--- product_id: 51564179 title: "The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics)" price: "£6.28" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/51564179-the-idiot-wordsworth-classics store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics) **Price:** £6.28 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics) - **How much does it cost?** £6.28 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/51564179-the-idiot-wordsworth-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics) Classic Edition by Dostoevsky, Fyodor, Cardinal, Agnes, Carabine, Dr Keith, Garnett, Constance (ISBN: 9781853261756) from desertcart's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Review: A marvellous epic - It is fantastic that a sublime work of art such as this can be purchased for such a low price, this is an epic tale about a social misfit. Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after a long absence. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy - just like Fyodor Dostoevsky himself - and is prone to periods of blackouts. The central idea of The Idiot as Dostoevsky wrote is "to depict a completely beautiful human being". Myshkin is simple and pure, his biggest hindrance to fitting into society is his honesty, naivety and the fact that he is a good man. He lacks any deviousness and has nothing but good intentions in all of his actions. On the train to Saint Petersburg, Myshkin meets and befriends the dark character Rogozhin. Although Myshkin and Rogozhin are opposites in everyway, they share a mutual attraction to one another. Myshkin's attire and stories both suggest that despite his ancient Russian family line, he is like a lost foreigner in his own country. This is because Myshkin has spent the last four years in a mental institution in Switzerland. Without any reserve, however, Myshkin shares this fact with Rogozhin. He takes no offence at the sarcastic tone of his new friend and he even laughs with him. As Rogozhin states, Myshkin has the character of a holy-fool. In his own words, he tells Myshkin: "You're an out-and-out holy fool, and God loves the likes of you." The latter tells the prince about his passion for Nastasya Filippovna, a beautiful woman with a bad reputation. The prince feels an intense desire to meet her after hearing about her and even more so when he views a picture of her. This leads to conflict as the friends become love rivals with very different intentions. The stage then moves to the house of the Yepanchins, a family of emerging Russian bourgeoisie. Myshkin has come here to meet his distant cousin, Madame Yepanchina, General Yepanchin's wife. So begins Myshkin's introduction into a society that can never understand him and are bound to take advantage of him. By making Myshkin a symbol of kindness and humility, Dostoyevsky illustrates what can happen when such a man is confronted by society. Myshkin frequently confronts society's norms with his "idiocy", which is merely his naive and innocent approach to life. He is not naive about what others say to and about him; he merely assumes they're true because he does not believe that human beings have any need for falsehood or deviousness; Myshkin has no façade. I believe the The Idiot is a masterpiece - it is indeed flawed and occasionally tedious like many masterpieces. There are long passages of dialogue and this is not always an easy read. I wouldn't not recommend this to be the first of Dostoyevsky's books anyone reads, I would instead recommend the simpler Crime and Punishment for that. If you have the patience and can invest the time this book is moving and deeply involving, one of his best. Review: Excellent. - Excellent ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | ASIN | 1853261750 | | Best Sellers Rank | 6,138 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 596 in Fiction Classics (Books) 1,787 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,752) | | Dimensions | 12.5 x 3.2 x 20 cm | | Edition | Classic Edition | | ISBN-10 | 9781853261756 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1853261756 | | Item weight | 1.05 kg | | Language | English | | Print length | 592 pages | | Publication date | 5 Dec. 1996 | | Publisher | Wordsworth Editions | ## Images ![The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81GpBL+tl0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A marvellous epic *by B***Y on 10 June 2009* It is fantastic that a sublime work of art such as this can be purchased for such a low price, this is an epic tale about a social misfit. Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after a long absence. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy - just like Fyodor Dostoevsky himself - and is prone to periods of blackouts. The central idea of The Idiot as Dostoevsky wrote is "to depict a completely beautiful human being". Myshkin is simple and pure, his biggest hindrance to fitting into society is his honesty, naivety and the fact that he is a good man. He lacks any deviousness and has nothing but good intentions in all of his actions. On the train to Saint Petersburg, Myshkin meets and befriends the dark character Rogozhin. Although Myshkin and Rogozhin are opposites in everyway, they share a mutual attraction to one another. Myshkin's attire and stories both suggest that despite his ancient Russian family line, he is like a lost foreigner in his own country. This is because Myshkin has spent the last four years in a mental institution in Switzerland. Without any reserve, however, Myshkin shares this fact with Rogozhin. He takes no offence at the sarcastic tone of his new friend and he even laughs with him. As Rogozhin states, Myshkin has the character of a holy-fool. In his own words, he tells Myshkin: "You're an out-and-out holy fool, and God loves the likes of you." The latter tells the prince about his passion for Nastasya Filippovna, a beautiful woman with a bad reputation. The prince feels an intense desire to meet her after hearing about her and even more so when he views a picture of her. This leads to conflict as the friends become love rivals with very different intentions. The stage then moves to the house of the Yepanchins, a family of emerging Russian bourgeoisie. Myshkin has come here to meet his distant cousin, Madame Yepanchina, General Yepanchin's wife. So begins Myshkin's introduction into a society that can never understand him and are bound to take advantage of him. By making Myshkin a symbol of kindness and humility, Dostoyevsky illustrates what can happen when such a man is confronted by society. Myshkin frequently confronts society's norms with his "idiocy", which is merely his naive and innocent approach to life. He is not naive about what others say to and about him; he merely assumes they're true because he does not believe that human beings have any need for falsehood or deviousness; Myshkin has no façade. I believe the The Idiot is a masterpiece - it is indeed flawed and occasionally tedious like many masterpieces. There are long passages of dialogue and this is not always an easy read. I wouldn't not recommend this to be the first of Dostoyevsky's books anyone reads, I would instead recommend the simpler Crime and Punishment for that. If you have the patience and can invest the time this book is moving and deeply involving, one of his best. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent. *by F***Z on 2 January 2026* Excellent ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good *by T***L on 2 January 2013* Bought for someone else as a gift but they were happy with the item and it was a good price and delivery was satisfactory. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Idiot (Wordsworth Classics) - White Nights - Crime and Punishment (Vintage Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/51564179-the-idiot-wordsworth-classics](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/51564179-the-idiot-wordsworth-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*