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What is the best translation for understanding Dostoevsky's criticisms of radical material nihilism? I don't want to read newer, 'progressive' publications that obfuscate the intended character motives or dialogue, and I certainly don't want any introductions written by some marxist academic slime who represents the very problem this book is criticizing.
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>I don't want to read newer, 'progressive' publications that obfuscate the intended character motives or dialogue, and I certainly don't want any introductions written by some marxist academic slime who represents the very problem this book is criticizing.
I can't think of any translations that do this.
Anyway, Katz is pretty good. P&V is more literal but kind of clunky. Your best bet is to just read it in Russian if you're so worried :^)
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>>25400811
Constance Garnett , for the other (modern) translators jave been corrupted by postmodern neoliberal marxist theory of translation.

>>25400846
>best bet is to just read it in Russian if you're so worried. :^)
Nope. You can't learn Russian the way Dostoevsky intended as a westerner in current year.
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>>25400858
>other (modern) translators jave been corrupted by postmodern neoliberal marxist theory of translation
Thanks anon. I want to stay away from that. Who will you recommend instead?
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>>25400864
Good idea. For you I would recommend the Constance Garnett translation of The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Possessed, and The Idiot. Only after you have finished those go near Notes From Underground, or The Gambler. As for those Penguin or Oxford crap like White Knights or "Demons" they shove down your throat on social media, the proper place for them is burning in hell, but burning in a furnace will do fine for now. :^)
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>>25400868
>Penguin or Oxford crap li
Oh no i have already bought a Penguin Deluxe copy of Crime and Punishment. Is it too late for me?
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>>25400873
No of course not Just fetch a free ebook of one of the lovely Constance Garnett masterwork translations online, and do not hesitate to incinerate and dispose of the marxist garbage you got scammed into buying.
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>>25400877
Thanks anon I'll get right on it. But isn't smoke inhalation from burned books bad for my lungs?
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>>25400883
Glad to hear it. It is a little bit bad to breathe in smoke from burning ink but it's definitely less toxic than poisoning your mind or accidentally let someone else stumble on one of those crap Dostoevsky translations. Just make sure you do it in a well ventilated area, and have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water near by. Once the book is ignited feel free to take some ateps away from it to avoid breathing the smoke definitely.
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>>25400811
I’ve only read Pevear and Volokhonsky and it seemed pretty straightforward aside from the normal stuff that can make Russian to English translations challenging to read.
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>>25400858
>post modern neoliberal Marxist theory
Holy fuck. I cannot believe I share a board with people this retarded. You don’t know what any of those words mean do you.
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>>25400898
While many readers regard P&V as being extremely straightforward they certainly aren't the best, and you are starving yourself of a real treat if you haven't read Garnett's tasty editions yet.
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>>25400864
>>25400868
>>25400883
>>25400888
Actual OP here. Your snide little RP is gay, and you know well enough that the current climate in academia is toxic. So unless you're just being a mischievous little shit, I would assume you're one of the silk-handed serpents devouring my taxes.

Serious responses only, please.
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>>25400909
I am not OP. I am not on welfare. I am however, gonna go with the Garnett translation.
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>>25400917
To be a humanities post-grad is to be on welfare.
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Quit trying to gaslight the dostoneet. He might be one of the few that reads, and in that case it doesn't matter if it's dosto.

>>25400909
The answer is always as close to the original as you can find and also read. Skip intros.
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>>25400811
The Penguin Classics version is great
The bonus chapter should be skipped and ruins the character of Stavrogin
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>>25400811
P&V is the best. Miss me with the gay ass pretension of trying to make the translation "sound natural". Their translations are proper English, it's only weird because that's exactly how the characters speak in that country. But none of this has anything to do with understanding the politics of it or not, merely the tone and feeling. Except for Constance Garnett, don't read that, she skipped parts she didn't understand... Supporting more my point that some shit is hard to translate so it's better literal.

>>25400858
>Constance Garnett , for the other (modern) translators jave been corrupted by postmodern neoliberal marxist theory of translation.
kys immediately please
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>>25400934
>>25400947
I thought P&V might be the way to go. I lean toward 'as close to OG as possible' on general principle.

Thank (You) for the suggestion. GBY
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>>25400811
You can't tell me that's not Post Marlone
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>>25400811
I read the P&V translation. People say they're clunky to read and I agree but they are very literal in their translation and I find that to be a plus actually
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>its 2026
>People still read translations
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>>25400811
>I don't want to read newer, 'progressive' publications that obfuscate the intended character motives or dialogue
>>25400858
>postmodern neoliberal marxist theory
This HAS to be bait, kek.
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>>25400868
Constance Garnett is OP. Pevearstein and Volonskyberg are cash-grabbing grifters and their translations suck
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>>25401451
The post from >>25400858 is not me.
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>>25402447
And?
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>>25402451
And are you incapable of believing that someone is against marxist thought in [current year]?
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>>25400811
I like P & V. I seriously doubt they altered their transaction to include some type of modern political narrative, the whole thing is fairly bleak but funny. Pyotr Stepanovich is an evil commie. Nikolai Stavrogin is a good man corrupted by wicked ideas. Shatov (AKA Chadtov) is a foolish young man who is a chad-cuck but gets killed. Kirilov is an insane retard, also corrupted by wicked modern ideas. And Stepan Trofimovich is a soft headed liberal who let all this happen and should have known better, AKA an Irresponsible White Man. Liberalism and leftism look very bad in this translation and a return to traditional morals is presented as good. Oh and Virginsky is a cuck. And there are parts about leftists acting retarded that would delight /pol/ minded types.
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>>25400811
Rather than politics you'd probably going to resonate with one of those nihilists idea or perspective on life, my bet is kirillov - since most of us lived the same ascetic-nihilism life as him right now, only without the god man man god metaphysical part
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I keep hearing Dostoevsky is "one of the greats" and then every time I try to get interested in Crime and Punishment, I just think to myself, "Wow, everyone in this book seems to be an exaggerated retard and they're all trying to be as miserable as possible."

I mean, if it's trying to depict the modern Russian, then okay, but then why would I need a book and why would it be considered great? It really just doesn't click with me. What am I not getting?
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>>25402845
Start with Notes from the Underground to get it. Much shorter and to the point.
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>>25402951
Very well, I'll try.
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>>25400901
Worst, you share the world
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>>25400811

What a pathetic abortion of a thread. /Pol/tard incel losers should really be hanged from their entrails while getting their eyes picked out by ravens.
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>>25402845
>they're all trying to be as miserable as possible."
>if it's trying to depict the modern Russian, then okay, but then why would I need a book and why would it be considered great?
19th century Russian, so usually extremely impoverished, but regardless no, it's not trying to depict 'the Russian', but the psychological consequences of a particular type of ideology that was becoming popular in Dostoyevsky's time.
It's a psychological novel about nihilism, rationalism, egoism, and their antitheses, embodied and tested through its characters.
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>>25402070
There's something oddly victorian in the way her writing feels. It feels like I'm reading a proper 19th century novel.
Modern translations don't evoke that feeling in me.
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>>25402464
Oh god, it's completely retarded. Don't bother with translations, just read anything because your reading comprehension is shit.
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>>25403118
I've heard about that but if so, the characters feel like the weakest, most low IQ versions of the ideals they're supposed to represent. Like, this retard Raskolnikov is going to commit an axe-murder, but he only cares about being exposed after he already committed it? Like nibba, if you really cared, you could've wrapped a scarf or a cloth around your face or some shit. And what happened to trying to test if you were "extraordinary" or not? Is Dostoevsky trying to say Raskolnikov "succeeded" and he's all the worse off for it? Because it just looks to me a lot like Raskolnikov failed and he's a retarded pussy-ass bitch.
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>>25400811
ps2 rock band guitar hero algorithm
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>>25400811
Constance Garnett is absolutely fine for first time readers of the book. I do really like the Oxford University Press paperback edition from the 1990's.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8117
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>>25400811
Constance is only still mildly popular because her works are public domain and anybody can read it for free

No other reason to read anything other than P&V, unless you want Dostoevsky to sound like Charles Dickens, in which case yeah, stick with Garnett. If you aren't straight up half illiterate, you'll understand it just fine



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