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Banaticus

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The Idiot

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Reading for the 2nd time

read in January 2008

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Banaticus said: " This book is, in my opinion, the basis for Forest Gump. I'm not really reading this book at home -- I mostly only read it on breaks while at work, which is why it's taking a while to finish (I read the last Harry Potter book in just a few hours). Not This book is, in my opinion, the basis for Forest Gump. I'm not really reading this book at home -- I mostly only read it on breaks while at work, which is why it's taking a while to finish (I read the last Harry Potter book in just a few hours). Not that I really mind reading this slowly -- Dostoevsky's particularly frenetic writing style* leaves me grateful to put it down at the end of each break.

Although somewhat disjointed, Dostoevsky's character studies and his carefully rendered exposition easily enable to see that each character is acting just as he would act -- the book is written more like a documentary than an ordinary novel.

The protagonist is an "idiot" because he often seems unable to understand the tortured logic and Machiavellian schemes of those around him, due to his naivety and unfamiliarity with various social customs. He speaks what he thinks and cannot really dissemble or otherwise conceal what he's feeling, yet he usually manages to be diplomatic -- he tells the truth yet he does so with such a nice manner that one cannot really be angry with him.

The Russian names have caused a little bit of trouble for me. Russians have a double first/middle name that seems like a first/last name (the Russian custom is for the middle name to be the name of a parent). Then they have a last name. They also have a nickname. All three of these names are commonly and frequently used when talking about a person. The first 100 pages or so (and spots here and there since then) were a little confusing until I started to learn all three names for each person.

*You can see my attempt to write a short bit in Dostoevsky's style at http://banaticus.googlepages.c..

I've actually misplaced my copy of this book. I was most of the way through and then there was this week where I worked a full week in a few days and I worked a full week in a few days at another job and, and, and . . . in one 70 hour period I slept ten hours and then the following three nights I got seven, six then eight hours (which really helped me replenish). I was just going, going, going. Once the week was done, I was thorougly exhausted and really glad to have a couple days of nothing to just sleep and sleep. But somewhere along the way as I carried this book back and forth from work, I misplaced it. Darn it.

Ah, I found what happened to it. My brother came to visit and borrowed it. I'll get it back after he finishes with it. ;) ...more "

Jul 01, 2008 01:17PM · see review