Dostoyevsky--My Man
"Now then, what does a decent man like to talk about most? Himself, of course. So I'll talk about myself."
Though Dostoyevsky is solid throughout, his intro chapter (I) truly provides a good foundation of how this work reads, how it feels. The stream of consciousness style is loads of fun and gives a sort of rambling storyteller aesthetic to the tale, along with a mounting tension within the reader that wishes the narrator would just make up his mind, be concise, and speak the truth. BUT the way Dostoyevsky writes leads to a very believable feeling, a very accurate portrayal of the human mind... He goes forward and steps back in his description of himself over and over, slowly clearing up tiny misconceptions he (the narrator) causes.
Also, side-note, the quote above: I find it compelling that Dostoyevsky's narrator asserts that a decent man likes to talk about himself most. If sarcastic (as is a lot of this passage), then this points to a common indecency amongst the "decent" folks in society. If non-sarcastic, then perhaps it is a nod to confidence and self-assurance. Either way, this statement contains a slight amount of snark, and I absolutely love it. Anyone else?
P.S. I commented on Olivia and Carmen's posts.
Though Dostoyevsky is solid throughout, his intro chapter (I) truly provides a good foundation of how this work reads, how it feels. The stream of consciousness style is loads of fun and gives a sort of rambling storyteller aesthetic to the tale, along with a mounting tension within the reader that wishes the narrator would just make up his mind, be concise, and speak the truth. BUT the way Dostoyevsky writes leads to a very believable feeling, a very accurate portrayal of the human mind... He goes forward and steps back in his description of himself over and over, slowly clearing up tiny misconceptions he (the narrator) causes.
Also, side-note, the quote above: I find it compelling that Dostoyevsky's narrator asserts that a decent man likes to talk about himself most. If sarcastic (as is a lot of this passage), then this points to a common indecency amongst the "decent" folks in society. If non-sarcastic, then perhaps it is a nod to confidence and self-assurance. Either way, this statement contains a slight amount of snark, and I absolutely love it. Anyone else?
P.S. I commented on Olivia and Carmen's posts.
Ok see that makes more sense now, It seemed like he kept contradicting himself but I couldn't really figure it out because I was having trouble trying to follow his train of thought.
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