Book Review: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky [Novel 1864]

                      *Mukhtar MOHAMED

 

In Notes from Underground (1864), Fyodor Dostoevsky crafts one of the most challenging and enduring explorations of the human psyche in modern literature. This novella, often hailed as the precursor to existentialism, provides a chilling monologue of an unnamed protagonist—a man who is as much a victim of his time as he is a critic of it. Through the bitter musings of this "Underground Man," Dostoevsky unearths profound insights into freedom, alienation, and the irreconcilable tensions within human nature.

The novella is divided into two distinct parts, and each serves a different function. The first, an extended philosophical essay, is an unrelenting critique of the 19th-century ideologies that glorified reason and progress. The Underground Man rails against these ideals, questioning the utilitarian and deterministic frameworks that sought to systematize human behaviour. His assertion that humans are not merely rational actors but are driven by irrational impulses—often to their detriment—serves as the backbone of Dostoevsky’s counterargument to the prevailing Enlightenment optimism of his day.

The second part, a fragmented narrative titled "Apropos of the Wet Snow," brings the Underground Man's philosophy into practice—or rather, into failure. In recounting his humiliations, petty obsessions, and destructive relationships, particularly with the prostitute Liza, the narrative reveals the gap between his theoretical convictions and his lived reality. It is in this tension that Dostoevsky's brilliance lies: the Underground Man is both a critic of society and a case study of its failures. He is a man trapped between his desire for meaning and his inability to find it within the structures of his time. From a political science perspective, Notes from Underground is a profoundly subversive text. Dostoevsky dismantles the utopian visions of figures like Nikolai Chernyshevsky, whose deterministic view of human progress imagines a world governed entirely by reason and self-interest. In one of the novella’s most famous passages, the Underground Man rebukes this vision by arguing that humans would rather destroy a utopia than live under the tyranny of perfection. "What is a man without desires, without free will, and without choice, no matter how irrational?" he asks. For Dostoevsky, freedom, even when it manifests as irrationality or self-destruction, is an essential aspect of human nature that cannot be suppressed by ideology.

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*Mukhtar Mohamed holds a Master’s degree in Political Science & International Relations and a doubt degree in the same field from Ankara University and Anadolu University in Turkey. He worked for two years as a research fellow at the SETA Research Centre in Ankara, Turkey, specialising in international relations. His research interests include political thoughts, political philosophy and political theories also he is (co) author of several academic papers and articles in these areas.

This critique extends beyond 19th-century intellectual debates and speaks to contemporary political questions. The tension between individual freedom and societal order remains a central issue in political thought, particularly in debates around technocracy, surveillance states, and the limits of democracy. The Underground Man’s disdain for a mechanistic view of humanity echoes in modern critiques of algorithms and artificial intelligence that seek to quantify and predict human behaviour. Dostoevsky’s warning is clear: any attempt to reduce human beings to mere data points or rational actors risks erasing the very essence of what makes us human. Yet, Notes from Underground is not merely a political or philosophical treatise—it is a deeply psychological text that anticipates the concerns of Freud and Nietzsche. The Underground Man is a case study of self-awareness gone awry. His introspection, while profound, becomes a source of paralysis, alienating him from action and connection. This psychological depth is most apparent in his relationship with Liza, which is simultaneously his most human and his most tragic interaction. When she offers him genuine compassion, he retaliates with cruelty, unable to accept the vulnerability that love demands. Dostoevsky captures here a universal truth: that our greatest barriers are often those we construct ourselves.

Stylistically, the novella is a masterclass in voice and tone. The Underground Man’s narrative is disjointed and erratic, mirroring the chaos of his inner world. Dostoevsky employs an unreliable narrator to force the reader into an active role, challenging us to interpret and question the text rather than passively absorb it. This technique, coupled with the raw immediacy of the Underground Man’s voice, makes the novella an intensely personal experience for the reader.

Despite its brevity, Notes from Underground is a work of immense complexity and relevance. Its insights into freedom, alienation, and the human condition continue to resonate, offering a profound critique of both the ideologies of Dostoevsky’s time and the challenges of our own. For students of political science, philosophy, or psychology, it is a text that demands engagement, reflection, and, ultimately, humility in the face of its unflinching portrayal of humanity’s contradictions.

Dostoevsky does not offer easy answers in Notes from Underground, but this is precisely why it remains essential reading. It is a text that confronts us with the most uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our world, leaving us no choice but to grapple with them. And in doing so, it fulfils the highest aim of literature: to illuminate, provoke, and endure.