Translated by Constance Garnett with an Introduction & Notes by Agnes Cardinal Honorary Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at the University of Kent Prince Myshkin returns to Russia from an asylum in Switzerland As he becomes embroiled in the frantic amatory & financial intrigues which centre around a cast of brilliantly realised characters & which ultimately lead to tragedy he emerges as a unique combination of the Christian ideal of perfection & Dostoevsky's own views afflictions & manners His serene selflessness is contrasted with the worldly qualities of every other character in the novel Dostoevsky supplies a harsh indictment of the Russian ruling class of his day who have created a world which cannot accomodate the goodness of this idiot