Book reviews

The Idiot
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Books
New book search
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Idiot
"An slow-minded but insightful man, named Price Myshkin, returns to Russia to claim his inherited fortune after spending years in Switzerland for medical treatment. Soon he is entranced by two young women: one is young and beautiful, the other beautiful and depraved. In his innocence, Prince Myshkin is unknowingly led into all sorts of predicaments by these two women, including a rivarly with another man, named Rogozhin. Eventually, both women leave him: one runs away after she is refused marriage by Prince Myshkin, and the other runs away out of depraved capriciousness and is soon murdered by the Prince's rival, Rogozhin. "
Jeff Schoneman, Resident Scholar

"Prince Myshkin is an epileptic returning from a sanitarium. On the train, he meets Rogozhin and they become friends. Myshkin visits his distant relatives, the Epanchins, a fashionable family. General Epanchin gives him a job and he fascinates Madame Epanchin and her daughter, Aglaya, with his innocence and awkwardness.

The Prince boards with Ganya, a schemer who wants to marry Aglaya for her money. Myshkin pities Natasya; in their innocence they are two of a kind. He offers to marry her, but as she is worried about ruining his name, she runs off with Rogozhin. Shortly afterward, she runs away from Rogozhin and disappears. Rogozhin assumes she has run to Myshkin and with Ganya plots the Prince's death.

Meanwhile, Aglaya has fallen in love with Myshkin, but his bizarre talk disturbs the family and when he falls into a fit at a party they ban him from the house. Aglaya also grows increasingly jealous of Natasya. The two women meet and Aglaya resolves to give up the Prince. "

Nicole Rivette, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Idiot
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - love triangle/polygon
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - wealthy
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - obsessed - deluded - a bit retarded
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Russian
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Dumb - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique - physically sick

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male - society
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Russia
City? Yes
City: - dangerous
Small town? Yes
Misc setting - fancy mansion - moving train

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references
Amount of dialog - mostly dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Idiot
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
Legacy of Secrets by Elizabeth Adler
Lady Anna by Anthony Trollope
The Lady From the Sea by Henrik Ibsen
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy


Click here for more information about this book


Fyodor Dostoyevsky Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Loftus  

SCHOLARS:
Nicole Rivette  Jeff Schoneman  Lissy  Tonie  Smiley2002  Jenni Parttimaa  Sonja Anderson  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Literature books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal story

Crime & Police story

Ethnic/regional/gender life

Exploring into the wild

Family, caring for ill

Family, loving relations

Family, struggle with

Internal struggle/realization?

Job/Profession/Status story

Kids growing up/acting up?

Political/social activism

Poverty, surviving

Pregnancy/Child rearing

Religion theme?

Romance/Romance Problems

Sports Story?

War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Funny Videos
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 12:30:30 PM
Slavomir Rawicz 10:00:34 AM
Robert Segarra 1:49:56 PM
Karen Armstrong 10:51:40 AM
Anonymous 1:39:52 PM
Deric Longden 9:20:02 AM
Suzanne Weyn 6:24:19 PM
Colin Forbes 12:23:54 PM
John Christopher 5:12:45 AM
Tom Clancy 2:19:45 AM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 5:36:55 PM
Nikolai Tolstoy 7:46:16 AM
J.K. Rowling 11:40:22 PM
Jack Higgins 4:54:08 PM
Eloise Jarvis McGraw 12:51:17 PM
Jane Rubino 1:21:00 PM
Lori Wick 2:11:45 AM
Betty Mahmoody 5:57:33 PM
Patricia Cornwell 2:48:17 PM
Andrew Clements 9:13:44 PM

Silicon Valley
More message boards