Notes from the Underground Summary
Fyodor Dostoevsky

Notes from the Underground Summary

Notes from the Underground is a self-portrait of a man who calls himself an "antihero." He is never named but writes in first person his views on several issues ranging from free will to man's ability to make intelligent decisions. He then turns to some events in his own life. Fyodor Dostoevsky makes a note at the beginning of the book that the notes and the writer are fictional. He does, however, note that such a person must exist because the current social climate is such that there's no way he couldn't exist. This fictitious author often makes a particular point, then argues as if the reader were submitting objections, then answers. All the while, he insists that he never intends for anyone to read the notes, but writes as if he's writing to an audience. He does say that it's simply a literary device and that it is simply... View more of the Notes from the Underground Summary