15. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Idiot is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, first published in 1869. The story follows Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, a young man whose goodness, open-hearted simplicity, and guilelessness lead many of the more worldly characters he encounters to mistakenly assume that he lacks intelligence and insight. In the character of Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky set himself the task of depicting “the positively good and beautiful man.” The novel examines the consequences of placing such a singular individual at the center of the conflicts, desires, passions, and egoism of worldly society, both for the man himself and for those with whom he becomes involved.
