--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in my senior year of high school…" description: "\"I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes From Underground' by Dostoyevsky, and it was an exhilarating discovery. I hadn't known up unt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/claire-messud-1372_books_i-was-in-my-senior-year-of-high-school-w_493723.png" --- # I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes… ![“I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes From Underground' by Dostoyevsky, and it was an exhilarating discovery. I hadn't known up until that moment that fiction could be like that. Fiction could say these things, could be unseemly, could be unsettling and distressing in that…” quote by Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/claire-messud-1372_books_i-was-in-my-senior-year-of-high-school-w_493723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/claire-messud-1372_books_i-was-in-my-senior-year-of-high-school-w_493723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/claire-messud-1372_books_i-was-in-my-senior-year-of-high-school-w_493723.png) > “I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes From Underground' by Dostoyevsky, and it was an exhilarating discovery. I hadn't known up until that moment that fiction could be like that. Fiction could say these things, could be unseemly, could be unsettling and distressing in that particular way, that immediate and urgent way.” [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a sudden realization of fiction's power to confront unsettling truths and provoke intense emotional responses. **In simple terms:** Fiction can shock and provoke deep feelings. Key Takeaway Embrace challenging literature. Themes literature emotion revelation Mood introspective stimulated Type literary reflective When to use this quote - high school reading - college literature courses - book clubs - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism psychology artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting discomfort change your worldview? - What role does unsettling art play in society? A Different Perspective Such impact may be limited to those willing to engage with discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Senior year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senior-year/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“The poor little thing, she'd saved this student's letter as a treasure and had run to fetch this precious treasure of hers, not wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/the-poor-little-thing-she-d-saved-this-student-s-letter-as-a-treasure/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [ This story \["The Depressed Person"\] was the most painful thing I ever wrote. It's about narcissism, which is a part of depression. The character… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/this-story-the-depressed-person-was-the-most-painful-thing-i-ever/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“No prize , however great can justify an ounce of self deception or a small departure of the ugly facts. ( Notes from Underground)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/no-prize-however-great-can-justify-an-ounce-of-self-deception-or-a/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [ “Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (November 11 \[O.S. October 30\] 1821 – February 9 \[O.S. January 28\] 1881) is considered one of two greatest prose writers… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/fyodor-mikhailovich-dostoevsky-november-11-o-s-october-30-1821/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [It allows you to say things that sound very dramatic and get away with it. If you had characters in modern fiction say the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/it-allows-you-to-say-things-that-sound-very-dramatic-and-get-away/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [I meet a number of people as a writer of fiction who say "Oh, I don't read much fiction," as if the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-meet-a-number-of-people-as-a-writer-of-fiction-who-say-oh-i-don-t/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [And I am pretty sure that's the point of reading fiction -- so someone else can say in a way you never would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/and-i-am-pretty-sure-that-s-the-point-of-reading-fiction-so-someone/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I think fiction can help us find everything. You know, I think that in fiction you can say things and in a way be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/i-think-fiction-can-help-us-find-everything-you-know-i-think-that-in/) [A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/) > [The world is a very complex and interesting place and that is what I really want my fiction to say: wake up to how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-world-is-a-very-complex-and-interesting-place-and-that-is-what-i/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“It's always difficult when people compare me unfavorably with other contemporary writers. It's much easier when they use examples from earlier eras of fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/it-s-always-difficult-when-people-compare-me-unfavorably-with-other/) [Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/) > [I don't think there's such a thing as autobiographical fiction. If I say it happened, it happened, even if only in my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-don-t-think-there-s-such-a-thing-as-autobiographical-fiction-if-i/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I have to do more close research and fact checking for the science fiction. This is not however to say that writing good fantasy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-zettel/i-have-to-do-more-close-research-and-fact-checking-for-the-science/) [Sarah Zettel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-zettel/) > [“Write non-fiction like fiction, so the reader is constantly turning the page to find out what happens next, and write fiction like non-fiction, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-robinson/write-non-fiction-like-fiction-so-the-reader-is-constantly-turning/) [Jeffrey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-robinson/) > [I read certain things about history. I don't like fiction. I read about stuff that's real, stuff that's goin' on in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/i-read-certain-things-about-history-i-don-t-like-fiction-i-read-about/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [“Doesn't every previous era feel like fiction once it's gone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/doesn-t-every-previous-era-feel-like-fiction-once-it-s-gone/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) ## More by Claire Messud > [I'd wish for my work to be remembered rather than myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-d-wish-for-my-work-to-be-remembered-rather-than-myself/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I have said it somewhere - our literary lived lives are as important as our literally lived lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-have-said-it-somewhere-our-literary-lived-lives-are-as-important-as/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Life is about deciding what matters. It’s about the fantasy that determines the reality. Have you ever asked yourself whether you’d rather fly or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-is-about-deciding-what-matters-it-s-about-the-fantasy-that/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Life's funny. You have to find a way to keep going, to keep laughing, even after you realize that none of your dreams will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-s-funny-you-have-to-find-a-way-to-keep-going-to-keep-laughing/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [The fictional narratives that television, film, and the news provide for girls and young women are appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-fictional-narratives-that-television-film-and-the-news-provide/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“I don't want to sleep,' my mother said. 'I want -- for God's sake, I want to wake up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-don-t-want-to-sleep-my-mother-said-i-want-for-god-s-sake-i-want-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“It was supposed to say “Great Artist” on my tombstone, but if I died right now it would say “such a good teacher/​daughter/​friend” instead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-was-supposed-to-say-great-artist-on-my-tombstone-but-if-i-died/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Live, my dear Nora. Satisfy your hunger. There's food all around you, you know.' 'What kind of food, I'd like to know?' 'Ah'-he smiled-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/live-my-dear-nora-satisfy-your-hunger-there-s-food-all-around-you-you/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I digress a lot - it's how I experience the world. I would like to write in a way that will convey that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-digress-a-lot-it-s-how-i-experience-the-world-i-would-like-to-write/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [We think that - as kids, you know - that kids make up stories and live in a sort of fictional place, but that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/we-think-that-as-kids-you-know-that-kids-make-up-stories-and-live-in/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“It makes sense that if you stand almost daily in the middle of a perfect crescent of shore, with a vista open to eternity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-makes-sense-that-if-you-stand-almost-daily-in-the-middle-of-a/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Once aware of my isolation, I was afraid not of it but of its interruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/once-aware-of-my-isolation-i-was-afraid-not-of-it-but-of-its/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“who I am in my head, very few people really get to see that. Almost none. It’s the most precious gift I can give,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/who-i-am-in-my-head-very-few-people-really-get-to-see-that-almost/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“My everyday Appleton life, my phones calls to my father, my occasional beers with friends, my Saturday-morning jobs around the reservoir - what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/my-everyday-appleton-life-my-phones-calls-to-my-father-my-occasional/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) [Explore all 249 Claire Messud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes From Underground' by Dostoyevsky, and it was an exhilarating discovery. I hadn't known up until that moment that fiction could be like that. 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