Thank you. Notes From Underground is up there with my three favorite books, the ones I've lost track of how many times I've read them. I quote it all the time. I had an edition where the blurb said he "longs for the love he cannot accept."
All humans desire love. It is natural. I was something like him in adolescence, except that my longing for love was such that when it finally came my way I held on like grim death: not a good way to make a relationship last. I was almost always the dumpee in my 20s and 30s. I married at 27 and 5 years later my (ex, now dead) wife turned my life into a bad country song by running away with my best friend. Happily I somehow cured myself of jerkdom and am now 35 years married and couldn't be happier.
So. Many people contain the underground man but I am living proof that if it does not take you over completely you can find happiness.
BTW I am a paid subscriber to your podcast. Keep up the good work!
Reading this book had actually made me very agitated and angry. Later on, I discovered there are two possible reasons for this-I was cringing at seeing a reflection of my pretentious self in the underground man, and how he insists on showing his superiority in thinking to others. And I was also mad at the actions he actually took upon his thoughts, like going to that party or harshly dismissing and disrespecting Liza. I also resonate with nihilism a lot, so your essay on this made things a bit clearer for me. It was amazing. ❤️
Part 1 chapter 8 is my favorite book chapter of all time. It contains, among other things, the truest statement of all time.
"...he will contrive destruction and chaos, will contrive sufferings of all sorts...He will launch a curse upon the world, and..may be by his curse alone he will...convince himself that he is a man and not a piano-key!"
Granted, I only read about 1/3 of Crime and Punishment. My impression was that Raski is something of a pre-incel. A bitter, spiteful, self-isolating young man who keeps deluding himself about his own motivations. From what I've heard, Notes From The Underground is the same, but even moreso. Definitely on my reading-list!
I think what separates this colossal writer from the others is that instead of theorizing the philosophy he dramatized it. And that is why he's so popular and became an internet sensation in this decade.
There are a few practical considerations that people sometimes miss when they conduct a philosophical analysis of Dostoyevsky’s work. Some of his works, especially Notes from the Underground, contain deeply coded political speech. It is difficult to decode even when you read it in Russian. The reason for this is because he must get through very stringent censorship. By the time he wrote this work, he had already served time for what the Russian government judged to be seditious activities, so he wanted to express his thoughts in a very indirect and convoluted way. Those who wanted to understand what he meant need to “read between the lines.” To help people understand what he wrote in the first part of the work, he provided a life-like illustration in the second part of the work.
Secondly, Dostoyevsky’s characters always teeter on the edge of mental illness. This explains their emotional exaltation and obsessive thinking. There is a lot of interesting philosophical, psychological and psycho-social ideas in his work. For example, he foreshadowed and warned about the brutality of the type of events that took place during the Bolshevik revolution after his death. However, those who read Dostoyevsky must monitor themselves for potential negative mental health symptoms as they read his work, because reading too much Dostoyevsky can drive a healthy person into depression.
When I first read this book I felt like Dostoyevsky was talking to me, like he knew me on a such deep level. Great book
Resonated with this view of nihilism on a scary deep level. Checking out the book tomorrow. Many thanks
Thank you. Notes From Underground is up there with my three favorite books, the ones I've lost track of how many times I've read them. I quote it all the time. I had an edition where the blurb said he "longs for the love he cannot accept."
All humans desire love. It is natural. I was something like him in adolescence, except that my longing for love was such that when it finally came my way I held on like grim death: not a good way to make a relationship last. I was almost always the dumpee in my 20s and 30s. I married at 27 and 5 years later my (ex, now dead) wife turned my life into a bad country song by running away with my best friend. Happily I somehow cured myself of jerkdom and am now 35 years married and couldn't be happier.
So. Many people contain the underground man but I am living proof that if it does not take you over completely you can find happiness.
BTW I am a paid subscriber to your podcast. Keep up the good work!
Holy smokes dude!!!
Reading this book had actually made me very agitated and angry. Later on, I discovered there are two possible reasons for this-I was cringing at seeing a reflection of my pretentious self in the underground man, and how he insists on showing his superiority in thinking to others. And I was also mad at the actions he actually took upon his thoughts, like going to that party or harshly dismissing and disrespecting Liza. I also resonate with nihilism a lot, so your essay on this made things a bit clearer for me. It was amazing. ❤️
Good stuff, Steve!
Love this thanks peace
Part 1 chapter 8 is my favorite book chapter of all time. It contains, among other things, the truest statement of all time.
"...he will contrive destruction and chaos, will contrive sufferings of all sorts...He will launch a curse upon the world, and..may be by his curse alone he will...convince himself that he is a man and not a piano-key!"
Did he truly live underground?
Granted, I only read about 1/3 of Crime and Punishment. My impression was that Raski is something of a pre-incel. A bitter, spiteful, self-isolating young man who keeps deluding himself about his own motivations. From what I've heard, Notes From The Underground is the same, but even moreso. Definitely on my reading-list!
I just want to say: I appreciate you
Well written review. Chose this for my book club to read years ago. Wish we had your article to discuss back then.
I think what separates this colossal writer from the others is that instead of theorizing the philosophy he dramatized it. And that is why he's so popular and became an internet sensation in this decade.
There are a few practical considerations that people sometimes miss when they conduct a philosophical analysis of Dostoyevsky’s work. Some of his works, especially Notes from the Underground, contain deeply coded political speech. It is difficult to decode even when you read it in Russian. The reason for this is because he must get through very stringent censorship. By the time he wrote this work, he had already served time for what the Russian government judged to be seditious activities, so he wanted to express his thoughts in a very indirect and convoluted way. Those who wanted to understand what he meant need to “read between the lines.” To help people understand what he wrote in the first part of the work, he provided a life-like illustration in the second part of the work.
Secondly, Dostoyevsky’s characters always teeter on the edge of mental illness. This explains their emotional exaltation and obsessive thinking. There is a lot of interesting philosophical, psychological and psycho-social ideas in his work. For example, he foreshadowed and warned about the brutality of the type of events that took place during the Bolshevik revolution after his death. However, those who read Dostoyevsky must monitor themselves for potential negative mental health symptoms as they read his work, because reading too much Dostoyevsky can drive a healthy person into depression.
https://substack.com/@masroorshah/note/c-139641753?r=643hzq
My favourite book of all time and one you've summarised brilliantly. Thank you