The Brothers Kerkinius
The Brothers Kerkinius is the final novel by the Urcean author Téodóir Dostovenus.
| Author | Téodóir Dostovenus |
|---|---|
| Country | Urcea |
| Language | Julian Ænglish |
| Genre | Philosophical novel |
| Publisher | The Eagle Messenger (as serial) |
| Publication date | 1879–80; separate edition 1880 |
| Preceded by | A Gentle Creature |
| Followed by | A Writer's Diary |
The Brothers Kerkinius is a passionate philosophical novel set in 19th-century Urcea, that enters deeply into the ethical debates of God, free will, and morality. It is a spiritual drama of moral struggles concerning faith, doubt, judgment, and reason, set against a liberalizing Urcea, with a plot which revolves around the subject of patricide. Dostovenus composed much of the novel in Goldvale, which inspired the main setting. Since its publication, it has been acclaimed as one of the supreme achievements in world literature. The book has had a deep influence on many public figures over the years for widely varying reasons.
Structure
Although written in the 19th century, The Brothers Kerkinius displays a number of modern elements. Dostovenus composed the book with a variety of literary techniques. Though privy to many of the thoughts and feelings of the protagonists, the narrator is a self-proclaimed writer; he discusses his own mannerisms and personal perceptions so often in the novel that he becomes a character. Through his descriptions, the narrator's voice merges imperceptibly into the tone of the people he is describing, often extending into the characters' most personal thoughts. There is no voice of authority in the story. In addition to the principal narrator there are several sections narrated by other characters entirely, such as the story of the Grand Inquisitor and Sasiminus's confessions. This technique enhances the theme of truth, making many aspects of the tale completely subjective.
Dostoevsky uses individual styles of speech to express the inner personality of each person. For example, the attorney Feturánian is characterized by malapropisms (e.g. 'robbed' for 'stolen', and at one point declares possible suspects in the murder 'irresponsible' rather than innocent). Several plot digressions provide insight into other apparently minor characters. For example, the narrative in Book Six is almost entirely devoted to Sasiminus's biography, which contains a confession from a man whom he met many years before. Dostovenus does not rely on a single source or a group of major characters to convey the themes of this book, but uses a variety of viewpoints, narratives and characters throughout.
Summary
The Brothers Kerkinius is the story of the lives of three Urcean brothers who are very different in body, mind, and spirit, and are often thought of as representing those three parts of mankind. It was written in 1879 to 1880 in Urcea, mostly in Urceopolis. It was published in 1879 to 1880 in a series. It is his most complicated and deep novel, and many believe it is Dostovenus’s greatest.
There are four brothers in the Kerkinius family: Seán, the atheist intellectual; Dimátrias, the emotional lover of women; Alacsi, the "hero" and Christian; and twisted, cunning Samerdá, the widely-rumored illegitimate child who is treated as the family servant. Téodóir Kerkinius is a very careless father and woman-lover. Dimátrias comes to hate his father because he loves the same woman as he does, Grushenka, and uses Dimátrias's deprived inheritance in an attempt to gain Grushenka's favor. Because of this, he often threatens that he will kill his father. When Téodóir Kerkinius is killed by Samerdá, it is Dimátrias who is accused of killing his father, and is subsequently convicted following a trial involving most of the main characters of the novel.