Fyodor Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazovis unquestionably one of the greatest works of world literature. With its dramatic portrayal of a Russian family in crisis and its intense investigation into the essential questions of human existence the novel has had a major impact on writers and thinkers across a broad range of disciplines from psychology to religious and political philosophy. This proposed readers guide has two major goals to help the reader understand the place of Dostoevskys novel in Russian and world literature and to illuminate the writers compelling and complex artistic vision. The plot of the novel centers on the murder of the patriarch of the Karamazov family and the subsequent attempt to discover which of the brothers bears responsibility for the murder but Dostoevskys ultimate interests are far more thoughtprovoking. Haunted by the question of Gods existence Dostoevsky uses the character of Ivan Karamazov to ask what kind of God would create a world in which innocent children have to suffer and he hoped that his entire novel would provide the answer. The design of Dostoevskys work in which one character poses questions that other characters must try to answer provides a stimulating basis for reader engagement. Having taught university courses on Dostoevskys work for over twenty years Julian W. Connolly draws upon modern and traditional approaches to the novel to produce a readers guide that stimulate the readers interest and provides a springboard for further reflection and study.