The Idiot (Oxford World's Classics)

Dostoyevsky renders a brilliant portrait of the hypersensitive Prince Myshkin, the "idiot" referred to in the title. It's impossible not to pity the poor guy. The Prince is intelligent, well-meaning, and honest; certainly not an idiot and in fact seemingly normal much of the time. But he doesn't fit in with any of the several social circles he encounters because he's overly naive, sensitive, excitable, and serious. In addition, the Prince has passionate views on religion and politics and espouses them at the most inopportune moments. What happens is that virtually everyone who meets the prince considers him to be very socially inept and makes fun of him behind his back or sometimes to his face. What's worse is that the Prince to a large degree understands his own faults but doesn't try to improve himself.Dostoyevsky does such a marvelous job of characterizing the prince that I found myself thinking of other people I know that are similarly inept when dealing with others. I also thought about myself and times that I'd said the wrong things in front of others. Let's face it, conversing with one or two people is completely different from saying something in front of an audience or in a group / party discussion, even if its a group you know very well. The whole atmosphere changes and you have to be a bit more careful in your choice of words so that everyone understands what you're saying and also so that their attention doesn't wander. Many of us know someone who never fails to make a fool of himself / herself in these kinds of social situations, from being perhaps too talkative, too nervous, taking friendly jibes seriously, drinking too much, or what have you. The Prince is one of those people that can be completely likable as a friend, but a total embarrassment at a party or in a group discussion.I read somewhere that Dostoyevsky was describing himself in many ways while writing about the Prince. No wonder the Prince is so astonishingly rendered; the author already knew him intimately. Dostoyevsky does an excellent job with the other characters too, though none are masterpieces like Myshkin. I particularly enjoyed reading about the hilariously different personalities within the Yepanchin family, level-headed Mr. Radomsky, pathetic Lebedev, the sinister Rogozhin, and others.The story is great, a real page turner. A few other reviews state that the narrative starts out well and then bogs down into disappointment. I didn't think so, I was interested right up to the surprising ending (poor Prince!). I do think that Dostoyevsky need not have concocted the bizarre love triangle that he did; the novel would have been just as effective with a more conventional plot and some other focus for the Prince's compassion and pity, say a family stricken with poverty. It's the characterization of the Prince that makes "The Idiot" what it is.Btw, I read David Magershack's translation (Penguin Classics). I can't imagine the translation being much better, it flowed so well that I could easily have been fooled into believing that it was originally written in English.

One of the best editions out there. The translation is superb. It has a good introduction by a renowned scholar, explanatory notes, and a map. Only downside is the explanatory notes be more extensive.

I am not a fan of books, and I never thought of reading as a fun way to pass time, but I thought I would stop being ignorant towards literature and give The Idiot a shot. Prior to picking up this book, I read Crime and Punishment translated by Garnett because I heard it was an easier book to comprehend. Now having finished The Idiot and comparing translators, I think Myers did a pretty good job at sticking to Dostoevsky's style. And the notes included in the book help. As far as what I thought about the book, judging by my lack of literature experience, I would say my opinion doesn't really matter but I did think it was a decent novel. It did have a lot of dry parts, and it felt like I was reading more of a philosophy textbook than a novel. But if you have the intellect and focus to get more out of Dostoevsky's messages than I do, then 1) congrats and 2) I would recommend reading this. I do not want to spoil the story for anyone, but be prepared for a surprise or two, and an ending that might be super disappointing to some.

This book arrived in perfect condition. I was very satisfied.

This may be the most Christian of Dostoyevsky's novels and deals with how to live a good life and the damage this can cause. This refutes the modern and western belief that the Christian "Abundant Life" means riches and lack of trouble. There are many allusions to Revelations, brought out by the relatively minor character Lebedev. There are apocryphal themes of making money, and the nihilism of the younger generation. This book has the potential to personally impact you depending on how you identify with the characters. The Prince, Prince S, and the various generals present different models of the "good life". To respond to an earlier reviewer, the cover painting by Hans Holbein is featured predominately in the book. This book may be work for the reader, (as it was for Dostoyevsky to write) and I referred to list of character often, but the work is rewarding!

I'd heard you were "supposed to read this book", and "it's a classic". So I went into it with open arms and to tell you the truth I loved Part 1. I couldn't put it down. Part 2 started to wane a little bit and by Part 3 I was forcing myself to go on. I've always felt that a great book, or a great movie should really leave you wanting more at the end, but with "The Idiot" that isn't the case. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Such a promising start, and such a dissapointing end.I think that because everyone says what a great book this is, we almost feel as if we too should think it's a great book. It's not. He's written much better stuff and so have other Russian authors.

Great translation, and good quality. It came as expected.

I really was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. Dostoyevsky creates characters and social questions that are still relevant today. I highly recommend Oxford World's Classics for overall translation and footnotes.