What happens when isolation turns inward long enough to become bitterness, paranoia, or even self-destruction? Why do stories written more than 150 years ago still feel painfully modern? In this Read & Talk session, we’ll dive into excerpts from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s legendary novella Notes From Underground, one of the most influential works in modern literature and a major inspiration behind films like Taxi Driver. Just yesterday, Ben hosted Held the Taxi Driver Watch & Talk, a film which is inspired by the same novella and themes.

This session continues the exploration of loneliness, madness, alienation, resentment, and moral decay by going directly to one of the original sources that shaped generations of writers, filmmakers, philosophers, and psychologists. Together, we’ll slowly read key passages, unpack the ideas behind them, and discuss why the “Underground Man” still feels so recognisable today.

Dostoevsky is often considered one of the greatest and most psychologically insightful writers in human history, influencing everyone from Nietzsche and Freud to modern cinema and existential philosophy. But this session is absolutely not only for literature experts or heavy readers. You don’t need to know anything about Dostoevsky, or even enjoy reading normally, to get something meaningful from this experience. The excerpts will be short, accessible, and deeply discussion-driven. We’ll explore questions about self-awareness, shame, loneliness, ego, freedom, and the strange ways people sometimes sabotage themselves and others. Expect a thoughtful, cultured, and surprisingly modern conversation about what it means to be human when connection starts to break down.

长期深陷孤独，内心慢慢滋生怨念、猜忌，甚至做出自我消耗的行为，人会产生怎样的变化？一百五十多年前创作的文学作品，为何放到如今依旧能让人产生强烈共鸣？本次共读活动节选陀思妥耶夫斯基经典中篇小说《地下室手记》内容品读，这部作品影响力深远，也是《出租车司机》等影视作品的创作灵感来源。此前 Ben 刚开展完同名主题影片赏析活动，影片创作灵感便源自这部小说。

本次活动延续孤独、精神困顿、人际疏离、内心愤懑与道德迷失的探讨方向，追溯影响无数作家、影视创作者、哲学与心理研究者的经典原著。大家一同品读经典段落，剖析文字背后的思想内涵，探讨书中主角的形象为何至今依旧能让人产生共鸣。

陀思妥耶夫斯基擅长刻画人物内心，思想影响范围广泛，多位知名思想家、后世影视创作与存在主义哲学都深受其启发。活动不局限于文学爱好者，就算不了解这位作家，平时也很少阅读书籍，也能从中收获感悟。选取文段通俗易懂，全程以交流探讨为主，围绕自我认知、内心羞愧、孤独情绪、个人执念、思想自由，以及人们自我内耗、伤害他人的各类行为展开思考。一起静心交流，体会人情百态，探讨人际联结断裂之下，人性呈现出的真实模样。