Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground
Reflect on the human consequence of modern thought with Doestovesky's 1864 novella.
This course leads students through a close reading of the classic dystopian novel, in search of both its historical origins and its contemporary relevance. We will treat the book as a product of George Orwell’s time—the mid-20th century—and as the culmination of his thinking about liberalism, socialism, war, and totalitarianism. We will debate whether 1984′s message is inseparable from the milieu that spawned it or applicable universally—to today and, indeed, the remote past.
A crucial issue will be the role of truth in politics—and the role of politics in generating truth. Does reality exist independently of power relationships? Or is some degree of force and coercion necessary to establish the “narrative” that organizes any society? And does that lead inevitably to the dystopia Orwell imagined or is a liberal order nevertheless sustainable? Is it possible to preserve a modicum of privacy and freedom even in the most repressive states?
Students will be challenged to determine whether 1984 is best considered a cautionary tale about modern politics—or a meditation on human nature’s inherent flaws.
Image: Giovanni Battista Piranesi, The Gothic Arch, published 1800/1809
Charles Lane on United States and Transatlantic Relations
This course is offered by Humanities at Hertog. It takes place weekly on Monday, via Zoom, from 6 PM to 8 PM ET. Fellows will receive a $150 Amazon Bookshelf voucher contingent upon participation in the course and completion of a brief response paper. All course materials will be provided.
Faculty
Charles Lane
Charles Lane is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for The Free Press. A former Washington Post columnist, editorial writer, and Supreme Court reporter, he writes on constitutional law, civil rights, political institutions, and foreign affairs.
Charles Lane
Charles Lane is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for The Free Press. He previously spent more than two decades at The Washington Post, where he served as deputy opinion editor and columnist, editorial writer, member of the editorial board, and Supreme Court reporter. Earlier in his career, he was editor and senior editor of The New Republic and a foreign correspondent for Newsweek. Lane is the author of three books on American history and legal affairs, including The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction and Freedom’s Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan and the Man Who Masterminded America’s First War on Terror. His work ranges across constitutional law, civil rights, political institutions, and foreign affairs. He holds a B.A. in social studies from Harvard College and an M.S.L. from Yale Law School and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Preview the Syllabus by Week/Session
Session I — January 4
George Orwell, 1984, Signet Classics 75th Anniversary edition, with an afterword by Sandra Newman.
Reading and discussion details forthcoming.
Session II — January 11
Reading and discussion details forthcoming.
Session III — January 18
Reading and discussion details forthcoming.
Session IV — January 25
Reading and discussion details forthcoming.
Session V — February 1
Reading and discussion details forthcoming.
