BOOK REVIEW, DEMONS (AKA THE POSSESSED, THE DEVILS), A NOVEL BY DOSTOEVSKY

Hello dear blogs visitors and fellow bloggers! Today I'll review Demons, a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Originally published in 1871-1872 in a Russian magazine, Demons is considered one of four Dostoevsky's masterpieces. In English, this novel is also known under the titles The Possessed or The Devils.   I'm very happy to finally be reviewing this complex and interesting novel. I have read it quite recently, so it is very fresh in my mind. I've read most of this book (3/4) on my cellphone. I had downloaded it from  project Gutenberg, a site that provides free books (mostly classics) a long time ago and found it recently. On Gutenberg, The Possessed edition is available in different forms. However, since this book is quite long, I decided to rest my eyes from the screen. I've read the remaining chapters from a physical copy of the book (that I borrowed from the library).

 A few words about my Pink October outfit and then we'll get to the book review. I'm wearing an all pink outfit  (a bright pink dress and a pair of pastel pink heels) in honour of Pink October, a movement that strives to raise awareness about breast cancer in various ways (for example by wearing pink infused outfits). If you want to help raise awareness about the breast cancer, you can add some pink to your outfits this October and share it. Don't forget to do a mammography and self-examine ladies! Early diagnosis is so important. Scroll down to read my review for Demons.

DOSTOEVSKY- A WRITER THAT EXAMINED AND EXPLORED HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY

Dostoevsky (sometimes transliterated as Dostoyevsky) is one of best known Russian writers of the nineteenth century. I've read an awful lot of Dostoevsky over the years. In fact,  I read all four of his best known novels (the big four as I like to call them): Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and Demons. Crime and Punishment is mandatory reading in Croatian high schools (as are many other great classics).  This book was my introduction to Dostoevsky. Like every adolescent I have known, I have fallen head over heels with it. Surprisingly, it took me a while to move onto his next novel. I read Brothers Karamazov when I was at the University (mandatory reading it was, but I enjoyed it all the same). If I recall well, I read The Idiot last year. I also read Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground about a decade ago and some other works as well. So, you could say that I'm familiar with this author and his writing style. 

DEMONS, A NOVEL BY FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY, 4.8/5 

This is perhaps the most difficult, grim, violent and tragic work by Dostoevsky that I have read so far (and I read a lot). I was impressed with this novel in a number of ways and I can sum it up in five points. Firstly, it is the kind of book that makes you think, abundant in moral arguments, logical paradoxes and verbal fights. Secondly, the plot is very engaging and runs smoothly. Thirdly, the psychological study of its characters is extremely well done. Fourthly, the philosophical aspect of the book is quite engaging. Finally, the social, ideological and political satire is brilliant. That all being said, this was not an easy read. I needed to do some research and reading to be able to understand many of its political and ideological references. I'm still not sure I understand them all, but I think I managed to get a good grasp on things. Not that you need to dive into Russian history  of the 19th century to be able to read this book, but it helps if you are familiar with political climate of the time. Some aspects of this novel cannot be fully understand without knowing at least basic facts about the revolutions and ideologies of the time, such as  the arrival of nihilism, atheism and socialism. 

A DISTURBED AND VIOLENT NOVEL THAT WAS BASED ON REAL LIFE EVENTS

 When I say that this novel is tragic, I mean it. This book is filled with violence, abuse, madness and unrest, both physical and verbal. There are quite graphic descriptions of suicides and murders. What is more, there is a lot of physical, psychological and verbal abuse and violence. One chapter (originally censored) focuses on an abuse of a child and it is absolutely sickening to read.  The presence of murders and suicides definitely makes it a dark read. There's a definite note of tragedy to Demons, at times so pronounced it made me think of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The blood is dripping from the pages of this novel, but it is never violence for violence's sake. There's a reason for all of it. Demons is in some ways an allegory and a warming against a violent revolution. In his youth, Dostoevsky was a rebel. In his older and perhaps wiser years, Dostoevsky realized the danger that lies in violent revolutions and ideologies. Quite possibly, Demons is a book that Dostoevsky wrote  to warn of the dangers of violent revolutionary movements and the sociopaths that are drown to the violence and power present in these movements. The violence in this novel is out there in the open, but it reflects reality. Indeed, this novel was based on real life events and murders. Dostoevsky, like much of the Russian public of the time, followed these public trials for political murders. The writer then went on to write this novel and infused it with his own signature style- a philosophical study of its characters. That is how this unique novel came to be- a a book that is wonderfully philosophical and satirically political at the same time. 

WHY DEMONS IS  (FOR ME PERSONALLY ) THE MOST TRAGIC OF ALL DOSTOEVSKY'S NOVELS? 

If Demons can be compared to a tragedy, it is still very much a novel. If you can imagine a tragedy taking the form of a philosophical novel set in nineteenth century Russia and written by Dostoevsky, then you can imagine this novel. Reflecting a turbulent era in European history, Demons is one of the darkest and grimmest novels I have ever read. Even if there is a bit of humour in it, it mostly takes the form of irony, cynicism and satire. There are almost no positive personalities in this novel. Those characters that could be described as positive (or at least well meaning) are often mentally ill or passive and unable to help neither themselves nor others. Demons is, in this sense, different from other Dostoevsky's novels. Crime and Punishment has its dark and pessimistic moments and so does the novel Brother Karamazov, but this novel tops them both in terms of tragedy. The Idiot is quite tragic in many ways and distinctly cruel towards some of its characters but still there is hope in it. In contrast, Demons shows no mercy to any of its characters. This novel  tops all of Dostoevsky's works with its grimness, pessimism and tragedy. I think it's no spoiler to say that Dostoevsky's novels don't end up with- they lived happily every after. You do expect certain pessimism, realism and naturalism from any writer belonging to literary movement known as realism. Nevertheless, some of Dostoevsky's work are filled with hope and some of his characters find redemption. Not so much in this one. Demons is a deeply depressive and tragic work.  For most (if not all characters), there is no redemption and no consolation. Unless you count death and afterlife as something positive (and this novel doesn't venture there), there is not much good happening to characters in Demons. What kind of characters are they? A friend of mine said Demons is a novel about sociopaths and psychopaths. There are certainly some characters completely devout of morality in this one. Psychopaths and sociopaths that manipulate other characters and bring ruin to many lives. I think Dostoevsky was right to make such characters a key part of this novel, because times of wars, revolutions and unrest are often attractive to deviant personalities who see them as an opportunity to rise about others. As one sociopath  character (Little finger) from Song of Ice and Fire said, chaos is a ladder. To sociopaths and murders, revolutions and wars are a ladder to the top. In that sense, I think this novel is a good warning about such personalities. Today we would perhaps label Pyotr from Demons as a narcissist or a sociopath. Pyotr is an excellent example of a manipulator type of personality that uses his verbal powers to manipulate others for his personal and political gain. 

WHAT KIND OF BOOK IS IT? IS IT POLITICAL OR PHILOSOPHICAL NOVEL? IS IT A SATIRE OR A TRAGEDY?

Demons is a novel that is sometimes described as political and social satire and sometimes as a human tragedy. Certainly, one can make arguments for it being a political novel. The novel does more than just comment on political movements in Russia of the time, it makes it a part of its plot. As I already explained, this novel can be seen as a political and social allegory. Nevertheless, one can also view this novel as a  philosophical examination of human tragedy. Without a doubt, the fates of its characters are quite tragic. So, I would say this novel is both a political and philosophical work, both an examination of nineteenth century Russian society as it is an examination of individual characters that populate its pages. Demons is a complex novel that is best suited for lovers of classical literature.  I wouldn't recommend it to someone who prefers light reads. Moreover, it is perhaps not the best choice of reading for when you're feeling down as it is quite a depressive read. 

THE FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE THAT FEELS LIKE THIRD PERSON NARRATION AT TIMES

This novel has a narrator and his name is Anton. He is a young civil servant that is part of the dramatic events that take place but isn't one of the major characters in the book. You could say that Anton tries to get to the bottom of things when he sets to write a chronicle of events.  Despite being a minor character, Anton has insight into everything that is going on. This is at times done cleverly and at times it feels a bit stretched, but the plot is so well written that you won't notice it. At times, Anton's narration feels like a third person narration as he strives to be objective. Anton is a somewhat reliable narrator, at any rate more reliable than other characters that get to tell their side of things in their monologues and dialogues. There are a lot of dialogues in this novel and some quite long monologues. Some chapters are composed of intense two  or three person dialogues that ultimately turn into long monologues or confessions of some kind. So, you could say that other characters get to speak for themselves. In some chapters, other characters become narrators themselves, either verbally or in written form. This is often well done and serves to make the psychological analysis of characters  more credible. All in all, I would say that the first person narration makes sense. At times, the narration feels like  almost a journalist report of the incidents and I suppose this was to done to make the events seem more credible, perhaps even to recreate the revolutionary events taking place in Russia of that time. 

PART I OF THE NOVEL INTRODUCES ALL THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS BUT THEY OFTEN REMAIN MYSTERIOUS

The novel opens up by introducing the character of Stepan T.V. to us. The introduction is naturally made by Anton, the narrator of this work who is quite fond of Stepen but by no means blind to his flaws.

"IN UNDERTAKING to describe the recent and strange incidents in our town, till lately wrapped in uneventful obscurity, I find myself forced in absence of literary skill to begin my story rather far back, that is to say, with certain biographical details concerning that talented and highly-esteemed gentleman, Stepan Trofimovitch Verhovensky. I trust that these details may at least serve as an introduction, while my projected story itself will come later." (source The Possessed on project Gutenberg)

Stepan T.V. was once an intellectual known for progressive thinking but for the last twenty years he has lived with his noble patroness Varvara Petrovna ( Stepan was a tutor to her son Nikolai). Stepan T.V. and his patroness Varvara Petrovna S. are bound by friendship, but as is hinted initially and showed later in the novel, in the past there were romantic feelings among them, only they didn't act on them. These two have an intense if platonic relationship. Stepan's wives died, his only son was raised away from him and he decided not to marry. His life seems to be dominated by Varvara Petrovna S., a strong minded and independent woman. Divorced early on in her life, Varvara Petrovna S. has a somewhat domineering personality even if she has a got a kind heart. The only person Varvava Petrovna seems to fear is her problematic son Nikolai. This young man is somewhat of an enigma. Despite loving her son passionately, Varvara Petrovna seems to be aware that something is wrong with him and fears for his future. With all the other characters in the novel, Varvara Petrovna seems to take the lead. Varvara Petrovna S. takes care of Stepan's financial affairs and often  provides emotional and moral support to him.  Often these two made me think of an old married couple, especially when it comes to their quarreling. They are both quite fascinating characters. Stepen Trofimovitch is a character that lives in the past, unable to understand the modern times of find his place in it. In many ways he is at fault, but he is not a bad man. Quite on the contrary, Stepan T. is educated, intelligent, high-minded and kind person. However, he unintentionally contributes to development of nihilism. Moreover, Stepan has a bad influence on both Nikolai (by exposing him in youth to his unbalanced emotional states) and on his sin Pyotr Stepanovic (whom he has ignored for many years).  Stepan T. is said to be modelled on liberal Russian intellectuals of the 1840ties. Indeed, the novel begins with a description of Stepan's  early life and career. The tone that Dostoevsky adapts (through the character narrator Anton) is both ironical and affectionate. Even if Dostoevsky makes fun of Stepan Trofimovitch often, it is clear he has some affection for this naive and idealistic character. 

"I will say at once that Stepan Trofimovitch had always filled a particular rôle among us, that of the progressive patriot, so to say, and he was passionately fond of playing the part—so much so that I really believe he could not have existed without it. Not that I would put him on a level with an actor at a theatre, God forbid, for I really have a respect for him. This may all have been the effect of habit, or rather, more exactly of a generous propensity he had from his earliest years for indulging in an agreeable day-dream in which he figured as a picturesque public character. He fondly loved, for instance, his position as a “persecuted” man and, so to speak, an “exile.” There is a sort of traditional glamour about those two little words that fascinated him once for all and, exalting him gradually in his own opinion, raised him in the course of years to a lofty pedestal very gratifying to vanity. In an English satire of the last century, Gulliver, returning from the land of the Lilliputians where the people were only three or four inches high, had grown so accustomed to consider himself a giant among them, that as he walked along the streets of London he could not help crying out to carriages and passers-by to be careful and get out of his way for fear he should crush them, imagining that they were little and he was still a giant. He was laughed at and abused for it, and rough coachmen even lashed at the giant with their whips. But was that just? What may not be done by habit? Habit had brought Stepan Trofimovitch almost to the same position, but in a more innocent and inoffensive form, if one may use such expressions, for he was a most excellent man."

After introducing us to the character of Stepan T., the narrator then explains how Stepan T.and Varvara Petrovna became friends and how he came to live with her and depend on her. And if the whole truth is to be told the real cause of the change in his career was the very delicate proposition which had been made before and was then renewed by Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin, a lady of great wealth, the wife of a lieutenant-general, that he should undertake the education and the whole intellectual development of her only son in the capacity of a superior sort of teacher and friend, to say nothing of a magnificent salary. This proposal had been made to him the first time in Berlin, at the moment when he was first left a widower. His first wife was a frivolous girl from our province, whom he married in his early and unthinking youth, and apparently he had had a great deal of trouble with this young person, charming as she was, owing to the lack of means for her support; and also from other, more delicate, reasons. She died in Paris after three years’ separation from him, leaving him a son of five years old; “the fruit of our first, joyous, and unclouded love,” were the words the sorrowing father once let fall in my presence.

The narrator then focuses on personality on Varvara Petrovna and her son Nikolai V.S. - "THERE WAS ANOTHER being in the world to whom Varvara Petrovna was as much attached as she was to Stepan Trofimovitch, her only son, Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch Stavrogin. It was to undertake his education that Stepan Trofimovitch had been engaged. The boy was at that time eight years old, and his frivolous father, General Stavrogin, was already living apart from Varvara Petrovna, so that the child grew up entirely in his mother’s care. To do Stepan Trofimovitch justice, he knew how to win his pupil’s heart. The whole secret of this lay in the fact that he was a child himself. I was not there in those days, and he continually felt the want of a real friend. He did not hesitate to make a friend of this little creature as soon as he had grown a little older. It somehow came to pass quite naturally that there seemed to be no discrepancy of age between them. More than once he awaked his ten- or eleven-year-old friend at night, simply to pour out his wounded feelings and weep before him, or to tell him some family secret, without realising that this was an outrageous proceeding. They threw themselves into each other’s arms and wept. The boy knew that his mother loved him very much, but I doubt whether he cared much for her. She talked little to him and did not often interfere with him, but he was always morbidly conscious of her intent, searching eyes fixed upon him. Yet the mother confided his whole instruction and moral education to Stepan Trofimovitch. At that time her faith in him was unshaken. One can’t help believing that the tutor had rather a bad influence on his pupil’s nerves. When at sixteen he was taken to a lyceum he was fragile-looking and pale, strangely quiet and dreamy. "

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE PLOT IN PART ONE OF THE NOVEL

The plot really develops with the return of two sons: Varvava Petrovna's son Nikolai and Stepan's son Pyotr. These two youths play important part in this novel. After the introduction of Varvava and Stepen's characters, we learn that Varvara Petrovna is troubled with her son Nikolai and his supposed relationship with a beautiful Liza Tushina, a daughter of her friend. Nikolai's troubled past is described. He was taken abroad on account of mental problems after he assaulted several men in the area. He was forgiven by the general public and brain fever was given as a credible explanation confirmed by three doctors. However, the public has not forgotten and neither has Varvara Petrovna.  Liza's mother implies that Nikolai was in some kind of inappropriate relationship with Varvara Petrovna's young protege (former serf of theirs) Darya 'Dasha'. There are strange rumors about Nikolai and mentions of anonymous letters.  

In church, Varvara Petrovna encounters a young mentally ill woman who wants to accompany her home. Being a kind Christian soul, Varvara Petrovna takes her in her carriage but is worried when she noticed that the young woman is lame. Why this worried her will be explained later. Once they arrive to Varvara's home, her son Nikolai follows soon enough. His mother asked him whether it is true that the lame woman is his wife. Supposedly this is what rumors and anonymous letters were about. Nikolai doesn't answer his mother right away, but assures the young woman he is not her husband but only a friend and proceeds to take her home. Stepen's son Pyotr then arrives and explains everything to everyone, painting Nikolai a hero who has taken on himself the care of the mentally ill women. Thus the story begins. 

I will not reveal more in terms of the plot, but I will say that a number of important characters then becomes a part of the story, such as Dasha's brother and some other young and old men. I would love to discuss them all, but I don't know how I can do that without including spoilers, so I'll just say there is a revolutionary group of young men that plays an important part in the plot. Moreover, you get deeper insight into psychology of the characters as the novel progresses in a manner you can expect from Dostoevsky. 

IS DEMONS STILL A RELEVANT BOOK? 

There are many philosophical passages in this novel and political questions that remain relevant. Moreover, spirituality is one of central topics in this book. Dostoevsky admired of being tormented by the question whether God exists and so are many of his characters. They often feel conflict between their beliefs and feelings. I think it is something we can all relate to. In many ways, Demons remains a relevant work.  This novel is an intelligent and inspired piece of writing that has proved to be uncannily true in this predictions. You might even go so far as call Demons prophetic. It certainly predicted the violent revolutions and the rise of socialism in Russia. Certainly, this is a book that has a lot to offer to its reader. 

A NOVEL IN THREE PARTS ( * the list of chapters copied from project Gutenberg)

I only commented on the first part of the book (to avoid spoilers) and even then only the beginning, but here is a list of all chapters if you want to have a look at them. Basically the first part of the novel is full of hints and foreshadowing but it is hard to predict what anyone would do. In that sense, the plot is very dynamic and interesting. The second part of the novel reveals more about the characters and the plot, but it lets them keep some ambiguity. It's the kind of book that keep a reader on his toes. Towards the end of the second part, the reader gets a more clear view of what is going on and can predict certain events. The third part of the novel is the most depressing one and the book assumes a quite tragic tone. Let me just say there are no happy endings here!

PART I.
CHAPTER I.	INTRODUCTORY
CHAPTER II.	PRINCE HARRY. MATCHMAKING
CHAPTER III.	THE SINS OF OTHERS
CHAPTER IV.	THE CRIPPLE
CHAPTER V.	THE SUBTLE SERPENT
PART II.
CHAPTER I.	NIGHT
CHAPTER II.	NIGHT (continued)
CHAPTER III.	THE DUEL
CHAPTER IV.	ALL IN EXPECTATION
CHAPTER V.	ON THE EVE OF THE FETE
CHAPTER VI.	PYOTR STEPANOVITCH IS BUSY
CHAPTER VII.	A MEETING
CHAPTER VIII.	IVAN THE TSAREVITCH
CHAPTER IX.	A RAID AT STEPAN TROFIMOVITCH’S
CHAPTER X.	FILIBUSTERS. A FATAL MORNING
PART III.
CHAPTER I.	THE FETE—FIRST PART
CHAPTER II.	THE END OF THE FETE
CHAPTER III.	A ROMANCE ENDED
CHAPTER IV.	THE LAST RESOLUTION
CHAPTER V.	A WANDERER
CHAPTER VI.	A BUSY NIGHT
CHAPTER VII.	STEPAN TROFIMOVITCH’S LAST WANDERING
CHAPTER VIII.	CONCLUSION*

MY CONCLUSION

Demons is depressing and grim albeit educating and interesting. This novel is not for the faint of heart and contains graphic descriptions of violence, abuse and murder.  Recommended primarily to lovers and readers of Dostoevsky, Russian realism and serious literature. 

That would be all for today. Thank you for visiting. Take care!