Why did Dostoevsky write notes from the underground?

Dostoevsky may have been prompted to write Notes from Underground in response to a revolutionary novel called What Is to Be Done? (1863), written by the “rational egoist” N. G. Chernyshevsky. Rational egoism held that life could be perfected solely through the application of reason and enlightened self-interest.

What is conscious inertia?

The “fruit“ of his acute consciousness causes “inertia,” a deliberate refusal to do anything, which he believes is more intelligent than uninformed activity. The essence of all thinking and self-awareness.

Who translated notes from the underground?

Notes From Underground – Fyodor Dostoyevsky, translated by Natasha Randall – 9781786899002 – Allen & Unwin – Australia.

What makes the underground man obsessed with the officer in Part II?

The Underground Man, as a romantic, would use “literary language” with the officer, and he understands that the people in the tavern would humiliate him for doing so. Rather than challenge the officer, the Underground Man becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge.

Is existentialist Notes From Underground?

Notes From the Underground. Notes from Underground is considered by many to be the world’s first existentialist novel. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to deities or authorities creating it for them.

Why does the underground man refuse to go to a doctor about his liver problem?

Contradictions and indecision are fundamental to his character. He says that his liver hurts, but then immediately tells us that he is not sure it is his liver. He knows he is sick, but he refuses to see a doctor out of spite, even though he knows that in pursuing this spiteful behavior he is only in hurting himself.

Who is the Underground Man in Notes from underground?

Notes from Underground Summary. A note from the author introduces a fictional character known as the underground man, who the author says is “representative of the current generation,” and whose rambling notes will form the novella that is to follow. The underground man begins by telling the reader that he is a sick, spiteful, unattractive man.

What is the summary of the book Underground?

Book Summary. The narrator introduces himself as a man who lives underground and refers to himself as a spiteful person whose every act is dictated by his spitefulness. Then he suddenly admits that he is not really spiteful, because he finds it is impossible to be anything — he can’t be spiteful or heroic; he can only be nothing.

When was notes from underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky published?

Notes from Underground. Notes from Underground is a novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky that was first published in 1864. Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter Summary and Analysis. See a complete list of the characters in Notes from Underground and in-depth analyses of The Underground Man, Liza, and Zverkov.

What was the narrator’s perspective in 1860 notes from underground?

This second section reveals the narrator’s progression from his youthful perspective, influenced by Romanticism and ideals of “the beautiful and lofty,” to his mature perspective in 1860, which is purely cynical about beauty, loftiness, and literariness in general.