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168 reviews for:
Humiliated and Insulted: From the Notes of an Unsuccessful Author
Fyodor Dostoevsky
4.12 AVERAGE
168 reviews for:
Humiliated and Insulted: From the Notes of an Unsuccessful Author
Fyodor Dostoevsky
4.12 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was an interesting read for me! It is an early and lesser-known Dostoevsky work, which normally isn't my style, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
You can see some things begin to develop in these characters that would be further expounded upon in the future. I felt like Nelly and Vanya are the two parts of Prince Mushkin. And the Prince Volkhovsky was a classic Dostoevsky villain, further expanded on in [book:Notes from the Underground|436982]. He said that he had wished he had more time to develop these characters in his mind, because they were thrown together rather quickly while he was editing the journal he was publishing in. This was a transitional work, going from social (Poor Folk) to psychological. I liked how autobiographical it was even though it is fiction and also how he constantly referenced contemporary literature, like [book:Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|226377].
The characters were lovable or evil and their endings tragic. My favorite. There are two storylines at once: Natasha and Alyosha's love story, with Alyosha being pushed to Kotya, and Nelly, the orphan taken in by Vanya.
Quotes:
“If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.”
“She enjoyed her own pain by this egoism of suffering, if I may so express it. This aggravation of suffering and this rebelling in it I could understand; it is the enjoyment of man, of the insulted and injured, oppressed by destiny, and smarting under the sense of its injustice.”
“Frankly, if there ever was a time when I was really happy, it wasn't during those first intoxicating moments of my success, but long before that, when I hadn't yet read or shown my manuscript to anyone -- during those long nights of ecstatic hopes and dreams and passionate love of my work, when I had grown attached to my vision, to the characters I had created myself, as though they were my own offspring, as though they really existed -- and I loved, rejoiced and grieved over them, at times even shedding quite genuine tears over my guileless hero.”
You can see some things begin to develop in these characters that would be further expounded upon in the future. I felt like Nelly and Vanya are the two parts of Prince Mushkin. And the Prince Volkhovsky was a classic Dostoevsky villain, further expanded on in [book:Notes from the Underground|436982]. He said that he had wished he had more time to develop these characters in his mind, because they were thrown together rather quickly while he was editing the journal he was publishing in. This was a transitional work, going from social (Poor Folk) to psychological. I liked how autobiographical it was even though it is fiction and also how he constantly referenced contemporary literature, like [book:Childhood, Boyhood, Youth|226377].
The characters were lovable or evil and their endings tragic. My favorite. There are two storylines at once: Natasha and Alyosha's love story, with Alyosha being pushed to Kotya, and Nelly, the orphan taken in by Vanya.
Quotes:
“If you want to be respected by others, the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.”
“She enjoyed her own pain by this egoism of suffering, if I may so express it. This aggravation of suffering and this rebelling in it I could understand; it is the enjoyment of man, of the insulted and injured, oppressed by destiny, and smarting under the sense of its injustice.”
“Frankly, if there ever was a time when I was really happy, it wasn't during those first intoxicating moments of my success, but long before that, when I hadn't yet read or shown my manuscript to anyone -- during those long nights of ecstatic hopes and dreams and passionate love of my work, when I had grown attached to my vision, to the characters I had created myself, as though they were my own offspring, as though they really existed -- and I loved, rejoiced and grieved over them, at times even shedding quite genuine tears over my guileless hero.”
No me lo esperaba, pero esta es una novela que me ha capturado desde el inicio y me ha tenido leyendo con avidez durante días.
Su escenario es reducido, pero la vivacidad y potencia de los personajes logra hacerse constantemente con el primer plano de la narración. Todo lo que ocurre está rodeado e imprimido por una intensidad emocional sobrecogedora y todos los eventos que se suceden en la trama están marcados por la personalidad y moralidad de cada uno de los individuos que la componen. Personajes sórdidos y sin escrúpulos, como el príncipe y la madame, comparten espacio con personajes compasivos e inocentes, como el narrador. Aun así, incluso los personajes que más injustamente resultan ser víctimas de las ofensas ajenas, como la pequeña Nelly, tienen la fortaleza de carácter como para coger las riendas de su destino y no cejar en sus propias convicciones.
El romance turbulento y desdichado que atraviesa esta historia es presentado con plena franqueza y he encontrado sorprendente el modo en que, según los capítulos avanzaban, esta temática se iba desarrollando, con una indiscutible preponderancia de la sinceridad e incluso de la 'cooperación' entre quienes se podrían haber considerado 'rivales' en un triángulo amoroso.
En suma, una novela emocionante y conmovedora sobre el orgullo, el perdón, el amor desafortunado, el amor desinteresado y la confianza.
Su escenario es reducido, pero la vivacidad y potencia de los personajes logra hacerse constantemente con el primer plano de la narración. Todo lo que ocurre está rodeado e imprimido por una intensidad emocional sobrecogedora y todos los eventos que se suceden en la trama están marcados por la personalidad y moralidad de cada uno de los individuos que la componen. Personajes sórdidos y sin escrúpulos, como el príncipe y la madame, comparten espacio con personajes compasivos e inocentes, como el narrador. Aun así, incluso los personajes que más injustamente resultan ser víctimas de las ofensas ajenas, como la pequeña Nelly, tienen la fortaleza de carácter como para coger las riendas de su destino y no cejar en sus propias convicciones.
El romance turbulento y desdichado que atraviesa esta historia es presentado con plena franqueza y he encontrado sorprendente el modo en que, según los capítulos avanzaban, esta temática se iba desarrollando, con una indiscutible preponderancia de la sinceridad e incluso de la 'cooperación' entre quienes se podrían haber considerado 'rivales' en un triángulo amoroso.
En suma, una novela emocionante y conmovedora sobre el orgullo, el perdón, el amor desafortunado, el amor desinteresado y la confianza.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OH! What a novel! How is it possible a mere human could write something so wonderful and compelling? The Insulted and Injured is a beautiful, painful novel. It is not as complicated as War and Peace. The plot is not as philisophical as The Brother's Karamazov . It is not as well as known as Crime and Punishment. And yet...and yet it deserves a ranking alongside its more classic and well-loved brethren. The themes may be simple, but the message rings true.
Plot
Vanya is a young writer, initially successful and in love with the lovely Natasha. Natasha, though, falls for a different young man, Alyosha, and runs away with him. They are not married. Opposed by Natasha's parents, who have cut her off, and Alyosha's father, the two turn to Vanya as their only friend. Plauged by illness, despair, poverty, Vanya navigates the waters of love and forgiveness to care for the woman he loves and the man she chose.
The Insulted and Injured explores forigveness and love, innocence and youth, passion and family.
Thoughts
The ending came to soon.
Eagerly, eagerly I read. I wanted to know what would happen. I needed to know. And now I know and I wish it hadn't ended. I could have gone on reading for days. The characters that reach out and tug on your heart, the passion of family and friends, the selfless and selfishness found on each page. Dostoyevsky, you are a master. I can say no more. This book is amazong. Wonderful. It comes with my highest reccomendation. I don't want to ever recover from the spell.
I can only imagine how much better this book must be in Russian.
Plot
Vanya is a young writer, initially successful and in love with the lovely Natasha. Natasha, though, falls for a different young man, Alyosha, and runs away with him. They are not married. Opposed by Natasha's parents, who have cut her off, and Alyosha's father, the two turn to Vanya as their only friend. Plauged by illness, despair, poverty, Vanya navigates the waters of love and forgiveness to care for the woman he loves and the man she chose.
The Insulted and Injured explores forigveness and love, innocence and youth, passion and family.
Thoughts
The ending came to soon.
Eagerly, eagerly I read. I wanted to know what would happen. I needed to know. And now I know and I wish it hadn't ended. I could have gone on reading for days. The characters that reach out and tug on your heart, the passion of family and friends, the selfless and selfishness found on each page. Dostoyevsky, you are a master. I can say no more. This book is amazong. Wonderful. It comes with my highest reccomendation. I don't want to ever recover from the spell.
I can only imagine how much better this book must be in Russian.
(Spoiler Alert) I really enjoyed Insulted and Humiliated. This book is one that puts the lie to Dostoyevsky as an apologist for the Tsar's Russia. This book attacks the privileged class, "The Prince" and calls them to for destroying the poor's lives. Yes The Prince is not named, not even an initial, but he is a privileged courtly character. The book calls all of those who abuse the poor to task. Nina is an every man/women who has been, is, or will be abused, insulted, physically an emotionally raped by the system. She uses the only weapon the poor have. A specific gift that belongs to the poor of Russia. Nina uses her ability to suffer. She will suffer rather than demand her right as The Princes legitimate daughter. Nina would rather die poor than take from any of the wealthy. She has her own pride and that will be enough for her to go quietly to her God. this weapon is the most powerful weapon in the Russian peasants arsenal. They could strike, march to The Winter Palace, beg the Tsar but, the poor ability to absorb pain to suffer is their ultimate weapon. Dostoyevsky knew this and describes this ability as the main driver. He shows how the peasant will suffer at the hands of the rich. He uses this suffering to call the rich to task for how they treat the poor. He shows the Poor being abused as child prostitutes, as toys of the rich, as those who the rich sue in order to steal their property, as people who can be insulted with impunity because the "Law" is on the riches side. For those who keep saying and printing how Dostoyevsky after Siberia became an apologist for the Tsar really need to read this work and Demons. Between the two there is no doubt that Fyodor Dostoyevsky champions the poor and down trodden. That he keeps up the pressure on the Tsar and His Censors by taking his writing to the limit the censor will allow. This taking to the limit is one of the hardest things a writer can do and those who don't see this really need to read all his works not just the big three. There are also many lessons that apply to the U.S. today found in this work. Many of the lessons about resistance to the elite can be used today. Many of the problems in this work are with us today. Child prostitution, the taxing of the poor to support the rich, the use of the law by the rich to take from the poor etc. All these things are happening to us today. The question is as the down trodden can we muster the courage and the backbone to tell the privileged they can take their money, name and power and force our faces into the mud, but they can not take our pride to stand before our God as a human who has suffered at the hand of the pivledged and has earned our place at the Lords side. Do we have, as Americans, the same ability to suffer as the Russian peasant. Or are we so soft that we would give up our dignity as men and women and bend to the privileged, the rich, the powerful all for the scraps that they will allow to fall from the table. The choice is ours. Can we suffer?
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced