Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Mere Mortals Book Reviews


The Idiot (Fyodor Dostoevsky) - Book Review

May 24, 2022

A naïve idiot can be endearing but can also cause a lot of pain to themselves and others.

'The Idiot' by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a large fictional story of semi-aristocratic Russians centering around 'The Prince' Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin. After a prolonged illness he begins to enter society and becomes embroiled in a love triangle with two beautiful ladies. The tale takes place over ~6 months, beginning in St Petersburg & culminating in Pavlosk.

I summarised the book as follows. "It's distinctly a Dostoevsky book but with some unusual literary techniques thrown in. I found it harder to follow than some of his other classics and didn't contain a standout scene or speech. There are plenty of meaty themes to dig into but be prepared for a long read to allow them to be fleshed out. Overall I enjoyed it, but preferred 'Crime & Punishment' and/or 'The Brothers Karamazov'."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Intro
(0:33) - Synopsis
(3:30) - Naivety: Endearing but harmful
(20:13) - Observations/Takeaways
(26:30) - Summary

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