Before we dive too far into Notes from Underground, I wanted to research Dostoyevsky's exile to Siberia. (It was briefly mentioned in Norton.)
As a struggling author, he joined the Betekov circle, a utopian socialist community, which helped him with his financial troubles. When the Betekov circle disappeared, he joined the Petrashevsky Circle, which was supposedly a harmless group which advocated for Russian social reform (like the abolition of serfdom, for example).
After the Revolutions of 1848 (if you don't know what these are, I recommend looking them up because they're very interesting!), Tsar Nicholas I wanted to rid the country of radicals (basically any major group capable of stirring up trouble). Resultantly, members of the Petrashevsky Circle were arrested and were (supposed to be) executed. While imprisoned initially, they stayed locked up in the "Peter and Paul Fortress," which was apparently for the "most dangerous convicts." Ooohhh...intellectuals who don't like serfdom and censorship. How terrifying!
As Dostoyevsky and his liberal intellectual buddies stood in front of a firing squad, about to be shot to death, a letter arrived from the Tsar...Luckily for the literary world (and for Dostoyevsky), they ended up being sent to a prison camp in Siberia. No biggie! Although Dostoyevsky was probably glad he didn't die, the next four years of his life were torturous, according to the prisoner himself. Here's his quote describing the conditions:
"In summer, intolerable closeness; in winter, unendurable cold. All the floors were rotten. Filth on the floors an inch thick; one could slip and fall […]. We were packed like herrings in a barrel […]. There was no room to turn around. From dusk to dawn it was impossible not to behave like pigs […]. Fleas, lice, and black beetles by the bushel […]."
Ouch! To make matters worse, he suffered from fever and hemorrhoids and lost weight.
Despite the brutal circumstances, he managed to make time to help other prisoners. He even talked Ivan Yastrzhembsky out of killing himself. Not all of the prisoners liked Dostoyevsky, though, because he was a bit of a xenophobe.
Oh, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. What a guy. It really does seem like some of the best literary pieces are written by people whose lives haven't been easy, to say the least. I guess you'd have a lot to write about! I prefer my life, though. What about you?
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky#Siberian_exile_(1849%E2%80%931854), http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Fyodor_Dostoevsky
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Giving a more in depth history of Dostoevsky life, especially his lowest points, really puts into perspective his radicle change in ideology and some the arguments he makes in "Notes from the underground". Before his exile to Siberia, he was a part of utopian social groups and probably bought into many of the ideals of the Enlightenment period. But, going through such extreme suffering for four years in Siberia most likely gave him a harsh reality check that alienated him from his idealistic views of the pass and the inherent goodness of humanity that the Enlightened thinkers were so convinced of. That may be why his political and social views changed to radically, seeming to go to the polar opposite of what he believed before. It also might be why the narrator of the underground is such a straightforwardly unlikable character, that has many flaws yet speaks many truths. This could be a reflection on Dostoevsky's new view on humanity, or at least the common man of Russia in their present society, and why he rebuffs so many of the Enlightenments ideals.
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