The Novelist’s Craft: Reflections on The Brothers Karamazov

Loss and Longing in Chekhov’sThree Sisters: The Sisters Prozorov Answer the Brothers Karamazov (An Attempt to Emulate Paul Ornstein on a Small Scale and in a Minor Key)

“…And in choosing to write about a play, in which psychological insight is revealed primarily through observable behavior and dialogue I was concerned that what could be conveyed about the inner lives of the play's characters would be painfully limited as compared with what a great novelist can reveal about psychological life through expository and descriptive narrative in addition to dialogue. And yet Ornstein (2012) tells us that Dostoevsky's novels are dialogic and that "it is in the course of a dialogue that the features of a person's character emerge" (p. 300). Admittedly, Ornstein (2012) also points out that in Dostoevsky's work "dialogue refers not only to the exchange between two people but also to the inner dialogue of each of the novel's characters" (p. 301).…”

“…And yet Ornstein (2012) tells us that Dostoevsky's novels are dialogic and that "it is in the course of a dialogue that the features of a person's character emerge" (p. 300). Admittedly, Ornstein (2012) also points out that in Dostoevsky's work "dialogue refers not only to the exchange between two people but also to the inner dialogue of each of the novel's characters" (p. 301). And inner dialogue isn't something we usually expect to get from plays.…”

“…Paul se ha sumergido en Dostoievski durante décadas, leyendo todas sus novelas y escribiendo varios artículos. Quería hacer un homenaje a todo este trabajo pero en el tiempo de que dispongo (o en el tiempo que fuera) sabía que yo no podría escribir un artículo que se aproximara a la profundidad y sabiduría académica de los artículos de Paul sobre Dostoievski (Ornstein, 1993(Ornstein, , 2012. En este proyecto necesariamente más pequeño voy a responder al trabajo de Paul sobre Los hermanos Karamazov a través de la exploración de Las tres hermanas de Chejov.…”

“…Paul s'est plongé dans l'oeuvre de ce grand écrivain pendant plusieurs décennies, lisant tous ses romans et rédigeant quelques articles sur le sujet. Je désirais rendre hommage à cette part de son travail, sachant que, dans le temps disponible (mais même indépendamment de cela), je ne pouvais rivaliser de profondeur et d'érudition avec lui (Ornstein, 1993(Ornstein, , 2012. Je décide alors, dans un projet nécessairement plus humble, de faire écho à son étude sur Les frères Karamazov en me penchant sur Les trois soeurs de Tchekhov, cela dans un esprit tragicomique qui, j'espère, est à même d'honorer à la fois Paul Ornstein et Anton Tchekov.…”

“…But faith and doubt are lived-out only implicitly in Three Sisters while, as Ornstein (2012) suggests, tensions between faith and doubt constitute the central explicit theme of The Brothers Karamazov. The mood is heavy in Dostoevsky's novel and much lighter (though possibly deceptively so) in Chekhov's play.…”