Dostoevsky and the Dynamics of Religious Experience - Paperback

by Malcolm Jones (Author)

One of the world's foremost experts on Dostoevsky presents a new study, focusing on the religious concerns of the enigmatic author.

Back Jacket

'This book moves the study of Dostoevsky's religious worldview into the twenty-first century, and will be of value to the scholar and the non-specialist alike.' Sarah Hudspith, University of Leeds 'A book that should not be overlooked by any serious student of Dostoevsky.' William J Leatherbarrow, University of Sheffield 'Covering several major works, but focusing above all on The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky and the Dynamics of Religious Experience offers a highly distinctive holistic approach which reconciles disparate readings, and confirms Malcolm Jones's pre-eminent position within Dostoevsky studies today.' Sarah Young, University of Toronto This exciting addition to Dostoevsky studies deals with the religious dimension of the novelist's life and fiction. Malcolm Jones takes a fresh reading of Dostoevsky's representation of religion in his fictional world, that allows for both mystery and fear. The author argues that the spiritual map of human experience that Dostoevsky offers includes only the occasional small island of serenity in vast, turbulent oceans of doubt, rebellion, rejection, indifference and disbelief. Dostoevsky is also viewed as an artist, revealing glimpses of salvation through subversive narrative techniques and destabilized, vulnerable characters. This work is a major contribution to the study of Dostoevsky and Russian Literature in Europe, the USA, Russia and throughout the world.

Author Biography

Malcolm Jones is Emeritus Professor in Residence at the University of Nottingham. He is a former President of the International Dostoevsky Society, of which he was a founding member in 1971, and this brings him into regular and frequent contact with other Dostoevsky scholars in Russia. One of the foremost scholars on Dostoevsky, his publications include 'Dostoevsky after Bakhtin' (1990) and 'Dostoevsky: The Novel of Discord' (1976).