stella’s Reviews > The Best Short Stories of Fyodor Dostoevsky > Status Update

oh my god Nastenka is a bitch. how could she bait and switch him like that! he was just a placeholder for a man she didn’t even know very well. god these two are insufferable. actual hypocrites.

BETRAYAL!

regardless of my other complaints about this story, i can’t deny that it is certainly still relevant and relatable even today. love is not historic; it is an unchanging human experience which is what makes writings about it timeless. Nastenka’s conclusion that it’s better she’s disappointed by the lodger now than later is echoed by many in similar situations today where love with another partner seems fickle.

confession!

i don’t like the man. he rambles way too much and i honestly don’t care about what he has to say.

loneliness as a theme; the man is love-bombing her and comes off as too desperate for the first time meeting her.
also kind of relate to the metaphor by him where the dreamer’s friend finds that he, who normally can stir up a witty or funny remark, can’t do so around the dreamer. makes me think of my dynamic with leah because i feel like i cant communicate my ideas as clearly as when i’m speaking with roselyn.

had a nice conversation with the waiter at the restaurant about dostoyevsky today!