Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin is one of the great characters in Russian literature. Is he a saint or just naive? Is he an idealist of, as many in General Yepanchin's society feel, an "idiot"? Certainly his return to St. Petersburg after years in a Swiss clinic has a dramatic effect on the beautiful Aglaya, youngest of the Yepanchin daughters, and on the charismatic but willful Nastassya Filippovna. As he paints a vivid picture of Russian society, Dostoyevsky shows how principles conflict with emotions - with tragic results. The Idiot is considered to be one of Dostoyevsky's finest novels. Reader Constantine Gregory is an accomplished Russian speaker - he imbues the novel with understanding and invites his listeners in to share it.