Blog

Welcome to Week 4! I’m racing along, slightly behind the crowd, 8 pages shy of the mark my own self. Having a good time by and large, tho I agree with “SBL” that the soap opera component is much more engaging so far than the theological back and forth. Although Smerdyakov’s theological games were a kick. Speaking of which, thanks to Colin for finding the Smerdyakov-related picture tucked in here, referenced at the end of Chapter 6, Book III.
Based on the comments in last week’s thread (and on the introduction), I may be the rare exception who likes Aloysha. In contrast to all the mayhem, I’ve found his Richie C.-like innocence charming and a little bit of a relief. I’m also charmed and pleasantly stupefied by the size of the group — great to see so many folks sticking with it. And now that we’re heading toward page 200, no point turning back, right? I mean, math aside, it’s almost farther back now than it is just to push forward, right? Trailward ho!
-Cecil
Next Wednesday: Let’s meet up at the end of Part II, Book Five, Chapter 3, where somebody’s smiling, “just like a meek little boy.”
(which is to say: please use this Week 4 thread for comments on pages 0-236; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o’ day Tuesday)

Welcome to Week 3! Things swung wildly last week from entertaining and amusing to, as noted in the thread, oft-horrifying/horrible. Whether you were looking for philosophical treatises, high drama, passion, children of unknown origin, or three different forms of confession, it was all there. As I mentioned in the W2 thread, several characters and motivations have turned out to not be what I’d glimpsed on first glance (is Fyodor a clown or a monster, or a monster-clown?), all of which has left me engaged and pleasantly unsure who or what to root for.
In the thread, a few people were reading on the road, most seemed close-to-caught-up, and at least one birthday was celebrated. Church v. state was debated, as well as whether this modern world was made for such as the K’s. Many felt (and I agree) that there was something Dickensian about the flow and feel of things, particularly when Dmitri started racing us through his confessional anecdotes.
Elsethread, Sanbu offered up adam’s apple-themed verse. Off-thread, I briefly considered swapping out magnets for “I Survived the Brothers Karamazov”-themed gudgeons (though a little research revealed that magnets are much more cost-effective and easier to ship).
All in all, a rewarding and thought-provoking seven days. Thanks for joining the trek. The thread has been a real treat and a great companion along the way. And now: trailward ho!
-Cecil
Next Wednesday: Let’s lurch forward to Part II, Book Four, Chapter 3, “far ahead, without slowing down, without turning around…”
(which is to say: please use this Week 3 thread for comments on pages 0-180; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o’ day Tuesday)

And just like that, it’s Week 2. It’s been fun to see so many people diving in. I can report that this is now, by far, our biggest DM to date. Promising news for the magnet industry!
So OK, you’ve bought the book and you’ve read a few chapters. Which is awesome. But don’t get overconfident. I agree (so far) with the ‘marchers who’ve said this is more of a treat than a slog. Book 2 in particular started to downright zip along. But could it be that the very enjoyability of the read (so far) turns out to be the thing that gets you to let your guard down? to put the book aside for a day, then two? Be vigilant, ‘march-mates! There’s a long road ahead with tens of thousands of pages left for us to read (collectively) afore we’re through.
On a less overwhelming note, there’ve been a few questions about how to know when the next thread is up. And I can report that it’ll always be Wednesday, usually (hopefully) by 2 pm PST. Some other tips:
* if you want to jump straight to the deathmarch page to see where things are at (rather than going to the site’s home page) you can find that here.
* If you use an RSS reader you can also subscribe to the site here to see when the latest post has gone live.
* I also announce each week’s post in my poem-of-the-not-quite-every-day mailing list, which features short poetry by Levertov, Snyder, Brautigan, Li Po, Oppen, and other swell poetry-folks. If that interests ya, just send me a note.
Looking forward to the next stretch of the trail. Merry ‘marching all…
-Cecil
Next Wednesday: Let’s meet up at the end of Book Three, Chapter 5, where I’m told “there will be no horror.”
(which is to say: please use this Week 2 thread for comments on pages 0-122; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o’ day Tuesday)

Welcome to the launch of “The Brothers Karamazov Deathmarch” — a collective exploration of the Fyodorovich family and their tale told in four parts over twelve books that are really two novels, plus: an epilogue. And did I mention it was originally written in another language?!
Based on last week’s comments, this could be the largest literary deathmarch we’ve launched. I’m really curious how many folks will make it through. But I have no doubts about you — I can tell you’re the sort of person who successfully completes literary deathmarches. That’s part of your charm and you don’t have to feel bad about it. Some people are born with laser vision.
Here’s a brief recap of how this thing works:
Everyone’s welcome to join — this is the official start, so if you didn’t post last week, not to worry — feel free to jump in here. Each Wednesday I’ll post a new entry (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3…) with our page count target (in the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation) for that week. We’re starting with around 50 pages/week and may speed up to 60 or 70 pages/week, but likely not much more than that.
Comment on each week’s post, make it through to the end, and you’ve qualified for your very own “I Survived the Brothers Karamazov Deathmarch” magnet, complete with ferromagnetic attractors. Comments can be profound. Or less so. You can comment before you read that week’s section as a “here I go!” or after you’re done, as a sort of after-meal mint. Believe it or not, “I’m 200 pages behind and I lost my book!” counts as a comment. I know. Crazy.
You might be tempted to read past the target but try not to get too far down the road — part of the fun is the slow-go. If you’ve zipped ahead, be sure not to get past that week’s reading in your comments.
And that’s the whole shpiel. Barkeep, if you could get me one of those extra-Russian Russian tea cookies in a to-go bag? I’ll see ya on the trail….
-Cecil
Next Wednesday: Let’s meet up at the end of Book Two, Chapter 4, where Aloyosha appears to be “right, very right.”
(which is to say: please use this Week 1 thread for comments on pages 0-59; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o’ day Tuesday)

Life goes better with Russian lit and magnets. To prove that point, on 2/18 a group of us are kicking off “The Brothers Karamazov Deathmarch.” And this, right here, is your personal exhortation to join in.
A bit of history
About four years ago, a gaggle of ‘marchers tackled Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow, a book I was so scared of, the sight of an actual rainbow could make me weep.
But we made it through. Dizzy from the experience, we followed up with Pale Fire, Don Quixote, To the Lighthouse, At Swim-Two-Birds, and Against the Day. Then we stopped for a bit, and not too long after that the economy tanked.
Now we’re switching the DM machine back on for a book that an inebriated friend recently promised “contains the answers to all life’s questions.” And that’s gotta be true. Because he promised.
How it works + FAQ
Starting 2/18, I’ll post here every Wednesday morning with the 50-60 page target for the week (digestible bites designed for rich-mulling). Comment on each week’s post and make it through, and you get a custom-designed “I Survived ‘The Brothers Karamazov Deathmarch’” magnet.
Which version? We picked the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, a beaut, and a bargain at $12.24. Feel free to read another if you won’t be flummoxed by the “what page are we on again?” factor.
OK to re-read? Sure — just be kind and avoid pre-commenting or taunting first-timers like me.
Should comments be well thought out theses or monosyllabic bleats? The machine gratefully accepts all kinds. Wisdom is swell, but not required. And no points allocated for character count.
What next? Pick the book up and hold off reading till the starting post on 2/18 shouts out the page target for Week 1….
We’d love to have you along — the more the marchier. If you plan on diving in, take a sec to shout out in the comments. Any questions, drop me a note. And please feel free to help spread the word via modern “tweet/blog/FB” technology.
Looking forward to the march. Seems like a great season to spend time with something a little bit timeless.