Dostoevsky wrote The Idiot in
Florence between 1868 and 1869.It is the story of the prince Myshkin. He had
suffered from epilepsy since childhood. He had a naive directness and honesty which prompts
others to call him idiot. The prince never thinks of changing himself , though
he knows that others call him or think
him as an idiot. But by the end
of the book , we find his naive directness changed into an anguished silence. Ippolit is a young rebel
who , instead of meekly accepting his fate
believes in weeping , protesting and revolting .To him , the prince
advises to” pass us by and forgive us our happiness.”
The two other central characters in
the novel are Rogozhin and Natasya Filippovna.
The prince also loves Natasya
, who in turn falls in love with him. Rogozhin loves Natasya with passion .Agalaya , the youngest daughter
of General Epanchin , also loves this idiot prince .The whole book revolves
around these relationships in an unpredictable way. Despite its 615 pages, I liked the hardbound edition of
Everyman’s Library. It is a profound book , recommended for those who like
serious literature.
