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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This anthology contains seven tales and short stories: Poor Folk, The Landlady, Polzunkov, Weak Heart, Honest Thief, A Christmas Tree and the Wedding, and Little Hero. All of them contain Dostoyevsky's favourite archetype of "a small person" - a hero that is insignificant and tragic, whose life goes by unnoticed by those of higher status.
The titular story consists of a collection of letters between an old man and a young lady, who live in the same apartment complex, but who cannot visit each other because it might be seen as inappropriate. They lament their poverty, discuss life and literature, and send each other small gifts when they can afford to do so. I found their plight somewhat self-imposed, because the old man is discovered to be heavily drinking on more than one occasion, and the lady always complaining of being unwell and weak. At one point she gives up working because she burns her arm while ironing. They are also not good at managing their meager wealth, spending any income on gifts. The ending is rather sad, as the old man is left alone. Him begging the lady to stay in the status quo made me think whether he was truly concerned about her well-being or if he just needed company in his misery.
The Landlady was quite a weird tale, full of mysticism and horror elements. It reminded me of Gogol's work, and I mean it as a compliment. However, it's somewhat inferior to Gogol's stories, because it lacks a clear plot. I find that a lot of Dostoyevsky's early stuff suffer from the same malady. The Landlady is atmospheric and has some great scary moments, but it leads nowhere.
I have nothing to say about Polzunkov. It was very short - a tiny study of a man making a fool out of himself to make others like him. I guess it could be considered applicable to our times.
Weak Heart made me kind of angry. It starts out rather well, with the reader being introduced to two close friends: Vasya and Arkady. Vasya announces that despite his physical disability he found a very nice girl who loves him, and they are to be married. Arkady is over the moon with happiness for his friend and they decide to go buy a gift for the new bride. They enthusiastically talk about the future, and how Arkady will be living with them, and how they will spare no expense to make Vasya's wife comfortable. All of this money talk freaks out Vasya, as he realizes that while he was swooning over his girl for several weeks, he completely abandoned his work of copying business documents for his employer. With impossible amount of handwriting due within a day he stays up all night and works himself up into a frenzy. Then the friends spend 30 pages debating whether or not one of them should go tell Vasya's boss the truth and explain the situation. The endless debate was driving me insane, and apparently it had the same effect on Vasya, because the poor chap ended up in the psychiatrical hospital and single.
Honest Thief was heart-wrenching. The narrator is talked into allowing a pitiful man to live in his apartment, but notices that soon many of his belongings go missing. His be roommate becomes an epicentre of fascinating battle between alcoholism and guilty conscience. I thought this story was the strongest psychology study displayed yet in the volume.
A Christmas Tree and the Wedding must have dated a bit, or did Dostoyevsky want to creep the reader out on purpose? The tale takes place at a Christmas celebration for children of influential families. The centre of this social circle is an eleven year old girl, who is rumoured to come with a large fortune upon reaching marriageable age. While she is playing with her doll in the corner of the room she is approached by a man who is taken by the prospect of enriching himself by marrying her. The scene of a much older man starting a conversation with the little girl about dolls and escalating to professions of love was beyond disconcerting. The reader is further unsettled by finding out that the two get married mere five years later.
Finally, we come to Little Hero, which is a story of a young boy enamoured by a childish crush on an older, married lady. In the background, an adult drama of forbidden love between the lady and her secret lover takes place. To prove his affection for the lady, the boy takes upon several heroic acts, one of which saves her reputation. A lovely story that showcases Dostoyevsky's more developed writing style.
Overall. I'd say it's a solid collection, if lacking plot in some places. If you are the reader who enjoys character-driven stories, these might be of interest to you. I much rather prefer Dostoyevsky's crime mysteries.
The titular story consists of a collection of letters between an old man and a young lady, who live in the same apartment complex, but who cannot visit each other because it might be seen as inappropriate. They lament their poverty, discuss life and literature, and send each other small gifts when they can afford to do so. I found their plight somewhat self-imposed, because the old man is discovered to be heavily drinking on more than one occasion, and the lady always complaining of being unwell and weak. At one point she gives up working because she burns her arm while ironing. They are also not good at managing their meager wealth, spending any income on gifts. The ending is rather sad, as the old man is left alone. Him begging the lady to stay in the status quo made me think whether he was truly concerned about her well-being or if he just needed company in his misery.
The Landlady was quite a weird tale, full of mysticism and horror elements. It reminded me of Gogol's work, and I mean it as a compliment. However, it's somewhat inferior to Gogol's stories, because it lacks a clear plot. I find that a lot of Dostoyevsky's early stuff suffer from the same malady. The Landlady is atmospheric and has some great scary moments, but it leads nowhere.
I have nothing to say about Polzunkov. It was very short - a tiny study of a man making a fool out of himself to make others like him. I guess it could be considered applicable to our times.
Weak Heart made me kind of angry. It starts out rather well, with the reader being introduced to two close friends: Vasya and Arkady. Vasya announces that despite his physical disability he found a very nice girl who loves him, and they are to be married. Arkady is over the moon with happiness for his friend and they decide to go buy a gift for the new bride. They enthusiastically talk about the future, and how Arkady will be living with them, and how they will spare no expense to make Vasya's wife comfortable. All of this money talk freaks out Vasya, as he realizes that while he was swooning over his girl for several weeks, he completely abandoned his work of copying business documents for his employer. With impossible amount of handwriting due within a day he stays up all night and works himself up into a frenzy. Then the friends spend 30 pages debating whether or not one of them should go tell Vasya's boss the truth and explain the situation. The endless debate was driving me insane, and apparently it had the same effect on Vasya, because the poor chap ended up in the psychiatrical hospital and single.
Honest Thief was heart-wrenching. The narrator is talked into allowing a pitiful man to live in his apartment, but notices that soon many of his belongings go missing. His be roommate becomes an epicentre of fascinating battle between alcoholism and guilty conscience. I thought this story was the strongest psychology study displayed yet in the volume.
A Christmas Tree and the Wedding must have dated a bit, or did Dostoyevsky want to creep the reader out on purpose? The tale takes place at a Christmas celebration for children of influential families. The centre of this social circle is an eleven year old girl, who is rumoured to come with a large fortune upon reaching marriageable age. While she is playing with her doll in the corner of the room she is approached by a man who is taken by the prospect of enriching himself by marrying her. The scene of a much older man starting a conversation with the little girl about dolls and escalating to professions of love was beyond disconcerting. The reader is further unsettled by finding out that the two get married mere five years later.
Finally, we come to Little Hero, which is a story of a young boy enamoured by a childish crush on an older, married lady. In the background, an adult drama of forbidden love between the lady and her secret lover takes place. To prove his affection for the lady, the boy takes upon several heroic acts, one of which saves her reputation. A lovely story that showcases Dostoyevsky's more developed writing style.
Overall. I'd say it's a solid collection, if lacking plot in some places. If you are the reader who enjoys character-driven stories, these might be of interest to you. I much rather prefer Dostoyevsky's crime mysteries.
أجمل ما في الكتاب هو ذلك التصوير الدقيق للحالة النفسية لشخصيات هذه القصة أو بالأحرى هي نفسية الكاتب، لا استطيع الجزم لان فن الكتابة هي محاكاة للواقع و ترجمانٌ للأفكار. الكِتابْ هو على شكل رسائل بين شخصٍ اثقلته الأيام و ضاقت به الدنيا و أصبح في أمس الحاجة إلى التماس طيبة شخص في مجتمع لا يعرف لمعنى الفرح والسرور طعم. و بين فتاةٍ في مقتبل عمرها شاءت الأقدار أن تعيش ريعان شبابها في فقر و في محن، محرومة من حنان الأم و سند الاب حيث أصبح مراسِلها الوحيد آخر ما تملك من عطف الأخ و محب الأب الذي حُرمت منه. هي قضية إنسانية تجسد الواقع المُر و الحياة المعيشية الصعبة لشريحة من المجتمع. أين ترتسم ملامح الفقر على وجوه الناس، حين يصبح اِحتساء كوب شاي مع قطعة سُكر لذة لا يعرفها إلا قلةٌ من الناس. لكن في خضم المعاناة اليومية، بصيص أمل يبزغ لكي يكشف الضر و الأسى عن المحرومين، لكن هي سنّةُ الحياة حيثُ لا شيء يأتي من دون مقابل. لمعرفة المزيد عن قصة حبٍ بريئة عاشتها شخصياتٌ محرومة عليكم بقراءة هذا الكتاب الذي هو أحد الأعمال الفنية لعملاق الادب الروسي..دوستويفسكي.
Dostoyevski’nin ilk kitabı olmasına rağmen yazım tarzı çok iyiydi. İki çok farklı insanın iç dünyalarını açık yansıtabilmiş. Varvara’nın daha eğitimli olduğunu yazım tazında, duygularını ifade etmesinde ve betimlesinde görebiliyoruz. Makar’ın daha düz, betimlemesiz ama yine de samimi yazmasını da çok sevdim. Özgüvensiz olması, habire Varvara ile olan eğitim farkını vurgulaması beni çok üzdü. Kendini geliştirmek için çırpındığı çok belliydi, çok sevimli bulduğum bir karakter oldu. Yoksulluğu çok başarılı tanımlamıştı. Makar’ın zenginlerin fakirleri nasıl gördüğünü anlattığı mektup beni çok etkiledi. Kitaptaki her şey çok gerçekti.
—-SPOİLER—-
Makar’ın, Varvara’nın bir çiçekten bahsetmesi üzerine hemen hediye etmesi, şekerleme ve kitaplar vermesi çok tatlıydı ama Varvara’yı bazen kaba buldum. İstemeden yapıyordu ama öyleydi. Yolladığı kitabı beğenmemesi ve bunu kaba bir dille kısacık bir mektupta yazması beni bile kırdı. Makar’ın da o mektuba cevap olarak sayfalarca bir sürü daha kaliteli olduğunu düşündüğü kitaplardan alıntılar yapması, alttan alttan kendini kanıtlamaya çalışmasına kalbimi bıraktım. Sonunda üzüldüm ama öyle olması gerekiyor gibiydi. Bence kavuşmaması gereken iki insandı zaten.
—-SPOİLER—-
Makar’ın, Varvara’nın bir çiçekten bahsetmesi üzerine hemen hediye etmesi, şekerleme ve kitaplar vermesi çok tatlıydı ama Varvara’yı bazen kaba buldum. İstemeden yapıyordu ama öyleydi. Yolladığı kitabı beğenmemesi ve bunu kaba bir dille kısacık bir mektupta yazması beni bile kırdı. Makar’ın da o mektuba cevap olarak sayfalarca bir sürü daha kaliteli olduğunu düşündüğü kitaplardan alıntılar yapması, alttan alttan kendini kanıtlamaya çalışmasına kalbimi bıraktım. Sonunda üzüldüm ama öyle olması gerekiyor gibiydi. Bence kavuşmaması gereken iki insandı zaten.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ainda pensando, mas é livro de ficar triste e de quentinho no coração também.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated