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florentina2024's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
mothgoth's review
3.75
What an interesting novel that I feel very few have heard about! This novel employs so many different literary devices that I feel a lot of other authors and stories could not get away with so well, but this one does! From Vera's dreams, to Rakhmetov's importance (despite his minor role), to the focusing on a completely different set of characters in the last chapter... it's all pulled off so well.
Ultimately this is a book about hope for a different society and revolution. Chernyshevsky was a proponent of women's rights and bettering everyone's lot in life and this shows very clearly through his writing, despite his having to be careful to avoid being caught out by the tsarist censors. I very much appreciate his revolutionary optimism and vision- even if it's at least somewhat utopian, I think it's very cool to read so clearly about what this man saw as an ideal post-revolutionary Russia. When reading socialist theory you don't see a lot of that typically. People often ask what socialists think the world might look like post-revolution and it's hard to know what to say. Chernyshevsky's got it all figured out! Even if his ideas are certainly dated at this point, I think it was really cool to see that. Also, this was definitely a character driven novel which is cool, and despite having some weird, stilted (again, dated) dialogue, it was enjoyable seeing the character's develop. Vera's dreams in general were a cool device. I'm glad I finally read this!
Ultimately this is a book about hope for a different society and revolution. Chernyshevsky was a proponent of women's rights and bettering everyone's lot in life and this shows very clearly through his writing, despite his having to be careful to avoid being caught out by the tsarist censors. I very much appreciate his revolutionary optimism and vision- even if it's at least somewhat utopian, I think it's very cool to read so clearly about what this man saw as an ideal post-revolutionary Russia. When reading socialist theory you don't see a lot of that typically. People often ask what socialists think the world might look like post-revolution and it's hard to know what to say. Chernyshevsky's got it all figured out! Even if his ideas are certainly dated at this point, I think it was really cool to see that. Also, this was definitely a character driven novel which is cool, and despite having some weird, stilted (again, dated) dialogue, it was enjoyable seeing the character's develop. Vera's dreams in general were a cool device. I'm glad I finally read this!
sh00's review against another edition
3.0
В старших классах школы эта вещь была в списке литературы на лето, а в программе уже не было. В то время я уже смог осознать, что и в списке литературы, и в программе для меня есть две крайности - те вещи, которые я мог переварить, я прочитал тремя-пятью годами ранее, остальное же требовало конкретного культурного бэкграунда и такого жизненного опыта, которого в 15 лет взять было откровенно негде. Абсолютные отличники ещё как-то выпендривались, или читая книги, как дьячок бубнит тропарь - по факту, или знакомясь с литературой по сборникам "1000 лучших сочинений". Я плюнул, взял фотоаппарат "Смена" и вышел из дома. Впереди был прекрасный московский летний день.
Прочитал сейчас - с той лёгкой иронией, с которой вообще читаешь действительно старые книги. И улыбнулся - я правильно ответил себе на заглавный вопрос тем летним утром. Всему своё время.
Прочитал сейчас - с той лёгкой иронией, с которой вообще читаешь действительно старые книги. И улыбнулся - я правильно ответил себе на заглавный вопрос тем летним утром. Всему своё время.
dori_anne's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know were to start. First of all, this is a must read if you're interested in the late XIXth century in Russia and in the development of the socialist / nihilist / revolutionary movement. Really interesting to read in parallel with [b:Demons|5695|Demons|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524586008l/5695._SY75_.jpg|1487216] , [b:Notes from Underground|49455|Notes from Underground|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1657562670l/49455._SY75_.jpg|50717723] by Dostoïevski, as well as [b:Fathers and Sons|19117|Fathers and Sons|Ivan Turgenev|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390793535l/19117._SY75_.jpg|1294426] written by Turgenev and even [b:Nihilist Girl|729154|Nihilist Girl|Sofia Kovalevskaya|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387747849l/729154._SY75_.jpg|715354] by Sofia Kovalevskaïa; to see how they answer, discuss, and refute each other through literature.
Let's just talk about the minus : This book feels old (partly)... in the sense that the author's high hopes in term of progress, of the end of human depravation and vices, and the "science combined to reason that will save us all" idea have been proven mere illusions by history, whereas in comparison Dostoïevski seems to us like a visionnaire of some sort. I guess that why everyone remembers Dosto. and forgot Tchernychevski... :( that's a shame
[...] because this work still deserves to be studied, or at least read. The way it looks at women's condition and the analysis of women in society is still relevant today. I would say the same about the toughts expressed on relations between people, be it between women and men in general, wives and husbands, parents and children, etc
Apart from that it is a gem of a literary work. It crosses every boundaries between genres and literary movements. Not only it is a XIXth century fiction, but it sometimes takes the form of an espistolary novel, sometimes of a political essai, a social analysis, when suddenly it turns to utopia, and comes back to the novel to become almost a play toward the end. And all this is masterfully executed, and never seems chaotic to the reader (at least to me).
+ Without a doubt Tchernychevski belongs to the "Natural School" movement, but still this novel sometimes crosses the brigde to the then highly scorned romanticism - I mainly think about the beginning of Vera's fourth dream here.
What else ? The narration ! How unique. This author-narrator that despises us and mistreats us without shame made me laugh so hard. A very ingenious narration in which the author pretends to take some space, but is actually playing a part to appease the "preservatives" readers, while simultaneously openly roasting them. Hard to describe in detail...and I'm kind of lazy I guess, just give it a try !
Let's just talk about the minus : This book feels old (partly)... in the sense that the author's high hopes in term of progress, of the end of human depravation and vices, and the "science combined to reason that will save us all" idea have been proven mere illusions by history, whereas in comparison Dostoïevski seems to us like a visionnaire of some sort. I guess that why everyone remembers Dosto. and forgot Tchernychevski... :( that's a shame
[...] because this work still deserves to be studied, or at least read. The way it looks at women's condition and the analysis of women in society is still relevant today. I would say the same about the toughts expressed on relations between people, be it between women and men in general, wives and husbands, parents and children, etc
Apart from that it is a gem of a literary work. It crosses every boundaries between genres and literary movements. Not only it is a XIXth century fiction, but it sometimes takes the form of an espistolary novel, sometimes of a political essai, a social analysis, when suddenly it turns to utopia, and comes back to the novel to become almost a play toward the end. And all this is masterfully executed, and never seems chaotic to the reader (at least to me).
+ Without a doubt Tchernychevski belongs to the "Natural School" movement, but still this novel sometimes crosses the brigde to the then highly scorned romanticism - I mainly think about the beginning of Vera's fourth dream here.
What else ? The narration ! How unique. This author-narrator that despises us and mistreats us without shame made me laugh so hard. A very ingenious narration in which the author pretends to take some space, but is actually playing a part to appease the "preservatives" readers, while simultaneously openly roasting them. Hard to describe in detail...and I'm kind of lazy I guess, just give it a try !
yara_aly's review
5.0
I started reading this novel to figure out why Dostoyevsky distastes it. (It is said that Dostoyevsky was enraged by Chernyshevsky's "utilitarianism" and his depiction of his Russian Utopia.)
First of all, I had to look up words like "materialism" and "utilitarianism" dozens of times to just get the gist of. Big words like these confuse me so much. As assisting as the notes of the annotator were, they were as confusing. There are so many explanations that - as an un-perspicacious and unlearned reader - I could have done without. Furthermore, the names of many authors, philosophers, great thinkers, etcetera in the explanatory notes overwhelmed me.
That aside, I have most enjoyed reading this novel. Chernyshevsky is a most agreeable, well-informed, admirable man. I was immensely interested in reading what he thought about all sorts of subjects. The intertwined tales became a bit baffling towards the end, and quite surprising, too, when it came to Chapter Five; however, all in all, they were incredibly interesting. I enjoyed reading What Is to Be Done? as much as I enjoyed reading Notes from the Underground. (I still don't get why Dostoyevsky didn't like Chernyshevsky's peculiarity, for Dostoyevsky's own peculiarity is far beyond Chernyshevsky's.)
Oh, and I love Chernyshevsky's direct addressing to the reader and the way he started his novel with the fool's story and preface. The flashbacks and flash forwards were also incredibly interesting.
My thoughts are unorganised; but I do recommend this novel to anyone who has a taste for Russian literature.
First of all, I had to look up words like "materialism" and "utilitarianism" dozens of times to just get the gist of. Big words like these confuse me so much. As assisting as the notes of the annotator were, they were as confusing. There are so many explanations that - as an un-perspicacious and unlearned reader - I could have done without. Furthermore, the names of many authors, philosophers, great thinkers, etcetera in the explanatory notes overwhelmed me.
That aside, I have most enjoyed reading this novel. Chernyshevsky is a most agreeable, well-informed, admirable man. I was immensely interested in reading what he thought about all sorts of subjects. The intertwined tales became a bit baffling towards the end, and quite surprising, too, when it came to Chapter Five; however, all in all, they were incredibly interesting. I enjoyed reading What Is to Be Done? as much as I enjoyed reading Notes from the Underground. (I still don't get why Dostoyevsky didn't like Chernyshevsky's peculiarity, for Dostoyevsky's own peculiarity is far beyond Chernyshevsky's.)
Oh, and I love Chernyshevsky's direct addressing to the reader and the way he started his novel with the fool's story and preface. The flashbacks and flash forwards were also incredibly interesting.
My thoughts are unorganised; but I do recommend this novel to anyone who has a taste for Russian literature.
varyaw's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0