Crazy dramatic scenes in Dostoyevsky

Amazingly, Part 1 of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot," 175 action- and character-filled pages, all takes place during a single day: from Prince Myshkin's arrival in Petersburg, his visit to the Epanchins where he is taken in as a possible relative, his getting lodgings with Ganka, his many encounters with the family and tenant in the lodging house, his evening visit to the party at Nastaysya's where she is "courted" by several men, including G. and R., both of whom want to marry her, as well as General Epanchin, flirtatious, and T., contemptuously - and ultimately,Myshkin himself, who proposes to N., whom he has just met that day. An incredible Russian day culminating in an absolutely insane gathering at Nastasya's where emotions are played out and the highest and most extreme pitch: Nastasya abases herself in front of all of her company, tells them all she's just a courtesan (a whore, more accurately), encourages a bidding war from her hand in marriage - refuses G., following the advice of Prince M., who knows G. despises her and who can never do anything but say exactly what's on his mind - then the Prince proposes to her, and she accepts, think she will live in poverty with him and then - amazingly, he reveals that he is about to inherit millions - and then she turns him down, says she'll go off drinking with R., and refuses a large wad of cash that R. has brought to "buy" her - and insists on throwing the cash - 100,000 rubles! - into the fireplace. Everyone watches in horror, but a last she pulls the wad, only singed, from the flames. People talk about the dramatic intensity of Dostoyevsky's writing, and there are few examples as powerful as the evening at Nastasya's that ends the first (of 4) parts of The Idiot: many will find his style disturbing, and at times challenging, only in part because of the difficult (to English-language readers) Russian names, but also to the careening of emotions, which Pevear and Volokhonsky very well capture in their great translation. If you want more placid writing - there are many other great Russian writers - although even Tolstoy couldn't resist a dramatic and self-destructive party scene (with Pierre, in War and Peace). We read Chekhov, Turgenev, Tolstoy for a way in and we read Dostoyevsky to be knocked out.