Psychological_fiction

Summary This book centers on the literary type of the “superfluous man” and a Byronic hero. In some ways this character anticipates modern antiheroes like Patrick Bateman or Walter White, at least in broad outline. It is widely treated as the first major Russian psychological novel in prose. The book opens from the perspective of a writer traveling through the Caucasus. The writer befriends Maksim Maksimych, a veteran staff captain, who regales him with stories—chief among them the tale of Bela, in which Pechorin figures. After further travel they meet Pechorin himself. The reunion is stiff: Pechorin is polite but distant and soon leaves for Persia. He had long ago left his notebooks with Maksim; when Maksim reminds him, Pechorin says he may do what he likes with them. The offended Maksim is about to destroy the papers when the narrator takes them instead. Much of what follows comes from those diary extracts (Taman, Princess Mary, The Fatalist), in Pechorin’s own voice. ...

The Double is Dostoyevsky’s second published work and is a definite precursor to much of his later work. Following the life of a low-level bureaucrat named Golyadkin for a couple chaotic days. Golyadkin is a weak and flakey person with crippling anxiety and bordering on psychotic. After attending a party and committing some embarrassing party fouls he is thrown out into the snowy night in St. Petersburg. It is in this state that Golyadkin literally bumps into his double a person that looks just like him and even shares his name. The rest of the book follows the relationship of these two characters as the double is the inverse of the real Golyadkin and has everything the original lacks. This book was also adapted into a movie with Jesse Eisenburg who is a great match for this character. The style is very surreal and also satirical it is much different from anything else I’ve read from Dostoyevsky. It was also the worst book I’ve read from him, in fact I think he says it best ...