocre passage is so widely quoted)
An excerpt from the longer work, The Brothers Karamazov, The Grand Inquisitor is an amazing satire of human spirituality and religious history. One of the shaping works of my self-identity and religion.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was so epic. Had to read it for school, study on religion's place in modernity or something. Have yet to read The Brothers Karamazov, but I definitely will eventually
I read this in The Brothers Karamazov, and ranked it separately because this scene is deserving of its reputation. Its parent book is still worth reading, but it's very tedious.
A unique criticism and observation on humanity and Christianity. So very clever and eloquent, though I'm afraid I missed a lot of imagery. Certainly a dense read.
If you don't read the whole of The Brothers Karamazov, then this is essential reading. Everyone should read Dostoevsky's answering of the problem of evil.
short, sweet, and in some aspects life changing. The 20mins it takes to read this book will have an impact that will last for a lifetime
I was hoping that by reading this I could finally face reading THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV in its entirety, but this excerpt left me cold, perhaps due to my atheism. I guess I'll just have to pick up TBK and begin at the beginning....
Jake
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
YOU
Recommended to Jake by:
Professor Schlesinger
Shelves:
favorites,
famous-or-classic
This is actually a chapter (approx. 30 pages) in the book "the Brothers Karamazov". After an extensive study of the bible, and the polemic of free will, Dostoevsky created this tale, a masterpiece really, and inserted it into the book as a story that Ivan tells Alyosha.
This work may not seem as profound to you on the first pass, but after many years of revisiting this theme in other literature, discussing it with people much more intelligent than me, and rereading it sever...more
This work may not seem as profound to you on the first pass, but after many years of revisiting this theme in other literature, discussing it with people much more intelligent than me, and rereading it sever...more
the greatest chapters out of the Brothers Karamazov, which is one of the greatest books ever written by the greatest author ever
BK is a good book, the description of this chapter is wrong, Ivan is not a committed athiest.
Dostoyevsky has a lot of good things to say in this book and his writing is peerless. But this chapter is, it seems, anti-Catholic diatribe written from a view of Orthodox superiority. I like his views on faith generally but speaking through Ivan this chapter represents mere partisanship. How much of that feeling belongs to Ivan and how much actually belongs to Dostoyevsky I'm not sure.
...more
Dostoyevsky has a lot of good things to say in this book and his writing is peerless. But this chapter is, it seems, anti-Catholic diatribe written from a view of Orthodox superiority. I like his views on faith generally but speaking through Ivan this chapter represents mere partisanship. How much of that feeling belongs to Ivan and how much actually belongs to Dostoyevsky I'm not sure.
...more
Part of The Brothers Karamazov, this excerpt is one of the most brilliant passages of literature ever written. It is actually a story made up by one of the characters in the novel in an attempt to prove that religion is bogus, but the meaning of it is open for debate. It is short - only 10 pages or so - but so full of meaning and so thought-provoking that everyone should read it. It clearly articulates what the arguments against God are, as well as what Christ taught by comparison, and it is tol...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the ill-fated creature is born.”
—
8 people liked it
“In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, Make us your slaves, but feed us.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
