Arian’s Reviews > The Idiot > Status Update
Arian
is on page 647 of 768
Dostoyevsky introduces the reader to an 'upper stratum of Russian people' (so close to the end of the story) at the soiree. Prince Myshkin speaks of them, directly, 'I have always heard so much about you that is bad, more than is good, about the pettiness and exclusiveness of your interests, about your backwardness, your poor education, your ridiculous habits - oh, I mean they write and say so much about you!'
— 1 hour, 3 min ago
Like flag
Arian’s Previous Updates
Arian
is on page 628 of 768
The evening the Yapanchin's are hosting a formal gathering 'of an important step as the resolution of their daughter's destiny, for the first time in his life (the prince's) he saw a corner of what is given the intimidating name of "society". It somehow suddenly seemed to him that all these people had been born to be together; that there was no "soiree" at the Yepanchins' that evening...
— Nov 04, 2026 10:45AM
Arian
is on page 590 of 768
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the general's personal (but fantastical of course) narrative of Napoleon's march into Moscow. He opens his account by clarifying to the prince that he was 10 years old 'because as a 15 year old I would not have run away from our wooden house on Staraya Basmannaya on the day of Napoleon's entrance to Moscow, leaving my mother, who was too late to leave Moscow, and trembling with fear...
— Oct 29, 2026 04:27PM
Arian
is on page 562 of 768
The opening of the final part of the story focuses on the 'commonplace' characters of our story. The narrator speaks of Gavrila, 'indeed, there is nothing more vexing, for example, than to be wealthy, of decent family, of decent appearance, not badly educated, not stupid, even kind-hearted, and at the same time to possess no talent, no special quality, nor even any eccentricity, not a single idea of one's own...
— Oct 26, 2026 05:24AM
Arian
is on page 537 of 768
As I’m on the final part of the story I think this is a good moment to reflect a little. It’s taken me awhile to get to this point (close to five months) and it’s bcos of the philosophy woven into the narrative. This is the most challenging novel I’ve read, emotionally and intellectually, and I’m glad I’ve taken my sweet time. I look forward to the endgame!
— Oct 13, 2026 06:11AM
Arian
is on page 510 of 768
‘Let us allow that the spark of consciousness was lit by the will of a higher power, let us allow that it was suddenly instructed by that higher power to destroy itself, because for some reason - and the reason was not even explained - that’s just how it was up there, let us allow, I admit all that, but there still remains the eternal question: why is my meekness demanded in all this?…
— Oct 08, 2026 02:42PM
Arian
is on page 480 of 768
‘Individual kindness will always remain, because it is a need of the personality, a living need for the direct influence of one personality on another. (…) How can you know, Bakhmutov, what significance this communication between one personality and another may have in the fate of the personality that is communicated with?….
— Sep 29, 2026 12:56AM
Arian
is on page 461 of 768
Without a doubt, Ippolit is the most tragic character I have ever read. In his 'NECESSARY EXPLANATION' (which I suspect is his suicide note) writes about 'the idea that it was not worth living for a few weeks (..) and that the first moment that this thought penetrated me completely and directly was at the very same moment when it occurred to me to sample life for the last time, and I wanted to see people and trees...
— Sep 13, 2026 02:23PM
Arian
is on page 428 of 768
I'll admit that I've read too much without updating my progress (it's gotten so good). Rogozhin and the Prince meet for the first time since 'you made an attempt on my life', says Myshkin. The Prince reaffirms Rogozhin, saying, 'the only Rogozhin I remember is the one with whom I exchanged crosses as a brother that day; I wrote that to you in my letter yesterday, so that you'd stop thinking about all that delirium'.
— Aug 30, 2026 12:42PM
Arian
is on page 377 of 768
I really enjoyed reading Keller's confession to the Prince. Keller says to the Prince after he revealed his true motive 'by means of tears', 'Well, that's how to flabbergast a man completely! For pity's sake, Prince: such simple-heartedness, such innocence as were unheard of even in the golden age, and then suddenly you pierce a man through like an arrow, with such profound psychology of observation.'
— Aug 24, 2026 10:32AM
Arian
is on page 352 of 768
'Yes, nature is given to mocking! Why does she create the very finest beings just in order to mock them? Was it she who made it so that (...) she destined him to say things on account of which so much blood was shed that it it were shed all at once people would probably have drowned in it? Oh, it's good that I am dying! I would also probably have uttered some horrible lie, nature would have betrayed me like that!'
— Aug 23, 2026 02:11PM
Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Arian
(new)
-
added it
59 minutes ago
‘I had heard a great deal and was very much of the conviction that in society all is style, all is decrepit formality, while the essence has dried up; but I mean, now I can see for myself that it cannot be so in our country; it may be like that in other countries, but not in ours. You can’t all be Jesuits and swindlers, can you? I heard Prince N. relating something just now: wasn’t that open-hearted, inspired humour, wasn’t it genuine good nature? Can such words come from the lips of a man who is… dead, with a withered heart and talent? Would corpses treat me as you have treated me? Isn’t that material… for the future, for hope?’
reply
|
flag
‘You’re not insulted if I tell you to your faces that you’re ridiculous, are you? And if you are insulted, then you’re promising material, aren’t you? You know, in my opinion, being ridiculous is sometimes even a good thing, and better than that: we can forgive one another more quickly, and acquire humility more quickly; after all, we can’t understand everything at once, we can’t begin directly from perfection! In order to achieve perfection, we must first of all fail to understand a great many things! And if we understand too quickly, we may not understand very well.’