The Idiot by Dostoevsky

>>8911566
What translation are you reading? Pic related?

File: dave-grohl-hillbilly-trucker-agrees.gif (1003KB, 350x197px) Image search: [Google]

1003KB, 350x197px

>>8911570
The Introduction I read was by Joseph Frank
The Translation I'm reading is by Constance Garnett.

Also for those interested, I took the liberty of finding the audio book for my translation and have proceeded to post the video times for each chapter in the comments below. You can find the link here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfFZKK0gJg&t

For those that might scold me for using an audio book, please keep in mind, I'm very new to Russian Literature, and I tend to struggle with the names, but no doubt, I still wish to learn how to say them properly. Also the audiobook reader is Robert Whitfield, and he is exceptional.

>>8911566
>However, when it comes to the world of women, relationships, and marriage, The Prince seems more of a child infatuated with beauty than any truer understanding of love.

Yes. This is intentional. It's a critique (or, in softer terms, a musing on) the supposed unconditional love of god. What does that sort of love mean, if the same love could be applied to a child rapist and murderer, as to an innocent child? Would that sort of love have to be inherently shallow and ignorant? It's an interesting idea.

Myshkin isn't meant to be just a positive stand-in for God. The whole point of the character is to examine how "true" Christianity, Christian ideals and acting literally as Jesus would, would fly in modern (at the time) society.

At least, that's my reading of it. I wouldn't get too stuck on the Myshkin-Jesus thing as the only thing to pull from the novel. I ended up getting more from Natassya (probably spelled incorrectly, I'm terrible with these Russian names).

Garnett, the translation you're reading, isn't my favourite translation, the McDuff one is a lot better, but it's not catastrophically bad or anything.

Nothing wrong with audiobooks, actually quite a good idea for Russian lit IMO. I might try that with the next Russian lit book I read.

>>8911613
Indeed, thank you for the reply.
You make excellent points of interest here.

I must admit, however, that I sometimes feel that Myskin is the only sane person amongst these cast of aristocratic characters. The women (nearly all of them) come off as bombastic, immature, loud, and unabashed. The men are equally unattractive (besides the General, who I find the most satisfying), with their shallow, and scheming ill behaviors.

Indeed, most of the time I feel as if Myskin is rather normal, and the rest are the idiots. But perhaps this is what the author is intending to reveal of Russian Aristocratic society. Perhaps Dostoevsky's book is a critic on the very society that he lived in himself.

I'm still not sure; not sure what to think. I will keep reading. I hope for something interesting to happen soon.

>>8911647

>I hope for something interesting to happen soon.

I won't spoil anything of course, but I think you'll be satisfied on that front.

>I must admit, however, that I sometimes feel that Myskin is the only sane person amongst these cast of aristocratic characters. The women (nearly all of them) come off as bombastic, immature, loud, and unabashed. The men are equally unattractive (besides the General, who I find the most satisfying), with their shallow, and scheming ill behaviors.

>Indeed, most of the time I feel as if Myskin is rather normal, and the rest are the idiots. But perhaps this is what the author is intending to reveal of Russian Aristocratic society. Perhaps Dostoevsky's book is a critic on the very society that he lived in himself.

I think those are both very sharp takes on it. The book doesn't feel like it has a super clear "this is the theme/message" to me, more like it explores and presents certain interactions and issues, and lets the reader interpret how they will. I'm sure some fans of the book would strongly disagree with my, or your, take on it, but this isn't a high school text or anything; there's no singularly obvious answer to the questions it raises. The ending does kind of bring things into focus, but not in a way that dictates a message, just in a way that clarifies the kind of story. If that makes sense.

i'm almost through part i. it's not as easy to dive into as crime and punishment or even notes from underground but the little tale about the prince and the children in swiss caring for maria hit pretty hard.

>>8911959
I'm on page 363 now, and I can honestly say, that the chapter on Maria has been the most interesting/best part read. Everything else seems to be a "hidden" build up of something drastic to come; a somewhat, here are the characters true intentions. But I'm speculating. I will have more to say when I finish the book in a couple days.

OP, please keep in mind that Myshkin is not just intended to be a Christ figure. Pay attention to the Don Quixote references in the book, and all the stuff about the "poor knight".