Notes from Underground; The Double (Penguin Classics)
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Book Summary Information
Author: Fyodor DostoyevskyIntroduction: Jesse Coulson
Edition: Paperback
Published: 1972-07-30
ISBN: 0140442529
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of Notes from Underground; The Double (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: Two literary gems from the pen of pyschological realism master Fyodor Dostoevsky
Summary: 5 Stars
Penguin classic has included two of Fyodor Dostoevsky's greatest short pieces of fiction in one volume.
"Notes from Underground" was published in 1864 shortly before the novelist produced his classic novel "Crime and Punishment". This shorter work informs the characterization of Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment." The anonymous narrator presents himself in print as a person who is deeply disillusioned with his life. He is a failure in life, love and quest for meaning in a St. Petersburg fog of bureacracy and poverty. He meets a prostitute named Lisa but she disappears in a swirling St. Petersburg fog. He views himself as an "insect". The work is a precursor of such works as Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" in which the main charcter is turned into a beetle. Dostoevsky is not for those seeking a cheerful, sunlit read on a lovely beach! The narrator of the tale is very skeptical of human goodness. He is distrustful of everyone believing that life is a succession of troubles until the final chapter ends in the obscurity of the grave.
The early story "The Double" is the most interesting of the two included in this Penguin Classics Edition. The tale focuses on a nonentity named Golyadkin who is tortured by the appearance of a man who is his exact image! (He is called Goldyadkin Jr!). Golyadkin is a wretch of an individual. He reminds this reader of a character out of Gogol who specialized in portraying the lives of St. Petersburg's poor caught in the web of Tsarist governmental ministries. The tale ends in a macabre way as Golyadkin is taken away to what is, probably, a mental institution.
Does Golyadkin Jr. exist or is he a figment of the imagination of Golyadkin Sr? We not know. This tale is written as the fog of St. Petersburg wraps the main character in obscurity and despair.
These two tales are good introductions to Dostoevsky's shorter fiction. The themes evident in these tales are:
a. A feeling of despairing anomie
b. A person who believes he is trapped like an insect in the webs of modern society.
c. A belief that life is difficult, complex and often confusing to ordinary people.
Summary of Notes from Underground; The Double (Penguin Classics)
Unabridged audiobook in MP3 format.Classics Books
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