The Idiot by Dostoyevsky Is Indeed Idiotic

[queerbychoice]

I am not enjoyng Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. It was okay in the beginning, but ever since Hippolite showed up . . . I hate Hippolite. I think Hippolite is the real idiot of the book, not Prince Myshkin. Stupid 18-year-old boy who does absolutely nothing but threaten to kill himself all day long day after day. I wish he'd hurry up and succeed at it.

This is the first time in quite a while that I've been so severely bored by a book that I can barely even force myself to turn the pages.

Comments

[lilith-morgana.livejournal.com]

And we are supposed to like this type of high-brow culture, not critisising it.

I kept falling asleep during "The Brothers Karamazow" so often it was scary.

[roguebear.livejournal.com]

I didn't like The Idiot either. Never could stand either Myshkin (what a wuss) or Hippolite (you're absolutely right, he must be the most obnoxious bastard ever). But I do love Dostoyevsky, even if he can be really tedious at times. Some of the other characters are great, and the dramaturgy of the first part of the novel is excellent.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Life's too short to waste reading books you don't like (unless you need it for a course or something).

I felt much the same way about Goethe's Werther - way too much teenage angst.

[morganlefenian.livejournal.com]

Ugh... Werther was endearing for about fifty pages but by the time the book was over I just wanted to smack him.

[(Anonymous)]

I've just read "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you have not read it.

C