The Idiot (Annotated with Critical Essay and Biography)

Book excerpt: The idiot of the title is the protagonist of the novel, Prince Myshkin. He is a simple, honest man who has not had the benefit of education or a high level of intelligence, but his character is good and he lives by Christian values. At the beginning of the novel Myshkin is returning to St. Petersburg from Switzerland, where he has been under medical treatment for epilepsy. On the train home he meets two people who will play a part in his life. The first of this two is Parfyon Rogozhin, a young man of questionable character. The second person is Lebedev, a government official. When Myshkin arrives in St. Petersburg he moves out into society and meets Nastasya Fillipnova, who Rogozhin is obsessed with. Myshkin is considered an idiot by the St. Petersburg society because he is inarticulate and often stammers when he tries to talk to people.