19 pages 38 minutes read

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Grand Inquisitor

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1880

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Literary Context: The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov is Fyodor Dostoevsky’s final novel. Dostoevsky published the novel serially over 1879 and 1880 and died only a few months after its completion. The book was written at a relatively settled period in Dostoevsky’s life, when he was already a successful and highly respected writer. This was also a period of personal tragedy, with Dostoevsky’s three-year-old son Alyosha dying in May 1878, as Dostoevsky was beginning work on the novel. Dostoevsky’s grief for his son is reflected in the novel’s themes of loss as well as in the name of its moral center, Alyosha Karamazov.

The Brothers Karamazov is a synthesis of the ideas and themes that occupied Dostoevsky throughout his career, including the complexities of human nature, the collision of different worldviews, and faith. The novel follows the lives of three brothers, the sons of the landowner Fyodor Karamazov: Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha. Each brother represents a distinct aspect of the human experience: Dmitri embodies passion and desire, Ivan embodies rationalism and skepticism, and Alyosha embodies faith and innocence. The story revolves around the murder of Fyodor Karamazov and the investigation that follows. The conflicts surrounding the investigation fuel philosophical and theological questions.

Related Titles

By Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

Notes from Underground

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Notes from Underground

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Plot Summary

logo

Poor Folk

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Poor Folk

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Devils (The Possessed)

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Devils (The Possessed)

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Double

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Double

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Gambler

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Gambler

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Study Guide

logo

The Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky