Notes from Underground was written in 1864 by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Like his other work, it relies heavily on psychology and philosophy and contributes ideas to both of those fields.
Part of the novella is rooted in Dostoevsky’s own experience. In the 1840s, he was a romantic, believing in the ideas of utopia and materialism. Because of his liberal politics, he was sentenced to death in 1849. At the last minute, the Tsar pardoned him and sentenced him to hard labor in Siberia instead. In 1859, Dostoevsky returned to St. Petersburg and began writing again. In the 1860s, Dostoevsky became suspicious and critical of liberal politics.
In Part 1 of Notes from Underground, the Underground Man...
