The "Author's Image" and Hagiographic Elements in Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov

Abstract

The article confronts Bakhtin's findings on Dostoevsky's novels (e.g., the reduced position of the author, "incompletness" of characters, and, consequently, the polyphonic nature of the novels) with the findings from the reading of the novels that focused primarly on the philosophical-ideological and plot binomial Ivan - Aljoša. It has a host of hagiographic elements defining the main characters, particularly Aljoša Karamazov, which require this type of reading. The incorporation of the so-called biographic personality of the author in the author's image reveals additional elements completing the main character, which forses us to reconsider Bakkhtinian polyphony.