Skip to main content

Notes from the Underground 90%

The second half is a personal narrative.  We follow our narrator as he humiliates himself in front of a group of acquaintances.  We also follow his internal thoughts as all this is going on.  He knows he is acting absurdly but can't stop himself.  He thinks of the profound and the trivial--bouncing back and forth.  He makes up absurd fantasies in which he is debased but heroic.  The human mind and all it's capacities.

After this, we follow him to a house of prostitution where he meets Liza.  He preaches to her about the need to live a meaningful life.  She seems to pay attention. He invites her to visit him, then is in dread that she might visit.  This I found less interesting.  Wordy.

There is also a lengthy discussion of his relationship with his servant.  Power struggle without words over trivialities.

All in all, excellent.  Human condition in a modern society. Confused, often humiliated, lost.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Master Chapter 2

February 1895 (Alice died in 1892) Money problems, jealousy of Wilde; time spent with Lord Wolseley1; off to Ireland to lick his wounds; Irish unrest--Irish landlords boycott all social events; much time spent with manservant Hammond (homosexual attraction again); fancy dress ball, appalling to James, who is only happy in company of Hammond, though Hammond remains a servant and no more; little girl alone on the grounds--inspiration for Turn of the Screw?; conflict with Webster who alludes to Wilde's successful play and HJ's failure; Wolseley was an  Anglo-Irish  officer in the  British Army . He became one of the most influential and admired British generals after a series of successes in Canada, West Africa, and Egypt, followed by a central role in modernizing the British Army in promoting efficiency. He served in Burma, the  Crimean War , the  Indian Mutiny , China, Canada and widely throughout Africa—including his  Ashanti  campaign (18...