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laura_bower's review against another edition
5.0
Borrowed this off a friend and will be passing it around the rest of our reading group for sure... this captures a timeless male insecurity; it's like reading the day in the life of an incel. Basically a lonely guy attempting to lash out at who he thinks are the cool kids.
eistpheist's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
claireanne33's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sm0kesicy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alex2222's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gregre's review against another edition
3.0
Geniale e originale, ma un uomo egocentrico e drama queen che racconta le sue memorie criticando e ritraendo perfettamente la società del suo tempo non è molto il mio genere.
natmysh's review against another edition
4.0
Caution: Spoilers Ahead: Proceed with caution as this review may contain information that could spoil your reading experience.
Notes from Underground lays the basic foundation of Dostoevsky's truth. The views on society, morality, philosophy, and religion that he develops throughout his great novels are all introduced in this short masterpiece. The Underground Man, the main character that presents himself as an anti-hero, a character that symbolized satire and demonstrated tragedy in the most comical but pitiful way. An intelligent wasted block of potential and someone who finds pleasure in his own suffering and degradation. The Underground Man is an allegorical character, a product of 19th century Romanticism and Hegelianism, as he encompasses the traits of being individualistic, disillusioned, and nihilistic, the extreme aftermath of both movements.
The Underground Man's Tragedy
The Heroism of Liza
Liza is an exceptionally well-written character and embodies women's remarkable ability to empathize and listen beyond words. Her character is so captivating that one could easily fall in love with her character and subtle redemption, making her the true hero of this novella.
My Final Thoughts
You might find yourself relating to the character of the Underground Man, perhaps even sharing his philosophical ideals, opinions, and embrace of suffering. You may even empathize with the feelings he experienced during his tragic social failures. This proves that The Underground Man represents the extreme side of human contradiction, embodying inner turmoil and psychological suffering to their utmost depths. His character serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and struggles inherent in the human condition, leaving readers to ponder the profound depths of the human psyche long after the pages of the novella have been exhausted.
Rating
I rated this novella a 4/5 because it literally changed my life and was the gateway drug for me to dive deeper into more of Dostoevsky's great works.
Recommendation
I recommend this to those who share the same fear as mine, best described in the words of Sylvia Plath:
Some tips on reading this great work!
● Read it really, really, really slow. Every page, every word, of this novella has profound meaning.
● Read it with a pen and paper. If you intend to read more of Dostoyevsky you'd want to study this novella, take notes, ponder, philosophize, this is the very introduction to his other great novels.
● Read it as it is, and then reread it from afar (or do both, up to you). For your first read, believe everything the main character says, get inside his head, and try to understand his perspective. When rereading it, read it from afar, argue, state your opinion, criticize the main character, and converse with the author.
Notes from Underground lays the basic foundation of Dostoevsky's truth. The views on society, morality, philosophy, and religion that he develops throughout his great novels are all introduced in this short masterpiece. The Underground Man, the main character that presents himself as an anti-hero, a character that symbolized satire and demonstrated tragedy in the most comical but pitiful way. An intelligent wasted block of potential and someone who finds pleasure in his own suffering and degradation. The Underground Man is an allegorical character, a product of 19th century Romanticism and Hegelianism, as he encompasses the traits of being individualistic, disillusioned, and nihilistic, the extreme aftermath of both movements.
But man is a superficial and unseemly creature and perhaps, like a chess player, is fond only of the actual process of achieving his goal rather than the goal itself.One of the Underground Man's key belief is that man could find more satisfaction in the pursuance of a goal than the achievement of it. This belief is similar to Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy. His notion that man is only a rope over an abyss, a bridge and not the destination, a journey and not the goal, a means to an end. Despite this belief the Underground Man still managed to spiral downward into his underground rather than strive for the betterment of his well-being. The question then is how? What is missing? The answer is not at all visible as I expected from Dostoevsky. But after rereading it several times, Dostoevsky's answer to the existential questions he posed through this short masterpiece seems to be faith. He suggests that humanity's ultimate destination, as created by the Christian God, is Christ. Whether it is a belief in God, a Superman, or Christ himself, faith in an omnipotent, divine, perfect being, according to Dostoevsky, is what guides a person toward the right path.
The Underground Man's Tragedy
'They won't let me... I can't be... kind!' I barely managed to say and then I reached the sofa, fell face downwards on it and sobbed really hysterically for a quarter of an hour. She pressed herself against me, embraced me and seemed to freeze in that embrace.The comical and pitiful side of the Underground Man's tragedies mainly manifested on the dealings of his social life. One may argue that he has none, after all he despised each and everyone he knew. He romanticizes his individuality to the point of not seeing and acknowledging the individuality of others. His 'nasty memories' consist of his futile attempts to conform, fit in, or pretend to be someone he's not, all of which inevitably lead to failure, as one might expect. But there was one particular person to whom he completely opened up, expressing his romanticist ideals to its utmost extremes—a level he himself found repulsive afterward—and that person was Liza.
The thought of her still haunted me and for the main part I remembered her in exactly the same situation. To be precise, one moment from all that had happened yesterday stood out particularly vividly in my memory: that was when I struck a match and saw her pale, distorted face, with that martyred look in her eyes. How pathetic, how unnatural, how twisted her smile had been at that moment! But I couldn't know then that fifteen years later I would still go on picturing Liza to myself precisely the same twisted, superfluous smile she wore at that moment.
The Heroism of Liza
Liza is an exceptionally well-written character and embodies women's remarkable ability to empathize and listen beyond words. Her character is so captivating that one could easily fall in love with her character and subtle redemption, making her the true hero of this novella.
What happened was this: Liza, whom I had so humiliated and crushed, understood a lot more than I imagined. She understood from all this what a woman will always understand first and foremost if she loves sincerely, namely, that I myself was unhappy.Liza is a young prostitute whom the Underground Man felt the desire to connect with on a deeper level, but due to his conflicting ideals, his ravaged soul, unaddressed inner turmoil, bitterness, and a sense of alienation from society, the Underground Man ultimately disintegrated his own romantic ideals right in front of Liza, and at the end rejected the very human capability of being able to love by saying that love is despotism, a tyrannizing over someone. For this reason, the Underground Man drove away Liza, and Liza realizing that the Underground Man is incapable of returning her love and compassion bid her farewell. During his final moments with Liza, he demonstrated the ugliness of his soul by insulting her with a truly disgusting and cruel gesture: forcefully pressing money into her hand, implying that she is a prostitute and that her services must be paid for, an action that immediately filled him with regret. This last encounter with Liza marked the start of his never ending down-going into his dark, dreadful, abysmal underground.
Where had she gone? And why am I running after her? Why? To go down on my knees, to break into repentant sobs, to kiss her feet, to beg her forgiveness? That was just what I wanted. My heart was being torn to shreds and never, never shall I recall that moment with indifference.
My Final Thoughts
You might find yourself relating to the character of the Underground Man, perhaps even sharing his philosophical ideals, opinions, and embrace of suffering. You may even empathize with the feelings he experienced during his tragic social failures. This proves that The Underground Man represents the extreme side of human contradiction, embodying inner turmoil and psychological suffering to their utmost depths. His character serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and struggles inherent in the human condition, leaving readers to ponder the profound depths of the human psyche long after the pages of the novella have been exhausted.
Rating
I rated this novella a 4/5 because it literally changed my life and was the gateway drug for me to dive deeper into more of Dostoevsky's great works.
Recommendation
I recommend this to those who share the same fear as mine, best described in the words of Sylvia Plath:
What horrifies me most is the idea of being useless: well-educated, brilliantly promising, and fading out into an indifferent middle age.
Some tips on reading this great work!
● Read it really, really, really slow. Every page, every word, of this novella has profound meaning.
● Read it with a pen and paper. If you intend to read more of Dostoyevsky you'd want to study this novella, take notes, ponder, philosophize, this is the very introduction to his other great novels.
● Read it as it is, and then reread it from afar (or do both, up to you). For your first read, believe everything the main character says, get inside his head, and try to understand his perspective. When rereading it, read it from afar, argue, state your opinion, criticize the main character, and converse with the author.
changehrt's review against another edition
3.0
It was not exactly one of the most attractive reading. The narration sometimes, especially in the first chapter, dragged on too much in ramblings, - which I believe was purposeful, a positive point in my view - which can make someone quickly get tired of reading. But, in general, it is a great book that makes you reflect well on morality and our ideals that are used to cover our real thoughts.
In the end, I liked it a lot. The protagonist is definitely not a character made to please, and I think that's one of the best points in the book.
In the end, I liked it a lot. The protagonist is definitely not a character made to please, and I think that's one of the best points in the book.