Remembering The End: Dostoevsky As Prophet To Modernity

Dostoevsky was one of those writers of the nineteenth century who came to be regarded by many readers in the following century as a prophet. How does he remain prophetic for us now, in the early twenty-first century?Remembering the Endexplores and assesses Dostoevsky's critique of modernity, with particular focus on the Grand Inquisitor (inThe Brothers Karamazov), where his prophetic vision finds its most intense expression. The authors write to elucidate the spiritual realism of Dostoevsky's biblically charged literary art, and to show how it can help us to remember who we are in this modern/postmodern moment in which--as individuals and members of communities--we are required to make critical choices about the meaning of justice, history, truth and happiness. The book will be of interest to readers in comparative literature, ethics, political theory, philosophy, religious studies and theology.

P. Travis Kroeker is associate professor of religious studies at McMaster University in Ontario. He is the author of Christian Ethics and Political Economy in North America. His articles have appeared in, among others, The Journal of Religion, The Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, and Studies in Religion. Bruce K. Ward is professor of religious studies at Thorneloe College, Laurentian University in Ontario. He is also the author of Dostoevsky's Critique of the West: The Quest for the Earthly Paradise.