Notes from the Underground | 
I do understand! I was casually listening to my audiobook today when this line caught my attention. I had to find the passage in Serial Reader and share. I never would have caught this allusion without the experience of reading #Clarissa.
#1001books #SerialReader
pickRecently I read the first part (as it was included in a book of Existentialist philosophers) and decided to go ahead and complete it.
As a work of fiction it is a tough read, being that it is essentially one long tirade. But as an audiobook narrated by George Guidall? It is fantastic. That‘s not to imply that it‘s not fantastic in both forms, but having it acted-and acted so expertly-greatly increased my comprehension
pickPublished in 1864, this novella delves into the psyche of a nameless narrator, often referred to as the "Underground Man." The work is divided into two parts. The first part provides a monologue that critiques society and human nature, expressing his deep-seated bitterness, isolation, and a sense of intellectual superiority. He rejects the idea of a utopian society, believing that suffering and irrationality are inherent to human existence. 5⭐️
pickI found this book rather odd. The narrator was very unlikeable. He complained of living in poverty, and barely being able to pay his manservant. I'm still not sure if Dostoevsky intended for that to sound as ridiculous as it does.
Allow me to indulge my fancy. You see, gentlemen, reason is unquestionably a fine thing, but reason is no more than reason, and it gives fulfillment only to man's reasoning capacity, while desires are a manifestation of the whole of life - I mean the whole of human life, both with its reason and with all its itches and scratches.
#7days7books Day 1
Seven books that left a deep impression on me and changed me.
Thanks for the tag @Leftcoastzen 💜 Feel free to have a go @Lcsmcat @Graywacke @sudi 🙂
bailedNope. I‘m a half an hour in, and I‘m bailing. There are far too many rambling thoughts and multi-page long paragraphs. I am just not into it. Maybe not the best way to start a Readathon, but at least its another book off of my shelf for #MarchUnshelfing.
@jb72 @Andrew65 @SumisBooks
pickI loved this! I do wish it had been longer, I was in the mood for a proper Russian doorstop novel with real room to breathe and it burnt out quite quickly but then if the only complaint I have about a book is that it‘s not longer it must have been good! Watching Dostoyevsky‘s characters‘ thought processes and how they justify themselves is amazing
pickWritten in 1864 this book is often called “the first existential book”. It is the story of a man who locks himself underground to ponder life biggest questions. He philosophizes about the state of his Russian society and the behavior of mankind. In part two, he makes fun of the philosophies he proposed in part one. I imagine this was quite a controversial book in its time. It‘s amazing how much of it still “hits home“ today.
pickWhat a weird little book. It packs quite a bit of philosophical musings for its size. Had a great time reading all the stories except for White Nights which I found to be trite. Adored The Dream of a Ridiculous Man! The only other thing of Dostoevsky I've read is Brothers Karamazov, which was years ago. Anyone have any other favourites by him?
I *may* have just went on a bit of a shopping spree. But thanks to the local used book store...it only cost me $15. I think my consciousness can bare it. Stocked up on some classics that I‘ve either read and lost my copy of throughout the years, or have been meaning to read for some time. Very excited, doing my happy dance.
There's no #underground like Dostojewskis.
#letstraveljuly
pickThe narrator of this is....not exactly the ideal I‘m trying to live up to. Ha. But this is an interesting little novella, and it cracked me up much of the time. The worldview presented here is spiteful, disturbing, but deliciously fun.
I hated my face, for example, and even suspected that there was some mean expression in it, and therefore every time I came to work I made a painful effort to carry myself as independently as possible, so as not to be suspected of meanness, and to express as much nobility as possible with my face. “Let it not be a beautiful face,” I thought, “but to make up for that, let it be a noble, an expressive, and, above all, an extremely intelligent face.”
My new roommate has a waterproof notepad for jotting down ideas in the shower. I was not aware such a thing even existed.
Ok folks! Last post for the #makemereadit challenge for August! These three books have now tied for third place at 3 votes apiece! So vote away even if you aren't participating to determine third, fourth, and fifth place! My #tbr is in your hands!
My annual Dostoyevsky reading. I tend to read one ever year and a half as it takes me about a year and a half to get through one! But this one should be pretty fast, being only 280 v.s 700 pages #dostoyevsky
pickBrilliant! Dostoevsky is a master observer of the human condition.Despite the size of this little book,it‘s densely packed with philosophical and psychological concerns that are further explored & expanded in his larger works. Through his self-tormented characters, D delves into the darker corners of the human psyche and the depth of his ability to dissect and expose it so masterfully through literature is unmatched by any author I‘ve read so far.
A lot of food for thought about human behavior in this little book.
“I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.” ☕️
Happy Sunday! ☀️
“But man is so partial to systems and abstract conclusions that he is ready intentionally to distort the truth, to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, only so as to justify his logic.”
“I am a sick man... I am a wicked man.”
Wow, what a start! Very excited to finally get to read this one @BrainyHeroine
so-soI finished my first Dostoevsky collection today. Not sure how I felt about it, I will have to wait a little bit and let it digest. I know that I liked it enough to take on his longer novels someday.
Current #serialreader classic. So far, I mostly want to call this one “angry white man shakes fist at sky.”
We shall see how it progresses.
#classics #litsyclassicsatoz #atoz #litsyatoz
Finally have time to finish my book. Russian lands = No foolish people.
so-soMy so-so rating is because:
⭕️ It‘s an older translation
⭕️ It was free e-book (hard to page back and forth)
⭕️ most of it I read on the treadmill
⭕️ I had to check cliff notes online (nothing wrong with that, but it interrupted my flow).
⭕️Underground Man rambles a lot
With all the above, it was a so-so experience. I read this for #1001books and it‘s short enough that I‘m willing to try again someday. Hope I like Crime & Punishment more 😬!
March + ☀️+ lunch hr = perfect time to start my March book!
I'm taking this to mean that Underground Man gets so isolated that he doesn't do much other than read. Too much of a good thing (i.e. reading) can happen sometimes.
#1001Books reading-- nearly done with this one!
“I tell you solemnly, that I have many times tried to become an insect. But I was not equal even to that. I swear, gentlemen, that to be too conscious is an illness- a real thorough-going illness.”
I have not read the book but the blurb does tell that his self-pity and his determination for self-sabotage qualifies him as a neurotic person.
#fiercefeb #neuroticsociety @Cinfhen @batsy
pick#decinbooks17 #day12 - #yourlatest5starread
Wasn't sure what I was expecting going into this one, but was pleasantly surprised all the same. Begins with an engaging polemic that predicts the rise of Trump with startling accuracy 150+ years 8n advance. The rest is a social satire brutally sending up a certain brand of self-entitled heroism. Since Russian novels have the reputation of looking like doorstops, this one serves as a great entry point.
#quotsydec17 #day7 - #letters
"I swear to you, gentlemen, that to be overly concious is a sickness, a real, thorough sickness. For man's everyday use, ordinary human consciousness would be more than enough; that is, a half, a quarter of the portion that falls to the lot of a developed man in our unfortunate... century."
I picked this book thinking it was "Letters" from Underground, and I'm not getting out of bed again tonight, so...
My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is hiding from my arguing family to read until it's time to make food. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Nisan: “These are notes from Dostoyevsky‘s alter ego. He finds humans ungrateful, himself included, and that people only tend to care about their own desires. I think that‘s true. You hear the words ‘I love you‘ every day but I don‘t think people mean it. It‘s been a while since I‘ve told someone I love them. Words loose their meaning when you overuse them – it‘s like chewing gum that you chew too much.”
pan
