“A man takes revenge because he finds justice in it. That means he has found a primary cause, a basis–namely, justice.” – “Notes From Underground” by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
As time passes, classic literature falls behind. Many people nowadays may be more interested in fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, and many other genres. However, there’s this one genre that I would like to explore because I personally feel like it isn’t talked about enough: philosophical fiction.
What is philosophical fiction? Philosophical fiction is a type of fiction that spends a significant amount of its content exploring questions typically addressed in philosophy. Topics that fall under philosophical thinking may include: the meaning of life, the nature of reality, identifying right from wrong and even seeing the bigger picture.
A notable philosophical fiction book would be “Notes From Underground” by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. “Notes From Underground” is a novel that is split into two sections. The first section talks mainly about an unnamed man named Underground. Underground, in this novel, speaks about society, loneliness, isolation, human nature, and other topics.
Throughout the duration of the book, Underground goes on to talk about how humans act. He compares human desires to toothaches, compares men to mice, and even offers his own opinion on society.
A reason I liked this book was because Underground was relatable in many scenes. The quote, “The more uncertain you are, the more it hurts,” especially hit home for me. I overthink work, messages, and other topics. Overthinking every little thing and being uncertain of the truth can often lead to hurt and disappointment.
Another reason why I liked this book was simply because I found Dostoevsky’s writing intriguing. In parts of “Notes From Underground,” he includes a lot of foreshadowing. For example, “Ha, ha, ha! Next thing you’ll be finding pleasure in a toothache! You will exclaim, laughing.” As expected through foreshadowing, in chapter four, Underground explains human nature through a toothache. As strange as it sounds, Dostoevsky has his writing technique, which may confuse some readers.
Although I like “Notes From Underground” and find myself relating to Dostoevsky’s character, Underground, there are some places in the book that I’m not very fond of. Some parts of “Notes From Underground” can be confusing. For example, I failed to understand what chapter six was about. In this chapter, Dostoevsky starts talking about laziness. However, he then goes on to talk about artwork, demanding respect and fashion. Even if the chapter was short, you’d be surprised at how confusing it was. He can grab a concept so simple and turn it into the most confusing concept. Unfortunately, for me, I still haven’t figured out what he was trying to get across. I had my ideas on what he could mean, but they eventually hit a dead end, and I had to retreat soon after.
Along with not understanding some parts of the book, another thing I’m not very fond of is how random the chapters flow. One minute, he may be talking about a topic that personally resonates with me; the next minute, he may be comparing men to mice. This is another reason why chapters can be confusing. When he compares men to mice, he does it in an interesting way. He talks about how mice will manage to fence themselves with many questions.
“The wretched mouse, in addition to the original nastiness, has already managed to fence itself about with so many other nastinesses in the form of questions and doubts.” He explains how once the mouse finds the answers to its unanswered questions, it will then slip back into its crack. He explains that crack to be a loathsome, stinking underground crack. “There, in its loathsome, stinking underground, our offended, beaten-down, and derided mouse at once immerses itself in cold, venomous, and, above all, everlasting spite.”
As I re-read this chapter, I can’t help but feel like this chapter was a metaphor of some type. He gives the mice very human-like emotions. One that a normal mouse would not feel but rather a human. When he talks about the mice slipping back into its hold of shamefulness, I can’t help but to feel like that’s something humans do when they feel a sense of shame. They fall into a hole of shame, one full of loath, and if given enough time, could very much turn into spite.
Even if I have negative and positive thoughts about “Notes From Underground,” I still like this book overall. Since most of Dostoevsky’s works are quite lanky, I would suggest starting with “Notes From Underground,” as it’s a short novel when compared to other books, such as “Crime and Punishment.”
Although these two books are completely different from “Notes From Underground,” “Crime and Punishment” has a similar vibe. “Notes From Underground” speaks about how Underground views human nature, pain in humans, and how men react to certain situations. “Crime and Punishment,” however, holds many symbolic references. Its topic mainly talks about the consequences of human actions. I can’t be the one to tell you all about this book since I’m still at the beginning of the book, unfortunately.
