And so, I have picked up another Dostoevsky again.
I had initially thought that The Double and The Gambler is a single story, when actually the publisher had published two stories in a single book.
The Double reads like a narrative of a descending into schizophrenia, and reminded me very much of Diary of a Madman by Nicholas Gogol in Petersburg Tales. Could The Double be Dostoevsky's improvision of Gogol's work exploring the mental conditions of man?
I am not quite sure what to make of The Gambler. Dostoevsky's power of narration and attention to details once again allowed me a glimpse into the going-abouts of the Russians pre-Soviet times, and I felt like I was watching a lavish period drama, which, after the drama has ended, I am left wondering what lessons I am to draw from this very elaborate screenplay.
However, I do have to admit that The Double and The Gambler are a lot less intense than Demons, and thus a lot more manageable to read.
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