40 pages 1 hour read

Notes from Underground

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1864

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Book Brief

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Fyodor Dostoevsky

Notes from Underground

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1864
Book Details
Pages

136

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

St. Petersburg, Russia • 1860s

Publication Year

1864

Publisher

Vintage Classics

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky is an 1864 novella divided into two parts: Part 1 is a philosophical monologue by the 40-year-old Underground Man, who is disillusioned with society and explores ideas like determinism and human nature; Part 2 recounts events from his early adulthood, highlighting his interactions with coworkers, classmates, and a woman named Liza, ultimately revealing the roots of his nihilistic outlook. The novella references sex trafficking.

Contemplative

Mysterious

Melancholic

Dark

Challenging

Reviews & Readership

4.4

178,424 ratings

80%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky is both celebrated and critiqued. Admirers praise its deep psychological exploration and the raw, introspective portrayal of the human condition. Detractors, however, find its narrative style fragmented and the protagonist excessively nihilistic. Overall, it remains a seminal work in existential literature. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Notes from Underground?

Readers who enjoy introspective, philosophical, and psychologically complex narratives akin to Albert Camus' The Stranger or Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis will find Notes from Underground engaging. Such readers usually appreciate existential themes, moral dilemmas, and the exploration of the human psyche.

4.4

178,424 ratings

80%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

5%

Not a fan

Character List

The Underground Man

The anonymous protagonist and narrator, a retired civil servant living in isolation on the outskirts of town who grapples with his disdain for society and his own self-loathing.

A young woman working in a brothel whom the Underground Man meets, notable for her initial resignation to her situation and her interactions with the narrator.

Fun Facts

Notes from Underground is considered by many to be one of the first existentialist novels, setting the stage for a genre that would explore the complexities of human free will and irrationality.

The novella introduces a "hyperconscious" protagonist, reflecting Dostoevsky's deep interest in psychology and foreshadowing themes he would later expand upon in works like Crime and Punishment.

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The philosophical ideas presented in Notes from Underground heavily influenced 20th-century existential thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

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Book Details
Pages

136

Format

Novel • Fiction

Setting

St. Petersburg, Russia • 1860s

Publication Year

1864

Publisher

Vintage Classics

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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