Insofar as the family is a central concern of the Russian nineteenth-century novel, studies of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky focus on the representation of erotic love in the work of the former and of intergenerational conflict in the work of the latter. Anna Berman's book brings to light the significance of sibling relationships in both writers. In close readings of their major novels, Berman shows how Tolstoy and Dostoevsky portray sibling relationships as a stabilizing force that counters the unpredictable, often destructive elements of romantic entanglements and the hierarchical structure of generations. Power and interconnectedness are cast in a new light. Berman persuasively argues that both authors gradually come to consider siblinghood a model of all human relations, discerning a career arc in each that moves from the dynamics within families to a much broader vision of universal brotherhood.
The author revised the manuscript after the first set of reports. Only Orwin read the revised manuscript and submitted a second report, as McReynolds had very minor suggestions for revision.
