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Fyodar Dostoevsky : Notes from Underground M.A. (ENGLISH) PART-I COURSE-VII SEMESTER-II NINETEENTH CENTURY FICTION Lesson No: 16 Author : Dr. Sushil Kumar Fyodar Dostoevsky : Notes From Underground Notes From Underground : An Introduction Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground is considered as the beginning of new fiction and its style is a diversion from nineteenth century fiction. He includes philosophical and psychological insights into his fiction that paved the way to 20th century existential and psychological literature. He has created the characters who are emotionally and spiritually downtrodden. Notes from Underground is also known for representing the melancholic and saddest character in the literature. The protagonist has no faith in reason and hope in life. At every phase of history of human existence, the creative and sensitive human beings suffer from loneliness, isolation and displacement. These sentiments are well depicted in the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Their characters are terribly lonely in the godless world. They have lost interest in logic and rPeason. They turn against the society and themselves. Even they harm the person who is liked by them. Notes from Underground was published in 1864. With this novel Dostoevsky perfected the technique of novel of Ideas. It was published in a magazine The Epoch. It explores the psychology of human beings in the disturbed political, economic, social environment of Russia in the 19th-century. The human beings have to face the hardships of life in such conditions. Notes from Underground seems like an essay in the first part, and the second part is in narrative style. The existential isolation of the anonymous protagonist is highlighted in Notes From Underground. The first part of the text, contains a long monologue of the anti-hero. It depicts the life philosophy of Dostoevsky through the protagonist. It critiques polemically the utopian socialist principles and ideals. Dostoevsky reacts strongly on the mathematical, mechanical and scientific rationalism and it seems that these principles and theories have the capacity to define the best interests of human beings. These theories believe in perfection of human beings. Every person has some interests and ideals which are more valuable than anything else and one can work hard to turn them into reality. For a human being, his free will whether it is horrific or obnoxious, is supreme. This cannot be rationally or problematically theorized. This freedom is very significant for him. M.A. (English) Part-I (Semester-II) 55 Course-VII Dostoevsky wants to run away from the harsh reality of the present to the memories of his youthful days. The theme, situations and characters of Notes From Underground are completely imaginative but in the present historical context, such types of circumstances are not only possible but also inevitable. Edward Wasiolek writes in his book Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Major Fiction “Against science, against the laws of reason, against the whole movement of man's systematic accumulation of knowledge . .against all that man pursues and dreads-the underground man opposes his unique, capricious, subjective world of feeling: wish, dream, hope, and, yes, cruelty, suffering, pettiness and visciousness (40)”. Dostovsky writes about the significance of free will in one’s life, “That would still be nothing, but what is offensive is that he'd be sure to find followers: that's how man is arranged. And all this for the emptiest of reasons, which would seem not even worth mentioning: namely, that man, whoever he might be, has always and everywhere liked to act as he wants, and not at all as reason and profit dictate; and one can even want against one's own profit, and one sometimes even positively must (this is my idea now). One's own free and voluntary wanting, one's own caprice, however wild, one's own fancy, though chafed sometimes to the point of madness--all this is the same most profitable profit, the omitted one, which does not fit into any classification, and because of which all systems and theories are constantly blown to the devil (25).” The female protagonist Liza is a prostitute. She is passive towards the society and the concept of morality given to her by the underground man. She wants to come out of the filth of prostitution and seeks the help from underground man. But he does not take her seriously and ultimately she leaves him. Notes From Underground is a kind of confession. The underground protagonist wants to maintain his inherent superiority and pride. The window is the symbol of the psychological struggle. Dostoevsky’s Liza is a good girl but she is thrown into prostitution by the circumstances. Dostoevsky negates the idea of thinking human being as a natural phenomena. In the current atmosphere to become a thinking hyperconscious human being is a costly affair and makes one inactive. Dostoevsky believes that freedom and materialism are the two different philosophies. So much so that freedom that is created from necessity is not actually freedom. Liza is a young prostitute and the underground man hurls abuses on her. The relationship between underground man and Liza depicts the complex psychological structure of human beings. Various school of thoughts like Expressionism, Surrealism, Existentialism, consider this text as the representative of their ideas. M.A. (English) Part-I (Semester-II) 56 Course-VII Notes from Underground is a critique of the radical Socialism of his time. Dostoevsky is polemic on the ideas of Chernyshevsky, who wrote a utopian novel What Is To Be Done? (1863). This novel became very sensational among wider readership. Dostoevesky critically rejected the novel by writing Notes from Underground. He critiques the ideas of rationality, scientific logic and human goodness to construct a better progressive society. Dostoevsky in contrast to that put his point that man is instinctively violent, evil, illogical, impulsive and destructive. Some scholars have criticized Dostoevsky for negating the purposeful social activity and reasoning against reason, evil and immorality. Infact Dostoevsky was not simply doing this rather he was more subtle and effective. He observes the mental turmoil that Liza is experiencing, “She bit the pillow, she bit into her hand till it bled (I saw it later), or, clutching her loosened braids, she would go stiff with effort, holding her breath and clenching her teeth. I started to say something to her, to beg her to calm down, but felt I didn't dare, and suddenly, all in a sort of fever myself, almost horrified, I rushed gropingly, in haphazard haste, to get myself ready to go. It was dark: no matter how I tried, I couldn't finish quickly. Suddenly I touched a box of matches and a candlestick with a whole, unused candle. As soon as light shone in the room, Liza suddenly rose, sat up, and looked at me almost senselessly, with a somehow distorted face and a half-crazed smile. I sat down next to her and took her hands; she recovered herself, made a quick move as if to embrace me, but did not dare, and quietly bowed her head before me (104)”. While departing from Liza the underground man feels proud to provide his address and invites her to visit his home. But at the same time he is disturbed, “What if she comes? However, why not, let her come; it's no matter…” But, obviously, that was not the main and most important thing now: I had to make haste and, whatever the cost, quickly save my reputation in the eyes of Zverkov and Simonov. That was the main thing. And I even quite forgot about Liza that morning, what with all the bustle” (106- 107). The underground man understands that he is not able to love anybody, “At that time I was only twenty-four years old. My life then was already gloomy, disorderly, and solitary to the point of savagery. I did not associate with anyone, even avoided speaking, and shrank more and more into my corner. At work, in the office, I even tried not to look at anyone, and I noticed very well that my colleagues not only considered me an odd man, but - as I also kept fancying - seemed to look at me with a certain loathing” (42). But in the end of second part of Notes from Underground, he again fell deep into frustrated isolation. Dostoevsky was well familiar with the fact that the innovations and M.A. (English) Part-I (Semester-II) 57 Course-VII discoveries are made when a person would think out of the logic, for instance an engineer innovated roads only when he was highly imaginative. He wants to create a dialogue between radical rationalism and dead end old irrationality. Dostoevsky is a master storyteller and is not very simplistic as it seems to be. In the beginning he attempted to be understood as a psychologist, a portrayer of dark and deep realities of the mind. He is also considered and understood as an existentialist who represents meaninglessness and absurdity of life with hope and joy. He is also considered as one of the most significant Christian writers. However, many readers, scholars and critics find it difficult to understand Dostoevsky because of his specific cultural background from Russia. The fact of the matter is that Russia is culturally identified with West and East. The influence of Eastern spirituality and mysticism as well as rationality of west can be seen on Russian culture. Dostoevsky accepts such influence of his country that is why, he takes free will, liberty and freedom not only as political concepts but also as theological concepts of love. He believes in the unique cultural and religious heritage of the West. Dostoevsky’s novels are highly experimental.
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