Study of the relationship between mental illness and the construction of Myshkin’s image in the novel “The Idiot”

this article is devoted to a reinterpretation of Prince Myshkin’s character from F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot” through the prism of his epilepsy and its symbolic connection with the phenomenon of holy folly in Russian culture. The author argues that traditional readings, which emphasize Myshkin’s role as a holy fool, ignore the medical aspect of his personality and the socio-historical context of his illness. The study is based on an analysis of Dostoevsky’s biography, his own epilepsy, as well as a pathographic approach to the protagonists in his works. The material includes a comparison of medical descriptions of the prince’s seizures with historical and cultural interpretations of holy folly, highlighting the dual nature of the character: a combination of physical frailty and spiritual purity. It is shown that Myshkin’s epilepsy serves not only as a plot-forming element but also as a metaphor for the crisis of faith and moral degradation of Russian society in the 19th century. The author demonstrates that the hero’s illness reflects the impossibility of realizing the “positively beautiful man” under conditions of the collapse of traditional values and the triumph of mercantilism. The discussion reveals a link between the character’s neurological disorder and his social helplessness: Myshkin’s childlike innocence and behavioral “foolishness” are interpreted as a consequence of epilepsy, exacerbated by the conflict between a divine ideal and human limitations. The conclusion is drawn that the tragic outcome of the hero (and his inability to save others) symbolizes the downfall of the Christian ideal in a secular world. The study contributes to interdisciplinary research by combining literary criticism, medical anthropology, and cultural studies in the analysis of a key figure of Russian classical literature.

Prince Myshkin, epilepsy, holy folly, novel “The Idiot, ” pathography