Study Guide for Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor story in The Brothers Karamazov

Internet Resources

Constance Garnett translation of The Brothers Karamazov
Plot Summary of The Brothers Karamazov (Read this before you read the selections in our book, to get a sense of what the entire novel is about.)
"Tragic and Comic Visions in The Brothers Karamazov," by Joyce Carol Oates

Study Questions

• Do you agree or disagree with Ivan's statements about God in ch. 4 ("Rebellion")? Formulate a response to Ivan in which you use specific details from other works we've read this semester (or literary works you've read on your own) to support your argument.
• What is the philosophical point Ivan is trying to make with the parable of the Grand Inquisitor?
• How is the information about Zosima related to the story of the Grand Inquisitor?
• Compare and contrast anything in these selections from Dostoevsky to any idea, character, or situation in anything else we've read this semester.