To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky
This paper problematizes the now widely accepted concept of Dostoevsky’s dialogism, which alleges the ‘Author’s’ equal empowerment of all his characters. Using examples from <i>Crime and Punishment</i> and <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i>, Zholkovsky focuses on instances of ‘sce...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/7/506 |
| _version_ | 1797526225406656512 |
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| author | Alexander Zholkovsky |
| author_facet | Alexander Zholkovsky |
| author_sort | Alexander Zholkovsky |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper problematizes the now widely accepted concept of Dostoevsky’s dialogism, which alleges the ‘Author’s’ equal empowerment of all his characters. Using examples from <i>Crime and Punishment</i> and <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i>, Zholkovsky focuses on instances of ‘scene-staging’ based on the ‘scripts’ devised and enacted by some characters, that are ‘read,’ with varying success, by their targets. He documents the resulting ‘discursive combat’ among the characters, with special attention paid to those ‘playing god’ and thus, the more ‘authorial’ among them. In several cases, the would-be ‘divine’ manipulation is shown to be consistently subverted by the Dostoevskian narrative. However, in one instance, where Aliosha Karamazov charitably scripts Captain Snegirev’s behavior, the ensuing discussion of this episode, in Aliosha’s conversations with Lise Khokhlakova, upholds Aliosha’s right to play god with the Other—“for the Other’s own good”, of course (not unlike the Grand Inquisitor). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:26:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fdd421f99b5b446799be58d69c086cf2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:26:12Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-fdd421f99b5b446799be58d69c086cf22023-11-22T04:49:33ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-07-0112750610.3390/rel12070506To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in DostoevskyAlexander Zholkovsky0College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USAThis paper problematizes the now widely accepted concept of Dostoevsky’s dialogism, which alleges the ‘Author’s’ equal empowerment of all his characters. Using examples from <i>Crime and Punishment</i> and <i>The Brothers Karamazov</i>, Zholkovsky focuses on instances of ‘scene-staging’ based on the ‘scripts’ devised and enacted by some characters, that are ‘read,’ with varying success, by their targets. He documents the resulting ‘discursive combat’ among the characters, with special attention paid to those ‘playing god’ and thus, the more ‘authorial’ among them. In several cases, the would-be ‘divine’ manipulation is shown to be consistently subverted by the Dostoevskian narrative. However, in one instance, where Aliosha Karamazov charitably scripts Captain Snegirev’s behavior, the ensuing discussion of this episode, in Aliosha’s conversations with Lise Khokhlakova, upholds Aliosha’s right to play god with the Other—“for the Other’s own good”, of course (not unlike the Grand Inquisitor).https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/7/506authorial powerscripting othersreading each otherdiscursive combatsplaying godRaskolnikov |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Zholkovsky To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky Religions authorial power scripting others reading each other discursive combats playing god Raskolnikov |
| title | To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky |
| title_full | To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky |
| title_fullStr | To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky |
| title_short | To Be or Not to Be God—The Issue of Authorial Power in Dostoevsky |
| title_sort | to be or not to be god the issue of authorial power in dostoevsky |
| topic | authorial power scripting others reading each other discursive combats playing god Raskolnikov |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/7/506 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexanderzholkovsky tobeornottobegodtheissueofauthorialpowerindostoevsky |