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The Idiot · Character

Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin

Ganya's alcoholic, boastful father.

minor

Also known as General Ivolgin, Ivolgin, this General Ivolgin whom she had once known, old General Ivolgin, Ardalion Alexandrovitch Ivolgin, Ardalion Alexandrovitch, the Ivolgin, poor Ardalion Alexandrovitch

First appearance: part i iii

Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin shows up with force in IX. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Enters dressed in evening clothes, embarrasses Gania by boasting and telling a story about a poodle in a railway carriage.
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In IX: Enters dressed in evening clothes, embarrasses Gania by boasting and telling a story about a poodle in a railway carriage. Later, in Chapter XI: Sends a note to the prince via Kolya, likely asking for money;…

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See Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin in part i iii

Character Web

20 connections

A slice of how Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

PSParfyon Semyon…TCTchebarovLPLizaveta Proko…FEFerdyshchenkoKEKellerAAArdalion Alexandrovi…

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Central characters in love triangle
  • Minor and background characters

+15 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

The narrative climax occurs here because Varvara Ardalionovna’s return home in a state of “considerable mental…

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In the story

Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin in part i iii
Who is Ardalion Alexandrovich Ivolgin in The Idiot?