The Idiot

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky explores the clash between moral purity and a corrupt, cynical society.

About the book:

The story follows Prince Myshkin, a pure-hearted, sincere and guileless man who returns to Russia after treatment for epilepsy in Switzerland. Because of his extreme naivety and honesty, St Petersburg society sees him as an "idiot", even though he is morally purer than most of the people around him.

Myshkin becomes entangled in a web of complicated relationships, especially with Nastasya Filippovna and Aglaya Ivanovna, where love, pride, jealousy and pain intertwine tragically. The more he tries to do good, the more chaotic things become.

Main themes:

• Moral purity vs a corrupt society
• Naivety and the "weakness" of goodness
• Impossible love and sacrifice
• Mental illness and human suffering
• The tragedy of a person "too good for the world"