[

] is at once one of Dostoevsky’s most compelling, confusing, difficult, and mystical novels, and arguably the work that was dearest to its author. “All those who have spoken of it as my best work,” wrote Dostoevsky in February 1877, “have something special in their mental formation that has always struck and pleased me.” Dostoevsky began work on

in the autumn of 1867. His letters and notebooks reveal the tortuous genesis of the novel. Published in serial form in 1868 in

[

], the novel embodies Dostoevsky’s most successful attempt to depict “the positively beautiful person” (

). Thematically,

also subtly revisits the religious themes of social apocalypse and Russia’s…

3298 words

Citation: Brower, Derek. "Idiot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=554, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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