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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. It's hard for me to take Dostoyevsky's first novel as anything other than a parody of sentimental epistolary novels. At least, I hope it's meant to be a parody. (Perhaps "gentle lampoon" might be a more accurate phrase?) The older, pitiable Devushkin courts the younger Dobroselova in a series of letters that reveals their history as poor outcasts. Devushkin is a self-described "rat"-like man who is bullied by others, while Dobroselova is a needy girl from a broken home. The moments of pain and suffering are consistently undercut by a very dark humor that suggests Dostoyevsky is teetering on the edge of satire.
Literature itself becomes an important symbol of burden and loss throughout the novel in the form of books. Dobroselova's first boyfriend is a scholar who dies young, forcing his father to carry around his books like dead weight after the funeral to avoid having them taken away. Devushkin courts Dobroselova by giving her books and literary recommendations, which should be a clue as to how their relationship might end, based on our knowledge of the fate of Dobroselova's first boyfriend.
Dostoyevsky is at his strongest when he isrelating characters' personal histories, especially when he switches briefly to a diary mode when Dobroselova gives her backstory. In fact, I wish Dostoyevsky had scrapped the epistolary mode altogether, but that may have defeated his purpose. And so I found myself unable to connect as deeply with these characters as I did in his other works (which, again, might have been his point). I'm glad this wasn't my first introduction to his work. It didn't have the intensity of [book:The Double|210190], another Gogol-inspired work published in the same year, and which has stuck with me longer than I think Poor Folk will.
Literature itself becomes an important symbol of burden and loss throughout the novel in the form of books. Dobroselova's first boyfriend is a scholar who dies young, forcing his father to carry around his books like dead weight after the funeral to avoid having them taken away. Devushkin courts Dobroselova by giving her books and literary recommendations, which should be a clue as to how their relationship might end, based on our knowledge of the fate of Dobroselova's first boyfriend.
Dostoyevsky is at his strongest when he isrelating characters' personal histories, especially when he switches briefly to a diary mode when Dobroselova gives her backstory. In fact, I wish Dostoyevsky had scrapped the epistolary mode altogether, but that may have defeated his purpose. And so I found myself unable to connect as deeply with these characters as I did in his other works (which, again, might have been his point). I'm glad this wasn't my first introduction to his work. It didn't have the intensity of [book:The Double|210190], another Gogol-inspired work published in the same year, and which has stuck with me longer than I think Poor Folk will.
dark
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Dostoievski rătăcea în labirintul metafizic al ideii de nemurire, al negării raţiunii şi al proclamării religiei drept unica şi suprema autoritate asupra conştiinţei omului. În lumina complexităţii acestei puternice personalităţi artistice trebuie studiată creaţia lui care, de la primul roman, „Oameni sărmani” şi până la ultimul, „Fraţii Karamazov”, înregistrează o linie sinuoasă, de la realismul cel mai consecvent spre un psihologism de factură mistică. În căutarea soluţiilor la problemele nodale ale epocii lui frământate, prins în contradicţiile stridente ale capitalismului, Dosloievski nu s-a menţinut integral şi până la capăt pe poziţiile realismului critic, iniţiat de marii săi predecesori: Puşkin, Lermontov şi Gogol. El a părăsit drumul deschis de contemporanii săi, democraţii revoluţionari: Bielinski, Gherţen, Dobroliubov, Cemâşevski, Nekrasov şi Saltâkov, Şcedrin şi s-a făcut, mai cu seamă spre sfârşitul vieţii, exponentul acelei intelectualităţi mic burgheze dezorientate ideologic, care sub apăsarea regimului auiocrat poliţienesc adoptase atitudinea de supunere şi smerenie creştinească. De la marea lui iubire de oameni, de la apărarea demnităţii umane călcate în picioare, de la ideia dreptăţii şi a libertăţii sociale, Dostoievski a lunecat spre teza fatalistă a neputinţei omului, pe care a proclamat-o în deviza: „Smereşte-te, omule mândru!” Această atitudine de resemnare, de negare a luptei, se află la extrema opusă principiului enunţat de marele umanist al erei socialiste – Maxim Gorki: „Omul – ce mândru sună acest cuvânt!”
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Ve Varenka'm, yoksul insan paçavradan kötüdür, kimseden saygı göremez, yazarlar ne yazarsa yazsın!"
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a great book. I loved the characters, how flawed and full of contradictions they were, how I could never quite make out what their relationship with each other was, what in the letters was true and what was exaggeration or manipulation. The role of money in people's lives was also dealt with in a very interesting way. Loved it!
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a 'little' man. a little girl. cold SPB.
mutual yet timid love/empathy. money talks. money always talks.
Direct references to Pushkin (Belkin) and the Overcoat.
P.S. Every time I come back to this work, I recall how Makar tried to persuade Varvara not to leave him in his misery. The poor help each other. They depend on each other. Yet they also keep each other in poverty.
mutual yet timid love/empathy. money talks. money always talks.
Direct references to Pushkin (Belkin) and the Overcoat.
P.S. Every time I come back to this work, I recall how Makar tried to persuade Varvara not to leave him in his misery. The poor help each other. They depend on each other. Yet they also keep each other in poverty.