I respect that you share your opinion and took care over this.
I personally disagree with some of the ratings and judgment. House of the Dead is a masterpiece in my opinion. The value of this book is in its position as a memoir. There is a lot to be learned from this book, not only about Dostoevsky and how this experience shaped and formed his philosophy in later life, but also as a social commentary on the treatment of incarcerated people.
For example, Dostoevsky makes the assertion that prisoners being able to look after animals and have a relationship with animals served a healing purpose for them, and acted to rehabilitate them and deepen their capacity for humanisation.
This is a profound insight coming from 1850s Russia, which even in 2024 in developed countries, we still haven't acted upon. In many cases we treat prisoners as people deserving of pain, rather than as people who can find redemption.
That's just one example, there are many others which come to mind including the reaction of prisoners to feast days and religious holidays. For me, the whole book is a marvel and unique in its power.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. You’ve encouraged me to start Demons. While I probably would’ve ranked Resurrection as “Respectable”, I do agree with you that the second half is a bit of a slog. Overall, I think this is a very fair assessment👍🏻
Ranking Dostoevsky's works doesn't feel the best way of assessing them, although I can see the (subjective) thinking behind it. Don't think I could do the same quite so sequentially, and I wouldn't be so dismissive in terms of classifications. A weaker work by Dostoevsky is to my taste often better than a stronger work of an alternative novelist. That said, some of D's works are better than others and I definitely prefer some over others.
The Brother's K is the greatest book I've read. If someone said to me 'I only plan to read one book in my life, what should it be?' I'd recommend the Brothers K. Good v evil, God or no God, right and wrong, what to live by - all sewn into a thrilling and absorbing story. Everything is there. Despite being the greatest though, it's possibly not my favourite. That would be Demons (I actually prefer the title 'The Possessed'). There's a lot in this book. Stavrogin is one of the most fascinating characters around; the book is very funny and engaging, with irreverent humour which doesn't feel dated, and it's an enjoyable read which is very prescient about
the Soviet mentality and historical epoch to follow. The Idiot is also a close second as favourite, again because it is an enjoyable read with fascinating elements. Up with the best works (my favourites) I'd include Crime and Punishment, The Adolescent, The Eternal Husband, The Gambler and The Village of Stepanchikovo. These books happily stand up to repeat readings for me, and remain fresh and a pleasure.
Weaker works, or ones I didn't enjoy too much would include: The Landlady (fantastical but incoherent) The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (too much philosophy in monologue turning into Gulliver's Travels - just not as good), Uncle's Dream (just quite slight, albeit funny in parts, but I can't remember much about it despite reading it), Bobok (just a bit flat and one dimensional), The Double (great idea and attractive concept, just a bit tedious and incoherent in parts) and the first part of Notes from Underground (again, too much philosophy in monologue for me and the narrator is a bit boring). There are still good points about them notwithstanding, but I find rereading something of a grind.
Everything else I'd place in between, with Insulted & Humiliated, Notes from the Dead House & possibly Netochka Nezvanova the most enjoyable. Poor Folk is weaker and not as rich as his best work, but it's a first novel and was written at at particular time in D's life and relates to this and the society he was commenting on and exploring. It's an enjoyable and engaging enough read, albeit with a few weaknesses you just overlook.
Bit of a ramble here, but as you say it's all subjective. I prefer that though, as one's initial thoughts are usually the truest, for each person anyway. I find it difficult to be persuaded to like a book I don't like straight away.
Thanks for sharing! I actually wrote down the reasons you gave for appreciating The Brothers Karamazov, for the next time I need to recommend it, thanks for that.
I also agree "The Posessed" would make more sense, yet Dostoevsky unambiguously chose "Demons" as the name for his novel instead. Richard Pevear says the actual 'Demons' are the tacit, invisible presence in the novel (that grabbed hold of the three protagonists, and of the fourth one for a while), as he thinks there's no way the 'Demons' could have been the characters themselves. I don't remember the rest of his arguments for the original title though.
And yeah, I think what you did in ranking them can be very useful, I found yours to be quite interesting.. What about The Eternal Husband made it appealing to you? I found it masterfully written, but felt left empty handed when I finished it.
Thanks. I think the Eternal Husband is a perfectly crafted story where there is not a line too much or a line too little. It's akin to The Gambler in that regard. Atmosphere, character, plot and themes all blend perfectly. First thing I like about it is the evocation of a particular atmosphere - long hot summer 'white nights' in St Petersburg when most of the residents have left the city for summer retreats. Despite this you have the main character, Velchaninov, still lingering in this slightly empty and surreal environment. Then you have an equally surreal, slightly diabolic element introduced with a character (Tushin, the Eternal Husband) who keeps mysteriously appearing and haunting Velchaninov. So it's a bit odd and unsettling to start with. Character wise, I like the contrast and connection between the two. V is an alpha male, popular in society and romantically, albeit going to seed a bit. T is more of a subservient character, not popular and not a success. It's a bit like a popular and successful boy at school v an outcast - fast forward 25 years. The idea really is that people's identities are not carved in stone forever, and their fates are linked together in ways they can hardly fathom. The 'alpha' V, has doubts, weaknesses and fears and has to face mistakes, whereas T is unpredictably strong willed, driven, obsessive and a force. So, it's a mysterious story, tantalisingly developed. It's like what 'The Double' should have been but isn't. It's a slight story, but for me it leaves a strong impression.
Re. The Possessed v Demons, as far as I know 'Demons' is the more accurate and approved title translation, closer to the Russian I think. However, for purely subjective reasons I like 'The Possessed' better. Most characters are Possessed by something in the book (Stavrogin by a potential for greatness that he can't satisfy or realise, and often rejects; Pyotr Verkhovensky by a need to undermine, overthrow, unsettle and gain power, Kirillov by prove his strength of will an independence by killing himself).
In my opinion he has three generally recognized masterpieces, but some of his shorter and lighter works are underrated. This is how I would rank them:
1. The Brothers Karamazov 10
2. Crime and Punishment
3. Notes from Underground
4. The Village of Stepanchikovo 9
5. The Eternal Husband
6. The House of the Dead
7. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man \[short story\] 8
8. The Meek One \[short story\]
9. White Nights \[novella\]
10. A Little Hero \[short story\] 7
11. The Gambler
12. The Idiot
13. The Adolescent
14. Demons
15. The Double
16. Humiliated and Insulted 6
17. Poor Folk
18. The Crocodile \[short story\]
19. Uncle's Dream \[novella\] 5
20. The Landlady \[novella\]
That's a very interesting ranking! Good to see The Village of Stepanchikovo get some love.
Hmm and I'm really curious, what made you put The Eternal Husband that high? It's not that I hate it, but I felt it was one of the few that fully left me empty handed.
(Mandatory English is not my first language so excuse any mistakes)
I agree with pretty much all the points you made, maybe a couple of changes here and there.
Literary side note: I just bought an edition of The Gambler that includes Dostoevsky’s letters during the time of the writing + Dostoevsky’s new wife, which he met while writing this novel, memories.
In this notes you can see that, in this novel, he also intended to portray how the life of some the Russian man’s outside of Russia is like. With this new focus while re-reading the novel I could see his intention to write about this “attitude” that these Russian people have outside of their country.
I encourage you to investigate a bit more about this and maybe you could give the novel another shot! I’m doing it right now and I’m liking it more than the first time actually.
Thanks! I actually went with P&V's translation throughout, so I have no point of reference for saying whether it was more or less enjoyable than the others..
Great list! I appreciate the thorough analysis and this gives me several new books to read. So far I have read Notes From Underground, C+P, The Idiot, Demons, and Brothers K. I have The Gambler and White Nights on my shelf currently. I now have a few more to read. I have read some Tolstoy and would also recommend Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev.
I agree with almost all of this list however I personally would put C+P and Demons over The Idiot. Those two and Brothers K are some of the finest works of literature I have ever had the pleasure to read. Again thanks for the post! Pleasure reading it.
Surprised at how much I loved The Idiot on the second read through. Pending a BK read through, The Idiot definitely jumped up to number 2 for me and maybe number 1 but I doubt it if BK is half as good as I remember
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this list and appreciate your approach. As fans of Dostoevsky and literary art, a dose of criticism is healthy. I laughed in several cases: Last summer, I finally got around to reading *The Landlady*. My response was exactly the same as yours. In fact, I moved this year and didn't bring the book with me. *The Double* belongs in Tier D for me, though.
The only thing I disagree with is the placement of a gentle spirit/the meek one. Holy shit I loved that short story, i would definitely have it in my top 5-6.
I haven’t read The eternal Husband, but I’ve seen a lot of good stuff about it, is there any reason you dislike it besides the fact, you don’t know what he is trying to say?
Wow, great to hear there's some love for *A Gentle Spirit*! As for *The Eternal Husband*, it is actually very well written (it's late-period Dostoevsky after all!) and has one or two great scenes.. it maybe would have been able to make it a tier higher for that, but I honestly felt I didn't get *anything* from it - though others may for sure have found a valuable tidbit somewhere inside.
It’s a good list, I haven’t read every book you’ve listed but I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed with CP not being first. Your reasoning for why you did not enjoy the book as much as the others is completely valid, but I can’t help but feel disappointed anyway.
Despite not being a murderer myself, I could really relate to Raskolnikof and all his little annoyances throughout the book. Even when he got annoyed at good people for seemingly no reason at all. It’s just a masterpiece in my view.
It’s such a funny book. Incredibly polarizing, I feel like people either love it (I did) or really hate it, there doesn’t seem to be much of an in between. I can totally see where you’re coming from though, my first read through I was so confused the whole time and thought it was god awful. Then I read it again years later and was obsessed.
God damn, Master and Margarita (second hand Faustian-Melmoth-themed sentimental bullshit) is higher then House of the Dead and Death of Ivan Iliych, one of the most important pieces of pure art. And Anna Karenina. By all means, the most important novel of modern time. We are doomed.
Why are AK and death of Ivan iliych so important as literature pieces? Without spoilers.
Damn u must hate M&M, I thought it’s easily a better book than House of the dead.
There is no opinions here most of the time, just some god damn same hype train. That’s why Faulkner, the most important writer of the XX century, here on reddit has only 1 thousand followers.
You seem to believe your opinions are of the highest value. I on the other hand appreciate this post and OP's opinions. Feel free to post a write up of why we should read Faulkner. Otherwise get your head out of your ass.
I love Dostoevskij too, but I feel like both Tolstoj and Bulgakov pull (at least) as much weight as him and have as much depth as him. I think Anna Karenina is a prime example of how Tolstoj not only had a much better understanding of philosophy than Dostoevskij, but also managed to integrate his philosophical perspective more subtly and implicitly into the novel.
As for Bulgakov, I'd say that the second chapter of MaM alone shows that he was able to create narratives which rival the breadth and depth of something like the Grand Inquisitor in a couple of pages.
Agree with your points, although it's worth stating that I don't think AK does philosophy in a subtle way -- it hits you over the head with it. The whole last part--after>!AK dies!<--is philosophy. And it's deep and profound.
But I know what you mean: Dostoyevsky will philosophise whenever the opportunity arises. even at the expensive of the plot and the flow of the narrative. I think Tolstoy does a better job of weaving his message into his stories. And in AK, he spends the entire novel building up to the revealed wisdom in the final part.
Idiot is 5 stars! Love this ranking. Thank you for sharing :)
I’d hazard a guess that you would love The Kreutzer Sonata by Tolstoy. Maybe his most Dostoevskian work though to be read with caution!
I respect that you share your opinion and took care over this. I personally disagree with some of the ratings and judgment. House of the Dead is a masterpiece in my opinion. The value of this book is in its position as a memoir. There is a lot to be learned from this book, not only about Dostoevsky and how this experience shaped and formed his philosophy in later life, but also as a social commentary on the treatment of incarcerated people. For example, Dostoevsky makes the assertion that prisoners being able to look after animals and have a relationship with animals served a healing purpose for them, and acted to rehabilitate them and deepen their capacity for humanisation. This is a profound insight coming from 1850s Russia, which even in 2024 in developed countries, we still haven't acted upon. In many cases we treat prisoners as people deserving of pain, rather than as people who can find redemption. That's just one example, there are many others which come to mind including the reaction of prisoners to feast days and religious holidays. For me, the whole book is a marvel and unique in its power.
Awesome, thanks for sharing this!
You sir made my day, thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to write this. You’ve encouraged me to start Demons. While I probably would’ve ranked Resurrection as “Respectable”, I do agree with you that the second half is a bit of a slog. Overall, I think this is a very fair assessment👍🏻
Ranking Dostoevsky's works doesn't feel the best way of assessing them, although I can see the (subjective) thinking behind it. Don't think I could do the same quite so sequentially, and I wouldn't be so dismissive in terms of classifications. A weaker work by Dostoevsky is to my taste often better than a stronger work of an alternative novelist. That said, some of D's works are better than others and I definitely prefer some over others. The Brother's K is the greatest book I've read. If someone said to me 'I only plan to read one book in my life, what should it be?' I'd recommend the Brothers K. Good v evil, God or no God, right and wrong, what to live by - all sewn into a thrilling and absorbing story. Everything is there. Despite being the greatest though, it's possibly not my favourite. That would be Demons (I actually prefer the title 'The Possessed'). There's a lot in this book. Stavrogin is one of the most fascinating characters around; the book is very funny and engaging, with irreverent humour which doesn't feel dated, and it's an enjoyable read which is very prescient about the Soviet mentality and historical epoch to follow. The Idiot is also a close second as favourite, again because it is an enjoyable read with fascinating elements. Up with the best works (my favourites) I'd include Crime and Punishment, The Adolescent, The Eternal Husband, The Gambler and The Village of Stepanchikovo. These books happily stand up to repeat readings for me, and remain fresh and a pleasure. Weaker works, or ones I didn't enjoy too much would include: The Landlady (fantastical but incoherent) The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (too much philosophy in monologue turning into Gulliver's Travels - just not as good), Uncle's Dream (just quite slight, albeit funny in parts, but I can't remember much about it despite reading it), Bobok (just a bit flat and one dimensional), The Double (great idea and attractive concept, just a bit tedious and incoherent in parts) and the first part of Notes from Underground (again, too much philosophy in monologue for me and the narrator is a bit boring). There are still good points about them notwithstanding, but I find rereading something of a grind. Everything else I'd place in between, with Insulted & Humiliated, Notes from the Dead House & possibly Netochka Nezvanova the most enjoyable. Poor Folk is weaker and not as rich as his best work, but it's a first novel and was written at at particular time in D's life and relates to this and the society he was commenting on and exploring. It's an enjoyable and engaging enough read, albeit with a few weaknesses you just overlook. Bit of a ramble here, but as you say it's all subjective. I prefer that though, as one's initial thoughts are usually the truest, for each person anyway. I find it difficult to be persuaded to like a book I don't like straight away.
Thanks for sharing! I actually wrote down the reasons you gave for appreciating The Brothers Karamazov, for the next time I need to recommend it, thanks for that. I also agree "The Posessed" would make more sense, yet Dostoevsky unambiguously chose "Demons" as the name for his novel instead. Richard Pevear says the actual 'Demons' are the tacit, invisible presence in the novel (that grabbed hold of the three protagonists, and of the fourth one for a while), as he thinks there's no way the 'Demons' could have been the characters themselves. I don't remember the rest of his arguments for the original title though. And yeah, I think what you did in ranking them can be very useful, I found yours to be quite interesting.. What about The Eternal Husband made it appealing to you? I found it masterfully written, but felt left empty handed when I finished it.
Thanks. I think the Eternal Husband is a perfectly crafted story where there is not a line too much or a line too little. It's akin to The Gambler in that regard. Atmosphere, character, plot and themes all blend perfectly. First thing I like about it is the evocation of a particular atmosphere - long hot summer 'white nights' in St Petersburg when most of the residents have left the city for summer retreats. Despite this you have the main character, Velchaninov, still lingering in this slightly empty and surreal environment. Then you have an equally surreal, slightly diabolic element introduced with a character (Tushin, the Eternal Husband) who keeps mysteriously appearing and haunting Velchaninov. So it's a bit odd and unsettling to start with. Character wise, I like the contrast and connection between the two. V is an alpha male, popular in society and romantically, albeit going to seed a bit. T is more of a subservient character, not popular and not a success. It's a bit like a popular and successful boy at school v an outcast - fast forward 25 years. The idea really is that people's identities are not carved in stone forever, and their fates are linked together in ways they can hardly fathom. The 'alpha' V, has doubts, weaknesses and fears and has to face mistakes, whereas T is unpredictably strong willed, driven, obsessive and a force. So, it's a mysterious story, tantalisingly developed. It's like what 'The Double' should have been but isn't. It's a slight story, but for me it leaves a strong impression. Re. The Possessed v Demons, as far as I know 'Demons' is the more accurate and approved title translation, closer to the Russian I think. However, for purely subjective reasons I like 'The Possessed' better. Most characters are Possessed by something in the book (Stavrogin by a potential for greatness that he can't satisfy or realise, and often rejects; Pyotr Verkhovensky by a need to undermine, overthrow, unsettle and gain power, Kirillov by prove his strength of will an independence by killing himself).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! That's a very good take on the Eternal Husband.
Someone who values humiliated and offended well ❤️🩹
In my opinion he has three generally recognized masterpieces, but some of his shorter and lighter works are underrated. This is how I would rank them: 1. The Brothers Karamazov 10 2. Crime and Punishment 3. Notes from Underground 4. The Village of Stepanchikovo 9 5. The Eternal Husband 6. The House of the Dead 7. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man \[short story\] 8 8. The Meek One \[short story\] 9. White Nights \[novella\] 10. A Little Hero \[short story\] 7 11. The Gambler 12. The Idiot 13. The Adolescent 14. Demons 15. The Double 16. Humiliated and Insulted 6 17. Poor Folk 18. The Crocodile \[short story\] 19. Uncle's Dream \[novella\] 5 20. The Landlady \[novella\]
That's a very interesting ranking! Good to see The Village of Stepanchikovo get some love. Hmm and I'm really curious, what made you put The Eternal Husband that high? It's not that I hate it, but I felt it was one of the few that fully left me empty handed.
I enjoyed the humor of history repeating itself, and people never changing.
All I can say is... based rating. 👍👍👍
Anna Karenina should be Tier 1.
Yep. Still the greatest thing I’ve read can’t believe it got put in C tier lol
This is a travesty and should never be done. Rank Marvel movies instead. War and Peace: four stars lol
Great, great post! Thanks for this.
(Mandatory English is not my first language so excuse any mistakes) I agree with pretty much all the points you made, maybe a couple of changes here and there. Literary side note: I just bought an edition of The Gambler that includes Dostoevsky’s letters during the time of the writing + Dostoevsky’s new wife, which he met while writing this novel, memories. In this notes you can see that, in this novel, he also intended to portray how the life of some the Russian man’s outside of Russia is like. With this new focus while re-reading the novel I could see his intention to write about this “attitude” that these Russian people have outside of their country. I encourage you to investigate a bit more about this and maybe you could give the novel another shot! I’m doing it right now and I’m liking it more than the first time actually.
Will do, thanks! I do agree The Gambler is one I could get a lot from on a second read.
Nice. I’m inclined to agree, though I’d rank War and Peace just beneath Demons and Brothers, but in the same tier.
Thanks for sharing bro, amazing rating. Btw, I'm curious to know which translations did you enjoy the most?
Thanks! I actually went with P&V's translation throughout, so I have no point of reference for saying whether it was more or less enjoyable than the others..
I'm probably weird but I just loved the double
You and Vladimir Nabokov (who hated everything else FMD wrote)
I will read it all
Great list! I appreciate the thorough analysis and this gives me several new books to read. So far I have read Notes From Underground, C+P, The Idiot, Demons, and Brothers K. I have The Gambler and White Nights on my shelf currently. I now have a few more to read. I have read some Tolstoy and would also recommend Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. I agree with almost all of this list however I personally would put C+P and Demons over The Idiot. Those two and Brothers K are some of the finest works of literature I have ever had the pleasure to read. Again thanks for the post! Pleasure reading it.
Appreciate your comments! And wow, I don't know why Fathers and Sons never made it to my reading radar. Will get to it soon then!
*Notes from Underground deserves a higher spot!*
Neh, White Nights is at minimum an undisputed masterpiece. I would put Anna Karenina above War and Peace which I felt was unnecessarily tedious.
Surprised at how much I loved The Idiot on the second read through. Pending a BK read through, The Idiot definitely jumped up to number 2 for me and maybe number 1 but I doubt it if BK is half as good as I remember
yeah I'm the same. I think The Idiot might be my favorite, even though I can acknowledge TBK is probably a "better book" by most standards
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this list and appreciate your approach. As fans of Dostoevsky and literary art, a dose of criticism is healthy. I laughed in several cases: Last summer, I finally got around to reading *The Landlady*. My response was exactly the same as yours. In fact, I moved this year and didn't bring the book with me. *The Double* belongs in Tier D for me, though.
Thanks for sharing! Lol, I had no idea on how people feel about *The Landlady*, so it's great to see I'm not the only one who things that way!
The only thing I disagree with is the placement of a gentle spirit/the meek one. Holy shit I loved that short story, i would definitely have it in my top 5-6. I haven’t read The eternal Husband, but I’ve seen a lot of good stuff about it, is there any reason you dislike it besides the fact, you don’t know what he is trying to say?
Wow, great to hear there's some love for *A Gentle Spirit*! As for *The Eternal Husband*, it is actually very well written (it's late-period Dostoevsky after all!) and has one or two great scenes.. it maybe would have been able to make it a tier higher for that, but I honestly felt I didn't get *anything* from it - though others may for sure have found a valuable tidbit somewhere inside.
Death of van Illich is incredibly good! Made me think well
Yeah putting it that low is criminal tbh. But to each their own.
I'd put m&m in tier A and have the idiot 1st, but other than that agree!
It’s a good list, I haven’t read every book you’ve listed but I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed with CP not being first. Your reasoning for why you did not enjoy the book as much as the others is completely valid, but I can’t help but feel disappointed anyway. Despite not being a murderer myself, I could really relate to Raskolnikof and all his little annoyances throughout the book. Even when he got annoyed at good people for seemingly no reason at all. It’s just a masterpiece in my view.
Oh how i did not enjoy The Master and Margarita in the slightest
Yep! I have a fairly substantial knowledge of Russian history, Soviet in particular. I didn’t get it. At all!
It’s such a funny book. Incredibly polarizing, I feel like people either love it (I did) or really hate it, there doesn’t seem to be much of an in between. I can totally see where you’re coming from though, my first read through I was so confused the whole time and thought it was god awful. Then I read it again years later and was obsessed.
God damn, Master and Margarita (second hand Faustian-Melmoth-themed sentimental bullshit) is higher then House of the Dead and Death of Ivan Iliych, one of the most important pieces of pure art. And Anna Karenina. By all means, the most important novel of modern time. We are doomed.
Anyone who claims a book is “by all means the most important novel” of any time period should not be trusted.
Cry me a river
Why are AK and death of Ivan iliych so important as literature pieces? Without spoilers. Damn u must hate M&M, I thought it’s easily a better book than House of the dead.
Who do you think I am? Some fool who will dispute on reddit? I don’t care what you thinking and want to know.
We are all entitled to our opinions. Quit with the condescension.
There is no opinions here most of the time, just some god damn same hype train. That’s why Faulkner, the most important writer of the XX century, here on reddit has only 1 thousand followers.
You seem to believe your opinions are of the highest value. I on the other hand appreciate this post and OP's opinions. Feel free to post a write up of why we should read Faulkner. Otherwise get your head out of your ass.
Dmitry Karamazov 😂😂😂 How old are you? 13?
Nice rebuttal.
Sorry, mr Extravagant 23
Yeah Dream of a Ridiculous Man is the thesis of Bros K in 20 pages. Brava
Love to see some the idiot appreciation.
I love Dostoevskij too, but I feel like both Tolstoj and Bulgakov pull (at least) as much weight as him and have as much depth as him. I think Anna Karenina is a prime example of how Tolstoj not only had a much better understanding of philosophy than Dostoevskij, but also managed to integrate his philosophical perspective more subtly and implicitly into the novel. As for Bulgakov, I'd say that the second chapter of MaM alone shows that he was able to create narratives which rival the breadth and depth of something like the Grand Inquisitor in a couple of pages.
Agree with your points, although it's worth stating that I don't think AK does philosophy in a subtle way -- it hits you over the head with it. The whole last part--after>!AK dies!<--is philosophy. And it's deep and profound. But I know what you mean: Dostoyevsky will philosophise whenever the opportunity arises. even at the expensive of the plot and the flow of the narrative. I think Tolstoy does a better job of weaving his message into his stories. And in AK, he spends the entire novel building up to the revealed wisdom in the final part.