The Idiot
| The Idiot | |
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 Pevear and Volokhonsky translation of The Idiot |
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| Author | Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
| Original title | Идиот[1] |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian language |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publication date | 1869 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Gambler |
| Followed by | The Possessed |
The Idiot (Russian: Идиот, Idiot) is a novel written by 19th century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published serially in Russky Vestnik between 1868 and 1869. The Idiot is ranked beside some of Dostoevsky's other works as one of the most brilliant literary achievements of the Russian "Golden Age" of Literature. It was not published in English until the 20th century.[2]
Contents |
Plot
27-year-old Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after spending several years at a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by the society of St. Petersburgh for his Idiocy as being to generous and innocent, he finds himself at the center of a struggle between a rich, kept woman and a gorgeous, and virtuous girl who both wish to win his affection. Unfortunately, Myshkin's very goodness seems to bring disaster to all he meets, leading to a climax that tragically reveals how, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint.
Major themes
An imperfectly perfect man, for although physically flawed and as gullible as a babe, Dostoevsky's Myshkin possesses all of the qualities which affirm Man's greatness, and the ultimate assurance of doom when placed in a frivolous, and unjust environment; a transcending Christ.—T. Reid
Dostoyevsky's motives for writing The Idiot stem from his desire to depict the "positively good man". This man is naturally likened to Christ in many ways. Dostoyevsky uses Myshkin's introduction to the Petersburg society as a way to contrast the nature of Russian society at the time and the isolation and innocence of this good man. This is highlighted by his conflicts and relationship with Rogozhin. Indeed, Myshkin and Rogozhin are contrasted from the outset. Myshkin is associated with light, Rogozhin with dark. For example, in their initial descriptions on the train, Myshkin is described as having light hair and blue eyes, while Rogozhin has "dark features". Rogozhin's house is submerged in darkness, with iron bars on the windows. He is not only an embodiment of darkness, but surrounded by it. The two characters are clearly antithetical. If Myshkin should be seen as Christ, Rogozhin could easily be seen as the Devil. "Rog", in Russian, means horn, adding credence to such an assertion, although the primary association of his name is with rogozha ("bast"), possibly hinting at his humble origins.
Despite their difference, they are both after Nastasya Filippovna—good and bad (and mediocre, in the image of Ganya) strive for the same thing. Love itself is shown in various manifestations, spurred by various motives. While vain Ganya wishes to marry Nastasya in order that he might, through acquisition of a large dowry, spark some of the individuality which he senses he lacks, Rogozhin loves Nastasya with a deep passion. Myshkin, however, loves her out of pity, out of Christian love. This love for her supersedes even the romantic love he has for Aglaia. It is important to note that Aglaia developed a great appreciation for Myshkin's purity of heart and capacity for empathic love, even that he felt for Nastasya. Aglaia and her sisters came to identify Myshkin with the protagonist of a famous Russian poem by Pushkin, "The Poor Knight", because of the Prince's quixotic, tragic quest to defend the honor of Nastasya in the face of the ridicule, and at times contempt, he faced from all his acquaintances. And she grew to love him not in spite of this, but even more so because of it. At a gathering at the Prince's home that included her family and several of the Prince's friends, Aglaia flushes hotly when Kolya enigmatically and ironically declares "There's nothing better than the Poor Knight!" Though the comment is partially mocking him, in the depths of Aglaia's heart she agrees with this fully. In the end, though, Aglaia cannot completely eradicate her jealousy of Nastasya, and cannot measure up to the heights of the Prince's sympathetic love when he apparently scorns her in a final effort to save Nastasya.
There is a parallel between Rogozhin and the Russian upper-class society. The materialistic society which praises the values Myshkin represents and professes itself to be "good", cannot accommodate Prince Myshkin; Rogozhin, though he truly loves Nastasya, commits murder in the end. Nastasya herself has been corrupted by a depraved society. Her beauty and initial innocence have led Totsky (perhaps the most repugnant of characters in the novel) to keep her as a concubine and she falls into a quasi-madness.
Adaptations and tributes
- Several filmmakers have produced adaptations of the novel, among them L'idiot (Georges Lampin 1946), a 1951 version by Akira Kurosawa, a 1958 version by Russian director Ivan Pyryev, and Mani Kaul's 1992 Hindi version
- In 2001, Down House, a tongue-in-cheek modern adaptation/parody of the novel, was filmed by Russian director Roman Kachanov, using the late 1990s Moscow underworld of mafia and drug addicts as the setting; it featured Fyodor Bondarchuk as the Prince and the co-writer of the script, Ivan Okhlobystin as Rogozhin.
- Christian Bale's character in The Machinist is seen reading The Idiot in the opening minutes of the film
- In 2003 Russian State Television produced an 10-part, 8-hour mini-series of the work, which is available with English subtitles.
- In 1999 Czech director Saša Gedeon produced a modern cinematic reinterpretation of The Idiot entitled The Return of the Idiot (Návrat idiota).
- The Polish director Andrzej Wajda adapted the last chapter of The Idiot as the feature film Nastasja in 1994.
- The Russian composer Nikolai Myaskovsky planned an opera on The Idiot during World War I, but did not complete it.
- The Harlan Ellison short story Prince Myshkin and Hold the Relish features a friendly debate on Dostoevsky and The Idiot between the narrator and a vendor at Pink's Hot Dogs in Los Angeles.
- In 2008, the theatre director Katie Mitchell premiered "...some trace of her",[3] a multimedia exploration of the novel's central themes.
- The famous Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky planned an adaptation after The Idiot[4], but had died before it was realized.
- The German novelist Hermann Hesse wrote in 1919 a short piece about the book called Thoughts on The Idiot of Dostoevsky, later released in a compilation of essays called My Belief: Essays on Life and Art.
- In Act 1, Scene 2 of Mel Brooks' musical The Producers, Max Bialystock jokingly addresses Leo Bloom as "Prince Miskin." This also occurs in the original film.
- In the 1998 pilot episode of T.V. show "Seven Days," Frank Parker (played by Jonathan LaPaglia) has a copy of The Idiot on his desk inside the insane asylum.
- In 2009 Lithuanian theatre director Eimuntas Nekrošius directed "Idiotas", performance in 4 parts.
- In 1985, Polish director Andrzej Zulawski directed the feature film "L'Amour Braque" (Limpet Love), as an homage to Dostoevsky's "The Idiot". Its end credits state that "The film is inspired by Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot" and intended as a homage to the great writer". It stars Sophie Marceau as what most likely is the part of Nastasja Philipovna.
Translations to English
Since The Idiot was first published in Russian, there have been a number of translations to English over the years, including those by:
- Frederick Whishaw (1887)
- Constance Garnett (1913)
- Revised by Anna Brailovsky (2003)
- Eva Martin (1915)
- David Magarshack (1955)
- Henry and Olga Carlisle (1980)
- Alan Myers (1992)
- Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (2002)
- David McDuff (2004)
- John W. Strahan (1965)
The Constance Garnett translation has for many years been accepted as the definitive English translation, but more recently it has come under criticism for being dated. The Garnett translation, however, still remains widely available because it is now in the public domain. Some writers, such as Anna Brailouvsky, have based their translations on Garnett's. Since the 1990s new English translations have appeared that have made the novel more accessible to English readers. The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation (2000) states that the Alan Myers version is the best currently available[5](not surprisingly, the Oxford University Press also publishes that version. Is book plugging acceptable in an encyclopedia?), though since then, new translations by David McDuff and Pevear & Volokhonsky have also been well received.
References
- ↑ Идіотъ in original, pre-1920s spelling
- ↑ titlepage, 1965 The Idiot, Washington Square Press, Inc.
- ↑ https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/sometrace
- ↑ http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/015_04/3005
- ↑ The Myers translation is also published by the Oxford University Press.
External links
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