"...hurrah for the underground!"

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground represents yet another shift in thinking in the 19th century. We've gone from Voltaire's pragmatism, to Goethe's eternal striving, to Dostoevsky's view that there was more to man than reasoning, striving and enlightenment. Dostoevsky was deeply religious (Russian Orthodox) and felt that European intellectualism (like Goethe's and Voltaire's) left no room for individuality, and was ultimately, a pipe-dream.

So, we have one of the first anti-heroes in literature, the unnamed Underground Man of our story. Part One, which you will have read for Friday, is a philosophical rant, so to speak. The Underground Man is despicable, and yet pitiable. Part Two is an easier-to-read narrative, describing a set of experiences that bring the ideas of Part One to life.

Please visit this study guide and try to answer the questions as you read. The reading can be a bit dense, but I've found this to be a good, general guide on Dostoevsky's ideas.

You'll note, as you read, a few images that seem to stand out: the anthill, the piano keys, mathematical tables, and the Crystal Palace. They each are symbolic of the problems with intellectualism in Dostoevsky's time.

The Crystal Palace is a really neat one. It was built in the 1800's and was considered a marvel of its age. To the right is a picture. Consider: what might be the philosophical problem with building and living in such a structure? Why might Dostoevsky be opposed to such a building?