num_pages: 580
description: The title is an ironic reference to the central character of the novel, Prince Lyov, a young man whose goodness and open-hearted simplicity lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume that he lacks intelligence and insight. The 26-year-old Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after spending several years at a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by the society of Saint Petersburg for his trusting nature and naivet�, he finds himself at the center of a struggle between a beautiful kept woman and a virtuous and pretty young girl, both of whom win his affection. Unfortunately, Myshkin's very goodness precipitates disaster, leaving the impression that, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium may be the only place for a saint.Dostoevsky's THE IDIOT is a powerhouse novel of passion and spiritual purity. Prince Myshkin, a Christ-like figure, is the meek yet steadfast holy fool who changes the lives of desperate men, fallen women, and yet stands a helpless witness to their passionate self-destruction.
language: English
title: The Idiot by
titlecomplete: The Idiot by
characters: Prince Myshkin, Rogozhin, Nastasya Filippovna
genres: Literature, Classics, Novels, Philosophy, Russian Literature, 19th Century, Russia, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classic Literature
ratings_count: 173601
places: Russian Empire, St. Petersburg
publisher: Wildside Pr