Max, 19, hits the lulz

[rebness]

I finally finished The Brothers Karamazov! This is quite good going for my laziness, considering that I've been reading it for three months, on and off. It was worth the effort, though. I think the three brothers were exceptionally well-drawn, especially Dimitri Karamazov, who is basically my brother Adam in Russian garb. The book seemed overlong -- the most minor character would have to come onstage and give a three-chapter rant about their feelings on God, but in the end it was interesting to see how each little belief and each minor character had their effects (for better or worse) upon the dynamic between the brothers. I thought it was a good read and though Dostoevsky preferred The Idiot, I prefer this. So nur.

I meant to say more about it and explore the philosophy and humanism of the novel, but quite frankly, I have been distracted in the past couple of days by the completely sublime Max Gogarty vs. Mean Guardian readers affair. A talentless, middle-class white boy from North London lands himself a cushy job describing his 'completely mental' adventures-to-be in India and Thailand (he's 'doing' Asia in two months). In the blog, he manages to insult Indians, Australians and basically the intelligence of mean-spirited, 'jealous' Guardian readers who noticed that he is the son of one of their journalists. Comments were open on the blog. Hijinks ensued - from A+ trolling to Guardian staff invoking Godwin's Law to Wikipedia edit wars on 'nepotism'. And yay for OTF_Wank for picking up on it. >:)

Comments

[pandorasblog]

This really is the most magnificent wank I've seen in ages.

I wouldn't be inherently annoyed by the son of a journalist having a blog if it was actually well-written or insightful. What gets me about Max's blog is that it knows it's cliched but rather than sending itself up insightfully, it rolls around in its cliches, shits itself, and then rolls around some more. Please. This is the kind of thing that gives gap-year kids a bad name. I've known nineteen-year-olds who could write much more interestingly than that.

Also, interesting to hear your view on The Brothers Karamazov - it's one of those things I always mean to get around to read. I've just finished The Book Thief and really enjoyed it. (I'm the second commenter.) Very much worth reading if you haven't done so yet...

[rebness.livejournal.com]

shits itself, and then rolls around some more

It's India and those blasted snakes!

I still have yet to get round to The Book Thief. I'm currently reading Suite Francaise, but I'll make it second on my list. Gracias!

[coconutswirl.livejournal.com]

Oh. Dear.

That's bad in a really funny, funny way.

And I've never finished any Dostoevsky. Go you.

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Poor Max. I'm actually sad that we won't see any more of his astounding insight into those funny Indians any more.

I won't pretend the book wasn't hard going (the three months thing was mainly due to it being left for days at a time, sometimes weeks) but it was worth it in the end. The long, loooong end.

[daggettsmydog.livejournal.com]

Hey there! I was just flipping through my friends page randomly after abandoning LJ for quite some time and came across your entry and I simply had to respond. The Brothers Karamazov is definitely my favorite Dostoevsky--though Crime And Punishment comes REALLY close behind it. I just fell in love with the complexity of Ivan's character and his struggle to connect with humanity. The Grand Inquisitor thing blew my mind, I thought the way it was articulated was just amazing. Dimitri's amazing too--I love the parallels between him and his father and the way they sort of mirror one another though he hates his father with a passion. Alyosha is Alyosha, you've just got to love him for being who he is. The Idiot I've gotta admit I also wasn't too crazy about. Reminded me a bit too much of Jane Austen Dostoevsky style or something. But then again, I didn't really give it a fair chance seeing as I had to read it for school and skimmed the last half, haha. But one of these days, mark my words, I'll go back and give that book a proper reading.

Anyway. Wow, rant. But I'm just crazy about Dostoevksy. That man's got a way with words I can't even begin to comprehend. Even if his novels aren't my all time favorite, he's definitely the best writer I've ever come across.

Peace.

[rebness.livejournal.com]

Agreed on The Idiot. It was like Dostoevsky-lite. Well, up to the Rogozhin Thing, anyway.

Ivan's speech was definitely one of the stand-out passages in the book. I loved the evocation of Christ and the reaction of the common man in relation to him. And yet, despite all that, it was Alyosha's kiss and the affirmation that even this story told him something good about Christ that really affected me. It's interesting to note what the devil's appearance meant to the unbelieving Ivan, as well.

I loved Alyosha most out of the three brothers, though Ivan and Dimitri were great, too. My favourite character was actually Kolya -- really, really well-drawn. I would have loved to read more about him.

Ooh, I could go on about this forever.