Tolstoy or Dostoevsky: An Essay in the Old Criticism, Second Edition [Paperback]

Mr. George Steiner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300069170 | ISBN-13: 978-0300069174 | Publication Date: October 30, 1996 | Edition: 2

George Steiner's Tolstoy or Dostoevsky has become a classic among scholars of Russian literature. An essay in poetic and philosophic criticism that bears mainly on the Russian masters, Tolstoy or Dostoevsky deals also with larger themes: the epic tradition extending from Homer to Tolstoy; the continuity of a "tragic world view" from Oedipus Rex to King Lear and The Brothers Karamazov; the contrasts between the epic and dramatic modes, between irreconcilably opposed views of God and of history. "A must for the teacher, student, and intellectually serious reader."-Kirkus Reviews "This is a book that provides new and stimulating insight into the literary masterpieces and thought of the great Russian novelists. Moreover, in this work Steiner shows a great depth and breadth of literary knowledge and criticism that is not limited alone to the Russian writers under discussion but to writers of all genres and all literary periods."-Journal of Religion "His is a work of personal criticism, often ingenious, always deeply felt."-The New York Times "Brilliant, provocative, full of insights, this classic study still stands alone and unchallenged in modern criticism as a lucid and erudite study of the contrasting genius of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. Steiner's book is a must for the student, scholar, or general reader who wishes to approach the Russian giants in their full literary and philosophical ambience."-Robert L. Jackson

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 2 edition (October 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300069170
• ISBN-13: 978-0300069174
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #631,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profound and classic study, August 26, 2006

By 

Frank Bunyard (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Tolstoy or Dostoevsky: An Essay in the Old Criticism, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is not always an easy read. I'm familiar with most of the work of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky and also with their biographies and the history of Russia during the period in which they wrote. But Steiner's amazing intellect covers such a grand sweep of the world's arts there were times when I felt I was in over my head.

Steiner uses all the arts in his analysis, and draws cultural comparisons across long spans of intellectual history with insights into philosophy, political theory, music, drama and of course, literature. This is a masterful work of great amplitude.

Steiner flatly states that Tolstoy and Dostoevsky are the two greatest writers of all time. I know I'm convinced. He sees Tolstoy as being in the tradition of Homer, an epic writer preoccupied with reason and fact. Dostoevsky he sees as a Shakespearian dramatist, plumbing the depths of the individual soul and always on the edge of the demonic, the darker side of the human experience.

I will not give away who Steiner believes to be the greater of the two. Naturally his choice then becomes in Steiner's estimation, the greatest writer of all time. You don't have to be acquainted with the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky to read this book to find it illuminating - but it helps. This is a great book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steiner's most accessible and inspiring work, January 8, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tolstoy or Dostoevsky: An Essay in the Old Criticism, Second Edition (Paperback)

George Steiner defines this work as a work in the 'Old Criticism'. By this he means it is inspired by admiration for the works. And it has a sense of the works as contributing to one's overall political, historical and literary sense of the world. This as opposed to a New Criticism which would concentrate on a close reading of the text in and by itself.
Steiner's subjects here are the two giants of Russian literature, who Steiner considers in a way the greatest of novelists. The vast epical world of Tolstoy the master of depicting the great sweep of life, and the more tormented inner worlds of the master Dostoevsky are connected here with their great predecessors in world- literature.
This is an inspiring piece of Literary Criticism, the kind one reads as if it were a continuation of the work being criticized, a literary work of distinction in itself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Often Insightful, December 18, 2008

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Mr. Steiner (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tolstoy or Dostoevsky: An Essay in the Old Criticism, Second Edition (Paperback)

George Steiner's criticism is occasionally lofty and hierarchical, but this volume is essentially an excellent comparison of the great Russian masters. Steiner places Tolstoy in the tradition of the classical epics, drawing frequent comparisons between Tolstoy and the best of Homer's epic poems. Dostoevsky, in contrast, is a true dramatist. His novels are often arranged in 'scenes' that are both Shakespearean and immersed in his contemporary Russian culture. For Steiner, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky will remain eternally great artists because of the inherent fusion of artistic brilliance with their obsessive preoccupation with the question of faith. He writes:
"The novels of Dostoevsky mark successive stages of an inquiry into the existence of God. In them is elaborated a profound and radical philosophy of human action. Dostoevsky's heroes are intoxicated with ideas and consumed by the fires of language."
With Tolstoy, Steiner sees an "inversion" of Dante's ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven. Tolstoy was gripped by the notion of heaven on earth, and his novels are always portraying the divine quality of simple-peasant living. Unlike much contemporary criticism, Steiner sees the greatness of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky not as great artists who overcame their philosophical doctrines. Rather, they were great artists whose vision of life was always enfolded in a dialectical tension between reality and philosophical theory.