Terms

Elder In Russian, старец (starets), from старый, "old" (our translation), is the experienced monk to whom the novice entrusts his soul and will; the plural is старцы (startsy) and the institution is старчество (starchestvo). The narrator explains that it... Nadryv In Russian, надрыв (nadryv), "laceration" (our translation), comes from надрывать, "to tear, to strain beyond the limit". Madame Khokhlakova says the word about Katerina Ivanovna's conversation with Ivan, and Alyosha shudders because he... Holy fool In Russian, юродивый (yurodivy), "holy fool" (our translation), is the name the Orthodox tradition gives to the fool for Christ, whose apparent foolishness the people take as a sign of holiness; the feminine is юродивая (yurodivaya). In the book the... Buffoon In Russian, шут (shut), "buffoon" (our translation), is the jester who amuses by pretending to be a fool. Fyodor Pavlovich applies it to himself before Zosima, a buffoon in earnest and then a buffoon out of shame; Captain Snegiryov makes buffoonery... Possessed In Russian, кликуша (klikusha), "possessed" (our translation), from кликать, "to shout", is the peasant woman given to fits of hysteria and shrieking, whom the people take for possessed and whom the narrator says suffers from a real... Active love In Russian, деятельная любовь (deyatelnaya lyubov), "active love" (our translation), is love that acts, in contrast to любовь мечтательная (lyubov mechtatelnaya), "dreamy love". Zosima gives it as the answer to Madame Khokhlakova, who asks... Revolt In Russian, бунт (bunt), "revolt" (our translation), is rebellion, and бунтовщик (buntovshchik) is the "rebel". Alyosha gives the word to Ivan's gesture of returning the ticket, and Ivan refuses it, because one cannot live on revolt; the... Everything is permitted In Russian, всё позволено (vsyo pozvoleno), "everything is permitted" (our translation), is the formula Rakitin draws from Ivan's thesis, that without immortality there is no virtue, and which Mitya repeats with naive conviction. Ivan does not... Karamazovian In Russian, карамазовский (karamazovsky), "Karamazovian" (our translation), turns the surname into an adjective and names what the family has in common: the strength of the Karamazov earth that Paisy named, the Karamazovian baseness of which Ivan... Slovoyers In Russian, словоерс (slovoers) is the -с added to the end of words as a sign of servility, a remnant of сударь, "sir". Captain Snegiryov tells Alyosha that only in the second half of his life did he begin to speak with slovoyers, because slovoyers... Scoundrel In Russian, подлец (podlets), "scoundrel" (our translation), is the base, vile man, and it is the word Mitya applies to himself since he spent Katerina Ivanovna's money. He separates it from вор (vor), "thief", and for the thief creates... Affekt In Russian, аффект (affekt), "rapture" (our translation), is a loanword from abroad, spelled with two f's, and in Madame Khokhlakova's mouth it becomes the "judicial affekt", a state in which a man knows what he is doing and is beside himself, and...