Editing Fyodor Dostoevsky (section)

==== ''The Brothers Karamazov'' ====
{{Main|The Brothers Karamazov}}

''The Brothers Karamazov'' is Dostoevsky's largest work. It received both critical and popular acclaim and is often cited as his ''[[Masterpiece|magnum opus]]''.{{sfnp|Frank|2003|pp=390–441}} Composed of 12 "books", the novel tells the story of the novice [[Alyosha Karamazov]], the non-believer Ivan Karamazov, and the soldier Dmitri Karamazov. The first books introduce the Karamazovs. The main plot is the death of their father Fyodor, while other parts are philosophical and religious arguments by Father Zosima to Alyosha.{{sfnp|Frank|1997|pp=567–705}}{{sfnp|Kjetsaa|1989|pp=337–414}}

The most famous chapter is "[[The Grand Inquisitor]]", a [[parable]] told by Ivan to Alyosha about Christ's [[Second Coming]] in [[Seville]], Spain, in which Christ is imprisoned by a ninety-year-old Catholic [[Grand Inquisitor]]. Instead of answering him, Christ gives him a kiss, and the Inquisitor subsequently releases him, telling him not to return. The tale was misunderstood as a defence of the Inquisitor, but some, such as [[Romano Guardini]], have argued that the Christ of the parable was Ivan's own interpretation of Christ, "the idealistic product of the unbelief". Ivan, however, has stated that he is against Christ. Most contemporary critics and scholars agree that Dostoevsky is attacking Roman Catholicism and socialist atheism, both represented by the Inquisitor. He warns the readers against a terrible revelation in the future, referring to the [[Donation of Pepin]] around 750 and the [[Spanish Inquisition]] in the 16th century, which in his view corrupted true Christianity.{{sfnp|Müller|1982|pp=91–103}}{{sfnp|Frank|1997|pp=567–705}}{{sfnp|Kjetsaa|1989|pp=337–414}}

[[Sigmund Freud]] wrote an essay called "[[Dostoevsky and Parricide]]" (German: Dostojewski und die Vatertötung) as an introductory article to a scholarly collection on ''The Brothers Karamazov''.