I always thought Nastasia chose Rogojin as she secretly hated herself and didn’t think she, a defiled being, deserved an innocent, virtuous character like Myshkin
There are a lot of absurd interpretive leaps in this video, that being a major one. My instinct is to chalk it up to mistranslation, and sometimes I can't quite tell whether certain interpretive claims are jokes or serious.
"Η Πίστη δίνει στον άνθρωπο κουράγιο και αποφασιστικότητα ενώ η αθεΐα τον κάνει δειλό και αναβλητικό" Ο Ντοστογιέφσκυ είναι πάντα χειρουργικά ακριβής στην περιγραφή της ανθρώπινης ψυχής
Great video! I read the book two times as a Teen and as an adult.Myschkin is a Pure hearted outcast in this world,he is the Don Quixote…it takes an ability to take on life’s Challenges with a strong psyche that makes not only an attractive man but also an admirable person! Whether consciously or subconsciosly we are drawn to ,,bad boys” and ,,bad girls” and yet we see ourselves as really good decent people! Lol😂
Thank you for the analysis! The quotes were sometimes hard to read along with. If I can suggest something, you can put outlines around the text, which helps it pop out from backgrounds that are the same color as the text.
Thank you for your great jobs. But I think that you got some important details wrong. As I understand it Myshkin wanted to marry Nastashia not because he loved her, but he felt a such strong pity on her. And Nastashia ran away from their wedding not because the bad boy Rogoshin attracted her more, but she felt her unworthy Myshikin. Ans she felt her worthy only when she was with a such worthless boy with nothing but stupidity as Rogozin. After all Rogoshin is no match for her in any possible way. Despite that Nastashia at several occasions assured others (and more importantly assured herself) that it was not her fault, but she never got her much deserved self-esteem after being Tutsky´s "concubine". Therefore her wanton way of being.
Great video, definitely made me realize things about the novel I had previously missed. I do think however that it's a bit of a simplification to say Nastasya picked Rogozhin because of he is a passionate bad boy. It always seemed to me (and is of course eluded to by Aglaya later on) that Nastasya actually prefers Myshkin from the beginning and recognizes his goodness but does not value herself enough to be with him. She see's him as being to good for her and therefore self sabotages the relationship and falls back with Rogozhin. This is why Aglaya's accusation of her being in love with her status of a victim leaves her so hurt and speechless later on, she recognizes the truth in it. It seemed to me that Dostoyevsky was arguing that her poor upbringing, where everyone was consistently using her for their own objectives, had tragically made her believe she had no self worth. However, Myshkin was the first to love her as a person rather than an object revealing to her she was worth something. Her story is one of someone wrestling with their conscience, either she chooses Rogozhin and maintains her status a valueless victim who has no responsibility to the world around her and is therefore free to do as she pleases, or she chooses Myshkin and is loved as an equal but has to give up the status of victim and bare the responsibility of her actions. It's a continuation on the theme in The Brothers Karamazov where Ivan states that without God everything is permitted, the fear of choosing Myshkin (Jesus) is the fear of suddenly being responsible and judged upon doing good. Ultimately she loses the battle within her conscience, runs away from God and is killed by the untamed passions of the Devil.
yes! thank you! i was scrolling through the comments to find someone saying this because I feel like Nastasya’s tension between Myshkin and Rogozhin is far more complex than “good guy v. bad boy”. it’s as much an internal struggle for her as it is for the prince.
Yes, same, thank you! I was with him until this moment, when I was just thrown off my tracks, because it's not even simplification, it's just misinterpreting that while plotline and motivations and understanding of Nastasya as a character, viewing it through some odd modern trope of bad/good boy; otherwise the summary has been quite nice so far.
Exactly! Nastasia was viewed as a ruined woman by the rest of society, Myshkin was the only one who didn’t see her that way. She loved Myshkin so much that she didn’t want to ruin his reputation or cause him any pain.
Dude just shut up and don’t do that. Your opinion doesn’t make you awesome don’t care how long it took you to formulate your absurd long winded comment.. you just need to know that you are stupid and yeah don’t do that anymore. I’m even bothered by the idiot who made this video.. there’s always some stupid commentary or opinion that has nothing to do with the work of FD I’m pretty sure he’d be disgusted with all of this stuff.. all of these people who understand him so well? I’m sorry but he would absolutely consider you all as; SICK
I read The Idiot a few months ago and absolutely loved it. I’ve never read anything quite like Dostoyevsky. The Brothers Karamazov is my favorite, but I like all of his novels that I have read so far. His writing is manic at times, and always passionate, and frequently very humorous. Thanks for the excellent review… J
@@j0nnyism Could be that because its in Russian something is lost in translation, so it doesnt feel like you're reading the actual words of dostoevsky. But I dunno, i've never read any of them and only heard Lex Fridman talk about the idea of lost in translation lol
The Brothers Karamazov is also my favorite so it absolutely breaks my heart that he passed away before he could finish part 2. i want to know if ivan successfully helped dmitri escape and if dmitri and grushenka had a successful relationship cause they were fighting often toward the end of the novel
Finished the book this morning, I ended up finishing the last couple of chapters on my way to work, usually I only read one chapter during the same duration. It was so captivating that I could not wait to finish it to uncover the ending. The ending was so masterfully shocking and devastating that I struggled in work today. I sat on my chair in shock and felt sadness. Tragic but such a brilliant end to a great book. I will take a small break from Dostoevsky and return to him when the time is right, what a genius...
There's a huge difference between someone being wrong because they've been conditioned accordingly since the beginning of their lives and threatened for any indication of contesting the provided narrative, versus someone being wrong because their cognition is faulty and they cannot comprehend despite the information needed to do so being readily available, or even plainly obvious. Most people are the former, but plenty of the latter exists.
That may be true if you could actually easily determine whose cognition is faulty and whose isn't faulty. You usually cannot do that very easily since all people make irrational choices all the timer. They are just accepted as choices within norm even if they are absurd choices. Also we cannot easily tell who was conditioned and to what extent. Some people may have been conditioned since childhood so it is easier for observers to conclude that they were conditioned. But adults can just as easily be conditioned to believe anything or do anything if the lies given to them are convincing enough. Because we cannot always know those specifics we cannot determine what you say we can in your last sentence.
@@StopFear You can determine it's true just by observing examples of it. You don't need to be able to determine who is which for every human on earth, in order to know it's true. I could go on to pick apart and refute your entire comment, but i won't. It won't make any difference or gain me anything.
It’s an interesting thing, but Myshkin being a metaphor for Christ makes all Myshkin’s most beautiful attribute being beaten down by the world makes it sad
Note that the book doesn't explicitly say that Myshkin is any kind of metaphor for Christ. It is an interpretation the video's narrator tells us is one interpretation. Since Dostoyevsky claimed to be religious it would be pretty sacrilegious to make literary metaphors like that.
When you start reading Dostoyevsky you never go back to the innocent, simple, happy life you had before. The void of death, the empathy of human relations and the crualty of love hits you just as hard as the envy to detain a soul of pureness who lives without understanding the fear of consciousness.
@@Fiction_Beast, if you like "The Idiot" you might love to hear the more logical story which would inspire such a story. Either “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky or "Dostoevsky in Love: An Intimate Life" by Alex Christofi will help you understand the man who wrote this book. FAVORITE AUTHORS 1st) Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Insulted and Humiliated)| 1) “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 30) "Demons" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 65) "My Uncle's Dream" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 80) "The Heavenly Christmas Tree" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 113) "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 130) "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 141) "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 149) "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 173) "Netochka Nezvanova" (nameless nobody) by Fyodor Dostoevsky 2nd) Leo Tolstoy (Resurrection) 3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy 9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 16) “Childhood, Boyhood” by Leo Tolstoy 62) "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy 91) "A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy 3rd) Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons) 5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev 23) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev 41) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev 64) "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev 101) "Acia" by Ivan Turgenev 107) "The Watch" by Ivan Turgenev 132) "Rudin" by Ivan Turgenev 141) "On the Eve" by Ivan Turgenev 152) "Home of the Gentry" by Ivan Turgenev 172) "Clara Militch" by Ivan Turgenev 177) "The Inn" by Ivan Turgenev 4th) James A. Michener (Chesapeake) 12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener 13) "Poland" by James A. Michener 36) "Caribbean" by James A. Michener 37) "Hawaii" by James A. Michener 197) “Mexico” by James A. Michener 5th) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich) 10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 28) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 44) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 78) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Despite if one is a believer or not, to continue on the religious aspect, I do believe that the Orthodox Christianity is closest to true Christianity. It was the first branch and has a long Churchhistory with alot of wisdom. With that said I dont mean that they always done everything right. I say this from Sweden. A very secular country with a Protestant passed, and hardly no Orthodox Churches. And of course I might be wrong. Now I came into theology instead of literature. I apologise. But these videos , just like the literature itself, get a grip of the mind and takes it places.
I so appreciate your videos, you make long complex books like the idiot - or complex ideas from people like Jung seem fairly simple. Thanks for making these.
" Just a single man, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is enough to defeat all the creative novelists of the world. If one has to decide on 10 great novels in all the languages of the world, one will have to choose at least 3 novels of Dostoevsky in those 10. Dostoevsky’s insight into human beings and their problems is greater than your so-called psychoanalysts, and there are moments where he reaches the heights of great mystics. His book BROTHERS KARAMAZOV is so great in its insights that no BIBLE or KORAN or GITA comes close. In another masterpiece of Dostoevsky, THE IDIOT, the main character is called ‘idiot’ by the people because they can’t understand his simplicity, his humbleness, his purity, his trust, his love. You can cheat him, you can deceive him, and he will still trust you. He is really one of the most beautiful characters ever created by any novelist. The idiot is a sage. The novel could just as well have been called THE SAGE. Dostoevsky’s idiot is not an idiot; he is one of the sanest men amongst an insane humanity. If you can become the idiot of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it is perfectly beautiful. It is better than being cunning priest or politician. Humbleness has such a blessing. Simplicity has such benediction."
about epilepsy.. it is known that in some cases, neurologically speaking, it unlocks some parts of the brain, generate a higher state of consciousness or enhance some kind of special sensivity in the people sufferng it.. so that could also explain why many authors or geniuses in different fields had epilepsy
Great video! I was wondering if you could also cover Dostoevsky's Devils (sometimes also called Demons or The Posessed)? I've read it, but didn't fully understand it and would love to know your thoughts on it! Thank you!
Amazing analysis! You know, the "problem" I have with Dostoevsky's novels is that I think there's a lot of deeper meanings in every one of his novels. This was brilliant analysis, and it makes me wonder what is more inside The Idiot. Without doubt, Dostoevsky is one of the best writers I've come across in my life.
Generally speaking I feel great analyses of books tend to come out of reading deep novels more than once. You can miss a lot on your first reading, even if you're careful (or maybe I'm just not that skilled in literary analysis?)
@@Fiction_Beast, if you want to know more about "The Idiot" then read my favorite book by him and another: “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky & "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. My mother read Russian literature and I would pick up a book she was reading when she wasn't looking and would read the chapter she was in, the chapter she just read or the chapter she was about to read. I was reading science fiction, but then I was ten to twelve then. As a teen, I finally asked my mom what Russian book I should read first. She said, "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. TOP 30 BOOKS "The Holy Bible: King James Version" copyright 1967 1) "The Insulted and Humiliated" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 2) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner 3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy 4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 6) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin 7) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis 8) "Vilette" by Charlotte Brontë 9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev 12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener 13) "Poland" by James A. Michener 14) "Roots" by Alex Haley 15) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien 16) "Childhood, Boyhood" by Leo Tolstoy 17) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov 18) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin 19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 20) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian 21) "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Brontë 22) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev 23) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen 24) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain 25) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess 26) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif 27) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 28) "Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt 29) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl 30) "The Complete Poems of Anne Bronte" by Anne Brontë FAVORITE AUTHORS 1st) Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Insulted and Humiliated) 1) “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 110) "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 128) "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 139) "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 147) "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky 2nd) Leo Tolstoy (Resurrection) 3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy 9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy 16) “Childhood, Boyhood” by Leo Tolstoy 60) "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy 87) "A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy 3rd) Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons) seven more books in the top 200 not shown here 5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev 11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev 22) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev 39) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev 62) "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev 4th) James A. Michener (Chesapeake) 12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener 13) "Poland" by James A. Michener 34) "Caribbean" by James A. Michener 35) "Hawaii" by James A. Michener 191) “Mexico” by James A. Michener 5th) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich) 10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 27) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 42) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 75) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Something underrated about Dostoyevsky is how funny he was. The part of the book with Pavlishev's son is extremely funny. That his sense of humour translates to English and to now is staggering.
More than a rich man, women are attracted to a poor man who displays the abilities required to become rich. They're actually more attracted to the man himself than his money, but often settle for a man who is simply rich. There are research papers about this. You can find them.
Today's opiates are not "alcohol or shopping". Shopping was a bigger opiate for the masses in the 80s an maybe in the 90s. Today the big opiates are alcohol, video games, social media, and marijuana. Not saying they are inherently bad. I indulge in at least three of them.
I don't mean to sound disrespectful but maybe Dostoevsky is not for you. Way to completely miss all the points and attribute them such a shallow connotation, almost insulting.
"This shows Dostoevsky’s own inability to really have a good answer against the powerlessness of God in protecting the weak especially children against the cruelty of nature." Except he recurringly explores themes of religion and suffering throughout his works. He is known for his tendency to make the characters who oppose his own ideals the strongest and the smartest since he prefers to show, not tell (I'm not saying he never demonstrates his points through dialogue) over the course of the novel rather than launching into a long-winded lecture, and that is what makes his novels so touching.
@@Fiction_Beast well, if you can't accept the fact that Dostoevsky was a christian, that doesn't mean you are right. you seem to be smart but that is quickly to be dismissed as soon as you expose your lack of intellectual depth and astonishing superficiality. If you want to talk about Dostoevsky at least do your homework.
@@soare5182 He was not saying that Dostoevsky was a "Christian moralist" and that it is terrible, but rather that some view him in overly simplistic terms as merely such a person without incorporating Dostoevsky's ability to intricately explore existentialism and other philosophical viewpoints he may not necessarily agree with.
Definitely one of the most impressive books I've ever read. I was a lot younger at that time, in 1979, and the mastery and subtlety of Dostoyevski's expression and story-showing literally astonished me.
You are incorrect in your assertion that Mishkin was responsible for her death. This missed the whole point of the novel. She was doomed from the beginning and wanted to perish with rogojin, Because she was going to perish anyway and didn't want to take Mishkin with her.
I enjoy Dostoevsky's work, but I have to disagree with him on the death penalty. His extreme leniency on crime would be cruel to the victims and their families.
I don't think things are what they seem. Whenever I speak the truth I am censored with a bleep. And if we are all just living in a dream... Then the only time we're awake is when we're asleep. Job line-ups of refuges is a economical commodity. Have you seen all the souls for sale at the market? Yet your freedom is considered but a phenomenal oddity... To those who would sweep your bones under a carpet. "I just want to be 'ME' he yelps." So to yourself you want be true? And in the process of trying to be yourself, Whom do you find you compare yourself to? Is Materialism the Solution? Won't someone hire us at the Ave of History? With symptoms of pollution, an economic virus... The Bureaucratic Plague of Industry.
Speaking as an atheist originally raised as a Roman Catholic, I've always found Dostoevsky's mouth piece, Prince Myshkin, difficult to like. Or believe in. And when I informed my family and friends that I didn't believe in God, they did not congratulate me on finally getting in on The Master Plan! I will reread Dostoevsky because he was a great writer.
When proof is impossible to obtain, limiting yourself to only 2 choices belief or disbelief has more to do with your desired relationships with the people arond you than using logical evidence as reason for beliefs. It's just as absurd to not believe than it is to believe when there has been 0 evidence either way.
How God allows injustice. Read the Genesis and Revelation!!! The power of your freedom has decades of repercussions. God allows what we allow. He gave us freedom for choice. Don't blame God. Look in the mirror. We are free to choose.
I want to be a moron that gets things done. I envy these short-sighted people... my foresight and intellect only thwart my efforts. I will accept the supremacy of introversion the day a merely average one can acquire benefactors and loyalty. Inaction is my greatest foe, and finding no ability in myself to pursue my goals leaves me with no other target for my rage than those who contributed in ways small or large to my inaction. "I'll get around to it," the conscious loser within mumbles under his breath. "I'll do this first," sayeth he who does not the objective but strays from it. "It is smart to avoid conflict," being the fork-tongued words which castrate me with their dual prongs snapping shut like scissors. I demand release, yet this stubborn intellectual chooses to hold fast like a rock and defy my will. What use is there in attempting to get blood from a stone?
I still do not understand the part of the novel where Myshkin says he does not like Nastasia's face, that he is afraid of her face. If anyone has insight, it would be appreciated. I think all Dostevsky's books should be read and re-read and that is what I need to do.
This is probably my favorite novel of all time. And you give such a concise summary of an infinitely layered puzzle that I think will really help others seek out this book and enjoy it for themselves. Great job!
Как житель россии хочу сказать. Мышкин вернулся из Швейцарии не потому что это нейтральная страна. У мышкина была эпилепсия и он уезжал в Швейцарию лечиться
I've read the book twice now, and after that I want to read it again, soon. Got a copy of Poor Folk arriving in a couple of days, so probably one book after that. Personal ethics and philosophy are garnered from many places and people; even though I'm an atheist, Dostoyevsky has helped me think. Post Office, by Bukovsky before Poor Folk; I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
@@Fiction_Beast I'll confess my ignorance in that I've only just glommed onto Bukowski, from one of your videos. He has a bit of a Camus thing going on with his acceptance of absurdity. This way of thinking has helped me enormously in my life, I've acheived contentment as a result. And I'm not even dead yet!
I come from a society where although on the surface people generally don't talk about smartness or idiocy but it's a silent acknowledgement among all of them and visible in all aspects of life. I decided to quit a relation because I thought it would create unnecessary problems for the other person and he/she deserved a way better life because of this silent acknowledgement. And I am very proud of that decision, both of us are where we were supposed to be today.
3:30 At the dinner party, by the end of part I, prince Michkin asks Nastasia Fillipovna in marriage before its is revelead that he has inherited a small fortune.
I truly hated this book but you've done a wonderful job here. My only positive takeaway was when someone said of Mishkin, "there is no telling how well a good man can do." Or something like that.
Great video! I'm watching your works to better understand what I'm studying and to repeat, since tomorrow I'll do my Russian Literature exam. Thank you
I’ve yet to find a good analysis of The Idiot on RUclips. Sometimes, you really do have to be an Orthodox Christian to understand Dostoevsky. Most people do decent job, they understand about 90% of it but the other 10% always remains as the “extra bonus content” for “premium members”.
Thank you for your good work.I think, though, that the character of Nastasja Filippovna is basically misundertood.It' s not a matter of bad boys who wins the beatiful woman while the good doesn't attract her.Natasja's soul is thoroughly wounded so she basically thinks that she doesn't deserve happiness and love. She is perfecly conscious that flying away with Rogozin means to be killed , and chooses and wants it. Besides, Myskin , as you say, is incapable of passion and masculine desire because epilepsy has turned him impotent.He is a wonderful man, but he lacks masculinity.
Bad boys triggers a deeper desire in women for masculinity. I think her choice of the bad wasn’t on an intellectual or rational level but more on a deeper psychological level. She tries to justify that she doesn’t deserve the good man but his lack of passion and masculinity decides it for her. As soon as myshkin attracts another woman after his passionate outburst on Catholicism, she agrees to marry him. Why she deserves him now? I think Dostoevsky is far deeper than most people see. Appreciate your thoughtful comment.
@@Fiction_Beast Well, may be you are right....May be as a woman I can't clearly see .In any case , this need to choose the strong male instead of the good man detecs and shows a deep lack of self confidence in women, doesn't it?This is particulatly true in women, like Nastasja, who suffered injuries and sexual abuse when they was almost children.I'm impressed, however by the depht of your analysis of Dostoevsky's masterpieceKeep up the good work
No! It is to realise that in the deepest abyss is salvation, and a reason to love life and everything in it. To justify all of human suffering with something as simple as a good cup of coffee - in the face of inevitable annihilation.
Aglayla hated him for his outburst at the party not loved him. She loved him before that for his good heartedness but was ashamed of it. Has nothing to do with passion lol.
you took every chance to push it to the forefront! God Bless the One True Roman Catholic Faith! I will pray for you souls in purgatory! Read some Flannery O'Conner or Dante!
I have come to distain, painfully, so many people painting Switzerland as this Cash rich country. It was built over centuries and Commitment. See the poor, ghetto-like part of Zurich, yes, THAT Zurich in the 60’s, on youtube.
when i read the novel, i struggled to understand the meaning of this novel. but after your well-done video i understood the novel fully. Thank you very much)
I read the novel and thought the man was an idiot and I still think he was. Why make more of him than what we read. Look around you, there are plenty of idiots all around, some are sick, some have money, some are working class, but still idiots.
PS: My novel, "Green Fire: Tommy & Ruthie's Blues" @Amazon, likewise deals with the problem of faith & scepticism. (My author name is Geoff Nelson Hill so as not to be confused with the Fifties Oxford poet Geoffrey Hill.) 🌈🦉
21:00 interesting take on that correlation. I’m curious if you dismiss the causality or at least some subtle relation between epilepsy and great literature? What would you say to the idea that epilepsy brings the conscious mind close to the chaotic interrelatedness of reality?
An off the cuff surface thought for me would be that epilepsy brings about suffering, and suffering tends to lend itself the most to that force of character and madness necessary for many of the great minds in the world. So, I wouldn't attribute it so there being something special about epilepsy, just that it is a vehicle for suffering, and thus for very painful growth.
@@Tracker947 I agree with that, suffering is a major influence in the creation of art. And epilepsy could also contribute to isolation then to deep introspection of life. So that makes sense. It’s also a fact that we know very little about how the brain actually works. Aside from electrical imaging like CT scans. Having worked closely with neurosurgeons (many of them have some very strange theories about brain function). What we mostly know is mostly electrical impulses. But like the heart, electrical impulses is only a small part of the actual clockwork behind the machine. The brain is far more complex than the heart.
I always thought Nastasia chose Rogojin as she secretly hated herself and didn’t think she, a defiled being, deserved an innocent, virtuous character like Myshkin
That’s what I think about Jenny and Forrest, too.
@@elizabethaleman117 Jenny is a 304
Women don’t care about virtue or honor. They never have, never will.
This was my take on the idiot
There are a lot of absurd interpretive leaps in this video, that being a major one. My instinct is to chalk it up to mistranslation, and sometimes I can't quite tell whether certain interpretive claims are jokes or serious.
There is a certain genius in avoiding intellectual progression.
Dude that's what I think everyone wants a stoned 3AM conversation 🙄 Russia needed roadoligist
Damn that's such a funny yet insane thing to say
Why do you think so many people spent so much money on drugs to make them.. dumber
I read the novel many years ago. The best novel Dostoevsky has ever written...alongside with Brothers Karamazov.
"Η Πίστη δίνει στον άνθρωπο κουράγιο και αποφασιστικότητα ενώ η αθεΐα τον κάνει δειλό και αναβλητικό"
Ο Ντοστογιέφσκυ είναι πάντα χειρουργικά ακριβής στην περιγραφή της ανθρώπινης ψυχής
Great video!
I read the book two times as a Teen and as an adult.Myschkin is a Pure hearted outcast in this world,he is the Don Quixote…it takes an ability to take on life’s Challenges with a strong psyche that makes not only an attractive man but also an admirable person! Whether consciously or subconsciosly we are drawn to ,,bad boys” and ,,bad girls” and yet we see ourselves as really good decent people! Lol😂
Amazing my new favorite channel thank you so much keep up the great work I’m gonna watch everything…🦋🕊
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for the analysis! The quotes were sometimes hard to read along with. If I can suggest something, you can put outlines around the text, which helps it pop out from backgrounds that are the same color as the text.
Great feedback. Thank you!
Thank you so much for all your love and all your encouragement. We love you. Thank you.
This Novel is great!
Han's Holbeins "dead christ" painting is very disturbing...and I hope I never see it again lol
beautiful analysis
Thanks.
A competent man who can provide for his family is a good man.
I agree.
Excellent. I very much appreciate the work you put into this. Thank you.
Thank you
❤❤❤ Thank you.
You are so welcome
Because I do not believe in gawds, I no I am screwed, because I have only people to believe in.
He doesn't judge people unless you are a Catholic of course. Now that's funny.
Awesome video! Love Dostoyevsky.
Thank you for your great jobs. But I think that you got some important details wrong. As I understand it Myshkin wanted to marry Nastashia not because he loved her, but he felt a such strong pity on her. And Nastashia ran away from their wedding not because the bad boy Rogoshin attracted her more, but she felt her unworthy Myshikin. Ans she felt her worthy only when she was with a such worthless boy with nothing but stupidity as Rogozin. After all Rogoshin is no match for her in any possible way.
Despite that Nastashia at several occasions assured others (and more importantly assured herself) that it was not her fault, but she never got her much deserved self-esteem after being Tutsky´s "concubine". Therefore her wanton way of being.
I’m a complete idiot, but I somehow, just occasionally, notice things that “smarter” people don’t.
I'm in love with this man buddy you're reasearch is far too streched 🙏🏻
Appreciate it.
The world is only painful because we are conscious of it
Myshkin is a sigma male.
Best💯
I did not know any of this. What sources could help me understand Fyodor Dostoevsky writing?
Your mind
Great video, definitely made me realize things about the novel I had previously missed.
I do think however that it's a bit of a simplification to say Nastasya picked Rogozhin because of he is a passionate bad boy. It always seemed to me (and is of course eluded to by Aglaya later on) that Nastasya actually prefers Myshkin from the beginning and recognizes his goodness but does not value herself enough to be with him. She see's him as being to good for her and therefore self sabotages the relationship and falls back with Rogozhin. This is why Aglaya's accusation of her being in love with her status of a victim leaves her so hurt and speechless later on, she recognizes the truth in it. It seemed to me that Dostoyevsky was arguing that her poor upbringing, where everyone was consistently using her for their own objectives, had tragically made her believe she had no self worth. However, Myshkin was the first to love her as a person rather than an object revealing to her she was worth something.
Her story is one of someone wrestling with their conscience, either she chooses Rogozhin and maintains her status a valueless victim who has no responsibility to the world around her and is therefore free to do as she pleases, or she chooses Myshkin and is loved as an equal but has to give up the status of victim and bare the responsibility of her actions. It's a continuation on the theme in The Brothers Karamazov where Ivan states that without God everything is permitted, the fear of choosing Myshkin (Jesus) is the fear of suddenly being responsible and judged upon doing good. Ultimately she loses the battle within her conscience, runs away from God and is killed by the untamed passions of the Devil.
yes! thank you! i was scrolling through the comments to find someone saying this because I feel like Nastasya’s tension between Myshkin and Rogozhin is far more complex than “good guy v. bad boy”. it’s as much an internal struggle for her as it is for the prince.
This guy gets it
Yes, same, thank you! I was with him until this moment, when I was just thrown off my tracks, because it's not even simplification, it's just misinterpreting that while plotline and motivations and understanding of Nastasya as a character, viewing it through some odd modern trope of bad/good boy; otherwise the summary has been quite nice so far.
Exactly! Nastasia was viewed as a ruined woman by the rest of society, Myshkin was the only one who didn’t see her that way. She loved Myshkin so much that she didn’t want to ruin his reputation or cause him any pain.
Dude just shut up and don’t do that. Your opinion doesn’t make you awesome don’t care how long it took you to formulate your absurd long winded comment.. you just need to know that you are stupid and yeah don’t do that anymore. I’m even bothered by the idiot who made this video.. there’s always some stupid commentary or opinion that has nothing to do with the work of FD I’m pretty sure he’d be disgusted with all of this stuff.. all of these people who understand him so well? I’m sorry but he would absolutely consider you all as; SICK
I read The Idiot a few months ago and absolutely loved it. I’ve never read anything quite like Dostoyevsky. The Brothers Karamazov is my favorite, but I like all of his novels that I have read so far. His writing is manic at times, and always passionate, and frequently very humorous.
Thanks for the excellent review… J
Thank you!
The Brothers Karamazov, that's the one where they bust some ghosts, right?
Yeah karamazov is amazing I don’t know why it’s not as popular as the others
@@j0nnyism Could be that because its in Russian something is lost in translation, so it doesnt feel like you're reading the actual words of dostoevsky. But I dunno, i've never read any of them and only heard Lex Fridman talk about the idea of lost in translation lol
The Brothers Karamazov is also my favorite so it absolutely breaks my heart that he passed away before he could finish part 2. i want to know if ivan successfully helped dmitri escape and if dmitri and grushenka had a successful relationship cause they were fighting often toward the end of the novel
Finished the book this morning, I ended up finishing the last couple of chapters on my way to work, usually I only read one chapter during the same duration. It was so captivating that I could not wait to finish it to uncover the ending. The ending was so masterfully shocking and devastating that I struggled in work today. I sat on my chair in shock and felt sadness. Tragic but such a brilliant end to a great book. I will take a small break from Dostoevsky and return to him when the time is right, what a genius...
There's a huge difference between someone being wrong because they've been conditioned accordingly since the beginning of their lives and threatened for any indication of contesting the provided narrative, versus someone being wrong because their cognition is faulty and they cannot comprehend despite the information needed to do so being readily available, or even plainly obvious. Most people are the former, but plenty of the latter exists.
That may be true if you could actually easily determine whose cognition is faulty and whose isn't faulty. You usually cannot do that very easily since all people make irrational choices all the timer. They are just accepted as choices within norm even if they are absurd choices. Also we cannot easily tell who was conditioned and to what extent. Some people may have been conditioned since childhood so it is easier for observers to conclude that they were conditioned. But adults can just as easily be conditioned to believe anything or do anything if the lies given to them are convincing enough. Because we cannot always know those specifics we cannot determine what you say we can in your last sentence.
@@StopFear You can determine it's true just by observing examples of it. You don't need to be able to determine who is which for every human on earth, in order to know it's true. I could go on to pick apart and refute your entire comment, but i won't. It won't make any difference or gain me anything.
Is this just an idiotically complicated way of saying “some people aren’t right in the head”?
@@Saber23 No.
@@quantumphantasm6354 it was a rhetorical question cause that’s clearly what this is
It’s an interesting thing, but Myshkin being a metaphor for Christ makes all Myshkin’s most beautiful attribute being beaten down by the world makes it sad
Note that the book doesn't explicitly say that Myshkin is any kind of metaphor for Christ. It is an interpretation the video's narrator tells us is one interpretation. Since Dostoyevsky claimed to be religious it would be pretty sacrilegious to make literary metaphors like that.
@@StopFear Nay, even Dostoevsky himself stated that he wanted to show beauty and He used Christ as the embodiment of the Beauty he wanted to displau
When you start reading Dostoyevsky you never go back to the innocent, simple, happy life you had before. The void of death, the empathy of human relations and the crualty of love hits you just as hard as the envy to detain a soul of pureness who lives without understanding the fear of consciousness.
it was the opposite for me, im still the idiot
OH YES SIR! One of the greatest novels ever! Hope you do Dostoevsky’s Demons next!
Uppppppp
Great suggestion!
Yes, Demons is a great suggestion for analysis. That has to be one of the most prophetic novel of all time.
@@Fiction_Beast please search the definition of smart.
The Idiot is my favorite. I have read it several times. Its theme fits nicely in today's post-modern world.
There is so much going on in this novel. Love story, psychology, sociology, philosphy, theology and much more.
All Dostoevsky’s novels are pretty deep.
@@Fiction_Beast, if you like "The Idiot" you might love to hear the more logical story which would inspire such a story. Either “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky or "Dostoevsky in Love: An Intimate Life" by Alex Christofi will help you understand the man who wrote this book.
FAVORITE AUTHORS
1st) Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Insulted and Humiliated)|
1) “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
30) "Demons" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
65) "My Uncle's Dream" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
80) "The Heavenly Christmas Tree" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
113) "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
130) "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
141) "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
149) "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
173) "Netochka Nezvanova" (nameless nobody) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2nd) Leo Tolstoy (Resurrection)
3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy
9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
16) “Childhood, Boyhood” by Leo Tolstoy
62) "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy
91) "A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy
3rd) Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons)
5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev
23) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev
41) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev
64) "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev
101) "Acia" by Ivan Turgenev
107) "The Watch" by Ivan Turgenev
132) "Rudin" by Ivan Turgenev
141) "On the Eve" by Ivan Turgenev
152) "Home of the Gentry" by Ivan Turgenev
172) "Clara Militch" by Ivan Turgenev
177) "The Inn" by Ivan Turgenev
4th) James A. Michener (Chesapeake)
12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener
13) "Poland" by James A. Michener
36) "Caribbean" by James A. Michener
37) "Hawaii" by James A. Michener
197) “Mexico” by James A. Michener
5th) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich)
10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
28) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
44) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
78) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Despite if one is a believer or not, to continue on the religious aspect, I do believe that the Orthodox Christianity is closest to true Christianity. It was the first branch and has a long Churchhistory with alot of wisdom. With that said I dont mean that they always done everything right. I say this from Sweden. A very secular country with a Protestant passed, and hardly no Orthodox Churches. And of course I might be wrong. Now I came into theology instead of literature. I apologise. But these videos , just like the literature itself, get a grip of the mind and takes it places.
Good wishes upon you, your comment shows respect and wisdom.
I so appreciate your videos, you make long complex books like the idiot - or complex ideas from people like Jung seem fairly simple. Thanks for making these.
Thank you
W
" Just a single man, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is enough to defeat all the creative novelists of the world. If one has to decide on 10 great novels in all the languages of the world, one will have to choose at least 3 novels of Dostoevsky in those 10. Dostoevsky’s insight into human beings and their problems is greater than your so-called psychoanalysts, and there are moments where he reaches the heights of great mystics. His book BROTHERS KARAMAZOV is so great in its insights that no BIBLE or KORAN or GITA comes close.
In another masterpiece of Dostoevsky, THE IDIOT, the main character is called ‘idiot’ by the people because they can’t understand his simplicity, his humbleness, his purity, his trust, his love. You can cheat him, you can deceive him, and he will still trust you. He is really one of the most beautiful characters ever created by any novelist. The idiot is a sage. The novel could just as well have been called THE SAGE. Dostoevsky’s idiot is not an idiot; he is one of the sanest men amongst an insane humanity. If you can become the idiot of Fyodor Dostoevsky, it is perfectly beautiful. It is better than being cunning priest or politician. Humbleness has such a blessing. Simplicity has such benediction."
about epilepsy.. it is known that in some cases, neurologically speaking, it unlocks some parts of the brain, generate a higher state of consciousness or enhance some kind of special sensivity in the people sufferng it.. so that could also explain why many authors or geniuses in different fields had epilepsy
Great video! I was wondering if you could also cover Dostoevsky's Devils (sometimes also called Demons or The Posessed)? I've read it, but didn't fully understand it and would love to know your thoughts on it! Thank you!
Yes for sure. That’s a great suggestion.
I read it a long time ago. I thought it was great, but it would be great to hear his analysis and pick up on all I missed.
Amazing analysis! You know, the "problem" I have with Dostoevsky's novels is that I think there's a lot of deeper meanings in every one of his novels. This was brilliant analysis, and it makes me wonder what is more inside The Idiot. Without doubt, Dostoevsky is one of the best writers I've come across in my life.
I agree he was a brilliant novelist.
Generally speaking I feel great analyses of books tend to come out of reading deep novels more than once. You can miss a lot on your first reading, even if you're careful (or maybe I'm just not that skilled in literary analysis?)
@@Fiction_Beast, if you want to know more about "The Idiot" then read my favorite book by him and another: “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky & "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
My mother read Russian literature and I would pick up a book she was reading when she wasn't looking and would read the chapter she was in, the chapter she just read or the chapter she was about to read. I was reading science fiction, but then I was ten to twelve then. As a teen, I finally asked my mom what Russian book I should read first. She said, "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
TOP 30 BOOKS
"The Holy Bible: King James Version" copyright 1967
1) "The Insulted and Humiliated" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2) "Verbal Behavior" by Dr. B. F. Skinner
3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy
4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
6) Myth Adventures - series by Robert Asprin
7) The Chronicles of Narnia - series by C. S. Lewis
8) "Vilette" by Charlotte Brontë
9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev
12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener
13) "Poland" by James A. Michener
14) "Roots" by Alex Haley
15) The Silmarillion - The Hobbit, or there and back again - The Lord of the Rings - Middle Earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien
16) "Childhood, Boyhood" by Leo Tolstoy
17) Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov
18) "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin
19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
20) "Paris 1919: six months that changed the world" by Margaret MacMillian
21) "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Brontë
22) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev
23) "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
24) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn - by Mark Twain
25) Old Mother West Wind series - wildlife series by Thornton Burgess
26) "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif
27) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
28) "Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt
29) "Kon Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl
30) "The Complete Poems of Anne Bronte" by Anne Brontë
FAVORITE AUTHORS
1st) Fyodor Dostoevsky (The Insulted and Humiliated)
1) “The Insulted and Humiliated” by Fyodor Dostoevsky
4) "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
19) "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
110) "Poor Folk" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
128) "The Gentle Spirit" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
139) "The Gambler" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
147) "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2nd) Leo Tolstoy (Resurrection)
3) "Resurrection" by Leo Tolstoy
9) "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy
16) “Childhood, Boyhood” by Leo Tolstoy
60) "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy
87) "A Confession" by Leo Tolstoy
3rd) Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons) seven more books in the top 200 not shown here
5) "Fathers and Sons" by Ivan Turgenev
11) "Smoke" by Ivan Turgenev
22) "Virgin Soil" by Ivan Turgenev
39) "Torrents of Spring" by Ivan Turgenev
62) "First Love" by Ivan Turgenev
4th) James A. Michener (Chesapeake)
12) "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener
13) "Poland" by James A. Michener
34) "Caribbean" by James A. Michener
35) "Hawaii" by James A. Michener
191) “Mexico” by James A. Michener
5th) Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich)
10) "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
27) "Cancer Ward" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
42) "In the First Circle" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
75) "The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: an Experiment in Literary Investigation" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
It is a literary gem. I've read twice.
It leaves a bad taste in your mouth, as the circumstances we live in do.
I will start watching the video now.
Awesome.
Something underrated about Dostoyevsky is how funny he was. The part of the book with Pavlishev's son is extremely funny. That his sense of humour translates to English and to now is staggering.
I agree. Notes From Underground had a profound thought every page and a laugh out loud moment every other page.
More than a rich man, women are attracted to a poor man who displays the abilities required to become rich. They're actually more attracted to the man himself than his money, but often settle for a man who is simply rich. There are research papers about this. You can find them.
Jordan Peterson, perhaps?
@@roninnr1378 studies going back decades bro
Just simple red pill knowledge will suffice to know female nature.
If those attractive traits don’t yield any results then there might be something else that’s wrong
Russian novel is the best.Dostoyevsky's" The Idiot",Belayev's "Amphibian man", Tolstoy's " Anna Karenina''
Boglakov’s Master and Margarita
@@orphandextro7046 Right!
I got this book recently!
Today's opiates are not "alcohol or shopping". Shopping was a bigger opiate for the masses in the 80s an maybe in the 90s. Today the big opiates are alcohol, video games, social media, and marijuana. Not saying they are inherently bad. I indulge in at least three of them.
I don't mean to sound disrespectful but maybe Dostoevsky is not for you. Way to completely miss all the points and attribute them such a shallow connotation, almost insulting.
"This shows Dostoevsky’s own inability to really have a good answer against the powerlessness of God in protecting the weak especially children against the cruelty of nature."
Except he recurringly explores themes of religion and suffering throughout his works. He is known for his tendency to make the characters who oppose his own ideals the strongest and the smartest since he prefers to show, not tell (I'm not saying he never demonstrates his points through dialogue) over the course of the novel rather than launching into a long-winded lecture, and that is what makes his novels so touching.
I agree. He was an artist. Unfortunately there are many who boxes him as a Christian moralist.
@@Fiction_Beast well, if you can't accept the fact that Dostoevsky was a christian, that doesn't mean you are right. you seem to be smart but that is quickly to be dismissed as soon as you expose your lack of intellectual depth and astonishing superficiality. If you want to talk about Dostoevsky at least do your homework.
@@soare5182 He was not saying that Dostoevsky was a "Christian moralist" and that it is terrible, but rather that some view him in overly simplistic terms as merely such a person without incorporating Dostoevsky's ability to intricately explore existentialism and other philosophical viewpoints he may not necessarily agree with.
@@magistrate3343 yes, unfortunately at that time i misunderstood his comment. sorry
You make a lot of interesting observations. Which makes me want to read the book again. I missed a lot of things....too many 😀😀
Thank you!
his best novel in my opinion....and probably the easiest to translate from russian without losing its depth
Definitely one of the most impressive books I've ever read. I was a lot younger at that time, in 1979, and the mastery and subtlety of Dostoyevski's expression and story-showing literally astonished me.
You are incorrect in your assertion that Mishkin was responsible for her death. This missed the whole point of the novel. She was doomed from the beginning and wanted to perish with rogojin, Because she was going to perish anyway and didn't want to take Mishkin with her.
I enjoy Dostoevsky's work, but I have to disagree with him on the death penalty. His extreme leniency on crime would be cruel to the victims and their families.
Agreed
"He sees goodness in everyone. He doesn't judge people, unless you are a Catholic, of course"😂
I don't think things are what they seem.
Whenever I speak the truth I am censored with a bleep.
And if we are all just living in a dream...
Then the only time we're awake is when we're asleep.
Job line-ups of refuges is a economical commodity.
Have you seen all the souls for sale at the market?
Yet your freedom is considered but a phenomenal oddity...
To those who would sweep your bones under a carpet.
"I just want to be 'ME' he yelps."
So to yourself you want be true?
And in the process of trying to be yourself,
Whom do you find you compare yourself to?
Is Materialism the Solution?
Won't someone hire us at the Ave of History?
With symptoms of pollution, an economic virus...
The Bureaucratic Plague of Industry.
Speaking as an atheist originally raised as a Roman Catholic, I've always found Dostoevsky's mouth piece, Prince Myshkin, difficult to like. Or believe in.
And when I informed my family and friends that I didn't believe in God, they did not congratulate me on finally getting in on The Master Plan!
I will reread Dostoevsky because he was a great writer.
When proof is impossible to obtain, limiting yourself to only 2 choices belief or disbelief has more to do with your desired relationships with the people arond you than using logical evidence as reason for beliefs. It's just as absurd to not believe than it is to believe when there has been 0 evidence either way.
@@alistairclark6814 Good point.
Dostoevsky thought atheism would ruin the Russian society. I wonder what he would have made of the Bolsheviks? He was warning against them.
@@Fiction_Beast He would have reviled the Bolsheviks.
@@alistairclark6814 “it is just as absurd to not believe than to believe”. Picking the default position over wishful thinking is not as absurd.
How God allows injustice. Read the Genesis and Revelation!!! The power of your freedom has decades of repercussions. God allows what we allow. He gave us freedom for choice. Don't blame God. Look in the mirror. We are free to choose.
I want to be a moron that gets things done. I envy these short-sighted people... my foresight and intellect only thwart my efforts. I will accept the supremacy of introversion the day a merely average one can acquire benefactors and loyalty. Inaction is my greatest foe, and finding no ability in myself to pursue my goals leaves me with no other target for my rage than those who contributed in ways small or large to my inaction.
"I'll get around to it," the conscious loser within mumbles under his breath. "I'll do this first," sayeth he who does not the objective but strays from it. "It is smart to avoid conflict," being the fork-tongued words which castrate me with their dual prongs snapping shut like scissors. I demand release, yet this stubborn intellectual chooses to hold fast like a rock and defy my will. What use is there in attempting to get blood from a stone?
I still do not understand the part of the novel where Myshkin says he does not like Nastasia's face, that he is afraid of her face. If anyone has insight, it would be appreciated. I think all Dostevsky's books should be read and re-read and that is what I need to do.
This is probably my favorite novel of all time. And you give such a concise summary of an infinitely layered puzzle that I think will really help others seek out this book and enjoy it for themselves. Great job!
Wow, thank you!
Как житель россии хочу сказать. Мышкин вернулся из Швейцарии не потому что это нейтральная страна. У мышкина была эпилепсия и он уезжал в Швейцарию лечиться
I've read the book twice now, and after that I want to read it again, soon. Got a copy of Poor Folk arriving in a couple of days, so probably one book after that. Personal ethics and philosophy are garnered from many places and people; even though I'm an atheist, Dostoyevsky has helped me think. Post Office, by Bukovsky before Poor Folk; I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
Awesome. Yes, I'm also a fan of both bukowski and dostoevsky.
@@Fiction_Beast I'll confess my ignorance in that I've only just glommed onto Bukowski, from one of your videos. He has a bit of a Camus thing going on with his acceptance of absurdity. This way of thinking has helped me enormously in my life, I've acheived contentment as a result. And I'm not even dead yet!
I come from a society where although on the surface people generally don't talk about smartness or idiocy but it's a silent acknowledgement among all of them and visible in all aspects of life. I decided to quit a relation because I thought it would create unnecessary problems for the other person and he/she deserved a way better life because of this silent acknowledgement. And I am very proud of that decision, both of us are where we were supposed to be today.
Wow. That's a tough thing
3:30 At the dinner party, by the end of part I, prince Michkin asks Nastasia Fillipovna in marriage before its is revelead that he has inherited a small fortune.
CodeX Cantina and you are both reviewing "The Idiot" simultaneously!
Didn't Dostoevsky write The Idiot in Florence, Italy, not Switzerland?
Very similar with Nietzsche in gods dead
I truly hated this book but you've done a wonderful job here.
My only positive takeaway was when someone said of Mishkin, "there is no telling how well a good man can do." Or something like that.
Thank you!
I like book.
Great book, great choice by you to review and analyse , excellent overview. Thank you 💡🙌👌
Thank you!
Great video! I'm watching your works to better understand what I'm studying and to repeat, since tomorrow I'll do my Russian Literature exam. Thank you
Well, good luck! If you graduate I need 10% of your income. 🤪
I’ve yet to find a good analysis of The Idiot on RUclips. Sometimes, you really do have to be an Orthodox Christian to understand Dostoevsky. Most people do decent job, they understand about 90% of it but the other 10% always remains as the “extra bonus content” for “premium members”.
Thank you for your good work.I think, though, that the character of Nastasja Filippovna is basically misundertood.It' s not a matter of bad boys who wins the beatiful woman while the good doesn't attract her.Natasja's soul is thoroughly wounded so she basically thinks that she doesn't deserve happiness and love. She is perfecly conscious that flying away with Rogozin means to be killed , and chooses and wants it. Besides, Myskin , as you say, is incapable of passion and masculine desire because epilepsy has turned him impotent.He is a wonderful man, but he lacks masculinity.
Bad boys triggers a deeper desire in women for masculinity. I think her choice of the bad wasn’t on an intellectual or rational level but more on a deeper psychological level. She tries to justify that she doesn’t deserve the good man but his lack of passion and masculinity decides it for her. As soon as myshkin attracts another woman after his passionate outburst on Catholicism, she agrees to marry him. Why she deserves him now? I think Dostoevsky is far deeper than most people see. Appreciate your thoughtful comment.
@@Fiction_Beast Well, may be you are right....May be as a woman I can't clearly see .In any case , this need to choose the strong male instead of the good man detecs and shows a deep lack of self confidence in women, doesn't it?This is particulatly true in women, like Nastasja, who suffered injuries and sexual abuse when they was almost children.I'm impressed, however by the depht of your analysis of Dostoevsky's masterpieceKeep up the good work
Hm, I thought judging Catholicism was a way to criticize Orthodoxy without making it too obvious and so not allowed for the print.
That's an interesting point, but I doubt it. Dosto loved his orthodox. His non-fiction makes it pretty clear.
Hm never read Dostoevsky ..... Sounds really good maybe I should , he kinda gives good advice on love
Thank you! I read it about 30 years ago and had forgotten it really, maybe not deep inside though, thank you again!
You’re welcome!
Destovsky is wonderful
The final stage of fear of death and nothingness is to accept that death and nothingness is a salvation from the hardships of life and everything.
No! It is to realise that in the deepest abyss is salvation, and a reason to love life and everything in it. To justify all of human suffering with something as simple as a good cup of coffee - in the face of inevitable annihilation.
The Repin painting “They did not expect him” used in the intro has nothing to do with Dostoyevsky or The Idiot :)
except that it was used as a cover for an english translation.
I didn't like your video on Proust..but the Kafka and this one are OK.
Aglayla hated him for his outburst at the party not loved him. She loved him before that for his good heartedness but was ashamed of it. Has nothing to do with passion lol.
you took every chance to push it to the forefront! God Bless the One True Roman Catholic Faith! I will pray for you souls in purgatory! Read some Flannery O'Conner or Dante!
Obviously, the Idiot is not my favorite Dostoevsky novel
one of my all time favorite books
Same!
I have come to distain, painfully, so many people painting Switzerland as this Cash rich country. It was built over centuries and Commitment. See the poor, ghetto-like part of Zurich, yes, THAT Zurich in the 60’s, on youtube.
when i read the novel, i struggled to understand the meaning of this novel. but after your well-done video i understood the novel fully. Thank you very much)
Myshkins rant against catholics is far more important than his actual dislike of them for the themes of the novel
Спосиби болшой!
A cup of coffee and some popcorn? Nah, I’m sitting on the toilet smoking a cigarette.
For 29 minutes? Bro💀
Thank you so so much!!!!!
I read the novel and thought the man was an idiot and I still think he was. Why make more of him than what we read. Look around you, there are plenty of idiots all around, some are sick, some have money, some are working class, but still idiots.
To call somebody a clever fool maybe an oxymoron but counter-intuitively may be true 🎪🔔🇮🇪☘🇬🇧🎭🇨🇦
But the Prince does explicitly say he is not condemning individual Catholics, just the institution of Roman Catholicism.
You've mentioned 'Religion supresses nature' What does that supposed to mean. Kindly elucidate.
Thank you for this essay and your thoughts on the book, it was a pleasure to listen to
Well ... To be honest ❣️.. Sir you're doing a wonderful work.. The way you certainly summarise the Russian Novels.. is 💎 Gem... ❤️
Tysm..💥❣️
Awesome! Thank Tony.
This honestly really connets with my inner vaules, thanks for the video
No this is too coincidental, i was just wondeeing when where you going to make a video on this masterpiece. Cheers
Awesome!
Helpful rundown of the novel's plot, delivered too rapidly but excellent and well worth watching! 😀
(from GREEN FIRE, UK) 🌈🦉
PS: My novel, "Green Fire: Tommy & Ruthie's Blues" @Amazon, likewise deals with the problem of faith & scepticism. (My author name is Geoff Nelson Hill so as not to be confused with the Fifties Oxford poet Geoffrey Hill.) 🌈🦉
As a woman who was like the prince I can say even men don't like grown up children for anything long term
Your work is the Best. I am loving every video I watch💙.
More power to you Man!💐
Thank you so much 😀
Your misinterpretation of Nastasya saya more about how tou view women than what women actually choose ans most importantly why
21:00 interesting take on that correlation. I’m curious if you dismiss the causality or at least some subtle relation between epilepsy and great literature?
What would you say to the idea that epilepsy brings the conscious mind close to the chaotic interrelatedness of reality?
I'd say you're just guessing and trying to look smart. Just like everyone else.
An off the cuff surface thought for me would be that epilepsy brings about suffering, and suffering tends to lend itself the most to that force of character and madness necessary for many of the great minds in the world. So, I wouldn't attribute it so there being something special about epilepsy, just that it is a vehicle for suffering, and thus for very painful growth.
@@masonart4950 Along with trying to look cool 😎 , I’m also fascinated with the idea, just like many others I would imagine.
@@Tracker947 I agree with that, suffering is a major influence in the creation of art. And epilepsy could also contribute to isolation then to deep introspection of life. So that makes sense.
It’s also a fact that we know very little about how the brain actually works. Aside from electrical imaging like CT scans. Having worked closely with neurosurgeons (many of them have some very strange theories about brain function). What we mostly know is mostly electrical impulses. But like the heart, electrical impulses is only a small part of the actual clockwork behind the machine. The brain is far more complex than the heart.
Excellent narration, use of language. Absolutely lucid descriptions.
Thank you!