The novel "demons". The novel "Demons Demons the content of the novel

The novel takes place in the provincial town in early autumn. The events are narrated by the chronicler Gv, who is also a participant in the described experiences. His story begins with the story of Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky, an idealist of the forties, and a description of his complex platonic relationship with Varvara Petrovna Stavrogina, a noble provincial lady, whose patronage he enjoys.

Local liberal-minded youth are grouped around Verkhovensky, who has fallen in love with and lives his homeland. There is also a lot of posture, but intelligence and discernment are also enough. He was the educator of many of the heroes of the novel. Formerly handsome, now he is somewhat saggy, flabby, plays cards and does not deny himself champagne.

The arrival of Nikolai Stavrogin, an extraordinary personality, about whom there are many rumors, is expected. He served in the elite guards regiment, fought in a duel, was demoted, curried out. Then it is known that he started drinking, set off into the wildest licentiousness. Having visited his hometown four years ago, he made a lot of trouble, causing general indignation: he dragged the venerable man Gaganov by the nose, bitten painfully on the ear of the then governor, publicly kissed someone else's wife: In the end, everything seemed to be explained by delirium tremens. Having recovered, Stavrogin went abroad.

His mother Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin, a decisive and domineering woman, concerned about her son's attention to her pupil Daria Shatova and interested in his marriage to the daughter of a friend Liza Tushina, decides to marry her ward Stepan Trofimovich to Daria. He, in some horror, although not without enthusiasm, prepares to propose.

In the cathedral, at the mass, Marya Timofeevna Lebyadkina, she is Lamented, suddenly approaches Varvara Petrovna and kisses her hand. An intrigued lady, who recently received an anonymous letter, where it was reported that a lame woman would play a serious role in her fate, invites her to her place, and Liza Tushina is also traveling with them. The agitated Stepan Trofimovich is already waiting there, since it is on this day that his matchmaking to Daria is scheduled. Soon, Captain Lebyadkin, who arrived for his sister, also appeared here, in whose foggy speeches, interspersed with verses of his own composition, a certain terrible secret was mentioned and hinted at some of his special rights.

They suddenly announce the arrival of Nikolai Stavrogin, who was expected only a month later. First, the fussy Pyotr Verkhovensky appears, and behind him is the pale and romantic handsome Stavrogin himself. Varvara Petrovna immediately asks her son a question whether Marya Timofeevna is his legal wife. Stavrogin silently kisses his mother's hand, then nobly takes Lebyadkin's arm and takes her out. In his absence, Verkhovensky tells a beautiful story about how Stavrogin instilled a beautiful dream in a downtrodden holy fool, so that she even imagined him as her fiancé. He immediately asks Lebyadkin sternly if this is true, and the captain, trembling with fear, confirms everything.

Varvara Petrovna is delighted and, when her son appears again, asks for his forgiveness. However, the unexpected happens: Shatov suddenly comes up to Stavrogin and slaps him in the face. Fearless Stavrogin in anger grabs him, but then suddenly takes his hands behind his back. As it turns out later, this is another evidence of his enormous strength, another test. Shatov leaves without hindrance. Liza Tushina, clearly not indifferent to, as they call Stavrogin, faints.

Eight days pass. Stavrogin does not accept anyone, and when his seclusion ends, Pyotr Verkhovensky immediately slips into him. He expresses his readiness to do anything for Stavrogin and informs about a secret society, at the meeting of which they should appear together. Soon after his visit, Stavrogin goes to the engineer Kirillov. The engineer, for whom Stavrogin means a lot, says that he still professes his idea. Its essence is the need to get rid of God, who is nothing but; , and express self-will, killing himself and thus becoming a man-god.

Then Stavrogin goes up to Shato-vu, who lives in the same house, to whom he informs that he indeed officially married Lebyadkina some time ago in St. Petersburg, and also that he intends to publicly announce this in the near future. He generously warns Shatov that they are going to kill him. Shatov, on whom Stavrogin previously had a huge influence, reveals to him his new idea of the God-bearing people, which the Russian people consider, advises him to abandon wealth and achieve God by peasant labor. True, to a counter question whether he himself believes in God, Shatov somewhat uncertainly answers that he believes in Orthodoxy, in Russia, that he will believe in God.

That same night, Stavrogin goes to Lebyadkin and on the way meets the fugitive Fedka Convict, sent to him by Peter Verkhovensky. He expresses his readiness to fulfill any will of the master for a fee, but Stavrogin drives him away. He informs Lebyadkin that he is going to announce his marriage to Marya Timofeevna, whom he married<:>... Marya Timofeevna meets Stavrogin with a story about an ominous dream. He asks her if she is ready to go with him to Switzerland and there to live the rest of her life in solitude. The indignant Chromonozhka shouts that Stavrogin is not a prince, that her prince, a clear falcon, has been replaced, and he is an impostor, he has a knife in his pocket. Accompanied by her screeching and laughter, the enraged Stavrogin retreats. On the way back, he throws money to Fedka Convict.

The next day, a duel between Stavrogin and a local nobleman Artemy Gaganov takes place, who summoned him for insulting his father. Gaganov, seething with anger, shoots three times and misses. Stavrogin, however, declares that he does not want to kill anyone else, and demonstratively shoots three times in the air. This story strongly raises Stavrogin in the eyes of society.

Meanwhile, frivolous moods and a propensity for all sorts of blasphemous amusements were outlined in the city: mockery of newlyweds, desecration of an icon, etc. , the workers of the closed factory of the Shpigulins show discontent, a certain second lieutenant, unable to bear the reprimand of the commander, rushes at him and bites him on the shoulder, and before that they cut two images and lit church candles in front of the works of Focht, Moleschott and Buchner: In this atmosphere, a holiday is being prepared for a subscription in favor of the governesses, started by the governor's wife Yulia Mikhailovna.

Varvara Petrovna, offended by Stepan Trofimovich's too obvious desire to marry and by his too frank letters to his son Peter with complaints that, they say, they want to marry him, appoints him a pension, but at the same time announces the breakup.

The younger Verkhovensky at this time develops a vigorous activity. He was admitted to the governor's house and enjoys the patronage of his wife, Yulia Mikhailovna. She believes that he is associated with the revolutionary movement, and dreams of uncovering a state conspiracy with his help. On a meeting with Governor von Lembke, who is extremely concerned about what is happening, Verhovensky skillfully gives him several names, in particular Shatov and Kirillov, but at the same time asks him for six days to reveal the entire organization. Then he runs to Kirillov and Shatov, notifying them of the meeting and asking them to be, after which he goes to fetch Stavrogin, who has just been visited by Mavriky Nikolaevich, Liza Tushina's fiancé, with a proposal that Nikolai Vsevolodovich marry her, because although she hates him but at the same time loves. Stavrogin confesses to him that he cannot do this in any way, since he is already married. Together with Verkhovensky, they go to a secret meeting.

The gloomy Shigalev speaks at the meeting with his program. Its essence is in the division of humanity into two unequal parts, of which one-tenth receives freedom and unlimited right over the other nine-tenths, turned into a herd. Then Verkhovensky offers a provocative question whether the participants in the meeting would have reported if they learned about the impending political assassination. Shatov suddenly rises and, calling Verkhovensky a scoundrel and a spy, leaves the meeting. This is what Pyotr Stepanovich needs, who has already mapped out Shatov as a sacrifice in order to seal the formed revolutionary group with blood. Verkhovensky tied in with Stavrogin, who came out with Kirillov, and in a fever devotes them to his crazy plans. His goal is to start up a big confusion. Then he will be needed, Stavrogin. Handsome and aristocrat. Ivan Tsarevich.

Events are snowballing. Stepan Trofimovich - officials come and take the papers. Workers from the Shpigulin factory send petitioners to the governor, which causes von Lembke to feel angry and is presented as almost a riot. Stepan Trofimovich also falls under the hot hand of the mayor. Immediately after this, in the governor's house, Stavrogin's announcement that Lebyadkina is his wife, which introduces confusion into the minds, also occurs.

The long-awaited holiday day is coming. The highlight of the first part is the reading by the famous writer Karmazinov of his farewell essay, and then Stepan Trofimovich's accusatory speech. He passionately defends against the nihilists Raphael and Shakespeare. He is booed, and he, cursing everyone, proudly leaves the stage. It becomes known that Liza Tushina in broad daylight suddenly moved out of her carriage, leaving Mavriky Nikolaevich there, into Stavrogin's carriage and drove off to his estate Skvoreshniki. The nail of the second part of the holiday is an ugly caricatured allegorical performance. The governor and his wife are beside themselves with indignation. It was then that they reported that the District was on fire, allegedly set on fire by the Shpigulins, a little later it became known about the murder of Captain Lebyadkin, his sister and maid.

Russian literature is rich in vivid images, the relevance of the themes of many works is preserved to this day. What are only "", "Fathers and Sons", "". Today we will talk about the famous novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Demons". An abstract will help you find out what the book is about, but you can only understand the author's intention and assess the scale of the work by reading the whole novel.

In contact with

The semantic load of this novel remains relevant now. The turmoil spread by the radical cells of society has found fertile ground, as the author of the novel speaks publicly about.

The basis of the work is built around “ cases of Nechaev", The brutal murder of one of the members of the conspiratorial circle of revolutionaries. Former student Shatov tried to "retire", but fell victim to a radical circle led by Verkhovensky.

Interesting! The book contains, perhaps, a record number of characters who have become prototypes of characters for the novels of Western literature.

We propose to start with the most important moments in Dostoevsky's biography.

A bit of history

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born on November 11, 1821 in the capital of the Russian Empire. The family of Mikhail Andreevich (father) and Maria Fedorovna (mother) consisted of eight children. Mikhail Andreevich acquired several villages (Darovoe and Cheremoshnya), where a large family went for the summer.

There little Fyodor Mikhailovich got acquainted with peasant life, studied Latin under the close supervision of his father. Further education was reduced to classes in French, literature, etc.

For three years (until 1837), the elder brothers Mikhail and Fyodor stayed in the famous Chermak boarding house. Dostoevsky's youth passed within the walls of the Main Engineering School, where Fyodor Mikhailovich entered with his brother. The military order weighed them down, because they saw themselves in the literary field.

In 1833, the author was hired by the St. Petersburg engineering team, but a year later he got dismissal from service... In 1884, the literary attempts of the young writer began. He diligently translates works of foreign authors, publishes incognito in the magazine "Repertoire and Pantheon". May of the following year was marked by the publication of Dostoevsky's first novel, Poor People. Critics' ratings were extremely positive, the writer became a member of several literary circles.

However, the abundance of acquaintances played a cruel joke - a fatal friendship with M.V. Petrashevsky led to exile... Mikhail Fedorovich spent four years in Omsk. A couple of years later he became a private in the Siberian line battalion. Since 1857, the author received a full pardon and the possibility of free printing of his works. In memory of the hard labor, Dostoevsky wrote Notes from the House of the Dead, which made a splash abroad.

In the summer of 1862, a significant event took place - Dostoevsky was allowed to leave for Europe, he chose Baden-Baden as a temporary refuge. Abroad, the creative flowering of the world classics begins. In the period from 1866 to 1880, " great Pentateuch”, Which included“ Crime and Punishment ”,“ Idiot ”,“ Demons ”,“ Teenager ”,“ The Brothers Karamazov ”.

On the morning of January 1881, F.M. Dostoevsky was gone. Cause of death - pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis. The funeral procession stretched for a kilometer to the Tikhvin cemetery, where the writer received his last refuge.

The history of the creation of "Demons"

Fyodor Mikhailovich worked hard on a new novel, which became "a special work that I intend for the Russian Bulletin."

The history of creation is presented in chronological order:

February 1870 - Fyodor Mikhailovich comes up with the idea of a new novel, which is obliged to become “even closer, even more urgent to reality, to directly touch the most important contemporary issue»;
March - Dostoevsky strives to express everything on paper, is actively working. He is tormented by doubts whether the novel will be successful;
May - the writer cannot fit all the intricacies of the plot into 25 sheets;
July - Fyodor Mikhailovich is looking for a publisher for his future novel, insists on the impossibility of corrections;
August - the original idea weighs on the author. The second edition of the work begins;
September - abrupt changes in structure, search for the ideal concept. However, “now everything has been established, for me this the novel "Demons" is too much»;
October - the author sent the fruits of his labors to the editorial office of the publication sounded above. Fyodor Mikhailovich is concerned about the delay in deadlines, complaining about the lack of time for work.

Important! Contemporaries defined the Demons genre as an anti-nihilistic novel, where left-wing ideas, including atheistic worldviews, are viewed from a critical angle.

The structure of the novel "Demons" is divided into three large parts, consisting of a different number of chapters. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky saw something "infernal" in the society of the then Russia, tried to warn of the impending disaster with the help of his pen.

The heroes of the novel illustrate "Decay" of ideals of the then society. A powerful impetus was the "Nechaev case", where student Ivan Ivanov was brutally murdered. The motive for the deprivation of life was the threat of disclosure of the terrorist circle, the strengthening of power over the subordinate radicals.

Shot from the movie "Demons" 2014

The plot of the novel

The son of an old liberal, Pyotr Verkhovensky, arrives in a provincial town in the Russian province. He adheres to an extremely radical worldview, the ideological inspirer of the revolutionary circle. Here he gathers loyal supporters around him: the philosopher Shigalev, the "populist" Tolkachenko, the ideologist of Virginsky. Verkhovensky is trying to win over the landlord's son Nikolai Stavrogin to his side.

"Bloody Nechaev" found a second life in the person of Verkhovensky. He also plots to kill Ivan Shatov, a student who dreams of breaking with the radicals and denouncing the criminals.

Main characters

The heroes of the novel personify the vices or virtues of an entire society:

Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stavrogin is an eccentric figure who is "under the lens" throughout the entire novel. Possesses a mass of asocial qualities, the chapter "At Tikhon's" reveals his connection with a girl of about 14. Although the reliability of this act is questionable, as well as confession of Stavrogin.
Varvara Petrovna Stavrogina is a despotic and domineering woman, accustomed to commanding men. It was rumored that she (in the shadows) ruled an entire province. She was a member of the high society and had influence at court. However, she withdrew herself from social events, paying all attention to the management of the economy in the Skvoreshniki estate.
Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky - teacher of Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stavrogin. When he defended his thesis, which put him on a par with Belinsky, Granovsky. He served as an honorary lecturer at the university, but the persecution of the authorities forces him to flee to Skvoreshniki. There he teaches the son of a landowner, a brief summary of what he has learned helps Nikolai Vsevolodovich to enter a prestigious lyceum.
Pyotr Stepanovich Verkhovensky - cunning and cunning, twenty-seven years old. Formed a radical circle mastermind behind the murder young student.
Ivan Pavlovich Shatov is the son of Varvara Stavrogin's valet. He traveled around Europe for several years, since he was expelled from the university. According to his contemporaries, Dostoevsky painted Ivan from himself. Wanting to leave the radical group, he fell at the hands of its activists.
Alexey Nilych Kirillov is the ideologist of the Verkhovensky gang. The young man formed the concept that the one who denies God is himself. Under the influence of his inflamed mind, he becomes a devout fanatic.

The central role in the novel is played by the members of the Verkhovensky Five:

Sergei Vasilievich Liputin is a middle-aged man of ill fame. As a father of a family, he was more concerned with the problems of the global transformation of society. A participant in a murderous action, a two-faced and vile person. The same villain as Stavrogin and Verkhovensky.
Virginsky is a man of about thirty, the owner of a "heart of rare purity." The only one made an attempt to dissuade Verkhovensky from the murder, but later took part in it.
Lyamshin is a "middling" postal official. He was a member of the radical circle of Verkhovensky, a frequenter of criminal actions. His poorly sane condition led to surrender and betrayal of his comrades, about which they had no idea.
Shigalev is an extremely gloomy middle-aged man. Earned respect from Verkhovensky for developing a unique concept of a radical restructuring of society. The murder does not concern him, because it contradicts the formed beliefs.

The image of Stavrogin

At the beginning of the work, the young man demonstrates the recklessness of an egoist who cares little about the opinions of others. Dostoevsky expresses his contempt for this hero. The seduction of a young girl becomes the apogee of the young man's atrocities, numerous acquaintances look askance at him. In the chapter "At Tikhon's," the adulterer utters the famous words that conclude Stavrogin's confession.

The main message of the work

The Demons novel is a formidable message to a brilliant society, government men, and the common people. Dostoevsky predicts major social catastrophes created by the revolutionary galaxy. The horror is that most of the characters are "copied" from real criminals and placed in the novel. The historicism of creation fully confirms this.

Homeland from the shortsightedness of his generation.

The decisive impetus for the creation of the novel "Demons" (1871-1872) was the so-called "nechaev's affair". While staying abroad at the end of 1869, Dostoevsky drew attention to a note in Moskovskie vedomosti:

“We are informed that yesterday, November 25, two peasants, passing in a remote place in the garden of the Petrovskaya Academy, near the entrance to the grotto, noticed a hat, a head and a club lying around; with a black belt and in a hood ... Two bricks tied with ropes and one more end of a rope were found right there.

From the subsequent reports of the newspaper it became clear: it was about the murder of Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, a student of the Petrovsk Agricultural Academy, by five members of the secret society "Narodnaya reproach" led by its leader Sergei Gennadievich Nechaev.

The program of the illegal organization provided for the undermining of state power, the Christian religion, social institutions, and moral foundations. The goal is the implementation of anarcho-revolutionary transformations in Russia. For this, Nechaev created several fives, consisting mainly of students.

Achievement of the assigned tasks presupposed strict obedience to the leader. The participants were held together by the use of any, the most immoral and predatory means, mutual espionage and bloody revenge.

The factual basis of the "Demons" was made up of: political preconditions, organizational principles of the "People's Massacre" society, the personality traits of Sergei Nechaev, his activities, the circumstances of the ideological murder.

It was important for Dostoevsky not only to reveal the content and meaning of the actual event, but also to reveal its origin, to determine the fertile ground for such ideological practice.

The murder of a student once again revived the memories of youth in the mind of the writer. In the Petrashevsky circle, he himself was fond of the theories of utopian socialism and, by his own admission, was internally ready for a similar act:

"I probably could never have become a Nechaev, but I can’t guarantee that I could have become a Nechaev, perhaps ... in the days of my youth."

The artistic concept of the novel, according to Dostoevsky himself, was as follows:

"I wanted to pose a question, and, as clearly as possible, in the form of a novel, give an answer to it: how in our transitional and amazing modern society are not Nechaevs, but Nechaevs possible, and how it can happen that these Nechaevs are recruiting Nechaevs at the end" ...

The ideological and artistic conception of "Demons" demanded such an image of a single event so that the main trends in the development of modern society were reflected in it, the connections of the present with the past and the future would be revealed, and subtle transitions from high to low would appear.

Disclosure of images

Dostoevsky emphasized that there are no real "portraits or literal reproduction of Nechaev's history" in his work. It was important for him to create a type of pseudo-revolutionary who might not in the least resemble the real Nechaev, but which had to fully correspond to the perfect villainy.

In the image of Peter Verkhovensky and his accomplices, in their thoughts and actions, the true appearance and real motives of the behavior of the imaginary fighters for a just reorganization of society are concentrated and vividly manifested.

Dostoevsky shows what a boomerang can and does turn into a nihilistic desire to destroy the very social forms and institutions through which these values, ideals and traditions were transmitted from century to century, from generation to generation.

Militant faithlessness, the absence of a family hearth and main occupation, superficial education, ignorance of the people and their history - these and similar spiritual and psychological prerequisites form "a mind without soil and without connections - without a nation and without a necessary deed", corrupting the soul.

As a result, the protagonist of the novel "Demons" Peter Verkhovensky was unable to understand the noble and "idealistic" dimensions of life, but with his "little mind" he learned well how to use the weaknesses of human nature (sentimentality, reverence for rank, fear of his own opinion and original thinking ).

For Pyotr Verkhovensky, people are a kind of "material that needs to be organized" for some vague progress.

"Desenyats"

Service to humanity in theory, which is employed in the novel and "demons", in fact turns into spiritual and physical destruction. This ministry is based on the contemptuous division of people into eligible "geniuses" and a powerless "crowd."

For example, Shigalev proposes "in the form of the final solution to the issue - the division of humanity into two unequal parts. One tenth of the individual receives freedom of the individual and an unlimited right over the remaining nine-tenths. The same should lose their personality and turn like a herd and, with unlimited obedience, achieve a number of rebirths. primitive innocence, sort of like a primitive paradise, although, by the way, they will work ... ".

Lyamshin, however, would like to somewhat transform Shigalev's methodical despotism in order to speed up the final resolution of the question: "And instead of paradise ... I would take these nine-tenths of humanity, if there is nowhere to go with them, and blow them up into the air, and leave only a handful educated people who would begin to live and live like a scientist ... "

The worst thing is that these ideas are not only obsessed with theorists, the so-called ideologues of "learned" and "progressive" life. The "muddy" influence of this principle of "universal destruction for good final purposes" is experienced by the other characters of the novel, who are afraid of falling behind fashion and being branded as retrogrades.

The father of the main "demon" Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky asks the question:

"Why are all these desperate socialists and communists at the same time and such incredible curmudgeons, acquirers, owners, and even so that the more socialist he is, the further he goes, the stronger the owner. Why is that?"

The fact is that the elder Verkhovensky does not understand the laws by which the humanistic ideas professed by him are reduced, changed and reborn.

"You cannot imagine what sadness and anger engulfs your whole soul when a great idea, which you have long been sacredly revered, is picked up by the inept and dragged out to the same fools as you are on the street, and you suddenly meet it already on hustle and bustle, unrecognizable, in the mud, set absurdly, at an angle, without proportion, without harmony, as a toy for stupid guys! No! In our time it was not like that, and we were not striving for that. "

Stepan Timofeevich himself most vividly expresses in the novel the collective features of Russian Westernizers and typifies the peculiarities of the world outlook, mentality and psychological makeup of the "idealist liberals" of the 1840s.

External and internal appearance, thoughts, feelings, desires of Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky are characterized, on the one hand, by sublimity, nobility, "something generally beautiful", and on the other - some kind of indistinctness, indeterminacy, half-heartedness. He is a brilliant lecturer, but on historical themes abstracted from life, the author of a poem "with a touch of the highest meaning", which, however, went only "between two amateurs and one student." Verkhovensky Sr. was going to enrich science with some kind of research, but the good intentions of an intelligent and talented scientist went, as they say, into the sand of semi-science.

For Verkhovensky, the father, the native land "is too great a misunderstanding for us to resolve, without the Germans and labor."

As conceived by Dostoevsky, a lack of understanding of Russia, its historical achievements and spiritual values, unconditional imitation of the West without analyzing all (not only positive, but also negative) consequences arising from this created favorable conditions both for borrowing "short" and vague ideas, and for the subsequent reduction ...

At the end of the novel, the ironic coverage of the image of Verkhovensky Sr. In the very possibility of such a "wandering" the writer sees the guarantee of the true revival of his hero, entrusts him with the author's interpretation of the epigraph of the novel, puts into his mouth the idea of the apostolic message about love as a powerful force and "the crown of being."

Thus, Dostoevsky also presupposes such a way out of the indefinite generosity of the "pure and ideal" Westernism of the "fathers", although in reality the "supremacy" turned out to be on the side of the tendencies of the "impure" nihilism of "children." By the way, the very surname of the heroes carries a very definite semantic load in the work. In his notebook, the author notes that the father is constantly "diving in with his son in supremacy."

In one of his letters, Dostoevsky emphasized that although the Nechaev story and its generalized pamphlet image are in the foreground of the novel, all this is nevertheless "only an accessory and setting" of the actions of the really protagonist.

In the mind of the writer, the raging nihilist, his "team" and "fans" not only find a breeding ground in half-thought ideas and unfinished theories, but also find support and justification in the depths of the consciousness of the so-called "superfluous", idle, suffering from the absence of a genuine cause. ...

The truly "supreme" in the "demons" is Nikolai Stavrogin. This is a kind of extreme, pointed and polemical expression of the Onegin-Pechorin type of personality.

Dostoevsky considered the loss of living ties with traditions and legends that preserve the atmosphere of direct Christian faith as the main destructive consequence of the rupture of the upper stratum of society with "soil" and "land". The image of Stavrogin, as it were, thickens and reveals the results of that situation in the modern world, in which, to use the well-known words of Nietzsche, "God is dead." According to Dostoevsky, Stavrogin is making "suffering convulsive efforts to renew himself and start believing again."

Stavrogin's heart is dried up and makes him incapable of sincere faith. At the same time, he understands perfectly well that without "the fullness of faith" and, accordingly, absolute comprehension, human existence acquires a comic connotation and loses its true rationality. Therefore, Stavrogin is trying to get the faith "differently", with his own mind, in a rational way. But this "self-propelled knife of reason" (I. Kireevsky) takes him even further away from the desired goal.

As a result, Stavrogin found himself as if crucified (his very surname comes from the Greek word σταυρός - cross) between the immense thirst for the absolute and the equally immeasurable impossibility of achieving it.

Dostoevsky admitted that he took Stavrogin not only from the surrounding reality, but also from his own heart, since his faith went through the crucible of the most severe doubts and denials.

Unlike his creator, Stavrogin, however, proved to be organically incapable of overcoming the tragic duality and gaining at least some kind of filling in the emptiness of the soul, "the fullness of faith."

In his "Diary of a Writer" Dostoevsky wrote that without faith in the immortality of the soul and eternal life, the existence of an individual, a nation, of all mankind becomes unnatural, inconceivable, unbearable: "Only with faith in his immortality does a person attain his entire rational goal on earth. beliefs in their immortality, man's ties with the earth are broken, become thinner, more rotten, and the loss of the highest meaning of life undoubtedly leads to suicide. "

Dostoevsky shows that "fire in the minds" captivates not only all "bastards", "filibusters" and "buffet personalities" after the "trashy people". He discovers with deep regret that in times of upheaval and change, doubt and denial, simple-minded, pure-hearted people are also involved in monstrous social atrocities. "This is the horror that we can do the most filthy and disgusting deed, without being at all sometimes a scoundrel! .."

The absence of a fundamental spiritual and moral core and a truly great beginning of life determines, according to the author's logic, the formation of an incomplete, unfinished, half-sitting person capable of ambiguous actions.

There can be no perfect society without perfect personalities.

And Verkhovensky, the father, in yet another bewilderment asks his son: "Do you really want to offer yourself as you are, to people in exchange for Christ?"

The author considered the question of Stepan Timofeevich as the main problem, on the solution of which the future of Russia and all mankind depends, and which is posed in its own way in the epilogue. The series of major and minor catastrophes in the last part of the work ends with Stavrogin's coldly rational suicide, as if winding up the novel's artistic perspective into a hopeless apocalyptic circle.

The main idea of the novel

But precisely in the loss of eternal ideals, great thoughts, in the absence of higher consciousness, higher development, higher meaning, higher goals of life, in the disappearance of "higher types" around Dostoevsky saw the roots and the main cause of the spiritual illnesses of his age. "Why are we rubbish?" - he asked and answered: "There is nothing great." And not education, not external culture and secular gloss, not scientific and technological achievements, but only by "exciting higher interests" can rebuild the deep structure of egoistic thinking.

In the writer's view, the choice of the path of all mankind is associated with spiritual well-being, an increase in light and love in the soul of an individual. The creative experience of "Demons" teaches everywhere and in everything to look for a moral center, a scale of values that guide the thoughts and actions of people to determine which, dark or light, sides of the human soul are based on different phenomena of life. Speaking about his work and the dramatic searches of modern youth, Dostoevsky emphasized:

"To sacrifice oneself and everything for the truth is the national trait of the generation. God bless him and send him an understanding of the truth. For the whole question is what is considered to be the truth. That is why the novel was written."

Literature

Karen Stepanyan. Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. // Encyclopedia for children "Avanta +". Volume 9. Russian literature. Part one. M., 1999

B.N. Tarasov. Eternal warning. // Fedor Dostoevsky. Demons. M., 1993. S. 5–26.

N.I. Yakushin. F.M. Dostoevsky in life and work: a textbook for schools, gymnasiums, lyceums and colleges. M .: Russian word, 2000

The novel takes place in the provincial town in early autumn. The events are narrated by the chronicler Gv, who is also a participant in the described events. His story begins with the story of Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky, an idealist of the forties, and a description of his complex platonic relationship with Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin, a noble provincial lady, whose patronage he enjoys.

Local liberal-minded youth are grouped around Verkhovensky, who fell in love with the "civic role" and lives "incarnate reproachful" homeland. It has a lot of "phrases" and postures, but there is also enough intelligence and discernment. He was the educator of many of the heroes of the novel. Formerly handsome, now he is somewhat saggy, flabby, plays cards and does not deny himself champagne.

The arrival of Nikolai Stavrogin, an extremely "mysterious and romantic" personality, about whom there are many rumors, is expected. He served in the elite guards regiment, fought in a duel, was demoted, curried out. Then it is known that he started drinking, set off into the wildest licentiousness. Having visited his hometown four years ago, he messed up a lot, causing general indignation: he pulled the venerable man Gaganov by the nose, bitten the then governor painfully in the ear, publicly kissed someone else's wife ... In the end, everything seemed to be explained by delirium tremens. Having recovered, Stavrogin went abroad.

Eight days pass. Stavrogin does not accept anyone, and when his seclusion ends, Pyotr Verkhovensky immediately slips into him. He expresses his readiness to do anything for Stavrogin and informs about a secret society, at the meeting of which they should appear together. Soon after his visit, Stavrogin goes to the engineer Kirillov. The engineer, for whom Stavrogin means a lot, says that he still professes his idea. Its essence is the need to get rid of God, who is nothing more than "the pain of the fear of death," and to declare self-will, killing himself and thus becoming a man-god.

Then Stavrogin ascends to Shatov, who lives in the same house, to whom he informs that he indeed officially married Lebyadkina some time ago in St. Petersburg, as well as his intention to publicly announce this in the near future. He generously warns Shatov that they are going to kill him. Shatov, on whom Stavrogin previously had a huge influence, reveals to him his new idea of the God-bearing people, which the Russian people consider, advises him to abandon wealth and achieve God by peasant labor. True, to a counter question whether he himself believes in God, Shatov somewhat uncertainly answers that he believes in Orthodoxy, in Russia, that he ... will believe in God.

That same night, Stavrogin goes to Lebyadkin and on the way meets the fugitive Fedka Convict, sent to him by Peter Verkhovensky. He expresses his readiness to fulfill any will of the master for a fee, but Stavrogin drives him away. He informs Lebyadkin that he is going to announce his marriage to Marya Timofeevna, whom he married "... after a drunken dinner, because of a bet on wine ...". Marya Timofeevna meets Stavrogin with a story about an ominous dream. He asks her if she is ready to go with him to Switzerland and there to live the rest of her life in solitude. The indignant Chromonozhka shouts that Stavrogin is not a prince, that her prince, a clear falcon, has been replaced, and he is an impostor, he has a knife in his pocket. Accompanied by her screeching and laughter, the enraged Stavrogin retreats. On the way back, he throws money to Fedka Convict.

Meanwhile, frivolous moods and a propensity for all sorts of blasphemous amusements were outlined in the city: mockery of newlyweds, desecration of an icon, etc. , the workers of the closed factory of the Shpigulins are showing discontent, a certain second lieutenant, unable to bear the reprimand of the commander, rushes at him and bites him on the shoulder, and before that they cut two images and lit church candles in front of the works of Focht, Moleschott and Buchner ... In this atmosphere, a holiday is being prepared for a subscription in favor of the governesses, started by the governor's wife Yulia Mikhailovna.

Varvara Petrovna, offended by Stepan Trofimovich's too obvious desire to marry and by his too frank letters to his son Peter with complaints that they want to marry him “to the sins of others,” appoints him a pension, but at the same time announces the breakup.

Lembke, extremely concerned about what is happening, Verhovensky skillfully gives him several names, in particular Shatov and Kirillov, but at the same time asks him for six days to reveal the entire organization. Then he runs to Kirillov and Shatov, notifying them of the meeting of "ours" and asking them to be, after which he goes to fetch Stavrogin, who has just been visited by Mavriky Nikolaevich, Liza Tushina's fiancé, with a proposal that Nikolai Vsevolodovich marry her, since she at least and hates him, but at the same time loves him. Stavrogin confesses to him that he cannot do this in any way, since he is already married. Together with Verkhovensky, they go to a secret meeting.

The gloomy Shigalev speaks at the meeting with his program of "final resolution of the issue." Its essence is the division of humanity into two unequal parts, of which one tenth receives freedom and unlimited right over the other nine tenths, turned into a herd. Then Verkhovensky offers a provocative question whether the participants in the meeting would have reported if they learned about the impending political assassination. Shatov suddenly rises and, calling Verkhovensky a scoundrel and a spy, leaves the meeting. This is what Pyotr Stepanovich needs, who has already mapped out Shatov as a sacrifice in order to seal the formed revolutionary group of five with blood. Verkhovensky tied in with Stavrogin, who came out with Kirillov, and in a fever devotes them to his crazy plans. His goal is to start up a big confusion. "The swing will go such as the world has never seen ... Rus will become foggy, the earth will weep for the old gods ..." Then he will need him, Stavrogin. Handsome and aristocrat. Ivan Tsarevich.

Events are snowballing. Stepan Trofimovich is "described" - officials come and take the papers. Workers from the Shpigulin factory send petitioners to the governor, which causes von Lembke to feel angry and is presented as almost a riot. Stepan Trofimovich also falls under the hot hand of the mayor. Immediately after this, in the governor's house, Stavrogin's announcement that Lebyadkina is his wife, which introduces confusion into the minds, also occurs.

The long-awaited holiday day is coming. The highlight of the first part is the reading by the famous writer Karmazinov of his farewell composition "Merci", and then Stepan Trofimovich's accusatory speech. He passionately defends against the nihilists Raphael and Shakespeare. He is booed, and he, cursing everyone, proudly leaves the stage. It becomes known that Liza Tushina in broad daylight suddenly moved out of her carriage, leaving Mavriky Nikolaevich there, into Stavrogin's carriage and drove off to his estate Skvoreshniki. The highlight of the second part of the holiday is the "square dance of literature", an ugly caricatured allegorical performance. The governor and his wife are beside themselves with indignation. It was then that they reported that the District was on fire, allegedly set on fire by the Shpigulins, a little later it became known about the murder of Captain Lebyadkin, his sister and maid. The governor goes to the fire, where a log falls on him.

In Skvoreshniki, meanwhile, Stavrogin and Liza Tushina greet the morning together. Liza intends to leave and is trying in every possible way to hurt Stavrogin, who, on the contrary, is in a sentimental mood uncharacteristic for him. He asks why Liza came to him and why there was “so much happiness”. He invites her to leave together, which she perceives with a sneer, although at some instant her eyes suddenly light up. Indirectly, the topic of murder comes up in their conversation - so far only a hint. At this moment, the ubiquitous Peter Verkhovensky appears. He informs Stavrogin of the details of the murder and the fire in the District. Liza Stavrogin says that he did not kill and was against, but knew about the impending murder and did not stop. In hysterics, she leaves the Stavrogin house, nearby Mavriky Nikolaevich, a devoted Mavriky Nikolaevich, who has spent the whole night in the rain, is waiting for her. They head to the scene of the murder and meet Stepan Trofimovich on the way, who, in his words, "out of delirium, feverish sleep, [...] to seek Russia". Stavrogin to get rid of his wife and take another. Someone from the crowd hits her, she falls. Lagging behind Mavriky Nikolaevich has time too late. Liza is carried away, still alive, but unconscious.

And Pyotr Verkhovensky continues to bother. He collects the top five and announces that a denunciation is being prepared. The informer - Shatov, he must be removed without fail. After some doubts, they agree that the common cause is most important. Verkhovensky, accompanied by Liputin, goes to Kirillov to remind him of the agreement according to which he must, before committing suicide in accordance with his idea, take upon himself someone else's blood. In Kirillov's kitchen there is Fedka Convict, drinking and eating. In anger, Verhovensky pulls out his revolver: how could he disobey and appear here? Fedka unexpectedly hits Verkhovensky, he falls unconscious, Fedka runs away. Verkhovensky declares to Liputin, a witness to this scene, that Fedka was drinking vodka for the last time. In the morning it really becomes known that Fedka was found with a broken head seven miles from the city. Liputin, already about to flee, now has no doubts about the secret power of Peter Verkhovensky and remains.

Shatov's wife Marya, who left him after two weeks of marriage, comes to Shatov that evening. She is pregnant and asks for a temporary home. A little later, a young officer Erkel from "ours" comes to him and informs him about the tomorrow's meeting. At night, Shatov's wife begins childbirth. He runs after the midwife Virginskaya and then helps her. He is happy and looking forward to a new working life with his wife and child. Exhausted, Shatov falls asleep in the morning and wakes up after dark. Erkel comes after him, together they go to the Stavrogin park. Verkhovensky, Virginsky, Liputin, Lyamshin, Tolkachenko and Shigalev are already waiting there, who suddenly categorically refuses to take part in the murder, because it contradicts his program.

Shatov is being attacked. Verhovensky kills him point-blank with a shot from a revolver. Two large stones are tied to the body and thrown into the pond. Verkhovensky hurries to Kirillov. Although he is indignant, he fulfills his promise - he writes a note under dictation and takes the blame for the murder of Shatov, and then shoots himself. Verkhovensky packs up his things and leaves for St. Petersburg, from there abroad.

Having set off on his last wandering, Stepan Trofimovich dies in a peasant hut in the arms of Varvara Petrovna, who rushed after him. Before his death, an accidental fellow traveler, whom he tells all his life, reads the Gospel to him, and he compares the possessed one, from whom Christ drove out the demons that entered the pigs, with Russia. This passage from the Gospel is taken by the chronicler as one of the epigraphs to the novel.

All the participants in the crime, except for Verkhovensky, were soon arrested, extradited by Lyamshin. Daria Shatova receives a letter of confession from Stavrogin, who admits that "one denial poured out of him, without any generosity and without any strength." He invites Daria with him to Switzerland, where he bought a small house in the canton of Uri in order to settle there forever. Daria gives the letter to Varvara Petrovna to be read, but then both learn that Stavrogin has unexpectedly appeared in Skvoreshniki. They hurry there and find a "citizen of the canton of Uri" hanging in the mezzanine.

The prerequisite for writing the novel "Demons" for Fyodor Mikhailovich was the materials from the criminal case of Nechaev - the organizer of a secret society, the purpose of which was subversive political actions. At the time of the author, this event thundered throughout the empire. However, he managed to make a deep and rich work from a small newspaper clipping, which is considered the standard not only by Russian, but also by foreign writers.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was distinguished by his tenacity and exactingness. In an instant, having experienced another epileptic seizure, the author came to the conclusion that the new work did not suit him at all. Then he completely destroyed his creation, but left intact the idea of the novel - the story of the nihilists, whose denial went too far.

Then Dostoevsky again takes up the writing of "Demons" - so he saw the light of the second version of the work. The writer did not have time to submit the work by the deadline set by the publisher, but he also did not want to betray himself and give the public a work that did not suit him. Katkov, the author's publisher, only shrugged his shoulders, because the writer provided himself and his family only with advances for books, but he was ready to live from hand to mouth, just not to release raw material.

Genre, direction

In the novel "Demons" such qualities as chronicle, harsh historicism of thinking, philosophicality are unusually intertwined, but at the same time the writer looked to the future and spoke about what would excite his descendants. It was for this novel that the designation “novel-prophecy” was firmly entrenched.

Indeed, the majority of readers note Dostoevsky's visionary gift, because the novel reflects the problems not only of that time, but also the issues of today's information society. The author penetratingly depicts the main threat to the future of the public - the replacement of established concepts with unnatural demonic dogmas.

The direction of the writer's creativity is realism, since he depicts reality in all its diversity.

The essence

The events take place in a provincial town in the possession of Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin. The child of the free-thinker Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky, Pyotr Verkhovensky is the main ideological mentor of the revolutionary movement. Peter is trying to attract to the revolutionaries Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stravogin, who is the son of Varvara Petrovna.

Pyotr Verkhovensky summons young people “sympathizing” with the coup: retired military Virginsky, expert of the masses Tolkachenko, philosopher Shigalev, etc. The leader of the organization Verkhovensky plans to murder former student Ivan Shatov, who decides to part with the revolutionary movement. He leaves the organization because of his interest in the thought of the "God-bearing" people. However, the company does not need the murder of the hero for revenge, the real motive, which ordinary members of the circle do not know, is the rallying of the organization with blood, a single crime.

Further events develop rapidly: the small town is shaken by unprecedented incidents. A secret organization is to blame, but the townspeople have no idea about it. However, the most terrible and frightening things happen in the soul of the hero, Nikolai Stavrogin. The author describes in detail the process of its decomposition under the influence of harmful ideas.

The main characters and their characteristics

Varvara Stavrogin- a famous provincial lady, an outstanding landowner. The heroine has an estate inherited from a wealthy tax-paying parent. Vsevolod Nikolayevich's husband, a lieutenant general by profession, did not own a huge fortune, but had great connections, which Varvara Petrovna, after his departure from this life, seeks to restore in every possible way, but to no avail. She is a very influential woman in the province. By nature, she is arrogant and arbitrary. However, the heroine often feels a strong dependence on people, sometimes even sacrificial, but expects the same behavior in return. In communicating with people, Varvara Petrovna always adheres to a leading position, and old friends are no exception.
Nikolay Vsevolodovich Stavrogin- possessed demonic attractiveness, excellent taste and well-bred behavior. Society reacted violently to his appearance, but for all the liveliness and richness of his image, the hero behaved rather modestly and not particularly talkative. The entire female secular society was in love with him. Nikolai Vsevolodovich met with Shatov's wife, Masha, with his sister, Dasha, and with his childhood friend, Elizaveta Tushina. Returning from Europe, he took part in the revival of the secret society. In the same period, he set up an experiment to influence Shatov and Kirillov. Nikolai Vsevolodovich did not take direct part in the death of Shatov and even had a negative attitude towards it, but the idea of rallying the members of the association came from him.
Kirillov Alexey Nilych- one of the leading characters in the work of FM Dostoevsky "Demons", a civil engineer by profession, he came up with the theory of suicide as a need for a reasoning person. Kirillov overcame the fast path from religion to denying the existence of someone from above, was obsessed with manic thoughts, ideas of revolution and readiness for self-denial. All this in Aleksey Nilych was seen in time by Pyotr Verhovensky - a cunning and ruthless person. Peter was aware of Kirillov's intention to commit suicide, and forced him to write a confession that Shatov, whom Peter had killed, had died at the hands of Kirillov.
Peter Stepanovich Verhovensky- the leader of the revolutionaries, a slippery and cunning character. In the work, this is the main "demon" - he runs a secret society promoting atheist proclamations. Inspired by crazy thoughts, he tries to charm them and Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stavrogin, a childhood friend. Outwardly, Verkhovensky is not bad, but does not cause sympathy in anyone.
Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky- a man of the old school, devoted to lofty ideals and living on the support of a famous provincial person. In his youth, he had a beautiful appearance, the echoes of which can be seen in old age. There is a lot of pretense in his behavior, but he is quite educated and perceptive. He was married twice. At one time he was respected almost like Belinsky and Herzen, but after discovering an ambiguous poem in his possession, he was forced to leave Petersburg and hide in the estate of Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin. Since then, he has noticeably degraded.
Shigalev- participated in organizing the murder of Shatov, but refused it. Little is known about Shigalyov. An employee of the chronicle department says that he arrived in the city a couple of months before the incident, there was a rumor that he was published in a well-known St. Petersburg edition. It seemed as if Shigalev knew the time, place and event that was about to happen. According to this character, all people should be divided into two unequal halves. Only one tenth should have power. The rest is a herd without opinion, slaves. Whole generations had to be re-educated in a similar manner, because it was more than natural.
Erkel, Virginsky, Liputin, Tolkachenko - members of a secret society recruited by Verkhovensky.

Themes and mood

Relationship between fathers and children. Obviously, in the novel "Demons" the author describes the collision of different eras and the loss of communication between different generations. Parents do not understand children at all, they seem to be from different planets. Therefore, no one can help young people in time, since those precious family ties that could have kept young men from moral decline have been lost.
Nihilism. In the novel "Demons" the connection with the work "Fathers and Sons" is clearly visible, since it was Turgenev who was the first to speak about nihilism. The reader gets to know Dostoevsky's heroes, as well as Turgenev's characters, through ideological disputes, in which possible directions for the improvement of society are revealed. In insignificant numbers, there is a connection with the poem by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, with the same name "Demons": the thought of people who have lost their way, who wander in circles in the verbal fog of Russian society.
Lack of uniform moral guidelines. The spiritual social ailment shown by the author is provoked by a complete lack of high values. Neither the development of technology, nor the leaps in education, nor the pitiful attempts to eliminate social divisions with the help of the authorities will lead to a positive result until uniform moral guidelines appear. “There is nothing great” —that is the main reason for the sad state of the Russian people.
Religiosity and atheism... Will a person achieve harmony after suffering life, and is this harmony of value? If immortality does not exist, you can do whatever comes to mind without thinking about the consequences. In this conclusion, which can arise in any atheist, the author sees the danger of unbelief. However, Dostoevsky understands that faith cannot be absolute as long as religious philosophy has unresolved issues on which there is no consensus. The writer's thoughts are as follows: is God just if he allows innocent people to suffer? And if this is his justice, then how can those who shed blood on the road to public happiness be judged? According to the author, it is necessary to abandon universal happiness if at least one human sacrifice is needed for its sake.
Reality and mysticism constantly collide in the works of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, sometimes to such an extent that the line between the writer's narrative and the illusions of the character himself disappears. Events develop rapidly, they occur spontaneously in small time intervals, they rush forward, not allowing a person, on the other side of the book, to focus on everyday things. By riveting all the reader's attention to psychological moments, the author gives everyday material only bit by bit.

the main idea

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky tried to describe the illness of the nihilist revolutionaries, which has settled down or is gradually putting things in order in the minds of people, dissipating chaos around itself. His idea (oversimplified) boils down to the fact that nihilistic sentiments negatively affect Russian society - like a man possessed by rage.

Fyodor Mikhailovich established the cause and significance of the revolutionary movement. It promises happiness in the future, but the price in the present is too high, one cannot agree to it, otherwise people will lose the moral values that make their life together possible. Without them, the people will disintegrate and self-destruct. And only after overcoming this fickle phenomenon (like the insanity of the soul), Russia will become stronger, stand on its feet and live with renewed vigor - the strength of a united society, where man and his rights should be in the first place.

What does it teach?

The spiritual health of a nation depends on moral well-being and the growth of warmth and love in all people individually. If the whole society has uniform moral canons and guidelines, it will go through all the hardships and achieve prosperity. But the licentiousness of ideas and the denial of the basis of the foundations will lead to the gradual degradation of the people.

The creative experience of "Demons" shows: in everything it is necessary to find a moral center, to determine the level of values that guides the thoughts and actions of a person, to decide which negative or positive aspects of the soul rely on various life phenomena.

Criticism

Naturally, Russian criticism, in particular the liberal-democratic, reacted negatively to the release of The Demons, seeing in the plot a sharp satire. The deep philosophical content was seen as an ideological warning of non-Chayevism. The reviewers wrote that the disappearance of the revolutionary initiative would plunge society into numbness and sleep, and the authorities would cease to hear the voice of the people. Then the tragic fate of the Russian people will never change for the better.

In the work "Spirits of the Russian Revolution" Berdyaev expresses the opinion that nihilism in Dostoevsky's understanding can be interpreted as a certain religious view. According to Berdyaev, the Russian nihilist can imagine himself instead of God. And although in Dostoevsky himself nihilism is more associated with atheism, in the famous monologue of Ivan Karamazov about the tear of a child, one feels the urgent need for a person to believe.

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