"The Idiot," by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is part of the "Barnes and
Noble Classics"" "series, which offers quality editions at
affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including
new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted
extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of "Barnes and
Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned from today's top
writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of
contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations,
parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and
films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study
questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
Bibliographies for further reading Indices and Glossaries, when
appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to
superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical
interest. "Barnes and Noble Classics "pulls together a
constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and
literary-to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring
works. Just two years after completing "Crime and Punishment,"
which explored the mind of a murderer, Dostoevsky produced another
masterpiece, "The Idiot." This time the author portrays a truly
beautiful soul-a character he found difficult to bring to life
because, as he wrote, "beauty is the ideal, and neither my country,
nor civilized Europe, know what that ideal of beauty is." The
result was one of Dostoevsky's greatest characters-Prince Myshkin,
a saintly, Christ-like, yet deeply human figure. The story begins
when Myshkin arrives on Russian soil after a stay in a
Swisssanatorium. Scorned by St. Petersburg society as an idiot for
his generosity and innocence, the prince finds himself at the
center of a struggle between a rich, kept woman and a beautiful,
virtuous girl, who both hope to win his affection. Unfortunately,
Myshkin's very goodness seems to bring disaster to everyone he
meets. The shocking denouement tragically reveals how, in a world
obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium is
the only place for a saint. Joseph Frank is Professor Emeritus of
Comparative Literature at Princeton University and Professor
Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Slavic Languages and
Literature at Stanford University. He is the author of a
five-volume study of Dostoevsky's life and work. The first four
volumes received the National Book Critics Circle Award for
Biography, two Christian Gauss Awards, two James Russell Lowell
Awards of the Modern Language Association, a Los Angeles Times Book
Prize, and other honors. Frank is also the author of "Through the
Russian Prism: Essays on Literature and Culture, The Widening
Gyre," and "The Idea of Spatial Form." He also wrote the
introduction to the Barnes and Noble Classics edition of
Dostoevsky's "The House of the Dead and Poor Folk."
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