Since I am reading Crime & Punishment out-loud to Janie, it is moving at a much slower pace than I am used to when I typically devour a novel. To fill in for my impatience I decided to read "The Double" by Dostoevsky (again by the same translators as "Notes..."). For complete analysis of and plot spoilers for this story, you can wiki it or sample the thousands of websites and blogs talking about it.
I have finished reading the story, and I have to say, stylistically, the story is like these other stories by Dostoevsky and the main character's existential angst is similar to the Underground man and Roskolnikov, except in this story the author introduces another character exactly like the main character. This allows us to think about questions of identity and what it means to exist--the sorts of themes that Philip K. Dick liked to deal with in his stories. In fact as I have begun to read "The Double", it reminded me somewhat of PKD's story, "Imposter" (which was made into the 2002 movie). What would you do if someone identical to you (wearing the same clothes, having the same personality, etc.) showed up into your life even to the extent of getting a job in the same office with you? And then went about taking over your life?
hmm
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