The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Part One: 157 pages)

Dostoevsky, a profound observer of sublimity, perversity, cruelty and suffering incorporated his observations into writing deep reflections on the human condition. He captured psychological depth in his own gripping way. Somewhere in the mid 1860s, in his young 40s, his writing exploded into psychologically astute storytelling and character creation that addressed vast philosophical and religious ideas.

We experienced Dostoevsky's power in The Brothers Karamazov (his last novel) and in Crime and Punishment (a relatively early novel), so we know to expect dense writing and a lot of characters. The Idiot, is one of Dostoyevsky's sweeping novels (4-5 exist) that reflect his writing at its apogee. This is a long work so we'll break it up to allow for a careful read and a rich discussion of each section.

The Idiot (1869) was written three years after Crime and Punishment. The story begins with Prince Myshkin, a saintly, yet deeply human figure, journeying back to Russia from a Swiss sanatorium. His interactions with characters focused on money, power, and sexual conquest set the tone for the novel.

The group has already read the following that you may want to consider reading / reviewing:
Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky
Notes From the Underground, Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
Father's and Sons, Turgenev

Our baseline translator for Dostoevsky remains Constance Garnett. It is helpful, but not required, to read the Garnett translation; you will get references to material a little quicker during the discussion, and sometimes we read passages out loud. This said, if you already have a different translator, read what you have, Alan Myers is a highly regarded translator who worked with Oxford World Classics. Some like the translation of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky which is described as more literal, yet sometimes lacking flow.

I'm working from the Barnes & Noble Classics version which though out of print, has new and used copies floating around:

AbeBooks is a good source:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31493055238&ref_=ps_ggl_11147913055&cm_mmc=ggl--US_Shopp_Textbook--product_id=COM9781593080587USED-_-keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAjwo7iiBhAEEiwAsIxQET8qzrHyj3b9CWeaq8PAyNzJchNzqVD-giirvFHZyW4BOP-R-q3DbxoC8xsQAvD_BwE

There is a lower priced Garnett translation available by Wordsworth Classics:
https://www.amazon.com/Idiot-Wordsworth-Classics-Fyodor-Dostoyevsky/dp/1853261750/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2VB4N9DBO8HGO&keywords=the+idiot+constance+garnett&qid=1682878370&s=books&sprefix=the+idiot+con%2Cstripbooks%2C80&sr=1-9

There is a free digital version on Google books by Dover Thrift:
https://books.google.com.fj/books?id=ctkoAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

Lastly, the group has swelled, and The Idiot discussions will be oversubscribed. Those members who we know, and who have participated in our Russian Lit discussions will have priority. The events are not first come, first serve, so be aware that if you are new you may be added to the waitlist. A good way to humanize yourself (meetup has lots of spam) is to do one of two things; join us for a less popular novel, and do a careful reading and be a good participant. Second, if you are new and really want to join for this send me a private message on your interest for this novel and how it came about.