Tuesday Mar 16, 2004

0
Started re-reading Crime and Punishment today. I haven't read it since I was 16 and it's very odd to go through this book and read the thoughts of Raskolnikov. When I was a kid I knew Dostoyevski had been put it prison for his writing, but didn't see the politics or social commentary quite as clearly as I do now. I just liked the things Raskolnikov said/thought at the superficial level and didn't have much background knowledge to grasp metaphor. I've often said that Marx would have been much better if he were Chekov. I'm starting to think he would have been just as good were he Dostoyevski.

effigy:
I know what you mean about the "superficial understanding" of youth...the lack of "context" when looking at literature...I can grasp and relate more deeply to writing if I have the context down...
I was a big fan of Kafka when I was in school...I realted to "The Metamorphosis" a great deal..(in my own context, of course.)
BTW...my "old demons"...I just thought at 32 I was done with certain tendencies...like my bratty selfishness and my propencity to turn guilt into a chance to become consumed w/self abuse and, in so doing, become completely self-absorbed...stuff like that.
blush

More Blogs