Demons: A Novel in Three Parts
Courier Dover Publications · 2017 · English · EPUB
<p>A pair of self-styled revolutionaries and their followers plot to overthrow the Tsar and seize control of the government in Dostoyevsky's compelling tale of ideology and murder in 19th-century Russia. Based on a real-life political assassination, the story unfolds in a fictional town in which Stavrogin, a power-hungry cynic, and Pyotr, a radical willing to go to any lengths for his ideals, take charge of a crew of anarchists, nihilists, and other politically minded outsiders. When one of the conspirators faces exposure, the gang's response results in a shocking orgy of bloodshed. Written in 1872, Dostoyevsky's cautionary tale explores the destructive forces of demagoguery and unbridled rhetoric. The novel examines how breakdowns in civil behavior beget violence and chaos, leading ordinary people to commit extraordinary crimes. Fascinating for its character portraits and for its truths about people as political animals, Demons remains highly relevant for modern readers.</p> <p>Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horried Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of Demons as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia.</p> SUMMARY: (Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) The award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky continue their acclaimed series of Dostoevsky translations with this novel, also known as "The Possessed," Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horrified Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of "Demons" as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia-a novel that is rivaled only by "The Brothers Karamazov" as Dostoevsky's greatest. <p>This carefully crafted ebook: "Demons (The Possessed / The Devils) - The Unabridged Garnett Translation" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Demons is an 1872 novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Though titled The Possessed in the initial English translation, Dostoyevsky scholars and later translations favour the titles The Devils or Demons. An extremely political book, Demons is a testimonial of life in Imperial Russia in the late 19th century. As the revolutionary democrats begin to rise in Russia, different ideologies begin to collide. Dostoyevsky casts a critical eye on both the liberal idealists, portraying their ideas and ideological foundation as demonic, and the conservative establishment's ineptitude in dealing with those ideas and their social consequences. The entire novel takes place in a small town outside of Petersberg and is narrated by a man named Mr. Govorov. Mr. Govorov does not witness every conversation first hand, but nonetheless the narrator describes the story as if he partook in every situation or as a chronicler, who had the events described to him. We know very little of Mr. Govorov, except that he is a close friend of Stephan Trofimovich. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky ( 1821 – 1881) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and philosopher. Dostoyevsky's literary works explore human psychology in the context of the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmosphere of 19th-century Russia. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest and most prominent psychologists in world literature.</p> SUMMARY: (Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) The award-winning translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky continue their acclaimed series of Dostoevsky translations with this novel, also known as "The Possessed," Inspired by the true story of a political murder that horrified Russians in 1869, Fyodor Dostoevsky conceived of "Demons" as a "novel-pamphlet" in which he would say everything about the plague of materialist ideology that he saw infecting his native land. What emerged was a prophetic and ferociously funny masterpiece of ideology and murder in pre-revolutionary Russia-a novel that is rivaled only by "The Brothers Karamazov" as Dostoevsky's greatest.
FictionLiteraryClassicsHistorical+4