The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics)

Most of us have probably heard the phrase, "Why, that was as unreadable as a Russian novel!" Of course, they're probably thinking about Tolstoy's War and Peace. The fact of the matter is this: I was 18 or 19, in AP English, VERY skeptical about these so-called "classics". But then we read Notes from Underground and my view of Russian literature was permanently changed. As a matter of fact, I liked NfU SO much that I read THE IDIOT of my own initiative and--get this--liked it MORE than NfU. Hey, how can you resist a story about a diseased Prince who's coming home to Russia after being in an Asylum? There were just so many quotable and likable passages in this book. My bookmark soon became full with page numbers. Towards the beginning, the Prince and a servant have an interesting conversation concerning one of Dostoyevsky's main interests: Crime and Punishment. That particular scene details a French execution. Quite a while later, Dostoyevsky retells that French execution story and DOES IT BETTER THAN THE FIRST TIME. But the book is not always serious. One of the things that I like about Dostoyevsky is that he has a dark sense of humor. You would too, if you were in debt, epileptic, and were spared from the firing squad AT THE LAST SECOND. I laughed out loud when I got to the part about the Cigar and Poodle. You'll find it in Chapter 9 or so. Also, there's a character named Prince S. Now THAT is a pun. Of course, being a tranlated work, who's to say whether it was intentional or not? Yes, this is a very long book, but I REALLY enjoyed it. Hopefully you'll come to agree.

Read this a number of years ago, and loved it. Reread it recently, and really love it. I would rank it as one of the best books ever. Very enjoyable. Very interesting characters and situations.

Way, way more enjoyable than Crime and Punishment. I don't know why all the professors recommend C and P. Maybe the title sounds intriguing. I did not enjoy that book. No humor. But this, and D's others, particularly The Brothers K., are among the best novels of all time, IMHO.

I had read just two Dostoevsy novel before this - 'The Brothers Karamazov' and 'Notes from the Underground', but lots of Turgenev and some other Russians - Kropotkin, Goldman, .... I also have some connection with Russian people because some of my work colleagues are Russian ex-patriots (one even carries a family name mentioned at one point in 'The Idiot').

Russian naming is difficult for those of us who do not have the Russian background, and 'The Idiot' was hard to keep straight in my mind - I probably didn't feel comfortable with names to near the end of this very long novel. There's Pavlovitch and Pavlischtev - not the same person. The hero Myshkin is also Lyov Nikolayevitch. Gavril is also Ganya (the short form of his name). With a large suite of characters, tracking these names is not easy. Perhaps a publisher/translator might provide a guide for non-Russian readers. I did find some connection through my knowledge of music: Madame Epanchin, Lizaveta Pokofyevna reminded me of Prokofiev, and the young man dying of consumption, Ippolit, reminded me of Ippolitov-Ivanov.

This novel is a psychological thriller and it may be unbelievable to most readers. How did Dostoevsky know that there are people in the world like Myshkin - perhaps he was one himself, perhaps he observed and understood one. Myshkin, perhaps because of his own 'illness' is attuned to everyone else's needs - sacrificing his own needs as totally without value. So what happens when two women fall in love with him (strange though each of them is)? He wants to love them both. Neither can accept that, but still he cannot let go. This seems to be a recipe for disaster (and in some ways it is), but Myshkin flourishes where he might not have because he has the most extraordinary view of the value of every moment of life. Early on he describes a guillotine execution he had observed and how the man being executed clung to every moment of his life - trying to maximise the richness of it even as the blade came down on his neck. Does Dostoevsky really believe that this is an idiotic way to live life? Or is he recommending that we should all pay more attention, be less flippant with the time that passes us by?

One of the women who fall in love with Myshkin is one of Madame Epanchin's daughters - Aglaia Ivanovna. Despite her love, Aglaia torments Myshkin (but that's not of much significance to him). Here is a quote that meant so much to me - a real insight into Myshkin's personality. 'There is no doubt that the mere fact that he could come and see Aglaia, again without hindrance, that he was allowed to talk to her, sit with her, walk with her was the utmost bliss to him; and who knows, perhaps, he would have been satisfied with that for the rest of his life.'

This novel is hard work, and it's not a happy story. But it is rewarding in its insight into human nature. If you read it you will have to decide for yourself if people like Myshkin actually do exist. And if you happen to meet one - how should you interact with them?

other recommendations:
explore the philosophy of phenomenology - I don't have a preferred book to suggest
as a contrast - 'Spring Torrents' - Ivan Turgenev (the author is mentioned in 'The Idiot')
'Under Western Eyes' - Joseph Conrad
'Sylvie and Bruno' - Lewis Carroll

The first hundred-ish pages are pure gold. There is a mad character that is the most memorable of any book I've read because of how funny and crazy she is, on top of feeling like a real person. But after those first pages there comes one of the biggest slogs I've gone through. It's like the plot disappears, along with the character I talked about. There is some interesting conversation in there and we get to see the characters show off their depth and form relationships. Boring, but at times interesting. The book shines again during the last 5th of it, when the mad character comes back for a great ending.

I loved these book because of the characters, it's a shame the plot gets too thin in the middle. I'd recommend it if you are already into Dostoevsky's work or philosophy in general. Otherwise, I doubt you'll get through it.

As background information, I have read most of Dostoevsky's novels including some of his early works and all of his most popular 6 or 7 novels. Among those, I have read some from Oxford Classics and some Vintage translations by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. It took me about a week to read the 575 pages in this present Wordsworth Classic reviewed here.

I bought and read the Wordsworth Classics version of this Dostoevsky novel The Idiot. This is a minimalist book with little more than the text. For example, Wordsworth does not even give the names of the translators and the introduction to Dostoevsky and the novel is very brief, just three pages long, and it is oriented more towards a biography of the writer than giving the reader much analysis of the story and the themes. Having said that, the translation appears to be smooth and it is highly readable, and it is good value for the money. My initial impression was that the font was small, but it seems to have the same number of pages as other printers of the same novel. In any case, there is lots of analysis on the web which mitigates the need to pay more to buy analysis and the text. So, I would recommend this text only version.

This is one of Dostoevsky's better novels. It has a clear story and it has strong characters led by Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin the protagonist: he is "the idiot." He returns to Russia after spending some years in a hospital or clinic in Switzerland. The story flows smoothly interrupted by only one diversion about a man who is just mildly related to the main thrust of the story: Ippolit. Some consider this part to be brilliant. I thought that it was interesting but did not add that much to the overall story. Most will find the novel to be near perfect but perhaps a bit long.

The book is an opportunity for Dostoevsky to present a morally perfect but physically flawed Christian character, and then to show how the character interacts with an imperfect Russian society. That is the main theme. We follow the story of six odd but interesting primary characters and about twenty secondary characters who represent a cross-section of Russian society.

This is one of his best novels and some might consider it to be a masterpiece and that the protagonist Prince Myshkin is an important literary character. As a novel it is not as good as The Brothers Karamazov which is Dostoevsky's best. It is entertaining and it has a good story, although not what one describe as a compelling read, although the second half is better in that regard. Dostoevsky gives many comments on morality and the Christian faith. It is a story of good versus evil, but with the edges or boundaries slightly blurred.

There is a moderate level of drama and uncertainty which keeps the reader's interest throughout. This is an excellent buy and a good value from Wordsworth Classics.

Probably my dozenth book or short(er) story by Dostoyevsky. Not one of my favorites. I found the characters quite uninteresting and unlikable other than the "mad" girl, and she was hardly in the book prior to the final part. It often seemed bizarre. Someone tries to kill someone, five pages later they're talking and on essentially fine terms. Someone leaves someone to marry someone else, then leaves that person to marry the initial betrothed, then leaves the initial again for the other person. Then the other person murders her. The main character loves this girl, then that girl, then he's not sure if he loves anyone, but he's going to marry this person in any case, even though he was only just engaged to another whom he purportedly loved with all his heart.
Plot twists are one thing, but I imagine this as something like what a younger child would write. No sensical transitions, no subtlety or build up, just random contorting and derangement of the story. "Bathos" comes to mind. Almost feels like the preceding 450 pages were written by a completely different author than the final 100. In some sense the chaos and turmoil is a fine way to and was probably indeed intended to express the lability and sort of madness inherent in human nature, but it was for me ultimately way too long of a book to invest the time in considering how boring and ridiculous it was.

Reading it slowly.

I have the Wordsworth Classic translation of The Idiot. The book was given to me as a gift and I've tried many times to "get into" it, but it's impossible. I am able to relate here and there, but mostly it feels like a jumbled mess. Translation is everything and I suggest that before purchasing this translation - compare it with some others to see which one grabs you from the start. This one didn't do it for me.

It cannot be trusted to give inaccurate weight. It gets stuck on a number at times and at other times it is inaccurate.
How can I weigh less when I am holding a heavy package than without the package?
It has nice sleek lines outdoes not function too well.

A tale of naiveté, personal and social connections. A fiction that explains authentic and human psychology better than any medical journal you will ever read.

Highly recommended for anyone not intimidated by a THICK book with TINY text.