Notes from Underground

"What sort of Crystal Palace would it be if any sort of doubt were allowed?" —the Underground Man

Notes from Underground written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Study Guide

Brief summaries, commentaries, and notes on Notes.

Notes from Underground, Part 1

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11

Notes from Underground, Part 2

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10

Characters

The Underground Man

The Underground Man is the narrator and protagonist of Notes of Underground. The Underground Man can be viewed as: "a sheer irrationalist whose rejection of Rational Egoism is a tortured emotional outburst with no logical credentials" (Scanlan). He beleives that consciousness is a disease: " I swear to you, gentlemen, that being overly conscious is a disease, a genuine, full-fledged disease" (1257). Such consciousness shows: "within Underground Man's self-descriptions, while relational in the ways not reducible to behavior" (Hagberg).

Major Symbols

Underground

It is the home of the underground man. It is also refered to as his corner. " Yet the underground is more than a physical placeof isolation; it's a psychological hang-up as well. Possessing the overly sensitive and sheltered consciousness of the underground, the underground man finds himself unable and unwilling to meaningfully interact with others, despite his desire to do just that" (Novelguide).

The Ant Hill

This shows that there is no individuality. All of the ants are working for one main goal.

Works Cited

Hagberg, Garry L. Wittgenstein Underground. Philosophy and literature 28.2 (2004) 379-392.

Scanlan, James P. The Case against Rational Egoism in Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Journal of the History of Ideas 60.3 (1999) 549-567