Devils

by Fyodor Dostoevsky, A D P Briggs (Introduction), Constance Garnett (Translator), Keith Carabine (Editor)

Overview

'Devils' ('Besy'), also known in English as 'The Possessed' and 'The Demons' is the third of Dostoevsky's five major novels. It is at once a powerful political tract and a profound study of atheism, depicting the disarray which follows the appearance of a band of modish radicals in a small provincial town. Dostoevsky compares the radicals to the devils that drove the Gadarene swine over the precipice in his vision of a society possessed by demonic creatures that produce devastating delusions of rationality. The novel is full of buffoonery and grotesque comedy. The plot is loosely based on the details of a notorious case of political murder, but Dostoevsky weaves suicide, rape, and a multiplicity of scandals into a compelling story of political evil.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781840220995
Publisher:	Wordsworth Editions, Limited
Publication date:	01/28/2010
Series:	Wordsworth Classics
Pages:	720
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–81) is considered one of the greatest writers of all time. His works include such seminal novels as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Karamazov Brothers.

Table of Contents

The DevilsTranslator's Introduction

Part One
1. By way of an Introduction: a few details from the biography of the greatly esteemed Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky
2. Prince Harry. A Marriage Proposal
3. Another Man's Sins
4. The Cripple
5. The Wise Serpent

Part Two
1. Night
2. Night (continued)
3. The Duel
4. All Agog
5. Before the Fête
6. Peter Verkhovensky is Busy
7. At Virginsky's
8. Ivan the Crown-Prince
9. Stepan Verkhovensky is Raided
10. Filibusters. A Fatal Morning

Part Three
1. The Fête. Part One
2. The End of the Fête
3. The End of a Love Affair
4. The Last Decision
5. The Globe Trotter
6. A Very Busy Night
7. Stepan Verkhovensky's Last Pilgrimage
8. Conclusion

Appendix: Stavrogin's Confession

Editorial Reviews

"It is a merciless exposé of certain aspects of the Russian revolutionary movements of the mid-19th century, and of the various kinds of revolutionary and terrorist psychology." - Dr Rowan Williams

From the Publisher