The Idiot (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- First Published: 1868
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: St. Petersburg, Russia
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: Love or romance, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Blackmail, Greed, Gossip, Russia or Russian people, Princes or princesses, Epilepsy
- Locales: St. Petersburg, Russia
Characters Discussed
Prince Lef Nicolaievitch Myshkin (lehv ni-koh-LI-eh-vihch MEWSH-kihn), a noble man whose behavior at first is only strange and unconventional but who later shows a deterioration of mind. Short, slight, with light hair and moustache, nearly white beard, and searching blue eyes, he arrests the attention of all who see him. His naïve, unblemished goodness, in part the result of his long epilepsy, causes men to doubt him and women to love him. Toward the end of his life, he is wholly compassionate, selfless, and pitying. In his weakened, susceptible condition,...
[The entire page is 861 words long]
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