Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Double

Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Double
Title: The Double
Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Pages: 184
Publisher: , 0
ISBN: 184391087X
Format: PDF / Kindle / ePub
Size: 8.9 MB
Download: allowed
Description
The Double is a remarkable work of doppelgänger literature. As Dostoevsky examines the
neurosis and paranoia that cripple a seemingly ordinary man, he produces a thoroughly modern
nightmare, brilliantly foreshadowing the works of Kafka and Sartre. Mr. Golyadkin, a minor
government official, is a rather middling man. Then one day he meets his “double”—a man with
the same name, face, and background. Initially charmed by the coincidence, Golyadkin soon
notices a discernable cooling in the reaction of his friends and colleagues, while his double
seems to grow in popularity. Unable to escape the relentless presence of “Golyadkin junior,”
even the most ordinary activities begin to take on a terrifying significance, until Golyadkin finds
himself on the verge of a breakdown. Fyodor Dostoevsky is regarded as one of the greatest
prose writers of all time.
Insightful reviews
Remesh R.: This is the strangest book I've ever read from Dostoevsky. There were a few
moments to laugh out. Then I realized that I was laughing at Mr. Golyadkin's misery. I felt
irritated and I was frustrated often by his bewildered thoughts and I was wondering what is
happening most of the time. Then I realized that it is exactly what Dostoevsky is trying to
convey. A man is getting sick. He is going mad. And then, I began to understand the fog that
covers the book. It is intended to be foggy. It is intended to be frustrating. Thank god, it was
short or I would've gone mad as well.
Anna: The Doubleis the last book I finished before officially launching my current fanaticism for
George Orwell. But lest it be overlooked, I want to note the worth of this strange little book.
This is Dostoevsky's second novel--following Poor Folk, and previous to the titles that are
generally considered to be his masterpieces. It's also written before Dostoevsky's political
arrest, his death sentence, his last minute reprieve, and his years in a Siberian prison work
camp.
The story follows a painfully awkward civil servant, Mr. Golyadkin, who suffers repeated
humilations before encountering a man who is his double in every way. This "Golyadkin
junior"--yes, they have the same name too--at first seems to be a friend of "our hero." After all,
upon meeting on a bridge on a stormy night, they enjoy an evening of drink ing and
conversation. But then, the double turns enemy. He receives undeserved favors, he sets up
Golyadkin to be blamed for his own terrible behavior, he actively and publicly condescends
Golyadkin before their superiors. And our poor hero never seems to get a break.
With an odd point-of-view--it seems to be omniscent first-person--Dostoevsky sets us up to
question whether or not Golyadkin's double is real, or if he's a creation of Golyadkin's broken
mind. We join Golyadkin in his constant chase through claustrophobic, labyrinthine streets--he's
always moving, even when he doesn't know where he's going, much to the ire of his cab drivers.
And the question over whether or not the double exists almost seems to be moot when we
realize that, as far as Golyadkin is concerned, he exists whether he's real or not. And in the
most concrete terms, Golyadkin's life and dignity may never recover.
I'm tempted to read this next to Notes from the Underground, or the scene in The Brothers
Karamazov in which Ivan talks with the devil hiding under his table. The Double lays the
groundwork for Dostoevsky to more maturely handle psychological realism; he simply gets a
better grip on the devices of, for example, unreliable narrators and image and syntatic
repetition. I appreciated that Dostoevsky used an almost punishing close-up on Golyadkin
throughout the text to convey the obsession and paranoia that consumes him, but I believe that
in later works, the author grows to a point where he holds not only that one, unsettling shot, but
he turns the camera in a way that offers complimentary variation without losing focus.
I'm fascinated about how Dostoevsky's obsessions persist--even through the tumultuous years
that followed in his life. Doubles appear constantly in Dostoevsky work, particularly in The Idiot.
The subtitle of The Double is revealing: "A Petersburg Poem." So begins the the writer's lifelong
interest in the relationship of cityscapes to the mental state of his characters.
It begs me to question what would still consume my mind after my last minute reprieve from a
death sentence.
Chance: 3.5 stars
I read this story in "Notes From The Underground". I have to say I have never read a book that
gave me a panic attack before. The dialog can feel a bit claustrophobic. In the end you learn
that it is necessary to the story. The story also had me cringing at times due to the carrying-ons
of the main character (crashing the party... offa!). You want to feel sorry for him, but...
I do recommend this story but be prepared to get confused. I learned how to skim read over the
dialog as it gets very repetitive (repeating names, terms of endearment, etc.)... But again, all
has its reason.
Hugo Emanuel: "O Duplo" foi publicado quando Dostoievski tinha apenas 26 anos, pouco
depois do seu bem recebido primeiro romance "Gente Pobre". No entanto, a recepção deste
seu segundo romance esteve bem longe de ser unanimemente positiva – na verdade consta
que na altura da sua publicação foi alvo de mais criticas negativas do que positivas – o próprio
Dostoievski afirmou mais tarde ter ficado algo descontente em relação á forma da sua obra.
Não é difícil perceber o porquê de ter sido tão criticada, embora não partilhe de todo da opinião
dos críticos ou do próprio escritor em relação a "O Duplo". O facto é que a prosa utilizada por
Dostoievski neste pequeno romance é opressiva, confusa e, por vezes, pouco clara. No
entanto, sou da opinião que a prosa a que o autor recorre é extremamente apropriada para a
história que o autor se propõe a narrar. "O Duplo" debruça-se sobre Golyadkin, um funcionário
civil de baixa categoria que vive constantemente oprimido por sensações de inadequação e
consequentemente, parece nunca ser capaz de se comportar em sociedade de um modo que o
favoreça – muito pelo contrário, qualquer conversa que enceta leva invariavelmente a uma
série de mal-entendidos que o prejudicam ou diminuem aos olhos dos outros. Na sequência de
um desastroso comportamento social adoptado por Golyadkin durante um baile do qual é
expulso e para o qual estava erroneamente convencido de ter sido convidado, Golyadkin,
sentindo-se mais abjecto que nunca, dá de caras com um individuo que é não só fisicamente
idêntico a si mas que tem exactamente o mesmo nome. A sua relação com o seu duplo,
inicialmente caracterizada pela amizade, rapidamente se torna azeda, pois o outro parece
determinado a prejudicar-lhe e ficar com os louros do seu bom trabalho. O duplo de Golyadkin,
geralmente referido como “Golyadkin júnior” pelo narrador, tem uma considerável vantagem
sobre o seu homónimo, pois ao contrário de “Golyadkin sénior”, possui consideráveis aptidões
sociais e é exímio a bajular e a cair nas boas graças de todos. Segue-se então uma batalha de
vontades durante a qual o “Golyadkin sénior” está sempre uma boa quantidade de passos
atrás. A história é narrada na terceira pessoa, mas unicamente sob a perspectiva de Golyadkin,
cuja tumultuosa e desajeitada forma de raciocinar é eximiamente capturada por Dostoievski na
sua prosa, que embora por vezes confusa e difícil de acompanhar, parece-me mais que
apropriada tendo em conta o sujeito sobre qual se debruça. Aquele que a maioria das pessoas
parece considerar ser a maior falha deste romance – nomeadamente a prosa confusa,
opressiva e frustrante – ecu considero ser a uma das suas melhores caracteristicas.
Ironicamente, Nabokov, que sempre apontou Dostoievski como um escritor maioritariamente
medíocre (infame blasfémia, ecu sei…) é da opinião que “O Duplo” foi a sua obra-prima e o seu
melhor trabalho. Embora considere que “Crime E Castigo” e “Os Irmão Karamazov” são os
melhores trabalhos do escritor, tenho uma enorme admiração e apreciação por “O Duplo” não
só devido á sua divertida e inventiva história mas também pelos recursos estilísticos e formas a
que recorre. Julgo ter sido uma obra incompreendida na altura da sua publicação por estar
muito á frente do seu tempo. Não é, de facto, a melhor obra de Dostoievski mas tendo em
conta o “gabarito” do escritor, dizê-lo não significa de todo que seja uma obra literária menor.
Angie: Dostoevsky's top brief work. it's a deeply demanding mental tale concerning the
destruction of self in an alienating world. the most personality reports a masochistic
anxiousness so excessive that the one break out is thru the construction of one other
personality. However, Golyadkin's self-hatred runs so deep that even his double needs to spoil
the protagonist's life.
B0nnie: i've got no wish to meet my doppelgänger. Hell will be a spot full of our personal
doubles, I think. there are numerous literary examples of a double displaying up and inflicting
mayhem: Superman. Xander (from Buffy). The Nutty Professor. Captain Kirk met his double
twice, within the Enemy inside of and replicate Mirror. it usually turns out to return all the way
down to the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde idea: one of many personalities is powerful and powerful,
and the opposite kindly, but additionally too meek and indecisive. There follows a fight to
determine which one is the higher man. no matter what occurs next, the ethical is that we'd like
either facets to be an entire person. Mr. Golyadkin within the Double is faced along with his
doppelgänger. this case is assorted than these i have mentioned, for there isn't any break up
among the vulnerable and robust character traits. the man is all weak. i assume that makes this
extra of a parody. earlier than the encounter, he's proven to be useless and petty and
ineffective. He is going on faux purchasing journeys for pricey items which he by no means truly
buys, likely to provoke shop clerks and himself of his personal importance. So whilst Golyadkin
does meet his double, it truly is his double. there's no have to come again to a different size and
someway integrate. the joy of this e-book is the comical occasions that come up from those
meetings. but it truly is nightmarish while as the guy is just going insane. we're in basic terms
ever in Golyadkin's head, third individual limited, and the clues from the opposite characters
make it relatively transparent that there quite isn't any double. Written in 1846, The Double is
Dostoyevsky's moment novel and it wasn't good received. He revised the unconventional in
1866 and that's the model we learn today. it is a complex mental study. And it is fun. What extra
may well you want?
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