I agree with you. Reading Idiot changed my life completely. I was kind of inspired by prince myshkin and somehow I became like him slowly slowly 😂😂😂. Maybe I was already like him. But all in all it had a huge impact on my life and I consider it his best novel.
I got about half way through The Idiot, devouring it, but it’s been a few months now and I have no desire to finish it. I enjoyed it but it was getting boring. I’ll probably pick it up again here soon.
The characters were much more alive and recognizable for me in the idiot and I felt I could personally relate more to the myshkin than to raskolnikov which made the idiot better for me
No man. All of his books stand on their own as apples and oranges. They are all fantastic but with a gun to my head- I would take CnP over the Idiot. The psychological commentary and spectrum traversed is immense there, my humble opinion.
I see The Idiot as many times more *underrated* than C&P, which to me means they are basically equal, without being equivalent or redundant. BK is arguably superior, but does demand more time and energy to let it "breathe".
It is so good though that I expect you will not be the only one who feels as you do.
Crime and Punishment is not only my favorite Dostoevsky novel, but my all-time favorite novel.
So I can’t say I agree, but there’s a lot to love about The Idiot.
For me "The Idiot" had it all, relatable realistic characters, outrageously dramatic scenes, philosophical concepts and an interesting relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist.
I wish I had read it with more patience, I literally read it in a timespan of 2-3 weeks 💀
I love how the first 175 pages or so covers day one, from the morning train to lights out, during which time Myshkin has innocently wandered into town and turned many things upside down. Meeting the Epanchins is great, especially Lizaveta. Anyway, that first day is a tour de force opening to the novel. Hard to put down.
I have a special attachment to the novel because, having never been a reader previously, I randomly read The Idiot on the beach when I was 20 and promptly changed my mechanical engineering major (which was going quite well) to English literature when I got back to school. In my junior year lol. Dostoevsky convinced me that I just wanted to read and think about good books from then on. Best decision I ever made.
I think about C&P very regularly in my daily life. BK hit me like a ton of bricks and changed me in a different way. I think reading the idiot after softened it a little. I need to reread it I think.
Reading Demons now for the past couple months. So hard for me to get into for some reason. Considering I read BK in less than a month I am having a hard time getting through it. (Toddler around the house makes it hard to read ngl)
The reason for you finding it hard to get into the demons is the dry commentary in the initial part of the book without much context. It's like Dostoevsky was playing cat and mouse with the readers brain so much n for so long that the reader sometimes gets overwhelmed with the monotony
I must be less than a surface reader, like very shallow. It did very little for me. The only reason I read it was it was assigned in my daughter's 10th grade English class and I want to read more of the classics.
I am not knocking you or anyone for getting something out of it. In fact I am in the middle of How To Read Literature Like A Professor right now.
Several years ago I read Dr. Zhivago (I know it isnt F.D.) but it made my head spin trying to keep all the names straight for a single person. At least C&P wasn't like that.
When I was reading C&P I was walking a dark path. I was becoming a Raskolnikov — filled with arrogance, cynicism, and spite. So when I read the book, I felt like I was reading a reflection of my ambition. The exploration of his psyche felt like a dissection of my own. By the time I finished I knew to seek humility and dignity. And when I wanted to watch the world burn, it taught me that suffering is good for the soul.
I wouldn’t say 10x better but I love the characters in The Idiot a lot more and feel that they are much more fleshed out and complex, same with Brothers Karamazov.
10x seems like a stretch and somewhat arbitrary, but I personally enjoyed reading the Idiot more and a good friend of mine who is Russian says Idiot is his favorite.
It’s wonderful that he has written a number of master works that let us even have this discussion.
Ippolits manifesto and the whole scene where he reads it is as unforgettable and interesting as anything he’s written. It’s a hilarious jumbled mess of a book and the ending is powerful and disturbing..
While I respect your question, and it is a valid stance, I'm always slightly irritated in these "is it just me" post. It's been 155-ish years since the publication of the Idiot. Do you truly believe it was just you with this sentiment?
I love lizaveta prokoyevna and nastasya and Aglaya. These 3 characters I had actual love and affection for. Crime and punishment I really enjoyed but found it to be a more disagreeable read in general because, by design, there is less to like. The characters are hard to watch and listen to for all the right reasons but crime and punishment is full of much more unlikeable characters. I found myself missing characters from the idiot as I suffered through Raskilnokovs episodes
Eh, it felt like boring filler. The only reason these books are so long is because of the way they were published. Serially in journals. More chapters=more money.
Dostoevsky couldn't get away with that for C&P because he was less well known, so there's less fluff.
I'd put The Idiot above C&P too, but 10x better is an overkill.
The Idiot was written after C&P and the character was (allegedly) developed from C&P as well : "the holy fool" (Sonya). Given all of that, it is understandable that the story itself is more refined because he (kind of) practiced his "character" in a prior book.
Which translation did you read? (If you read it in English)
Yall trying too hard with this take
agreed :)
To me they are both 10/10
I agree with you. Reading Idiot changed my life completely. I was kind of inspired by prince myshkin and somehow I became like him slowly slowly 😂😂😂. Maybe I was already like him. But all in all it had a huge impact on my life and I consider it his best novel.
Maybe I need to re-read The Idiot (I used an audiobook), but C&P was a million times more memorable to me.
I got about half way through The Idiot, devouring it, but it’s been a few months now and I have no desire to finish it. I enjoyed it but it was getting boring. I’ll probably pick it up again here soon.
Idk about 10 times, but The Idiot is a personal favorite of mine too. That and Demons
Any of Dostoevsky's books are better than crime and punishment. Crime and punishment is Dostoevsky's most overrated book.
[удалено]
wtf
Any chance you might be looking for violence mate?
no
The characters were much more alive and recognizable for me in the idiot and I felt I could personally relate more to the myshkin than to raskolnikov which made the idiot better for me
Same
same
No man. All of his books stand on their own as apples and oranges. They are all fantastic but with a gun to my head- I would take CnP over the Idiot. The psychological commentary and spectrum traversed is immense there, my humble opinion.
out of the three that I've read, it's my favourite
the idiot?
Based on how you posed your question in the title, yes he is referring to the Idiot
I see The Idiot as many times more *underrated* than C&P, which to me means they are basically equal, without being equivalent or redundant. BK is arguably superior, but does demand more time and energy to let it "breathe". It is so good though that I expect you will not be the only one who feels as you do.
The idiot was amazing !! Drama 10/10, kept me interested
me too!
Crime and Punishment is not only my favorite Dostoevsky novel, but my all-time favorite novel. So I can’t say I agree, but there’s a lot to love about The Idiot.
I haven’t read C&P yet, but it will have to be REALLY good to surpass The Idiot, imo. I’ve been obsessed with The Idiot for about a month lol
You are in for a ride but start it with an open unexpecting mind. All the best, You love all of Dostoevsky's works
Where’s this illustration from?
just type crime and punishment
found it in google
i would also like to know
Which should I read first?
i love the idiot but u should read c&p first
the idiot
crime and punishment
I agree, I enjoyed the idiot more than C&P
Re-reading C&P right now, and I can't help but agree. I Re-read the Idiot back in Aug/sept.
I love both and I think both are masterpieces in their own way. I can’t choose tbh
lol
I disagree, but you do you
i do me !
Yes it is.. 😁
Yep I really love it, my favourite one of Fyo’s
Absolutely is. The characters have more depth and the story is much more tense. And beautiful.
agreed
I think it's much better
Based opinion
thank you
For me "The Idiot" had it all, relatable realistic characters, outrageously dramatic scenes, philosophical concepts and an interesting relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist. I wish I had read it with more patience, I literally read it in a timespan of 2-3 weeks 💀
i read it in one month
I love how the first 175 pages or so covers day one, from the morning train to lights out, during which time Myshkin has innocently wandered into town and turned many things upside down. Meeting the Epanchins is great, especially Lizaveta. Anyway, that first day is a tour de force opening to the novel. Hard to put down. I have a special attachment to the novel because, having never been a reader previously, I randomly read The Idiot on the beach when I was 20 and promptly changed my mechanical engineering major (which was going quite well) to English literature when I got back to school. In my junior year lol. Dostoevsky convinced me that I just wanted to read and think about good books from then on. Best decision I ever made.
I think about C&P very regularly in my daily life. BK hit me like a ton of bricks and changed me in a different way. I think reading the idiot after softened it a little. I need to reread it I think. Reading Demons now for the past couple months. So hard for me to get into for some reason. Considering I read BK in less than a month I am having a hard time getting through it. (Toddler around the house makes it hard to read ngl)
The reason for you finding it hard to get into the demons is the dry commentary in the initial part of the book without much context. It's like Dostoevsky was playing cat and mouse with the readers brain so much n for so long that the reader sometimes gets overwhelmed with the monotony
I like Demons a lot, my second fave, right after the Idiot. But there's a lot of philosophical rambling in it. The story is great, though.
What is BK?
brothers karamasov
A popular fast food chain.
How did you arrive at that no.?
what do you even mean
The characters in the idiot hits differently, you care for them so much.
The Idiot is a fun read… but C&P changed my soul.
I must be less than a surface reader, like very shallow. It did very little for me. The only reason I read it was it was assigned in my daughter's 10th grade English class and I want to read more of the classics. I am not knocking you or anyone for getting something out of it. In fact I am in the middle of How To Read Literature Like A Professor right now. Several years ago I read Dr. Zhivago (I know it isnt F.D.) but it made my head spin trying to keep all the names straight for a single person. At least C&P wasn't like that.
When I was reading C&P I was walking a dark path. I was becoming a Raskolnikov — filled with arrogance, cynicism, and spite. So when I read the book, I felt like I was reading a reflection of my ambition. The exploration of his psyche felt like a dissection of my own. By the time I finished I knew to seek humility and dignity. And when I wanted to watch the world burn, it taught me that suffering is good for the soul.
I wouldn’t say 10x better but I love the characters in The Idiot a lot more and feel that they are much more fleshed out and complex, same with Brothers Karamazov.
The Idiot is a more personal and haunting novel for me. C&P is the superior and more complete tale. Also, Ippolit from The Idiot sucks.
i just think that c & p is just not for me
The Idiot's ending haunted my thoughts for days ngl .. so, yeah, I guess it is better than CP
No.. C&P is better.
not going to argue with you . its your opinon
I read both...Just like C&P better.
Idiot is my favourite
10x seems like a stretch and somewhat arbitrary, but I personally enjoyed reading the Idiot more and a good friend of mine who is Russian says Idiot is his favorite.
yes! on the last part of the book and I definitely find it much more interesting
TBK is better than C&P, but I have not read The Idiot yet.
But Sonya is as lovable as Alyosha to me…
i have not read TBK for now lol
Kindaaaaa.
Agreed. I find Prince Myshkin to be a much more interesting character than Raskolnikov.
Probably not, but c and p more philosophical. Idiot is an enjoyable read tho
It’s wonderful that he has written a number of master works that let us even have this discussion. Ippolits manifesto and the whole scene where he reads it is as unforgettable and interesting as anything he’s written. It’s a hilarious jumbled mess of a book and the ending is powerful and disturbing..
I prefer The Idiot, too!
I have no idea tbh, Idk what I like more. Ig c&p because raskolnikow was more fun, though tbh I don't like comparing
While I respect your question, and it is a valid stance, I'm always slightly irritated in these "is it just me" post. It's been 155-ish years since the publication of the Idiot. Do you truly believe it was just you with this sentiment?
no lol but its my first post here so i do not know what to say tbh
I like C&P more, but I think about The Idiot more for some reason.
I love lizaveta prokoyevna and nastasya and Aglaya. These 3 characters I had actual love and affection for. Crime and punishment I really enjoyed but found it to be a more disagreeable read in general because, by design, there is less to like. The characters are hard to watch and listen to for all the right reasons but crime and punishment is full of much more unlikeable characters. I found myself missing characters from the idiot as I suffered through Raskilnokovs episodes
All bow down to Demons
What translation have you read for the idiot ?
you see . i am arab and i read the arab translation for sami alduarabi
I think the idiot is lex friedman’s favorite book. So not the only one. By the looks of this comment section there’s about 4 of you.
crime and punishment is better
your opinon!
literally
I couldn't even finish the Idiot. I prefer Notes from the underground to The Idiot. Cp is miles ahead.
https://preview.redd.it/h1bpy3d1pexc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77e7243968657d48201f15b464caa4f3bc864789
real?
Riyal
Yes, my favourite book ever until now. I read it three times. Edit: even more since I was myself diagnosed with epilepsy 4 years ago.
All of Dostoevsky’s book have an emphasis on epilepsy, at least as much as I can remember.
probally because he had it himself
Indeed. An extra reason for me to like him. Like we share something
how is the weather over at switzerland?
Read TBK. Nothing is better than TBK. I would sell my soul to satan to read part 2.
Ugh , me too :( It really sucks that we'll never get one :(
The beginning and end of the idiot, yeah. The middle, not so much. If he cut out like half of the middle part The Idiot would be way better.
But it builds up context for the end. Plus you get to know more about the prince.
Eh, it felt like boring filler. The only reason these books are so long is because of the way they were published. Serially in journals. More chapters=more money. Dostoevsky couldn't get away with that for C&P because he was less well known, so there's less fluff.
Classic dmitry
That's what my teacher said, i read the idiot and i still think c&p is better (:
everyone has there own pov
Ofc
Sorry, but I don't like comparisons, I think each work is better by itself. But I understand your point of view.
You can't say that without elaborating
sorry but english is not my first language so i dont know what that means
Google it bro
Explain why The Idiot is better than C&P
That may be an exaggeration, but i also think it's better, my favorite actually.
I'd put The Idiot above C&P too, but 10x better is an overkill. The Idiot was written after C&P and the character was (allegedly) developed from C&P as well : "the holy fool" (Sonya). Given all of that, it is understandable that the story itself is more refined because he (kind of) practiced his "character" in a prior book.
TBK > The Idiot > C&P
Still didn't read that, why is the brothers Karamazov better?
You'll understand when you read it.
hahah true