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aayu5's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
liljoeyfroey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hadeanstars's review against another edition
5.0
Ugh. Revolting.
That's right, Dostoyevsky writes revolting characters alright. You cannot help but loathe them, at just the same time as you are fascinated by them. It's a train wreck of psychology. You are given a glimpse into the mind of a complete failure of a human being. It is impossible to even make sense of it and yet it feels completely authentic.
For the first time reading this, I feel as though I finally 'got' Dostoyevsky. His dissection of the worst excesses of human self-absorption is a true gift of genius. Who could conceive of it, let alone write it! It's horrifying to imagine that any writer could identify with such appalling processes. And for that reason it really makes you wonder. Was Dostoyevsky such a great observer of the human condition that he could deduce such fevered narcissism from his acquaintances? Or was this a part of his own mind? The former possibility strikes awe, the latter, horror.
But now, Raskolnikov makes sense. He's a facet of the Underground Man, albeit a more fleshed out one. The mania and vileness of old father Karamazov and his manic, crazed son Mitya now fit comfortably into the canon of Dostoyevsky's characters. I'm awed and disgusted all at once. Brilliantly awful.
That's right, Dostoyevsky writes revolting characters alright. You cannot help but loathe them, at just the same time as you are fascinated by them. It's a train wreck of psychology. You are given a glimpse into the mind of a complete failure of a human being. It is impossible to even make sense of it and yet it feels completely authentic.
For the first time reading this, I feel as though I finally 'got' Dostoyevsky. His dissection of the worst excesses of human self-absorption is a true gift of genius. Who could conceive of it, let alone write it! It's horrifying to imagine that any writer could identify with such appalling processes. And for that reason it really makes you wonder. Was Dostoyevsky such a great observer of the human condition that he could deduce such fevered narcissism from his acquaintances? Or was this a part of his own mind? The former possibility strikes awe, the latter, horror.
But now, Raskolnikov makes sense. He's a facet of the Underground Man, albeit a more fleshed out one. The mania and vileness of old father Karamazov and his manic, crazed son Mitya now fit comfortably into the canon of Dostoyevsky's characters. I'm awed and disgusted all at once. Brilliantly awful.
plasticjesus's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jonahandthetale's review against another edition
4.0
Not something I'd read on my own, but not bad for a homework assignment.
mormengil's review against another edition
4.0
This was a gift from my friend https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9838456-shinda-tenshi for my namesday, and has a dedication in the first page "22-5-93 Στον φίλο μου Κώστα Για την γιορτή του. Σπήλιος Αγγελος Σπηλιόπουλος" which I just rediscovered to my surprise.
So, 2 notes. First, this obviously has great sentimental value for me.
Secondly, in 93 ,which is when I first read it btw, I was 12 years old. Reading Dostoevsky as a 12 year old does leave a mark on you. Especially books like this one.
What more can I say, it is a classic. For a reason.
So, 2 notes. First, this obviously has great sentimental value for me.
Secondly, in 93 ,which is when I first read it btw, I was 12 years old. Reading Dostoevsky as a 12 year old does leave a mark on you. Especially books like this one.
What more can I say, it is a classic. For a reason.
taing025's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erickibler4's review against another edition
4.0
Another entertainingly exasperating character from Dostoevsky. The unnamed narrator, in the first part, imparts his nihilistic philosophy to the “reader”, but then he reveals he doesn’t intend for his manuscript to be read at all. He’s writing it merely to crystallize his own thoughts. He argues in favor of free will, going against the growing orthodoxy of his time, which indicates that all human behavior is governed by circumstances and can be predicted. In opposition to this, he lives in a way contrary to society, and against his own “profit”, for the mere pleasure of being a person who decides for himself. In this way, he argues, he still profits even through suffering, for the reason that he preserves his own independence.
In the second part, he flashes back to an earlier time, when he invited himself to a dinner party attended by several old classmates (who all despise him) for the purpose of showing his contempt toward them for thinking they’re better than him. He humiliates himself and ends up at a brothel where he meets a young prostitute and speaks to her about escaping the life she’s gotten herself into, and says he can visit her at his apartment. When she does so, he behaves rudely toward her (as we now come to expect of him).
The thing about his contrariness is that sometimes his thoughts are contrary even to his contrariness. He vacillates back and forth and is always dissatisfied with any tone or action he takes. A chaotic individual.
Dostoevsky wrote this before Crime and Punishment, but you can see Raskolnikov foreshadowed in this unnamed narrator. He manages to get to the heart of the psychological complexity of most people, who, unlike the characters in books by his contemporaries, aren’t “all one thing”, but are constantly jumping between extremes in their minds, if not so dramatically in their behavior.
In the second part, he flashes back to an earlier time, when he invited himself to a dinner party attended by several old classmates (who all despise him) for the purpose of showing his contempt toward them for thinking they’re better than him. He humiliates himself and ends up at a brothel where he meets a young prostitute and speaks to her about escaping the life she’s gotten herself into, and says he can visit her at his apartment. When she does so, he behaves rudely toward her (as we now come to expect of him).
The thing about his contrariness is that sometimes his thoughts are contrary even to his contrariness. He vacillates back and forth and is always dissatisfied with any tone or action he takes. A chaotic individual.
Dostoevsky wrote this before Crime and Punishment, but you can see Raskolnikov foreshadowed in this unnamed narrator. He manages to get to the heart of the psychological complexity of most people, who, unlike the characters in books by his contemporaries, aren’t “all one thing”, but are constantly jumping between extremes in their minds, if not so dramatically in their behavior.
annaonpluto's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
i was so lost and confused during the first half... I need to reread it I think