Point of View

Dostoevsky tells the story of the Idiot in the third person. The point view is at times omniscient, but Dostevsky mostly tells the story through the Prince's eyes. This is important to the novel because it allows the reader see that although he is not the "Idiot" of the title, he is actually a deep-thinking and sensitive individual.

Occasionally he shows the story through another character's eyes, in particular Madam Yepanchin. This works to show the superficiality of a world, of which most of the other characters are part. In general, Madam Yepanchin's interest is in her daughters and finding them good and conventional husbands. In contrast, the Prince represents the world of the outsider, of which Nastassya, Rogozhin and to a lesser degree, Hippolyte and Aglaya are part. Madam Yephanchin represents Russian upper-class society.

Setting

The first setting is the train carriage where the Prince...