30 pages • 1 hour read
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
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Summary and Study Guide
Summary: “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man”
Content Warning: The story and study guide discuss suicide and suicidal ideation.
“The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky written in 1877. Narrated by the “ridiculous man” of the title, it recounts the man’s experience with nihilism leading up to his decision to die by suicide. A chance encounter with a distraught little girl compels him to delay the act. Falling asleep, he has a dream about a parallel world in which everything and everyone is perfect. This dream transforms his outlook and gives him a newfound faith in humanity and love. The story explores ideas about nihilism, egotism, meaning, love, responsibility, and truth.
This guide refers to the version in Short Stories by Fiodor Dostoievski available at Project Gutenberg. It was translated by Constance Garnett.
The story starts with the narrator stating that he is ridiculous, something as evident to others as it is to him: “I am a ridiculous person. Now they call me a madman. That would be a promotion if it were not that I remain as ridiculous in their eyes as before” (225). The narrator explains that he knew himself to be ridiculous already as a child and that this self-knowledge grew stronger as he grew older.
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By Fyodor Dostoevsky
