Dostoevsky's the Idiot - A Critical Companion

This book is designed to guide readers through Dostoevsky's The Idiot, first published in 1869 and generally considered to be his most mysterious and confusing work.The volume begins with an introductory section comprising two essays: the first looks at when, where, and how The Idiot was written; the second introduces the major characters. The essays in the second section guide the reader through the plans and notebooks out of which the novel evolved; use contemporary feminist criticism to shed light on how this novel explores alternatives to traditional roles; examine the ways in which the novel reflects Dostoevsky's concern with apocalypse, modernity, and time; and address the ways in which the novel's hero, Prince Myshkin, can be compared to Christ. The final section offers an exceptionally rich collection of primary sources, including letters by Dostoevsky concerning The Idiot, and an annotated bibliography.The contributors are Liza Knapp, Robin Feuer Miller, Nina Pelikan Straus, and David M. Bethea.

About the author

LIZA KNAPP is an associate professor of Slavic languages and literatures at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of The Annihilation of Inertia: Dostoevsky and Metaphysics, also published by Northwestern University Press.

Summary

This text is designed to guide readers through Dostoevsky's The Idiot, generally considered to be one of his most mysterious and confusing works. Primary sources and letters by Dostoevsky concerning the work are used, along with an annotated bibliography.

Product details

• Authors: Liza Knapp
• Assisted by: Liza Knapp (Editor)
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.09.1998
• EAN: 9780810115330
• ISBN: 978-0-8101-1533-0
• No. of pages: 275
• Dimensions: 134 mm x 216 mm x 12 mm
• Weight: 367 g
• Series: Northwestern/Aatseel Critical; Northwestern/Aatseel Critical; Aatseel
• Subjects: Education and learning > Readings/interpretations/reading notes > German; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies