The Idiot

The Idiot is a novel by the 19th Century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal The Russian Messenger in 1868-69.

    The title is an ironic reference to the central character of the novel, Prince (Knyaz) Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, a young man whose goodness, open-hearted simplicity, and guilelessness lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume he lacks intelligence and insight. In the character of Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky set himself the task of depicting "the positively good and beautiful man." The novel examines the consequences of placing such a unique individual at the center of the conflicts, desires, passions, and egoism of worldly society, both for the man himself and for those with whom he becomes involved.

    Joseph Frank describes The Idiot as "the most personal of all Dostoevsky's major works, the book in which he embodies his most intimate, cherished, and sacred convictions." It includes descriptions of some of his most intense personal ordeals, such as epilepsy and mock execution, and explores moral, spiritual, and philosophical themes consequent upon them. His primary motivation in writing the novel was to subject his own highest ideal, true Christian love, to the crucible of contemporary Russian society.

    The artistic method of conscientiously testing his central idea meant the author could not always predict where the plot was going as he was writing. The novel has an awkward structure, and many critics have commented on its seemingly chaotic organization. According to Gary Saul Morson, "The Idiot violates every critical norm and yet somehow manages to achieve real greatness." Dostoevsky himself was of the opinion the experiment was not entirely successful, but the novel remained his favorite among his works. In a letter to Nikolay Strakhov he wrote: "Much in the novel was written hurriedly, much is too diffuse and did not turn out well, but some of it did turn out well. I do not stand behind the novel, but I do stand behind the idea."

The premise of this novel is admirable, as well as the character Dostoevsky attempts to create and appear like an attainable model. His character—Prince Myshkin—embodies all the qualities the author himself wished to attain or present throughout his life: frankness and openness of feelings no matter setting or societal demand, humbleness, altruistic behaviors, and a giving and compassionate nature; however, when this version of a “beautiful man” clashes with the “real” world (I really do hate this phrase and maybe one day I'll post about it), its product is not one the reader would expect. Ultimately, spreading a moral compass brings about solutions that only foster other problems, causing equal parts of creation and destruction. Within a world run by money (representing low morals), Prince Myshkin discovers how powerful mediocrity can be if numerous people believe in it and act accordingly.