itsgs's review
5.0
I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this book; but it sure wasn't this! Before I go into a commentary on the short stories themselves, some info on what the book itself contains is warranted.
Book's contents:
There are 7 short stories - White nights, Honest thief, Christmas tree & a wedding, Peasant Marey, Notes from underground, A gentle creature and Dream of a ridiculous man. Notes from Underground actually qualifies more as a novella than a short story, given its length. These 7 are chronologically presented based on when Dostoyevsky wrote them (with one exception).
Writing style and topics:
The chronological presentation of the short stories actually presents some interesting insights. The early stories are more hopeful, satirical, somewhat joyous and heartful. The lead character is a positive person - a hero, if you will. As the book evolves to the period after Dostoyevsky's imprisonment, the tone becomes more cynical, humor disappears, characters spend many pages stating views or reflecting on existential questions, and plots get more psychologically complex. The leads become dark characters - anti-heros.
Thoughts on the works themselves:
This is my first attempt at Dostoyevsky - picked up this book without any knowledge of or expectations on the nature of the content/ writing. My only goal was to read what many consider the world's foremost literary figure, without having to commit to a longer book not knowing if I would like the author.
Many of the stories don't really have a plot in the traditional sense. They are often a series of incidents that shed light into the personalities of the characters, and ultimately into human psyche. Most of the lead characters are lonely "dreamers". Once the writing segues into the "anti-hero" archetype; they are also selfish, self-aggrandizing, self-criticizing, self-contradicting. But they are never alien. To his credit, Dostoyevsky manages to make them relatable, even when they are less desirable human beings.
Many of the ideas presented in the book - internet tells me- are rebuttals or opinions about popular schools of thought at that time. I didn't think this background knowledge was necessary to appreciate or even ponder the thoughts presented. I loved them - especially the way existentialism was tackled in the last story - Dream of a Ridiculous Man. Where they became a bit much for me was in Part 1 of Notes from Underground. This - I must admit - made for a somewhat tedious read. It gave a feel of reading an essay, and not a short story. Ideas - while thought provoking - were repetitive, so while I "got" them, I also drifted off a fair bit.
All in all, I liked the collection and Dostoyevsky's style. I am looking forward to picking up Brothers Karamzov sometime later in the year.
Book's contents:
There are 7 short stories - White nights, Honest thief, Christmas tree & a wedding, Peasant Marey, Notes from underground, A gentle creature and Dream of a ridiculous man. Notes from Underground actually qualifies more as a novella than a short story, given its length. These 7 are chronologically presented based on when Dostoyevsky wrote them (with one exception).
Writing style and topics:
The chronological presentation of the short stories actually presents some interesting insights. The early stories are more hopeful, satirical, somewhat joyous and heartful. The lead character is a positive person - a hero, if you will. As the book evolves to the period after Dostoyevsky's imprisonment, the tone becomes more cynical, humor disappears, characters spend many pages stating views or reflecting on existential questions, and plots get more psychologically complex. The leads become dark characters - anti-heros.
Thoughts on the works themselves:
This is my first attempt at Dostoyevsky - picked up this book without any knowledge of or expectations on the nature of the content/ writing. My only goal was to read what many consider the world's foremost literary figure, without having to commit to a longer book not knowing if I would like the author.
Many of the stories don't really have a plot in the traditional sense. They are often a series of incidents that shed light into the personalities of the characters, and ultimately into human psyche. Most of the lead characters are lonely "dreamers". Once the writing segues into the "anti-hero" archetype; they are also selfish, self-aggrandizing, self-criticizing, self-contradicting. But they are never alien. To his credit, Dostoyevsky manages to make them relatable, even when they are less desirable human beings.
Many of the ideas presented in the book - internet tells me- are rebuttals or opinions about popular schools of thought at that time. I didn't think this background knowledge was necessary to appreciate or even ponder the thoughts presented. I loved them - especially the way existentialism was tackled in the last story - Dream of a Ridiculous Man. Where they became a bit much for me was in Part 1 of Notes from Underground. This - I must admit - made for a somewhat tedious read. It gave a feel of reading an essay, and not a short story. Ideas - while thought provoking - were repetitive, so while I "got" them, I also drifted off a fair bit.
All in all, I liked the collection and Dostoyevsky's style. I am looking forward to picking up Brothers Karamzov sometime later in the year.
lain1's review
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
david_rhee's review
4.0
Dostoevsky's short stories have a distinct flavor characterized by their heroes' warped and at times deranged views formed and set over years of a solitary isolated life. "White Nights" starts out like a love story but brace yourself. "A Gentle Creature" is sad and haunting. And who can forget "Notes from Underground?" Good sampling of a great author.
rottenjester's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
read Demons instead
phoenixg's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
kle105's review
3.0
When I went to college I was a sociology minor and for some reason I felt reading really old dead philosophers made me smarter in some way. I read the longer novels of Dostoyevsky and at the time it seemed his long ramblings lead to a greater understand of human behavior. These short stories did not follow that formula. Most were repetitive in dialogue, without telling an actual story. most of these were painful but White Nights, The Christmas Tree and A Wedding, and a Gentle Creature were the ones I could at least get through without grumbling. I do have to remember that he was born in 1821 so literature was different, it really would have benefited with some editing.
supdankosmos's review
5.0
White Nights : 5/5
The Honest Thief : 4.5/5
The Christmas Tree and a Wedding : 2/5
The Peasant Marey : 4/5
Notes From the Underground : 5/5
A Gentle Creature : 3.5/5
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man : 5/5
full review coming soon
The Honest Thief : 4.5/5
The Christmas Tree and a Wedding : 2/5
The Peasant Marey : 4/5
Notes From the Underground : 5/5
A Gentle Creature : 3.5/5
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man : 5/5
full review coming soon
jmiae's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I could read Russian. The English translation that I read was wonderful, but I wondered constantly how it would feel to read these stories in the language that Dostoyevsky thought, wrote, and felt in. So much pervasive sadness composed by mere words..
Russian Literature is not really something I can say I enjoy. It's an enriching reading experience for sure, but it does not make me happy. This applies perfectly to this collection of stories. It was worth reading, but after I finished it I felt the necessity of picking a much lighter book to read next. I mainly read this collection for Notes from the Underground, and that is certainly the one that I most need to reread because I don't feel I gave it enough attention and thought the first go around. Definitely need to right headspace to understand, if not at least appreciate Dostoyevsky.
The editor did a phenomenal job of organizing the stories, though I found it difficult to distinguish the different narrators of each one. Perhaps because they all spoke in the first person and they were almost all men in straitened circumstances. But each story felt more powerful and evocative than the next, though I am particularly fond of the romanticism of the first, 'White Nights'.
Russian Literature is not really something I can say I enjoy. It's an enriching reading experience for sure, but it does not make me happy. This applies perfectly to this collection of stories. It was worth reading, but after I finished it I felt the necessity of picking a much lighter book to read next. I mainly read this collection for Notes from the Underground, and that is certainly the one that I most need to reread because I don't feel I gave it enough attention and thought the first go around. Definitely need to right headspace to understand, if not at least appreciate Dostoyevsky.
The editor did a phenomenal job of organizing the stories, though I found it difficult to distinguish the different narrators of each one. Perhaps because they all spoke in the first person and they were almost all men in straitened circumstances. But each story felt more powerful and evocative than the next, though I am particularly fond of the romanticism of the first, 'White Nights'.
phili's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could enjoy short story collections. Like, TRULY enjoy them. I just finish them thinking, "Ok, time for my next read". This short story collection included the famous "Notes from Underground," which is apparently the first piece of existential writing. Ironically, existentialism is my least favorite philosophical topic (out of the ones I have studied that is), but Dostoevsky remains to be one of my favorite authors. I bookmarked many great quotes about humanity while reading this collection. I admit, the stories weren't very compelling to me, but there were a lot of great nuggets to take away from this collection.