Event Title
Stinking Lizaveta: the Humble Saint of The Brothers Karamazov
Faculty Mentor
Jana Giles
Location
Hamilton Hall 113
Session
Session 2
Start Date
11-4-2014 2:15 PM
End Date
11-4-2014 3:15 PM
Description
This paper argues that the character from The Brothers Karamazov, Stinking Lizaveta, should be reexamined in the light of the religious tradition of the holy fool. As the mother of the murderous disturbed brother, Smerdyakov, she is usually considered feral or mentally disabled. However, a comparison to the saintly protagonist, Alyosha, historical feral children, andRussian iconography reveals her to be a devout and self-aware mendicant. Because she is a woman, the community is willing to mislabel her rather than regard her as devout, yet in accepting her role with grace, Lizaveta becomes the humble saint of The Brothers Karamazov.
Stinking Lizaveta: the Humble Saint of The Brothers Karamazov
Hamilton Hall 113
This paper argues that the character from The Brothers Karamazov, Stinking Lizaveta, should be reexamined in the light of the religious tradition of the holy fool. As the mother of the murderous disturbed brother, Smerdyakov, she is usually considered feral or mentally disabled. However, a comparison to the saintly protagonist, Alyosha, historical feral children, andRussian iconography reveals her to be a devout and self-aware mendicant. Because she is a woman, the community is willing to mislabel her rather than regard her as devout, yet in accepting her role with grace, Lizaveta becomes the humble saint of The Brothers Karamazov.