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| Plot Summary of Notes From Underground |
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"Sometimes translated as "Letters From the Underworld," this short, two-part novella sprang the first existential modernist on the world in 1864. Addressing the reader directly, the "Underground Man," a rude and spiteful government official of about 40, has quit his job and ruminates in his poor apartment, remembering past foolishness and humiliations, and going out only to embarrass friends and abuse a prostitute. He talks much sense about the illusions of perfection and scientific determinism -- of how perversely humans will express their need for freedom no matter how hard society tries either to satisfy or control them -- but he is incapable of love, and so provides a stinging portrait of what many could and have become in the nearly 150 years since. There is a sour, depressing humor, and a crabbed grandeur to this transitional work between Dostoevsky's early romanticism and his masterful long novels."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Notes From Underground |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- 19th century
Inside culture (main char)
- Russian
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main char. serviced by prostitute?
Yes
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- prostitute
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 2 (a little)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Russia
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Amount of dialog
- little dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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