The mid-18th century was the period of the Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. French philosophers believed that reason could provide critical, scientifically informed solutions to social issues and problems and fundamentally improve the human condition. Notes from Underground, by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a famous anti-Enlightenment novel and is famous for rejecting the very notions of the French philosophers. Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground is a story about the thoughts, views and actions of a strange nameless man who we'll call him The Underground Man. The Underground Man is strange because he lacked respect for himself, he had tendencies sadistic and masochistic and enjoyed inflicting emotional pain on himself and others. Dostoevsky does not believe in the norms established by society. The underground man is the opposite of what society deems acceptable and appropriate. He is intelligent with clear perception and admits that he is sick, depraved and full of hate. He is determined to ruin any chance that fate offers him to be happily ever after. Actively seeks to punish and humiliate himself...