The Idiot

The novel begins with three strangers in a train en route to Petersburg. A young man named Prince Myshkin is returning from a Swiss sanatorium where he has been treated for the past few years for some malady similar to epilepsy. He meets a roguish young man named Rogozhin, who has an unhealthy obsession with a beautiful young woman named Nastasya Filippovna, and a nosy government official named Lebedyev, who figures prominently throughout the novel.

Upon arriving in Petersburg, Myshkin acquaints himself with many of the citizens and eventually meets, and is infatuated by, Nastasya. She is pushy, fickle, and impetuous, and bounces from fiance to fiance like a fortune hunter. Her irresistibility and psychological stronghold on the men in her life leads to her downfall.

The basis of the novel is that Myshkin is not bright, has not had much education, and traverses society with a mentality of simplistic innocence. When speaking his opinion, he struggles to articulate himself with Charlie Brown-like stammering and wishy-washiness. For this reason, people consider him an idiot, but he is a good, honest, sympathetic, and gracious person. When he comes into a large inheritance, he is blackmailed by a man who claims to be the illegitimate son of Myshkin's benefactor; but when the man's story is debunked, Myshkin befriends rather than chastises the culprit and his accomplices. Myshkin also falls in love with and becomes betrothed to a giddy girl named Aglaia, who uses his ingenuousness as a foil for her jokes and sarcasm, despite his undying devotion to her.

The novel seems to say that a saintly man, making his way in a society that is concerned with materialism and cutthroat avarice, will be considered a childish idiot for valuing honesty, kindness, and the simple things in life. Like I said, the ending is a shocker and sends a plaintive message, that in a crazy world, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint

Fan of this book? Help us introduce it to others by writing a better introduction for it. It's quick and easy, click here.

Quizzes on The Idiot
- The Idiot Quiz

Please submit a quiz here.

Recent Forum Posts on The Idiot

THE ENDING: ‘like a lamb dumb before his shearer’

What are we to make of the ending of ‘The Idiot’? Some on the forum have suggested: the imitation of Christ; serious stress brings you down; a bad woman’s a man’s downfall; naivety is bad karma; and once an idiot, always an idiot. For me, the ending speaks to the noblest of love shown by the sanest of men, whose voluntary ‘burden of love’ touches and ultimately offends those around him. This post began life as a short reply on another thread but grew as I better appreciated complexities in the novel’s ending. ------------ Consider the character of Prince Myshkin. While his friends and acquaintances occasionally suggest he is simple, naïve and an idiot, they say so with little conviction. He can sway others to his generous view of the world, as instanced by the unanimous about-face in attitude of the guests at the house of General Yepanchin where the prince confronts the ‘Nihilist’ gate-crashers, Ippolit and his tipsy mates. Throughout the novel, the actions of the prince surprise, I think, because he is attuned to the needs of the moment, unfettered by the past and having ‘no thought for the morrow’ (Matthew 6:34). Is this perspective simple-minded idiocy or enlightened heroism? In living for today, his attachment to Nastasya Filippovna, Aglaya and Roghozin - not to mention Ippolit, Keller, Burdovsky and Lebedev - is always generous and even-handed: to each according to need. Impartially is particularly evident in the prince’s altruistic (astonishing) dealings with the brash, suicidal, consumptive Ippolit and his abrasive mates. The prince, who seems to love men and women alike, has little concept of being ‘in love’. Rather than romantic infatuation or lust, his interactions with Nastasya Filippovna and Aglaya suggest social naivety, embarrassment and sincere kindness - unlike other suitors in the novel. His love is compassion – he wants to help, to save, to redeem – even reaching out through marriage and beyond. He loves, he acts, without counting the cost to himself, or the suffering. (Yet he understands suffering, for he stares at and long remembers that dreadful ‘Deposition’: the poor Holbein copy, ‘at Roghozin’s in one of his gloomiest rooms, over the door’.) The focus of the prince is directed outwards, on others, as when twice deserted by Nastasya Filippovna on the brink of their wedding. 'Love so amazing, so divine'. ------------ Nearing the end, Prince Myshkin bemoans his inability to unshackle Aglaya, owing to circumstances unforeseen. But does he really suffer a breakdown when he confronts Roghozin and finds Nastasya Filippovna murdered? Unable to save her from Roghozin’s knife, we are thunderstruck that the prince appears more distressed by his failure to save the murderous Roghozin from himself. The prince has anguished on several fronts, shouldering an enormous burden of love - seemingly too much for one man - even one living authentically from moment to moment. (Dostoevsky was much influenced by the existentialism of Soren Kierkegaard, as in his ‘Works of Love’ of 1847) Yet, were Prince Myshkin given the chance to relive those final weeks, I’m sure he would do it all again, willingly and without regret. As the old doctor in Pavlofsk told Lebedev, just days before the fateful wedding day, it won’t do to dismiss the prince as mad ('no one left for keepers'). After all, the prince is prone to seizures of epilepsy rather than psychosis. He is distraught but thoroughly sane as he lies weeping, on the cheek of Roghozin. 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35). The prince had been frantic in his efforts to save Nastasya Filippovna and worried about Aglaya’s teetering future, but is finally heartbroken over the plummeting psychopath Roghozin, with whom he had exchanged crosses – his tin one for Roghozin’s gold. Does the prince mourn for all these, for Ippolit, for General Ivolgin? No. Living in the here and now, the prince mourns for the living, for Roghozin, his 'brother'! ------------ But to society, to the world, the selfless and unbounded love of the prince for the murderer of his fiancée, lying dead in the same room, is lunacy - almost an offence. Danger was looming as early as the eve of his wedding. Prophetic are the words of the prince in response to Keller (the boxer), in church at General Ivolgin’s funeral: '"I assure you, prince, that Lebedev is intriguing against you. He wants to put you under control. Imagine that! To take from you the use of your free-will and your money—that is to say, the two things that distinguish us from the animals! I have heard it said positively. It is the sober truth." The prince recollected that somebody had told him something of the kind before, and he had, of course, scoffed at it. He only laughed now, and forgot the hint at once.' The weaponry of public umbrage facing Prince Myshkin at the funeral was as nothing compared with that following the discovery of him weeping tears of gold, side by side with the murderer Roghozin. 'Greater love hath no man than this' (John 15:13). Extremes, even extremes of love, are rarely understood or tolerated by society. If Prince Myshkin has a nervous breakdown, it likely follows the universal consensus that a Swiss asylum is the place for him…the place for love, for beauty. Is this what happens to truth in our world? Back in Switzerland, ‘like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth’ (Acts 8:32). Our unfortunate 'idiot' suffers silently a very slow death…you might say, a crucifixion. And the occasional visitor to Dr Schneider’s patient sees something awful but edifying, not unlike Holbein’s ‘Deposition’. Was Prince Myshkin’s sacrifice in vain? Perhaps not, if the testimonies of virginal Vera Lebedev, forthright Lizabetha Prokofievna, and sceptical playboy Evgenie Pavlovitch matter. ------------ Am I misrepresenting this breathtaking novel?

Posted By Gladys at Thu 17 Apr 2008, 7:28 AM in The Idiot || 0 Replies

Dostoevsky's The Idiot: Xenophobic Theme?

Hey all, Whilst browsing Amazon, I came across a customer review of The Idiot in which the author wrote: The book begins with his return to Russia as a young man, apparently cured. However, he is still labelled an ‘idiot’ because his sheltered upbringing abroad means that he doesn’t understand the complex rules governing social interactions among the Russian middle classes, and approaches these interactions with a simple good-heartedness and a willingness to do the right thing. I bought the book based largely on this review because I was interested particularly in the xenophobic element (i.e. the role his upbringing in another country plays in his so-called idiocy). I wondered whether anybody might be able to point me towards a specific passage that is related to this idea. If it helps at all, I have the Wordsworth Classics edition (1996). Thanks

Posted By inf4m0us at Thu 3 Apr 2008, 11:15 AM in The Idiot || 2 Replies

Does Myshkin ever say "Beauty will save the world"?

I have been trying to find this oft-quoted dictum (supposedly of Prince Myshkin). So far I haven't. I'm beginning to wonder if the Prince ever said this? Does anyone know just where to find it?

Posted By youngpilgrim at Thu 24 Jan 2008, 3:21 PM in The Idiot || 3 Replies

Love your enemies: the unlovable Rogozhin

In the ‘The Idiot’, Prince Myshkin begins and ends with Rogozhin. In between, his shadow haunts the prince. Rogozhin is the arrogant, overbearing passenger in the same carriage as the prince on a train to Petersburg. The impulsive, repulsive Rogozhin long threatens murder. During that night following his murder of Nastasya Filippovna (who deemed herself worthy only of Rogozhin…as human sacrifice), the prince’s “tears flowed on to Rogozhin’s cheek”. Are these tears the descent of the prince into idiocy? Rather, I think, he is showing his open-hearted love for Rogozhin in the most trying circumstances imaginable. Finally, the epileptic is committed to the Swiss asylum, where he bemoans the sad fate of Rogozhin among others. All now see the prince’s great love as madness: no one believes in him. Are we also offended? Maybe Dostoevsky is alluding here to scripture, “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 9:33).

Posted By Gladys at Sun 20 Jan 2008, 5:39 AM in The Idiot || 0 Replies

Aglaya and Nastasya

Hi, I would loooove to get some ideas and thoughts on my research paper on Idiot...Here is my tentative thesis statement: In Dostoevsky’s Idiot, both main female characters, Nastasya Fillipovna Barashkin and Aglaya Ivanovna Yepanchin are strong women because they are intelligent, however, while Aglaya is within the society norms, Nastasya is outside of them. Both girls like to be in control of the situation, however sometimes they cannot control themselves emotionally in the presence of Prince Myshkin. What combines both women is that Prince loves them: Aglaya represents his human-like love and Nastasya represents his saint side-love out of pity. :thumbs_up What do you guys think? :thumbs_up :thumbs_up

Posted By wild_diva at Wed 12 Dec 2007, 4:31 AM in The Idiot || 4 Replies

Did Myshkin love Nastasya or Aglaya?

The Prince admired the beauty of both women, yet felt acute compassion for Nastasya Filippovna. Towards the end he expresses some doubt of loving either. He is desperate to contact Aglaya after the final confrontation but is relatively calm as Nastasya Filippovna flees in her wedding dress. What is clear is that he loved such as Rogozhin, Ippolit, Keller, Burdovsky and Lebedev, as well as other more likable characters. He loved mankind. What puzzles me is why does he regress into idiocy at the end? Is the burden of love simply too great?

Posted By Gladys at Fri 7 Dec 2007, 2:09 AM in The Idiot || 12 Replies

Professor? Pun?

I just began to re-read this book after fifteen years, and already I'm driven to distraction by two things that occur on page 9 (Pevear & Volokhonsky text) that I didn't notice fifteen years ago or that I just read past. The first is the prince's remark that Princess Myshkin is "the last in her line." Where's the pun? Second, just a few lines later, is Rogozhin's question to the prince: "... did you do any studying at your professor's?" If I'd been sitting with the prince and Rogozhin I would've interrupted, "Wait a minute. 'Professor'? I thought you said you went to Switzerland for your falling sickness and that you stayed with your doctor. Did I miss something? When did you say your doctor was a professor?" Please help.

Posted By alansquire at Fri 10 Aug 2007, 4:05 PM in The Idiot || 2 Replies

Prefered English translations?

I started reading this book yesterday and am already well into it, but I am curious as to whether or not there's a "preferred" English translation of Dostoevsky's The Idiot? All versions will eventually come to the same end, of course, I'm just curious about the differences that exist between Eva Martin's translation as opposed to Richard Pevear's, or David McDuff's, etc. Thanks!

Posted By StayGolden at Thu 9 Aug 2007, 8:08 AM in The Idiot || 2 Replies

inevitable fate

I've read Crime and Punishment and The Idiot. It came across to me that in both novels, the characters (Rodion, Myshkin, Nastasya, etc) are doomed from the very beginning to an inevitable fate, and you know it all along. You know, aided by foreshadows, what their actions, natural inclinations, circumstances and environment, will lead up to: the end is inescapable. And when I got to the end, I found myself saying, "It had to be so. It was the only way." But nevertheless, before I actually reach the end, I still hoped that it wouldn't be so, not unlike how they characters themselves would have hoped. I think this one reason why Dostoevsky's work are so powerful: it really draws you in to the characters' psyche, and makes you hope their hopeless hopes.

Posted By drunkenKOALA at Sat 21 Apr 2007, 1:23 PM in The Idiot || 1 Reply

Truley an idiot

When I first read the novel I liked Prince Mishkin , I mean he is good nice person but after I had finished reading it I realized why Destovisky called his novel " THe IDIOT " not just because people were calling him that ,but also because Mishkin was truley an idiot he cant act at all especially in the social life and the way he treated Aglaia , I still dont understand why did he leave her for Anastacia?!

Posted By samah at Wed 17 May 2006, 10:23 AM in The Idiot || 17 Replies

Post a New Comment/Question on The Idiot

The Idiot

Related Links:

Quizzes on The Idiot

Recent Forum Posts on The Idiot

Attention Bookworms: