Notes From Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

In which I talk about Notes From Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

[respawnicon]

Been a while since I've seen your vids Matthew but this one caught my eye and reminded me why you have such a valuable channel. Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas my friend.

[benmmarino]

It’s interesting how different translations of these stories have such diverging details. In my everyman’s library, Richard peever translation; the narrator has a raccoon fur collar and he shows up at 5 for a dinner that was pushed to 6 unbeknownst to him. Lol

[mlle_darlling]

A slight correction: the first part is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old, but the second part goes back to the events when he was only 24. I think that bit changes the way we can read the dynamics between him and his peers and also adds a peculiar twist in that we start with his teenage-angst philosophy and proceed to a slightly more socially adequate stage, but in reality he only regressed with age. But I still love how relatable this character is despite having no redeeming or likable qualities, it makes you think if you’re in danger of descending into the underworld yourself haha.

Oh, and the way you described his personality really reminded me of the protagonist in Knut Hamsun’s “Hunger.” It looked heavily inspired by “Crime and Punishment” to me before, but now I see even more Dostoyevsky lore in it.

[milfredcummings]

Is it just my imagination or did the very beginning of this story inspire Kafka to write The Metamorphosis and The Trial? And on the other hand, I think Gogol's The Overcoat influenced Dostoevsky a lot in this story.

[wasabidrful]

I wonder if Dostoevsky wrote this for the unreliable narrator in all of us?