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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
funny
Probably my least favorite of Dostoyevsky's "big 4", but still worth the read. Is the prince an "idiot" because of his physical problems (no), his belief that people are good, or his belief that a person can "save" another person?
If the jumble of names and nicknames typical of Russian novels bothers you...well, this one takes it to a whole different level. I am simultaneously reading a book on the Spanish Civil War and I'm not sure which is more confusing!
If the jumble of names and nicknames typical of Russian novels bothers you...well, this one takes it to a whole different level. I am simultaneously reading a book on the Spanish Civil War and I'm not sure which is more confusing!
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think it was Turgenev who said Dostoevsky's characters never developed and that what one sees from the start is exactly what one gets. I can see why he said that after reading The Idiot, but the strength of the cast of characters in this novel is in their interaction. The volatile ones, the buffoons, the poets, and the crazy women all came together brilliantly.
From the 4th part, Dostoevsky shifts his vantage point and tells the story as a more distant narrator who gives a lot of commentary on each character. I wonder if this is the part he wrote after his newsletter installments were discontinued (his first novels were written in parts in newsletter issues and were later collected and released in a second edition). The change definitely draws a lot of attention, but it does end up working well even if it is slightly awkward.
According to Dostoevsky's letters, he considered this work largely a failure. Anything next to Brothers Karamazov looks like a failure, but The Idiot is a very good book in its own right.
From the 4th part, Dostoevsky shifts his vantage point and tells the story as a more distant narrator who gives a lot of commentary on each character. I wonder if this is the part he wrote after his newsletter installments were discontinued (his first novels were written in parts in newsletter issues and were later collected and released in a second edition). The change definitely draws a lot of attention, but it does end up working well even if it is slightly awkward.
According to Dostoevsky's letters, he considered this work largely a failure. Anything next to Brothers Karamazov looks like a failure, but The Idiot is a very good book in its own right.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes