{"product_id":"9781411432369","title":"The Idiot (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Idiot\u003c\/i\u003e, by \u003cb\u003eFyodor Dostoevsky\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJust two years after completing \u003ci\u003eCrime and Punishment,\u003c\/i\u003e which explored the mind of a murderer, \u003cb\u003eDostoevsky\u003c\/b\u003e produced another masterpiece, \u003ci\u003eThe Idiot.\u003c\/i\u003e This time the author portrays a truly beautiful soul—a character he found difficult to bring to life because, as he wrote, “beauty is the ideal, and neither my country, nor civilized Europe, know what that ideal of beauty is.” The result was one of Dostoevsky’s greatest characters—Prince Myshkin, a saintly, Christ-like, yet deeply human figure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe story begins when Myshkin arrives on Russian soil after a stay in a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by St. Petersburg society as an idiot for his generosity and innocence, the prince finds himself at the center of a struggle between a rich, kept woman and a beautiful, virtuous girl, who both hope to win his affection. Unfortunately, Myshkin’s very goodness seems to bring disaster to everyone he meets. The shocking denouement tragically reveals how, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoseph Frank\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Princeton University and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature and Slavic Languages and Literature at Stanford University. He is the author of a five-volume study of Dostoevsky’s life and work. The first four volumes received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, two Christian Gauss Awards, two James Russell Lowell Awards of the Modern Language Association, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and other honors. Frank is also the author of \u003ci\u003eThrough the Russian Prism: Essays on Literature and Culture, The Widening Gyre,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Idea of Spatial Form.\u003c\/i\u003e He also wrote the introduction to the Barnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics edition of Dostoevsky’s \u003ci\u003eThe House of the Dead and Poor Folk.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121666343152,"sku":"9781411432369","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781411432369_p0.jpg?v=1763722199","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781411432369","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}