Notes from the Underground and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky - 3 stars (Subdue)

[Joy D]

Notes from Underground: w/White Nights, The Dreams of a Ridiculous Man & selections from The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky - 3* - My Review

“Man everywhere and at all times, whoever he may be, has preferred to act as he chose and not in the least as his reason and advantage dictated. And one may choose what is contrary to one's own interests.”

Not what I expected. Notes from the Underground is a philosophical musing on the nature of humankind and why the ideals of a utopian society are doomed to fail. Why do people say they value reason but act irrationally? Does free will exist? Why do people build things but find they are dissatisfied once the project is completed? And so on. It seems to be a diatribe against determinism.

The premise is that an unnamed “underground man” living St. Petersburg, Russia is engaging in a monologue (though it is written as if he is talking directly to readers). He makes statements and asks questions. Later sections cover his meeting with a woman named Liza, and disagreements with a man that leads to the challenge to a duel. Topics include suffering, morality, vice, reason, revenge, justice, truth, civilization, boredom, spite, freedom, and other such universal topics. It touches on many subjects but does not delve deeply into any of them.

Published in 1864, it is considered a classic that lays the groundwork for future forays into dystopian societies. I didn’t hate it, but I cannot say I got much pleasure from reading it, either. My version included three short stories, which I enjoyed more than the titular novella. I think I will stick to Dostoevsky’s novels. He needs more room to expand on these thoughts, and my personal preference is to incorporate them into more of a storyline.