Indeed it is a fascinating story. And the allusion to Christ is really an allusion to a perception of Christ. A naive and innocent love often characterized as unconditional love being Christ-like in the sense that there is no expectation. Rene Girard writes about this story in his book Deceit, Desire, and the Novel. He makes the point that Myshkin in effect by his desires that are lofty, stands apart from the other three. "He is the man with the most remote desire in the universe of the nearest desire. As far as those around him are concerned it is exactly as if he had no desire. He does not let himself be trapped in the triangles of others. Envy, jealousy, and rivalries abound in his presence but he is not contaminated. He is not indifferent - far from it - but his charity and pity are not as binding as desire. He never offers other characters the support of his vanity and they are always stumbling around him." I see how this can be seen as Christ-like for his life expressed no desire except to do the will of his father. The real character of Christ's love was far from naive and innocent. He fully understood the deep antipathy that humanity had towards one another and God. Girard writes of this as the mimetic conflict at the heart of humanity. Where our imitation of the one we seek to imitate reaches a point with the violence of a scapegoat must happen to maintain the order of society. Theologians have characterized Christ's sacrifice as love that carries no expectation. More specifically, that Christ died to satisfy the judgement of God towards humanity. However, Girard, sees something different. He has proposes that Christ did not die to satisfy God's wrath against mankind, but rather to satisfy mankind's wrath towards God. In saying this, Girard is saying that Jesus' death as the scapegoat is a supreme act of a loving God. It only falls to each person to receive that love from which healing and reconciliation are the rewards. I don't want to rewrite Dostoevsky's great story, for it reveals the many dimensions of humanity's conflict with itself. However, for Myshkin to truly be the archetype of Christ, he would have had to die a death that probably would have saved at least one if not all of but each of other three main characters from the fate that they may or may not have justly deserved.
It seems to me that one might consider Christ's crucifixion more as a gnostic allegory for renunciation, that the human ego constructs as a "great sacrifice". In such a case, Myshkin's downfall gives us little that we might make into a heroic act. Myshkin is so driven by a desire to save, and so unable to consider the consequences of his actions, that he is incapable of symbolic acts.
I recall an excellent study in SciAm some years back. The biographers of various world leaders and highly influential people were asked to complete a modern Psychopathy Index test for them. I seem to remember that Christ scored pretty high on the index!
Is it possible that the hero of the story is not in the characters , rather it is in the epileptic seizure ? The need for total honesty and electrical disconnect , the epileptic is unable to control themselves , and inside of this crazy story , everyone has their moment of spastic fits of all kinds ... proving that "love" lays outside of reason ? There are two plays , one by David Penhallow Scott "Matilda's Waltz" and Robert Rechnitz " Lives of Passion " both of these plays had characters that were not people , the protagonist was an energy , " god " - The one was the knitting bag of the old hawaiian lady , and the other was the aprhodite , goddess of passion , but in this story , the Idiot , I would suggest that the protagonist is the epileptic seizure that creates irrational love , jealousy , knifing , even the desire to save someone from drowing , and thus sinking your own self . Even the severe truth telling , is a form of epileptic honesty , that loosens up the colors on the palette and forms new dynamics . The title , "The Idiot " sets everyone back into their genesis , where they started from - I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the story , I may look into Dostoevsky if it lands in my hands .
Epilepsy is one of those conditions that certainly looks like it should validate Reich's notion of armouring and orgone. But I think some admitted a while ago that this likely isn't the case. Myshkin is likely inadequately rigid really.
I think that epilepsy in the brain , is like parkinsons of the body , and possibly "love" of our spirit . I think that the shaking that happens in Parkinsons is when the body is stilled , the energy that runs through us just vibrates , and I think that in the brain , if the electrical signals are for whatever reason not ordered , they display as spastic signalling .
Likewise , is love rational ? TO care about another that we are not actually bodily connected to ? It is actually a very destructive force , if you think about it . At least it has been in my life . Maybe we should all tremble on purpose , take LSD and trip our brain function , and love something with our whole heart that is totally disconnected from our reality , like furniture from the late 1800's , just to train the system to be able to handle
the epileptic seizure that arrives unbidden , from time to time !
Sometimes , when I write a song , a year later I hear the song and I listen to the song and I learn something NEW from the song that I actually compiled . Not sure how that happens . This thought , about love being an epileptic seizure , something in which we totally lose control , actually fits in with the idea of the need to breath forth into the expanding universe so as to maintain growth and eliminate stagnancy . I may experiment with this idea a little , thank you again for bringing up this wonderful tale from Dostoevsky , and for writing such an excellent condensation of the plot .
Indeed it is a fascinating story. And the allusion to Christ is really an allusion to a perception of Christ. A naive and innocent love often characterized as unconditional love being Christ-like in the sense that there is no expectation. Rene Girard writes about this story in his book Deceit, Desire, and the Novel. He makes the point that Myshkin in effect by his desires that are lofty, stands apart from the other three. "He is the man with the most remote desire in the universe of the nearest desire. As far as those around him are concerned it is exactly as if he had no desire. He does not let himself be trapped in the triangles of others. Envy, jealousy, and rivalries abound in his presence but he is not contaminated. He is not indifferent - far from it - but his charity and pity are not as binding as desire. He never offers other characters the support of his vanity and they are always stumbling around him." I see how this can be seen as Christ-like for his life expressed no desire except to do the will of his father. The real character of Christ's love was far from naive and innocent. He fully understood the deep antipathy that humanity had towards one another and God. Girard writes of this as the mimetic conflict at the heart of humanity. Where our imitation of the one we seek to imitate reaches a point with the violence of a scapegoat must happen to maintain the order of society. Theologians have characterized Christ's sacrifice as love that carries no expectation. More specifically, that Christ died to satisfy the judgement of God towards humanity. However, Girard, sees something different. He has proposes that Christ did not die to satisfy God's wrath against mankind, but rather to satisfy mankind's wrath towards God. In saying this, Girard is saying that Jesus' death as the scapegoat is a supreme act of a loving God. It only falls to each person to receive that love from which healing and reconciliation are the rewards. I don't want to rewrite Dostoevsky's great story, for it reveals the many dimensions of humanity's conflict with itself. However, for Myshkin to truly be the archetype of Christ, he would have had to die a death that probably would have saved at least one if not all of but each of other three main characters from the fate that they may or may not have justly deserved.
Interesting, thank you.
It seems to me that one might consider Christ's crucifixion more as a gnostic allegory for renunciation, that the human ego constructs as a "great sacrifice". In such a case, Myshkin's downfall gives us little that we might make into a heroic act. Myshkin is so driven by a desire to save, and so unable to consider the consequences of his actions, that he is incapable of symbolic acts.
It is a fascinating book.
A study of him from the perspective of personality disorders would be interesting too.
I recall an excellent study in SciAm some years back. The biographers of various world leaders and highly influential people were asked to complete a modern Psychopathy Index test for them. I seem to remember that Christ scored pretty high on the index!
Ah, here it is... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/would-you-vote-for-a-psychopath/#
https://www.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/4031AB71-D3BC-42C6-89C9620051ECF45A_source.jpg
Is it possible that the hero of the story is not in the characters , rather it is in the epileptic seizure ? The need for total honesty and electrical disconnect , the epileptic is unable to control themselves , and inside of this crazy story , everyone has their moment of spastic fits of all kinds ... proving that "love" lays outside of reason ? There are two plays , one by David Penhallow Scott "Matilda's Waltz" and Robert Rechnitz " Lives of Passion " both of these plays had characters that were not people , the protagonist was an energy , " god " - The one was the knitting bag of the old hawaiian lady , and the other was the aprhodite , goddess of passion , but in this story , the Idiot , I would suggest that the protagonist is the epileptic seizure that creates irrational love , jealousy , knifing , even the desire to save someone from drowing , and thus sinking your own self . Even the severe truth telling , is a form of epileptic honesty , that loosens up the colors on the palette and forms new dynamics . The title , "The Idiot " sets everyone back into their genesis , where they started from - I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the story , I may look into Dostoevsky if it lands in my hands .
Epilepsy is one of those conditions that certainly looks like it should validate Reich's notion of armouring and orgone. But I think some admitted a while ago that this likely isn't the case. Myshkin is likely inadequately rigid really.
I think that epilepsy in the brain , is like parkinsons of the body , and possibly "love" of our spirit . I think that the shaking that happens in Parkinsons is when the body is stilled , the energy that runs through us just vibrates , and I think that in the brain , if the electrical signals are for whatever reason not ordered , they display as spastic signalling .
Likewise , is love rational ? TO care about another that we are not actually bodily connected to ? It is actually a very destructive force , if you think about it . At least it has been in my life . Maybe we should all tremble on purpose , take LSD and trip our brain function , and love something with our whole heart that is totally disconnected from our reality , like furniture from the late 1800's , just to train the system to be able to handle
the epileptic seizure that arrives unbidden , from time to time !
Sometimes , when I write a song , a year later I hear the song and I listen to the song and I learn something NEW from the song that I actually compiled . Not sure how that happens . This thought , about love being an epileptic seizure , something in which we totally lose control , actually fits in with the idea of the need to breath forth into the expanding universe so as to maintain growth and eliminate stagnancy . I may experiment with this idea a little , thank you again for bringing up this wonderful tale from Dostoevsky , and for writing such an excellent condensation of the plot .