Dostoevsky's The Idiot

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  • Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
  • Dostoevsky famously said consciousness was a disease, so The Idiot published in 1869, is considered his most personal novel as it deals with themes and experiences which Dostoevsky went through in his own life, namely death penalty, epilepsy, and that deep goodness and innocence that Dostoevsky was seeking throughout his life. On a deeper level, Dostoevsky wished he was a little bit more naive and innocent. For him once you’re exposed to certain ideas, it is impossible to unsee what you have seen. We use alcohol, drugs, and often other things to numb that pain of knowing things. The most devastating thing in this novel is the awareness that death is the end of you. Yes, once you die you go kaput. Nothing remains of you. No soul flies to heaven. Dostoevsky grappled with this idea throughout his life and he called consciousness as a disease. So the Idiot is his attempt to find an antidote to suffering.
    In this video I will summarise the novel, then I will discuss its major themes such as religion, death penalty, money and different kinds of love, and finally Dostoevsky ultimate message in this novel. So get yourself a cup of coffee or some popcorn.
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    🕔Time Stamps🕔
    00:00 Introduction
    01:10 Summary part 1
    10:42 Summary part 2
    20:10 Theme: death penalty
    21:06 epilepsy
    22:06 alcohol
    22:47 money
    23:21 Love
    24:44 Religion
    #dostoevsky
    #theidiot
    #russianliterature

КОМЕНТАРІ • 512

  • @kamadok1d
    @kamadok1d Рік тому +339

    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

    • @elizabethaleman117
      @elizabethaleman117 Рік тому +25

      That’s what I think about Jenny and Forrest, too.

    • @war8
      @war8 Рік тому +5

      @@elizabethaleman117 Jenny is a 304

    • @theskyizblue2day431
      @theskyizblue2day431 Рік тому +1

      Women don’t care about virtue or honor. They never have, never will.

    • @DAVEHARSTON
      @DAVEHARSTON Рік тому

      This was my take on the idiot

    • @goodasswffls
      @goodasswffls Рік тому +18

      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.

  • @catchingmangoes4545
    @catchingmangoes4545 Рік тому +217

    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.

    • @mahamtirmizi1338
      @mahamtirmizi1338 Рік тому +28

      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.

    • @nikolab8760
      @nikolab8760 Рік тому +12

      This guy gets it

    • @evakoshkaa
      @evakoshkaa Рік тому +16

      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.

    • @AM-vn4cc
      @AM-vn4cc Рік тому +13

      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.

    • @Justin-ko1py
      @Justin-ko1py Рік тому

      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

  • @FProductions64
    @FProductions64 Рік тому +60

    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...

  • @quantumphantasm6354
    @quantumphantasm6354 2 роки тому +325

    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.

    • @StopFear
      @StopFear 2 роки тому +13

      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.

    • @quantumphantasm6354
      @quantumphantasm6354 2 роки тому +1

      @@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.

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 2 роки тому +2

      Is this just an idiotically complicated way of saying “some people aren’t right in the head”?

    • @quantumphantasm6354
      @quantumphantasm6354 2 роки тому

      @@Saber23 No.

    • @Saber23
      @Saber23 2 роки тому

      @@quantumphantasm6354 it was a rhetorical question cause that’s clearly what this is

  • @bzercor7162
    @bzercor7162 4 місяці тому +12

    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.

    • @noharakun
      @noharakun Місяць тому

      it was the opposite for me, im still the idiot

  • @alistairclark6814
    @alistairclark6814 2 роки тому +81

    There is a certain genius in avoiding intellectual progression.

    • @matthew2531
      @matthew2531 2 роки тому +3

      Dude that's what I think everyone wants a stoned 3AM conversation 🙄 Russia needed roadoligist

    • @NightDweller
      @NightDweller Рік тому +2

      Damn that's such a funny yet insane thing to say

    • @peaceofthenation445
      @peaceofthenation445 Рік тому +3

      Why do you think so many people spent so much money on drugs to make them.. dumber

  • @burke9497
    @burke9497 2 роки тому +146

    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

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +2

      Thank you!

    • @Thoralmir
      @Thoralmir 2 роки тому +5

      The Brothers Karamazov, that's the one where they bust some ghosts, right?

    • @j0nnyism
      @j0nnyism Рік тому +1

      Yeah karamazov is amazing I don’t know why it’s not as popular as the others

    • @velenvskaelhas
      @velenvskaelhas Рік тому +1

      @@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

    • @CaIeb1
      @CaIeb1 Рік тому

      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

  • @nigelbryant7980
    @nigelbryant7980 2 роки тому +136

    OH YES SIR! One of the greatest novels ever! Hope you do Dostoevsky’s Demons next!

    • @kerlongatuno5842
      @kerlongatuno5842 2 роки тому

      Uppppppp

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +6

      Great suggestion!

    • @rolandowagner7775
      @rolandowagner7775 2 роки тому +2

      Yes, Demons is a great suggestion for analysis. That has to be one of the most prophetic novel of all time.

    • @trueleo7893
      @trueleo7893 2 роки тому

      @@Fiction_Beast please search the definition of smart.

  • @TupacMakaveli1996
    @TupacMakaveli1996 2 роки тому +61

    There is so much going on in this novel. Love story, psychology, sociology, philosphy, theology and much more.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +12

      All Dostoevsky’s novels are pretty deep.

    • @ReligionOfSacrifice
      @ReligionOfSacrifice 6 місяців тому

      @@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

  • @Maria-ig9mh
    @Maria-ig9mh 2 роки тому +10

    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.

  • @federicogallo3520
    @federicogallo3520 2 роки тому +43

    I read the novel many years ago. The best novel Dostoevsky has ever written...alongside with Brothers Karamazov.

  • @anonglakmoonwicha2726
    @anonglakmoonwicha2726 Рік тому +7

    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.

  • @titussmith1241
    @titussmith1241 2 роки тому +40

    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

    • @StopFear
      @StopFear 2 роки тому +1

      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.

    • @titussmith1241
      @titussmith1241 2 роки тому +2

      @@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

  • @robertsmith4474
    @robertsmith4474 2 роки тому +27

    The Idiot is my favorite. I have read it several times. Its theme fits nicely in today's post-modern world.

  • @talbrott
    @talbrott Рік тому +10

    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.

    • @AdullFiddler-ez7tm
      @AdullFiddler-ez7tm Місяць тому

      I agree. Notes From Underground had a profound thought every page and a laugh out loud moment every other page.

  • @AvgerinouAna99
    @AvgerinouAna99 Рік тому +9

    "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

  • @MrCono100
    @MrCono100 2 роки тому +43

    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.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +4

      I agree he was a brilliant novelist.

    • @VideoGameAtlas
      @VideoGameAtlas Рік тому +2

      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?)

    • @ReligionOfSacrifice
      @ReligionOfSacrifice 7 місяців тому

      @@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

  • @gianfissore4290
    @gianfissore4290 9 місяців тому +3

    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

  • @sergeyperetyatko6520
    @sergeyperetyatko6520 Рік тому +6

    his best novel in my opinion....and probably the easiest to translate from russian without losing its depth

  • @supremereader7614
    @supremereader7614 Рік тому +18

    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.

  • @sgzjajsjsi133
    @sgzjajsjsi133 7 місяців тому +3

    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😂

  • @CourteousKitsch
    @CourteousKitsch Рік тому +6

    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!

  • @sabyasachisenapati3619
    @sabyasachisenapati3619 Рік тому +5

    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.

    • @tomk2720
      @tomk2720 Рік тому +1

      Wow. That's a tough thing

  • @teausvult3604
    @teausvult3604 2 роки тому +10

    "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
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому

      I agree. He was an artist. Unfortunately there are many who boxes him as a Christian moralist.

    • @soare5182
      @soare5182 2 роки тому +1

      @@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.

    • @magistrate3343
      @magistrate3343 Рік тому +1

      @@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.

    • @soare5182
      @soare5182 Рік тому +2

      @@magistrate3343 yes, unfortunately at that time i misunderstood his comment. sorry

  • @evakoshkaa
    @evakoshkaa Рік тому +3

    Thank you for this essay and your thoughts on the book, it was a pleasure to listen to

  • @grace7961
    @grace7961 Рік тому +2

    This honestly really connets with my inner vaules, thanks for the video

  • @ADI-xp4qe
    @ADI-xp4qe 2 роки тому +3

    One of my favourite novels, thank u

  • @bradrandel1408
    @bradrandel1408 2 роки тому +6

    Amazing my new favorite channel thank you so much keep up the great work I’m gonna watch everything…🦋🕊

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому

      You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.

  • @CommonSwense
    @CommonSwense Рік тому

    You brought so much light to a book that took me a very long time to read. Thank you.

  • @willieluncheonette5843
    @willieluncheonette5843 Рік тому +2

    " 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."

  • @justsomebloke6784
    @justsomebloke6784 Рік тому +4

    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
      @Fiction_Beast  Рік тому

      Awesome. Yes, I'm also a fan of both bukowski and dostoevsky.

    • @justsomebloke6784
      @justsomebloke6784 Рік тому

      @@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!

  • @maggieadams8600
    @maggieadams8600 2 роки тому +4

    Thank you! I read it about 30 years ago and had forgotten it really, maybe not deep inside though, thank you again!

  • @gazrater1820
    @gazrater1820 2 роки тому +6

    Great book, great choice by you to review and analyse , excellent overview. Thank you 💡🙌👌

  • @DimaaReyma
    @DimaaReyma Рік тому +2

    Great, unrivalled content! Keep doing what you're doing

  • @alexmack956
    @alexmack956 2 роки тому +28

    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.

    • @roninnr1378
      @roninnr1378 2 роки тому +3

      Jordan Peterson, perhaps?

    • @JohnDoe-ef3wo
      @JohnDoe-ef3wo 2 роки тому +3

      @@roninnr1378 studies going back decades bro

    • @vidalskyociosen3326
      @vidalskyociosen3326 Рік тому +1

      Just simple red pill knowledge will suffice to know female nature.

    • @evaphillips2102
      @evaphillips2102 Рік тому

      If those attractive traits don’t yield any results then there might be something else that’s wrong

  • @123NiallMc
    @123NiallMc 7 місяців тому

    Great analysis. Having a house with two young children makes it quite difficult to delve into deep novels such as the Idiot. Absolutely I will revisit Dostoevsky in a few years again, his novels deserve to be read with great attention and not just skimming whats on the surface

  • @urieowrjdf
    @urieowrjdf Місяць тому

    Very good analysis. Thank you!

  • @tianyang6019
    @tianyang6019 Рік тому +1

    Interesting background pictures nicely put together.

  • @pesh909
    @pesh909 Рік тому +1

    Thanks mate. This was great. I’m gonna read it for the first time soon.

  • @cappy2282
    @cappy2282 2 роки тому +15

    This Novel is great!
    Han's Holbeins "dead christ" painting is very disturbing...and I hope I never see it again lol

  • @shahanology21
    @shahanology21 Рік тому +2

    Your work is the Best. I am loving every video I watch💙.
    More power to you Man!💐

  • @lory6988
    @lory6988 Рік тому +4

    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

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Рік тому +1

      Well, good luck! If you graduate I need 10% of your income. 🤪

  • @donaldkelly3983
    @donaldkelly3983 2 роки тому +20

    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.

    • @alistairclark6814
      @alistairclark6814 2 роки тому +11

      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.

    • @donaldkelly3983
      @donaldkelly3983 2 роки тому +4

      @@alistairclark6814 Good point.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +11

      Dostoevsky thought atheism would ruin the Russian society. I wonder what he would have made of the Bolsheviks? He was warning against them.

    • @donaldkelly3983
      @donaldkelly3983 2 роки тому +5

      @@Fiction_Beast He would have reviled the Bolsheviks.

    • @Urfman
      @Urfman 2 роки тому +4

      @@alistairclark6814 “it is just as absurd to not believe than to believe”. Picking the default position over wishful thinking is not as absurd.

  • @BeastOrGod
    @BeastOrGod 2 роки тому +3

    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.

    • @tomk2720
      @tomk2720 Рік тому +1

      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.

  • @fotisvon9943
    @fotisvon9943 2 роки тому +7

    one of my all time favorite books

  • @englishcoach7772
    @englishcoach7772 2 роки тому +2

    Excellent narration, use of language. Absolutely lucid descriptions.

  • @dmtdreamz7706
    @dmtdreamz7706 Рік тому +3

    Thank you so much for all your love and all your encouragement. We love you. Thank you.

  • @antidepressant11
    @antidepressant11 2 роки тому +10

    You make a lot of interesting observations. Which makes me want to read the book again. I missed a lot of things....too many 😀😀

  • @rahulmahar5245
    @rahulmahar5245 2 роки тому +2

    Well ... To be honest ❣️.. Sir you're doing a wonderful work.. The way you certainly summarise the Russian Novels.. is 💎 Gem... ❤️
    Tysm..💥❣️

  • @sharontheodore8216
    @sharontheodore8216 2 роки тому +10

    The more you dive into the human soul the more confused or even lost you become. Little kids are so clear about what they want probably because they don’t allow thoughts to blur their feelings or needs, which is not the case when it comes to adults. That’s why religion can provide peace as it provides you with a road map of how to live your life without tormenting yourself with questions (which don’t have answers anyway).
    So much to learn from this video. Thanks for your effort.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +2

      You’re right as we grow we accumulate more and more assumptions which help at times but also cloud our judgement.

  • @justingil27
    @justingil27 Рік тому +1

    I’ll be your friend bro, you did a good job summing this classic up!

  • @robertrodzoch942
    @robertrodzoch942 Рік тому

    Thanks for the review!

  • @elenilouarasi2828
    @elenilouarasi2828 2 роки тому +2

    What a wonderful perception of this great work of Dostoyevsky, well done!🙏

  • @melakunegash7556
    @melakunegash7556 2 роки тому +12

    Russian novel is the best.Dostoyevsky's" The Idiot",Belayev's "Amphibian man", Tolstoy's " Anna Karenina''

  • @StopFear
    @StopFear 2 роки тому +3

    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.

  • @lokaldenker
    @lokaldenker Рік тому +1

    An amazing novel. For me, it is also relevant because it focuses on the Western- and non-Western discourse of intellectuals from a non-western country such as mine ( Turkey). You can read in Idiot how frustrating thing it is.

  • @shahjhanwagarpal7120
    @shahjhanwagarpal7120 Місяць тому

    awsome though 🙂 thanks for sharing n yur efforts sharing goodness in life ......was once under the spell of Dostoievsky ....hv visited Leningrad now st.Petersburg again n the places Dostoievky haunted ......

  • @cindyrhodes
    @cindyrhodes 2 роки тому +4

    Thank you so so much!!!!!

  • @MrJ17J
    @MrJ17J Рік тому

    Great summary, thanks

  • @CHRIS-wm8vp
    @CHRIS-wm8vp 2 роки тому +8

    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.

  • @viktoriaregis6645
    @viktoriaregis6645 Рік тому +6

    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.

    • @Vitlaus
      @Vitlaus Рік тому +1

      Good wishes upon you, your comment shows respect and wisdom.

  • @personanongrata987
    @personanongrata987 2 роки тому +12

    Thank you for a masterful summary and analysis of a novel I've read twice and still struggle to remember in detail.
    --

  • @SKyrim190
    @SKyrim190 2 роки тому +3

    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.

  • @cynthiacunha447
    @cynthiacunha447 2 роки тому +2

    Thank you!!!

  • @onetime7408
    @onetime7408 Рік тому +2

    Excellent. I very much appreciate the work you put into this. Thank you.

  • @geoffreynhill2833
    @geoffreynhill2833 Рік тому +2

    Helpful rundown of the novel's plot, delivered too rapidly but excellent and well worth watching! 😀
    (from GREEN FIRE, UK) 🌈🦉

    • @geoffreynhill2833
      @geoffreynhill2833 Рік тому

      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.) 🌈🦉

  • @TheYouApple
    @TheYouApple 2 роки тому +16

    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!

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +5

      Yes for sure. That’s a great suggestion.

    • @peterplotts1238
      @peterplotts1238 2 роки тому +2

      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.

  • @divinepiccolo9469
    @divinepiccolo9469 Рік тому +2

    beautiful analysis

  • @YoYo-gt5iq
    @YoYo-gt5iq Рік тому +6

    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.

  • @gurleensodhi6527
    @gurleensodhi6527 Рік тому

    Amazing analysis, beautiful Explained👍 💯💯

  • @animula6908
    @animula6908 Рік тому

    Courage is the ultimate value everywhere and for all people. Without it, what do your other values matter?

  • @patrickmaguire1407
    @patrickmaguire1407 Рік тому +1

    A more engaged and engaging narrator there isn't. Truly marvelous expose of classic literature .Thank you. 🙏

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Рік тому +1

      So nice of you

    • @patrickmaguire1407
      @patrickmaguire1407 Рік тому

      @@Fiction_Beast pleasure is all ours. Those droplets of humour too, are priceless 😇😉😃🙏

  • @nickblacksoul4318
    @nickblacksoul4318 2 роки тому +2

    Hm never read Dostoevsky ..... Sounds really good maybe I should , he kinda gives good advice on love

  • @tabicnm1
    @tabicnm1 Рік тому +2

    Destovsky is wonderful

  • @mnemonicpie
    @mnemonicpie 9 місяців тому +3

    "He sees goodness in everyone. He doesn't judge people, unless you are a Catholic, of course"😂

  • @shazamcawdwell3426
    @shazamcawdwell3426 2 роки тому +3

    I love this book

  • @geraldmeehan8942
    @geraldmeehan8942 2 роки тому +4

    CodeX Cantina and you are both reviewing "The Idiot" simultaneously!

  • @Laocoon283
    @Laocoon283 2 роки тому +3

    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.

  • @joetheperformer
    @joetheperformer 2 роки тому +3

    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?

    • @masonart4950
      @masonart4950 2 роки тому +1

      I'd say you're just guessing and trying to look smart. Just like everyone else.

    • @Tracker947
      @Tracker947 2 роки тому +1

      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.

    • @joetheperformer
      @joetheperformer 2 роки тому

      @@masonart4950 Along with trying to look cool 😎 , I’m also fascinated with the idea, just like many others I would imagine.

    • @joetheperformer
      @joetheperformer 2 роки тому

      @@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.

  • @ciscosebanes
    @ciscosebanes 2 роки тому +1

    Love this book.

  • @ministerofjoy
    @ministerofjoy 2 роки тому

    Thank you🙌🏻👏🏽

  • @elizabethlau644
    @elizabethlau644 2 роки тому +1

    ❤❤❤ Thank you.

  • @rareword
    @rareword 2 роки тому

    Very good summary.

  • @vaccaphd
    @vaccaphd 8 місяців тому

    Awesome video! Love Dostoyevsky.

  • @Sachie465
    @Sachie465 Рік тому +1

    What's fascinating to me is that there are many ways to interpret how the characters really feel.
    BTW, it's classified under French literature in the playlist.

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  Рік тому +1

      Yes I agree my interpretation is from a male perspective.

  • @ashitasavlin3404
    @ashitasavlin3404 7 місяців тому

    Amazing😍😍

  • @Balrog325
    @Balrog325 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks

  • @lubovske
    @lubovske 2 роки тому +3

    Спосиби болшой!

  • @vaibhavnayak5890
    @vaibhavnayak5890 2 роки тому +1

    Great video from where did you get these beautiful images and music!!

    • @Fiction_Beast
      @Fiction_Beast  2 роки тому +1

      Wikipedia public domain images and UA-cam music library.

  • @MissLizaYangonMyanmar
    @MissLizaYangonMyanmar Рік тому

    Careful. It is also a verb of motion идёт

  • @lizastufflococucs6200
    @lizastufflococucs6200 2 роки тому +1

    A competent man who can provide for his family is a good man.

  • @lemilemi5385
    @lemilemi5385 2 роки тому

    My favourite

  • @santiagoo283
    @santiagoo283 Рік тому +2

    Very similar with Nietzsche in gods dead

  • @aloksharma4611
    @aloksharma4611 Рік тому

    Thanks!

  • @j0nnyism
    @j0nnyism Рік тому +1

    Myshkins rant against catholics is far more important than his actual dislike of them for the themes of the novel

  • @AlastorTheNPDemon
    @AlastorTheNPDemon 2 роки тому +2

    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?

  • @abhijit6545
    @abhijit6545 Рік тому

    Best💯

  • @docmix
    @docmix 4 місяці тому

    A great analysis thank you. At 27.35 shouldn't you be saying '...Buddhist philosophy of non-attachment...' rather than '...non-detachment...'?

  • @Astral0muffiN
    @Astral0muffiN 2 роки тому +3

    Yes, coffee and popcorn is such an underrated combination!

  • @t8r507
    @t8r507 2 роки тому

    I might catch hell for this comment but so be it...
    @17:15- Regarding-
    "Dostoyevsky five minutes"
    Here he is...even when faced with death..
    In his last 5 minutes and we get...
    WORD SALAD!!
    If this isn't a classic I don't know what is...
    Even when faced with death he couldn't bear to speak the plain truth...even to himself.
    I've not read any of his books to even begin to have an educated estimation of the man but these little summarys give me enough of a glimpse to know he's adept at slinging the salad even at the chance of death.
    One other thing made me laugh a little is how hard the text became to read when it came to this part of
    "Dostoevsky five minutes"
    The text got hard to read it blended in with the background like "visual word-salad"
    So safe to say the "Ole tongs" where heavily used and not far from the salad bowl.