The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It provides a thorough exploration of the novel’s plot, characters and main themes, as well as an examination of its complex and multi-layered structure. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 25-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Presentation of The Idiot
• Summary of The Idiot
• Character study
  • Prince Myshkin
  • Natassya and Rogozhin
  • The Epanchin family
• Analysis of The Idiot
  • A complex story
  • Ethics
  • The recurrence of religious motives

About The Idiot

The Idiot, published in 1869, is a long novel with a complex structure, which tells the story of Prince Myshkin, a good and naïve man who suffers from epilepsy and who is often viewed as an idiot. After a long stay in Switzerland, he returns to Russia, where he befriends a series of characters and develops feelings for different women. The twists and turns of the plot and the tensions between the characters demonstrate Dostoyevsky’s keen psychological insight and allow him to ask broader questions about God, evil and free will.

About Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a 19^th-century author who is considered to be one of Russia’s greatest writers. His most famous books include Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. His works stand out for their metaphysical reflections and commitment to discussing the social and political problems in Russia at the time. Indeed, Dostoyevsky’s criticisms of the Tsarist regime saw him sentenced to time in a Siberian prison camp and resulted in his exile to Europe, where some of his most famous works were published. Nonetheless, his writing proved very influential, and several of his novels are now considered classics.