The Karamazov Case - (T&t Clark Explorations at the Crossroads of Theology and Aesthetic) by Terrence W Tilley (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is a new interpretation of Dostoevsky's novel -The Brothers Karamazov - that scrutinizes it as a performative event (the "polyphony" of the novel) revealing its religious, philosophical, and social meanings through the interplay of mentalitâes or world-views that constitute an aesthetic whole. This way of discerning the novel's social vision of sobornost' (a unity between harmony and freedom), its vision of hope, and its more subtle sacramental presuppositions, raises Tilley's interpretation beyond the standard "theology and literature" treatments of the novel and interpretations that treat the novel as providing solutions to philosophical problems. Tilley develops Bakhtin's thoughtful analysis of the polyphony of the novel using communication theory and readers/hearer response criticism, and by using Bakhtin's operatic image of polyphony to show the error of taking "faith vs. reason", argues that at the end of the novel, the characters learned to carry on, in a quiet shared commitment to memory and hope"--

Book Synopsis

This is a new interpretation of Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov that scrutinizes it as a performative event (the "polyphony" of the novel) revealing its religious, philosophical, and social meanings through the interplay of mentalités or worldviews that constitute an aesthetic whole. This way of discerning the novel's social vision of sobornost' (a unity between harmony and freedom), its vision of hope, and its more subtle sacramental presuppositions, raises Tilley's interpretation beyond the standard "theology and literature" treatments of the novel and interpretations that treat the novel as providing solutions to philosophical problems.

Tilley develops Bakhtin's thoughtful analysis of the polyphony of the novel using communication theory and readers/hearer response criticism, and by using Bakhtin's operatic image of polyphony to show the error of taking "faith vs. reason", argues that at the end of the novel, the characters learned to carry on, in a quiet shared commitment to memory and hope.

Review Quotes

"Reading The Karamazov Case is like spending a delightful afternoon discussing what it means to live well with a wise theologian who brings a lifetime of insight and a lively mind to the conversation." --Horizons: Journal of the College Theological Society

About the Author

Terrence W. Tilley is Professor Emeritus of Theology and Chair of the Department at Fordham University, USA.