Seminar: The Brothers Karamazov
01:860:488
Professor Gerald Pirog
172 College Avenue
gpirog@rci.rutgers.edu
For we walk by faith not by sight
--2 Corinthians 5:7
There is no virtue if there is no immortality.
--Ivan Karamazov
The existentialist... thinks it very distressing that God does not exist, because all possibility of finding values in a
heaven of ideas disappears along with Him; there can no longer be an a priori Good, since there is no infinite and
perfect consciousness to think it. Nowhere is it written that the Good exists, that we must be honest, that we must
not lie; because the fact is we are on a plane where there are only men. Dostoyevsky said, "If God didn’t exist,
everything would be possible." That is the very starting point of existentialism. Indeed, everything is permissible if
God does not exist, and as a result man is forlorn, because neither within him nor without does he find anything to
cling to. He can’t start making excuses for himself.
--Jean-Paul Sartre / 1905-1980 / Existentialism and Humanism /1945
Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
--Jean-Paul Sartre / 1905-1980 / Existentialism and Humanism /1945
I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with
the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars.
--Charles Darwin / 1809-1882
Shall not his excellency make you afraid? And his dread fall upon you? Your remembrances are like unto ashes,
your bodies to bodies of clay. Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:
but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
--Job 13:11-15.
No, our science is no illusion. But an illusion it would be to suppose
that what science cannot give us we can get elsewhere.
--Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who
know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.
--Charles Darwin / 1809-1882 / The Descent of Man / 1871-
This course is dedicated to an in-depth study of Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov (1881). We
will read the novel slowly and carefully, putting it in dialogue with relevant readings from Kierkegaard,
The Bible, Freud, Nietzsche, and others.
Among the important questions that his characters live out with burning intensity in this novel are: How
do we gain knowledge of ourselves? What are the limits to the scientific understanding of human
behavior, and what are its harmful effects? How can a good and just society be founded? What is
happiness and what is its connection to progress, materialism and capitalism? What is ideology and what
is its connection to power? What is the role of religion in human life? What is the relation between the
larger social order and the sexual domination and the abuse of women by men?
1
A student who successfully completes this course with a grade of C or better will be able
1. to understand how a complex literary text works as such (narrative structure, character
development, plot design, stylistic features, overall coherence, critical approaches), as well as
understand how these structural elements relate to the development of themes and the expression
of ideas [Core Curriculum Goal II.C.p];
2. to see the large philosophical and religious issues that the novel engages within the context of
other discursive positions on these same issues, and to understand the different world views and
consequences that result from these perspectives on the nature of reality (Faith vs. reason; faith
vs. atheism; mystical approaches to the world vs. scientific approaches; ethics and morality vs.
the legal; religious world views vs. secular ones; freedom and responsibility; the question of
human suffering and the nature of earthly and divine justice) [Core Curriculum Goal II.C.o];
3. to write effectively on these themes using a variety of literary, philosophical, religious, and
scholarly sources [Core Curriculum Goal III.A.v];
4. to make a compelling argument to substantiate a central thesis [Core Curriculum Goal
III.A.s/t];
5. to evaluate and correctly cite sources that further an argument [Core Curriculum Goal III.A.u].
Requirements:
1. Attendance (no more than two absences), participation, and demonstration of independent work (15%)
2. A bi-weekly (every other week) e-journal due every other Friday discussing any issues that you think
are particularly interesting, important or confusing. (15%)
3. Two 3-5 page essays on a topic of your choice in consultation with me. See Guide for suggestions.
(30%). You may write in English or Russian, depending on the language you feel most intellectually
comfortable in.
4. One 10-15 term paper on a topic of your choice after consulting with me. (40%). You may write in
English or Russian, depending on the language you feel most intellectually comfortable in.
See the University policy on Academic integrity.
Readings: I have ordered the Pevear/Volokhonsky translation of The Brothers Karamazov, published by
Vintage (9780374528379). The Russian original is available at
http://az.lib.ru/d/dostoewskij_f_m/text_0100.shtml
In addition I have ordered the following texts:
Kierkegaard, Fear & Trembling 9780143037576
The Book of Job, Frazier 9780802136121
Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals (New Trans Smith) 9780192836175
I will also put relevant sections of these and other recommended texts on line, but I do recommend that
you purchase them.
Class Time: This is a seminar and a relatively small group. I expect that you will always be prepared by
having done the assigned reading for the day. I also hope that you will all feel free to engage me and your
fellow students in lively discussion. Nothing relevant to the text is out of bounds, nor is any question that
has some bearing on the novel. I have put on Sakai a fair amount of extra readings that I will recommend
as they become relevant. I will expect that you are doing a significant amount of research on your own,
aside from the regular assignments. This will enrich the class and help you with your essays and final
term paper.
Students with disabilities (both short- and long-term) who wish accommodations in this class must do so
through the Rutgers Disabilities Services Office and/or the Dean of Students of your school.
2
Your grade will be determined by how well you fulfill the requirements and learning goals of the course.
These criteria will be averaged out to calculate your grade.
Criteria
A
B+/B
C+/C
D/F
1. More than 4
absences
3. More than 3 missing
e-journals
3. Consistently late
submissions
1. Failure to make a
cogent argument or to
offer sound analysis.
2. No consideration of
structural elements in
the novel as they relate
to themes and ideas.
3. Multiple errors that
interfere substantially
with comprehension.
4. Disorganized and
difficult or impossible
to follow.
5. Failure to use
assigned readings.
Very little use of
sources beyond the
text itself. Poor
citation practices --failure to cite sources
and/or failure to
provide sufficient
information about
sources to allow the
reader to access them
him/herself.
Excessive
paraphrasing or
quoting without
independent
analysis/integration.
Assignments
and attendance
1. No absences
2. Completion of all
assigned work on
time
1. Three absences
2. Two Missing ejournals
3. Three late submissions
1. Four absences
2. Three missing ejournals
3. Four or more
late submissions
Essays and
term paper
1. A clear and
compelling argument
that offers an original
perspective or
thoroughly summarizes a body of
knowledge on the
subject.
2. Demonstrates a
solid understanding
of how the novel’s
structure relates to its
themes and ideas.
3. Well written, free
of grammatical and
spelling mistakes;
shows care in proofreading.
4. Excellent organization with thesis
clearly stated,
developed and
concluded.
5. Advanced use and
correct acknowledgement of
multiple scholarly
sources.
Demonstrated
understanding of and
engagement with the
arguments made in
these sources.
6. Engagement with
assigned nonscholarly sources that
illuminate the work
1. Makes a clear
argument, based on
plausible
reasoning. Some
effort to sustain
argument throughout the analysis.
2. Demonstrates an
understanding of
how the novel’s
structure relates to
its themes and
ideas.
3. Well-written, but
may include a few
grammatical, spelling or word choice
mistakes.
4. Good organization with thesis
stated, developed
and concluded.
5. Good use and
correct acknowledgement of a few
scholarly sources
with demonstration
of an understanding of the
arguments that they
make.
6. Some engagement with assigned
non-scholarly
sources.
1. Attempts to offer
a cogent argument
and analysis, but
argument and
analysis are based
on faulty
reasoning.
2. Demonstrates
minimal understanding of how the
novel’s structure
relates to its themes
and ideas.
3. Multiple errors,
but still clearly
intelligible.
Carelessness in
proofreading and
general presentation.
4. Some effort to
structure the paper,
but organization is
problematic and
difficult to follow.
5. Minimal use of
sources and/or
failure to demonstrate adequate
mastery of
scholarly or
assigned nonscholarly sources.
Non-standard
acknowledgement
of sources
1. Argument
and
originality.
2. Textual
analysis and
comprehension of
structure as it
relates to
themes and
ideas.
3. Style,
grammar,
spelling.
4. Organization and
argument.
5/6. Use of
sources
3
September 4
Sept 8
Sept 11
Sept 15
Sept 18
Sept 22
Sept 25
Sept 29
October 2
October 3
October 6
October 9
October 13
October 16
October 17-24
October 20
October 23
October 27
October 30
October 31
November 3
November 6
November 10
November 13
November 14-21
November 17
November 20
Syllabus https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal
Welcome
Read "Introduction"
Sakai Modules 1-2
Read Part I Books 1-2
Terras Book I as relevant
Link
Link
Link
Guide to the novel and
Terras Introduction
assignments
Take a look at this site
Discussion of Terras
Introduction
Read Part I Book 3
Sakai Modules 3-5 as relevant
Terras
Discussion
Read Part II Book 4
Sakai Modules 3-5 as relevant
Terras
Online
Read Part II Book 5 1-3
Start Reading The Book of Job
Deadline for second e-journal
Read Part II Book 5 4-7
Online
Start reading Neitzsche,
Geneology of Morals
Discussion
No e-journal due
First short paper due
Read Part II Book 6
Discussion
Read Part III Book 7
Start reading Freud, Totem and
Taboo
Read Part III Book 8
Deadline for third e-journal
Read Part III Book 9
Discussion
Read Part IV Book 10
Read Part IV Book 11
No e-journal due
Second short paper due
Discussion
Read Part IV Book 12
Terras
Sakai Module Book 6
Terras
Bible
Sakai Module Book 7
Terras
Sakai Module Book 8
Sakai Module: Holquist
Sakai Module Book 9
Bakhtin on Ivan
4
November 24
November 27
December 1
December 4
December 5
December 8
December 15
Read Epilogue
THANKSGIVING
Kierkegaard Fear and
Online
Trembling: "A tribute to
Online excerpts
Abraham"
Freud: The Future of an Illusion
Deadline for fourth e-journal
Final paper due
5