The Brothers Karamazov — cover

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Faith, doubt and family rivalry in 19th-century Russia — Dostoyevsky's greatest work.

Why this book matters

The Brothers Karamazov is the novel Dostoyevsky spent his whole life writing — a murder mystery, a philosophical earthquake, and one of the greatest books ever made.

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The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoyevsky · Chapter I. Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
Free Audiobook · Chapter I. Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov 0:00 / —

Chapter II. He Gets Rid Of His Eldest Son Chapter III. The Second Marriage And The Second Family Chapter IV. The Third Son, Alyosha Chapter V. Elders Book II. An Unfortunate Gathering Chapter I. They Arrive At The Monastery Chapter II. The Old Buffoon Chapter…

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Character Guide

Spoiler-free — fuller detail (with spoilers, if you want them) lives in the reader's Guide tab.

Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov
The vile, lecherous, and buffoonish patriarch of the family, known for his knack for making money and his shameless provocations.
Dmitri Karamazov (Mitya)
The eldest son, a passionate and impulsive former army officer locked in bitter rivalry with his father over money and a woman.
Ivan Karamazov
The intellectual middle son, an educated atheist who struggles with profound philosophical and moral doubts.
Alexey Karamazov (Alyosha)
The youngest son, a gentle, faithful novice at the local monastery, beloved and trusted by nearly everyone he meets.
Father Zosima (the Elder)
The revered monastic elder and spiritual mentor of Alyosha, known for his wisdom and teachings on love and humility.
Smerdyakov
A strange, epileptic servant and cook in the Karamazov household, rumored to be Fyodor Pavlovitch's illegitimate son.
Katerina Ivanovna (Katya)
A proud, dignified young woman entangled with Dmitri through a complicated debt of honor from their first acquaintance.
Grushenka (Agrafena Alexandrovna)
A magnetic local beauty who has captivated both Fyodor Pavlovitch and Dmitri, causing bitter rivalry between them.
Lise Hohlakov
A clever, unpredictable young girl and friend of Alyosha, prone to strange moods and provocative statements.
Madame Hohlakov
Lise's excitable, well-meaning mother, a wealthy widow given to dramatic pronouncements.
Rakitin
A seminary student and acquaintance of Alyosha, cynical and ambitious beneath a friendly manner.
Captain Snegiryov
An impoverished, proud staff-captain publicly humiliated by Dmitri, father to a young schoolboy.
Ilusha Snegiryov
Captain Snegiryov's young son, a schoolboy introduced amid a painful family incident involving Dmitri.

Glossary

Elder (Starets)
A revered monk believed to possess special spiritual wisdom and the ability to guide others' souls, exemplified by Father Zosima.
Novice
A monk still in a probationary period of training before taking final vows, the status Alyosha holds at the monastery.
Gymnasium
A European secondary school for academically advanced students, referenced regarding Alyosha's and Ivan's education.
Étape
A designated stopping point or stage along the route used to transport convicts to Siberia.
Buffoon
A clownish, self-degrading figure who provokes others for attention or amusement, a term repeatedly applied to Fyodor Pavlovitch.
Karamazov nature
The novel's recurring motif describing a shared family temperament of wild sensuality, contradiction, and capacity for both depravity and depth.
Staff-captain
A junior military officer rank held by Captain Snegiryov before his impoverished retirement.
Odor of corruption
The literal smell of a decaying corpse, which becomes a spiritual scandal when it emanates from the supposedly saintly Father Zosima's body sooner than expected.
Roubles
The Russian currency; sums of money (such as the notorious three thousand roubles) drive much of the plot's conflict.

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Table of contents

  1. Chapter I. Fyodor Pavlovitch KaramazovFree
  2. Chapter II.: He Gets Rid Of His Eldest SonFree
  3. Chapter III.: The Second Marriage And The Second FamilyFree
  4. Chapter IV.: The Third Son, AlyoshaFree
  5. Chapter V.: EldersFree
  6. Chapter I.: They Arrive At The MonasteryFree
  7. Chapter II.: The Old BuffoonFree
  8. Chapter III.: Peasant Women Who Have FaithFree
  9. Chapter IV.: A Lady Of Little FaithFree
  10. Chapter V.: So Be It! So Be It!Free
  11. Chapter VI.: Why Is Such A Man Alive?Free
  12. Chapter VII.: A Young Man Bent On A CareerFree
  13. Chapter VIII.: The Scandalous SceneFree
  14. Chapter I.: In The Servants’ QuartersFree
  15. Chapter II.: LizavetaFree
  16. Chapter III.: The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—In VerseFree
  17. Chapter IV.: The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—In AnecdoteFree
  18. Chapter V.: The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up”Free
  19. Chapter VI.: SmerdyakovFree
  20. Chapter VII.: The ControversyFree
  21. Chapter VIII.: Over The BrandyFree
  22. Chapter IX.: The SensualistsFree
  23. Chapter X.: Both TogetherFree
  24. Chapter XI.: Another Reputation RuinedFree
  25. Chapter I.: Father FerapontFree
  26. Chapter II.: At His Father’sFree
  27. Chapter III.: A Meeting With The SchoolboysFree
  28. Chapter IV.: At The Hohlakovs’Free
  29. Chapter V.: A Laceration In The Drawing‐RoomFree
  30. Chapter VI.: A Laceration In The CottageFree
  31. Chapter VII.: And In The Open AirFree
  32. Chapter I.: The EngagementFree
  33. Chapter II.: Smerdyakov With A GuitarFree
  34. Chapter III.: The Brothers Make FriendsFree
  35. Chapter IV.: RebellionFree
  36. Chapter V.: The Grand InquisitorFree
  37. Chapter VI.: For Awhile A Very Obscure OneFree
  38. Chapter VII.: “It’s Always Worth While Speaking To A Clever Man”Free
  39. Chapter I.: Father Zossima And His VisitorsFree
  40. Chapter II.: The DuelFree
  41. Chapter III.: Conversations And Exhortations Of Father ZossimaFree
  42. Chapter I.: The Breath Of CorruptionFree
  43. Chapter II.: A Critical MomentFree
  44. Chapter III.: An OnionFree
  45. Chapter IV.: Cana Of GalileeFree
  46. Chapter I.: Kuzma SamsonovFree
  47. Chapter II.: LyagavyFree
  48. Chapter III.: Gold‐MinesFree
  49. Chapter IV.: In The DarkFree
  50. Chapter V.: A Sudden ResolutionFree
  51. Chapter VI.: “I Am Coming, Too!”Free
  52. Chapter VII.: The First And Rightful LoverFree
  53. Chapter VIII.: DeliriumFree
  54. Chapter I.: The Beginning Of Perhotin’s Official CareerFree
  55. Chapter II.: The AlarmFree
  56. Chapter III.: The Sufferings Of A Soul, The First OrdealFree
  57. Chapter IV.: The Second OrdealFree
  58. Chapter V.: The Third OrdealFree
  59. Chapter VI.: The Prosecutor Catches MityaFree
  60. Chapter VII.: Mitya’s Great Secret. Received With HissesFree
  61. Chapter VIII.: The Evidence Of The Witnesses. The BabeFree
  62. Chapter IX.: They Carry Mitya AwayFree
  63. Chapter I.: Kolya KrassotkinFree
  64. Chapter II.: ChildrenFree
  65. Chapter III.: The SchoolboyFree
  66. Chapter IV.: The Lost DogFree
  67. Chapter V.: By Ilusha’s BedsideFree
  68. Chapter VI.: PrecocityFree
  69. Chapter VII.: IlushaFree
  70. Chapter I.: At Grushenka’sFree
  71. Chapter II.: The Injured FootFree
  72. Chapter III.: A Little DemonFree
  73. Chapter IV.: A Hymn And A SecretFree
  74. Chapter V.: Not You, Not You!Free
  75. Chapter VI.: The First Interview With SmerdyakovFree
  76. Chapter VII.: The Second Visit To SmerdyakovFree
  77. Chapter VIII.: The Third And Last Interview With SmerdyakovFree
  78. Chapter IX.: The Devil. Ivan’s NightmareFree
  79. Chapter X.: “It Was He Who Said That”Free
  80. Chapter I.: The Fatal DayFree
  81. Chapter II.: Dangerous WitnessesFree
  82. Chapter III.: The Medical Experts And A Pound Of NutsFree
  83. Chapter IV.: Fortune Smiles On MityaFree
  84. Chapter V.: A Sudden CatastropheFree
  85. Chapter VI.: The Prosecutor’s Speech. Sketches Of CharacterFree
  86. Chapter VII.: An Historical SurveyFree
  87. Chapter VIII.: A Treatise On SmerdyakovFree
  88. Chapter IX.: The Galloping Troika. The End Of The Prosecutor’s Speech.Free
  89. Chapter XFree
  90. Chapter XI.: There Was No Money. There Was No RobberyFree
  91. Chapter XII.: And There Was No Murder EitherFree
  92. Chapter XIII.: A Corrupter Of ThoughtFree
  93. Chapter XIV.: The Peasants Stand FirmFree
  94. Chapter I.: Plans For Mitya’s EscapeFree
  95. Chapter II.: For A Moment The Lie Becomes TruthFree
  96. Chapter III.: Ilusha’s Funeral. The Speech At The StoneFree

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