Notes from Underground and the Double (Penguin Classics) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (EPUB)

Description

That sense of the meaninglessness of existence that runs through much of twentieth-century writing – from Conrad and Kafka, to Beckett and beyond – starts in Dostoyevsky’s work’ Malcolm BradburyAlienated from society and paralysed by a sense of his own insignificance, the anonymous narrator of Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground tells the story of his tortured life. With bitter irony, he describes his refusal to become a worker in the ‘anthill’ and his gradual withdrawal from society. The seemingly ordinary world of St Petersburg takes on a nightmarish quality in The Double when a government clerk encounters a man who looks exactly like him – his double perhaps, or possibly the darker side of his own personality. Like Notes from Underground, this is a masterly tragi-comic study of human consciousness.Translated by Ronald Wilks with an Introduction by Robert Louis Jackson

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Great

⭐I needed to have this book among a few others for my Senior English class. Haven’t started reading it yet.

⭐I’ve only read the “Notes..” half of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Have to read it for my world lit class, and I can definitely see how this book relates to the “Human Condition”.

⭐great specially “the double”, one of literature’s classics.

⭐One of the great landmarks in Western literature, developing fundamental modern themes with a brilliance unmatched by anything written before, in Russia or in Western Europe.

⭐Dostoevsky is very hit or miss for me. These are stories were miss for me, probably because there was a bit less of a focus on relationships.

⭐I don’t feel like mentioning much of what this read reads much of it has to be read and again yet enjoy it for what is felt and known

⭐Though largely famous for long novels, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote a number of notable novellas, of which The Double is an early example and Notes from Underground is the masterpiece. This collection includes both, which is not only convenient but a positive bargain. It is an ideal place to start for those curious about Dostoevsky but intimidated by his thick masterpieces and also has a wealth of supplemental material to attract the more dedicated.Though an early piece and not as well-crafted as Notes or other subsequent masterworks, The Double manages to put a new spin on the doppelganger phenomenon. In it, Dostoyevsky very skillfully portrays one man’s lonely descent into madness — and manages to be screamingly funny while doing so.A vivid depiction of the dark side of human nature, Notes is a great classic that perfectly evokes the feelings of isolation, despair, narcissism, and paranoia that continue to afflict the masses. Though very short, one feels on completing it that one has read a very profound book. It is one of the best and most essential short novels ever. Dostoevsky is known for stunning penetration into human nature, and his mastery showed here for the first time. Notes touches on many profoundly important issues: philosophical, religious, social, political, etc. Indeed, it was right at the heart of the era’s prevalent intellectual modes and remains relevant today. It also works as a springboard for Dostoevsky’s later, more ambitious novels. Part of the reason it works so well is that the narrator is so recognizably, touchingly, and pathetically human. Anyone who considers him or herself an outcast, who feels as if he or she has never been able to fit in, who is uncomfortable in social situations, feels morally or intellectually superior for unknown reasons, is overly emotional and susceptible to constant depression – or any such thing – will undoubtedly identify and sympathize. Another reason it works so well is the writing style. Far from traditional novel or documentary style, it gives the impression that one is reading a record of a person’s private thoughts. We see the thoughts as they come to the character, not in any linear form. He may well be neurotic, psychotic, manic depressive, bi-polar, or egocentric – but is human nonetheless. This is a singular, profound, and important literary work of unique value that sticks a penetrating and insightful knife straight through human nature’s heart. It is an essential read for all; even those who will despise it must deal with it, such is its importance and influence. Anyone looking to do so might as well get this edition so as to have an excellent companion story.

⭐I was looking for a serious book, something that would help me get taken more seriously on the tube. With this book I found it. Whilst browsing through a few pages on the DLR I was approached by someone who I can only describe as an academic. We chatted, he asked about the book but I brought the conversation swiftly back round to the weather. The conversation lasted a good 10-15 minutes and I really feel I held my own. Thank you.

⭐There’s a bloke, he’s pretty antisocial, he think’s he’s pretty clever and he’s going to tell you about it in a way that makes a hundred pages feel like 600. Oh, I’m sorry, am I supposed to summarise the book before I start reviewing. Okay. Let’s see where we end up.This book is either terrible or tremendous. Possibly both. It is difficult to tell which parts are meant to be satirical. The whole thing? Just the parts where the narrator laboriously points out he is being satirical? Except, with such a clearly unreliable storyteller, can we even trust that?The book is written in two parts, as we are informed in a footnote on the first page where Dostoyevsky is keen to point out that this is a fictional character and not, well, him. One can see why he would be keen to do so.The first part is an exceptional recreation of what it is like to be trapped in a bar with a mediocre intellectual who won’t let you get a word in edgeways, and, steadily, as he gets increasingly drunk, repeats and contradicts himself so often you are no longer sure if you are speaking the same language. The funny thing is that this is very well written (and the translation is superb). As a book to be read it is a terrible experience. As a piece of art, it is fascinating.In the second part the horrible narrator tells us a horrible story about him being horrible. Worse than horrible; he’s pathetic. Somewhere in amongst this Dostoyevsky appears to be expounding two propositions: first, that mathematical utility will rob us of our free will, which is of greater importance than utility. Second, that people are rubbish, but that they cannot be happy unless they are free to be rubbish.It’s a bit harsh to criticise an author for his ignorance of mathematics, but both Bayes Theorem and utilitarian models that allowed freedom of choice and uncertainty to be of utility in themselves existed at the time he wrote this book. So, you know, dude, stop dissing maths you don’t understand. The second point might have been better made with a better story!But oh, the writing. It takes courage to write the story of someone so unempathetic, so pathetic, so banal, and maintain this through to the end. If you were visiting this book in an art gallery it would be beautiful in its ugliness. But don’t expect to enjoy the read.

⭐Whilst academics may make reference to the influence of these works on existentialism and how it is a commentary on the influence of bureaucracy on the individual and a response to rationalism it is primarily an adventure into the dark recesses of the human mind.The Double is a disturbing description of one individual’s descent into madness, probably schizophrenia. The narrative is a dark and turbulent stream of consciousness, peppered with hallucinations, paranoia and angst. The rushing and confused depiction of events tellingly portrays Golyadkin‘s increasingly unhinged mind.Notes from Underground depict the thoughts of a misanthrope and outsider. Although some of the views expressed by the unnamed protagonist are extreme and verging on the insane, his caustic spite nevertheless resonates on occasions with the reader as they are compelled to face their own demons and darkest thoughts and urges. It is this exploration of the dark side of human nature which make it such an important read.This edition is accompanied by comprehensive notes and an essay for those in pursuing the themes developed further.

⭐Absolutely phenomenal! It’s a perfectly accurate psychological endeavour.

⭐Great book.

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