Teachers and parents! Shatov, once a socialist member of Peter's group and now a reactionary, wishes to leave the group, though Peter will not let him leave. This is a lie, of course, though the group believes that Shatov is an informant and agrees to go forward with the murder. Just as Matthew predicted, Robin returns to Nora in the end. These two, Pyotr Verkhovensky and Nikolai Stavrogin, embody the two sides of Dostoevski’s political anger, his hatred of the Russian revolutionary left, and his violent distrust of the Russian aristocracy. It can only annihilate everything, including itself. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Instant downloads of all 1364 LitChart PDFs In addition to his key role in this novel, Stavrogin is a foreshadowing of characters to appear in Dostoevski’s last novel, The Brothers Karamazov. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Possessed. Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Stavrogin and the revolutionaries disrupt a provincial town with a series of spectacular scandals, but, in the end, Stavrogin finds that he is beyond caring about even the most wildly destructive of the radicals’ plans. When Robin was first with Nora, she begged for a home; with Jenny, Robin begs for the opposite. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The novel follows the story of two families, the Stavrogins and the Verkhovenskys and the circle of people that revolve around these two families. Summary and reviews of The Possessed by Elif Batuman, plus links to a book excerpt from The Possessed and author biography of Elif Batuman. (Masterpieces of World Literature, Critical Edition). eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of The Possessed. Complete summary of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Possessed. The book, also known in English as The Devils and The Demons, is a reflection of Dostoyevsky’s belief that revolutionists possessed the soul of Russia and that, unless exorcised by a renewed faith in Orthodox Struggling with distance learning? Need help with The Possessed in Djuna Barnes's Nightwood? Through him, Dostoevski pictures the consequences of atheism, especially those destructive consequences particularly suffered by the strong and intelligent. She sees Jenny as a temporary respite, a place to rest before she inevitably leaves in search of her home. Stepan Verkhovensky, an intellectual, liberal, and ex-professor tutors Mrs. Stavrogin's son, Nicholas and keeps a small circle of political radicals. Their plan works well and during the fete some of their members set fire to the poorer side of town, causing a tremendous inferno. During the 1860’s, the radical fringe of the Russian intelligentsia attempted to implant the ideology known as “nihilism” into the general revolutionary fervor caused by the recent abolition of serfdom. 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 … The Possessed Summary & Study Guide Fyodor Dostoevsky This Study Guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Possessed. Unlock This Study Guide Now. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn more. Peter also uses one of his agents to murder Nicholas' secret wife and to arrange an illicit liaison between Nicholas and Lisa. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Possessed” by Elif Batuman. The Possessed by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Got it! The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Possessed study guide and get instant access to the following:. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. It tells the story of a small cell of nihilist terrorists that cause chaos and commit several murders in a provincial Russian town. After the murder, Peter leaves the town and the rest of the conspirators are arrested and confess. The thing that Robin is renouncing here is her former life—she intends to give up wandering and let go of her past in order to move forward, although she’s still not sure how to do that. Other young men associated with Nicholas who have become involved in radical politics are Shatov and Kirilov. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. LitCharts Teacher Editions. That, then, means indifference, tedium, and ultimate self-annihilation. © 2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. In his confession, Stavrogin reveals the obsession with which all amoral individuals are possessed, the need to punish themselves. The son of a faded provincial liberal, Verkhovensky arrives in his family’s town with grandiose... Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Possessed study guide and get instant access to the following: You'll also get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and 300,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Peter claims that Shatov is an informant and convinces his cell that if they do not kill Shatov he will turn them all into the police. The Possessed Summary. Summary 2 In the 14 th chapter, "The possessed", the author presents to us a case of severe and rare form of Tourette's Syndrome (TS). Who are the four young women in The Possessed that are romantically involved with Stavrogin that... Stavrogin secretly marries Marya Timofyevna Lebyadkin, a cripple with a weak mind who becomes the victim of Stavrogin's determination to show his disdain for social conventions. Such persons begin in a vague moral drift, progress to a reliance on individual goals, develop from this a self-centeredness, and eventually come to a cosmic self-indulgence that forever separates the individual from moorings of universal truth, the only kind of truth that would bring meaning and significance to life. Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, meaning “nothing”) was concerned more with destroying societal forms and traditions than with establishing something positive. He supposedly works with the socialist Internationale and has been developing radical terrorist cells of five in many cities in Russia and throughout Europe. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. The Possessed Summary. He joins with the revolutionaries, those possessed with fanatical ideas, a possession compared by Dostoevski to the devils that drive the swine over the cliff in the New Testament. She is Captain... eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. They plan to foment dissent and incite violence from the local factory workers and to undermine the authority of local opinion leaders. While attempting to see the dead body of Nicholas's wife, Lisa is murdered by an angry mob of townsfolk. The Possessed is the most topical of Dostoevski’s novels and stories. Beyond the embodiment of individual, spiritual masochism, Stavrogin represents the social masochism of nihilism. To this end, Peter convinces Mrs. Lembke, the provincial governor's wife, to throw a fete where he and his friends can mock the cultural elite and incite the population. The destructive anger of this group had been the topic of several novels already published, the most important of which was Ivan Turgenev’s Ottsy i deti (1862; Fathers and Sons, 1867). Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Although she didn’t show it, Robin’s split with Nora was traumatizing. Kirilov is a friend of Shatov's who accompanied Shatov on a trip to America before he also rejected socialism in favor of a strange philosophy that glorifies suicide. He has no spiritual center and can in the blink of an eye annihilate in his mind his interest in nihilism. The Possessed, novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published in Russian in 1872 as Besy. The Possessed is a novel that dramatizes the cultural and political troubles of Russia in the mid-19th century. Meanwhile, Peter has been manipulating his cell to plot the murder of Shatov who insulted Peter in the past. The novel closes with Stepan converting to Christianity before dying of illness and Nicholas Stavrogin returning home only to hang himself. (including. This Study Guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - That, then, is the basic flaw in the revolutionaries’ doctrine: Its indifference to positive values is the seed of its own destruction. Peter has recruited members of his father's discussion circle and other radicals as well as local criminals to participate in his cell. Peter's group is successful in murdering Shatov and in convincing Kirilov to commit suicide. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Chapter 1, By Way of an Introduction and Chapter 2, Prince Harry, Marriage Proposal, Part I, Chapter 3, Another Man's Sins and Chapter 4, The Cripple, Part II, Chapter 1, Night and Chapter 2, Night Continued, Part II, Chapter 3, The Duel and Chapter 4, All Agog, Part II, Chapter 5, Before the Fête and Chapter 6, Peter Verkhovensky is Busy, Part II, Chapter 7, At Virginsky's and Chapter 8, Ivan the Crown-Prince, Part II, Chapter 9, Stepan Verkhovensky is Raided and Chapter 10, Filibusters, A Fateful Morning, Part III, Chapter 1, The Fête, Part One and Chapter 2, The End of The Fête, Part III, Chapter 3, The End of a Love Affair and Chapter 4, The Last Decision, Part III, Chapter 5, The Globe Trotter and Chapter 6, A Very Busy Night, Part III, Chapter 7, Stepan Verkhovensky's Last Pilgrimage and Chapter 8, Conclusion. Pyotr Verkhovensky might be seen as the sadistic complement to Stavrogin’s masochism. Peter, while ingratiating himself with the local governor's wife, plots political revolution in the town. He had considered shooting himself but decides instead to marry a completely unsuitable woman as a way of making his suffering last longer. help you understand the book. The Possessed Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on In The Possessed, this character is obviously another version of Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment), but whereas Raskolnikov is a weak man without values and direction, Stavrogin has a strong character but is still without values and goals. Since being back in America, Robin has gone through a process of renunciation, but the process doesn’t finish until the final scene when Robin acts like a dog. The Possessed, therefore, is both an attack on nihilism, with sharp caricatures of contemporary revolutionaries, and an attempt to create the great antinihilist novel. Dostoevski’s most important innovation to the antinihilist novel is the structural device of having two chief characters. One of these men is Peter Verkhovensky, the estranged son of Stepan who has become involved in radical politics. Kirilov believing that suicide is the most supremely perfect act a human can perform is convinced by Peter to kill himself and take the blame for the Shatov murder. Nihilism cannot believe in anything, especially itself. Tourette's Syndrome is a neurological disorder and its clinical manifestations are primarily motor and vocal tics, that can be accompanied by cognitive disorder, such as attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
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