About Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Notes From Underground'.
Notes From Underground is a fictional novel written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in 1864.
At the time Notes from Underground was written, a vibrant intellectual ferment was developing in discussions about religious philosophy and various utopian ideas.
Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground" is the story of a man who is frustrated with the lives of others and has taken refuge in the sewers. The man is bitter and cynical about humankind. He rejects the values and morals that were instilled in him by his parents, siblings and friends, and instead creates his own rules.
In his narration, the Underground Man makes numerous ideological allusions and complex discussions about the prevailing political climate during the period. In his fiction, Dostoevsky challenges the ideologies of his time, mainly nihilism and a drive toward utopian societies.
Top 15 Quotes from 'Notes From Underground'.
1. "But man is a fickle and disreputable creature and perhaps, like a chess-player, is interested in the process of attaining his goal rather than the goal itself." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. "Every decent man of our age must be a coward and a slave. That is his normal condition." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. "Right or wrong, it's very pleasant to break something from time to time." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
4. "Oh, gentlemen, perhaps I really regard myself as an intelligent man only because throughout my entire life I’ve never been able to start or finish anything." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
5. "It is clear to me now that, owing to my unbounded vanity and to the high standard I set for myself, I often looked at myself with furious discontent, which verged on loathing, and so I inwardly attributed the same feeling to everyone." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
6. "Here it is, here it is at last, the encounter with reality… all is lost now!" - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Also Read: Review of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Notes from the Underground"
7. "Who wants to want according to a little table?" - Fyodor Dostoevsky
8. "With love one can live even without happiness. Even in sorrow life is sweet." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
9. "To love is to suffer and there can be no love otherwise." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
10. "Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
11. "I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
12. "I've never been a coward at heart, although I've always been a coward in action." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
13. "Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
14. "Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
15. "The whole work of man really seems to consist in nothing but proving to himself every minute that he is a man and not a piano key." - Fyodor Dostoevsky
Conclusion:
To conclude, there are certainly a lot of things in Dostoyevsky's novel that we can reflect upon in the modern day. It seems that the famous Russian writer had a knack for predicting the future and not without reason since he was a visionary when it comes to literary technique.
His genius is undoubted, but we must question whether his thoughts were meant to be taken as advice or merely observations.
As Dostoevsky so masterfully wrote, "The Underground Man is not a hero for our time, but he should be". We are as much in need of someone to despise as we are of heroes to admire. We need scapegoats and targets for our frustrations, someone onto whom we can emotionally project our fears and anxieties. And a character like the Underground Man would be an ideal scapegoat.
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"The Underground Man is not a hero for our time, but he should be". We are as much in need of someone to despise as we are of heroes to admire. We need scapegoats and targets for our frustrations, someone onto whom we can emotionally project our fears and anxieties. And a character like the Underground Man would be an ideal scapegoat. What's your opinion? Leave a comment here !
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