The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics)
Product ID: 51564179
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Translated by Constance Garnett, with an Introduction and Notes by Agnes Cardinal, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of Kent. Prince Myshkin returns to Russia from an asylum in Switzerland. As he becomes embroiled in the frantic amatory and financial intrigues which centre around a cast of brilliantly realised characters and which ultimately lead to tragedy, he emerges as a unique combination of the Christian ideal of perfection and Dostoevsky's own views, afflictions and manners. His serene selflessness is contrasted with the worldly qualities of every other character in the novel. Dostoevsky supplies a harsh indictment of the Russian ruling class of his day who have created a world which cannot accomodate the goodness of this idiot. Review: A marvellous epic - It is fantastic that a sublime work of art such as this can be purchased for such a low price, this is an epic tale about a social misfit. Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after a long absence. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy - just like Fyodor Dostoevsky himself - and is prone to periods of blackouts. The central idea of The Idiot as Dostoevsky wrote is "to depict a completely beautiful human being". Myshkin is simple and pure, his biggest hindrance to fitting into society is his honesty, naivety and the fact that he is a good man. He lacks any deviousness and has nothing but good intentions in all of his actions. On the train to Saint Petersburg, Myshkin meets and befriends the dark character Rogozhin. Although Myshkin and Rogozhin are opposites in everyway, they share a mutual attraction to one another. Myshkin's attire and stories both suggest that despite his ancient Russian family line, he is like a lost foreigner in his own country. This is because Myshkin has spent the last four years in a mental institution in Switzerland. Without any reserve, however, Myshkin shares this fact with Rogozhin. He takes no offence at the sarcastic tone of his new friend and he even laughs with him. As Rogozhin states, Myshkin has the character of a holy-fool. In his own words, he tells Myshkin: "You're an out-and-out holy fool, and God loves the likes of you." The latter tells the prince about his passion for Nastasya Filippovna, a beautiful woman with a bad reputation. The prince feels an intense desire to meet her after hearing about her and even more so when he views a picture of her. This leads to conflict as the friends become love rivals with very different intentions. The stage then moves to the house of the Yepanchins, a family of emerging Russian bourgeoisie. Myshkin has come here to meet his distant cousin, Madame Yepanchina, General Yepanchin's wife. So begins Myshkin's introduction into a society that can never understand him and are bound to take advantage of him. By making Myshkin a symbol of kindness and humility, Dostoyevsky illustrates what can happen when such a man is confronted by society. Myshkin frequently confronts society's norms with his "idiocy", which is merely his naive and innocent approach to life. He is not naive about what others say to and about him; he merely assumes they're true because he does not believe that human beings have any need for falsehood or deviousness; Myshkin has no façade. I believe the The Idiot is a masterpiece - it is indeed flawed and occasionally tedious like many masterpieces. There are long passages of dialogue and this is not always an easy read. I wouldn't not recommend this to be the first of Dostoyevsky's books anyone reads, I would instead recommend the simpler Crime and Punishment for that. If you have the patience and can invest the time this book is moving and deeply involving, one of his best. Review: Excellent. - Excellent
| Best Sellers Rank | 6,520 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 457 in Fiction Classics (Books) 1,561 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,776 Reviews |
B**Y
A marvellous epic
It is fantastic that a sublime work of art such as this can be purchased for such a low price, this is an epic tale about a social misfit. Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after a long absence. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy - just like Fyodor Dostoevsky himself - and is prone to periods of blackouts. The central idea of The Idiot as Dostoevsky wrote is "to depict a completely beautiful human being". Myshkin is simple and pure, his biggest hindrance to fitting into society is his honesty, naivety and the fact that he is a good man. He lacks any deviousness and has nothing but good intentions in all of his actions. On the train to Saint Petersburg, Myshkin meets and befriends the dark character Rogozhin. Although Myshkin and Rogozhin are opposites in everyway, they share a mutual attraction to one another. Myshkin's attire and stories both suggest that despite his ancient Russian family line, he is like a lost foreigner in his own country. This is because Myshkin has spent the last four years in a mental institution in Switzerland. Without any reserve, however, Myshkin shares this fact with Rogozhin. He takes no offence at the sarcastic tone of his new friend and he even laughs with him. As Rogozhin states, Myshkin has the character of a holy-fool. In his own words, he tells Myshkin: "You're an out-and-out holy fool, and God loves the likes of you." The latter tells the prince about his passion for Nastasya Filippovna, a beautiful woman with a bad reputation. The prince feels an intense desire to meet her after hearing about her and even more so when he views a picture of her. This leads to conflict as the friends become love rivals with very different intentions. The stage then moves to the house of the Yepanchins, a family of emerging Russian bourgeoisie. Myshkin has come here to meet his distant cousin, Madame Yepanchina, General Yepanchin's wife. So begins Myshkin's introduction into a society that can never understand him and are bound to take advantage of him. By making Myshkin a symbol of kindness and humility, Dostoyevsky illustrates what can happen when such a man is confronted by society. Myshkin frequently confronts society's norms with his "idiocy", which is merely his naive and innocent approach to life. He is not naive about what others say to and about him; he merely assumes they're true because he does not believe that human beings have any need for falsehood or deviousness; Myshkin has no façade. I believe the The Idiot is a masterpiece - it is indeed flawed and occasionally tedious like many masterpieces. There are long passages of dialogue and this is not always an easy read. I wouldn't not recommend this to be the first of Dostoyevsky's books anyone reads, I would instead recommend the simpler Crime and Punishment for that. If you have the patience and can invest the time this book is moving and deeply involving, one of his best.
F**Z
Excellent.
Excellent
T**L
Good
Bought for someone else as a gift but they were happy with the item and it was a good price and delivery was satisfactory.
R**C
Great book
Great book
R**A
Good
My son love it
L**E
Worth the read
Book made me feel like an idiot so, amazing.
E**S
Brilliant book, not so good translation
The book itself is a masterpiece, the translation however is sloppy in places - for a few more £/$ It's definitely worth getting a better translation
K**R
Great product
Great product
J**U
Libro indispensable para tu lectura en inglés.
Libro indispensable para tu lectura en inglés.
Y**H
Good enough copy
you really get what you pay for here , and I mean look its a book it will last you maybe 1-2 read throughs but after it will probably be in tatters , paper is ok , cover was a bit beat up. Overall buy it if you wanna try Fyodor Dostoevsky like I did
M**N
Shorter but still great literary classic!
A good read, shorter, literary classic by Dostoevsky. I really enjoyed this.
I**L
Profundo, Emocional e Filosófico
The Idiot (O Idiota), de Fiódor Dostoiévski, é um romance clássico da literatura russa que explora a bondade, a ingenuidade e os conflitos humanos em uma sociedade complexa e muitas vezes cruel. A história acompanha o príncipe Míchkin, cuja pureza e sinceridade contrastam com a corrupção, ambição e egoísmo das pessoas ao seu redor, levantando questões profundas sobre moralidade, amor e justiça. O grande destaque da obra é a profundidade psicológica e a complexidade dos personagens. Dostoiévski combina drama, filosofia e crítica social de maneira envolvente, oferecendo ao leitor reflexões sobre a natureza humana e os dilemas éticos da vida cotidiana. É um livro intenso, desafiador, mas extremamente recompensador para quem aprecia literatura clássica e reflexão existencial.
S**S
New and original book
To my pleasant surprise , i received a new cover version. Really pleased.
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