The Possessed, Preface

LUL Theatre

Demons *

"There is no virtue if there is no immortality." - The Brothers Karamazov "A silent majority and government by the people is incompatible." Tom Hayden

Summary
"I read this a year ago and still think on it often, June 8, 1998
Reviewer: ams2@keene.edu from Bangor, Maine, USA
Dostoyevsky is claiming an atheist world can not function - that the godless people who inhabit the earth are without values and morrals (they are the "Possessed" individuals) I don't agree with much what he has to say but I was fascinated by his point of view. His book and particularly the character Kirilov are heavily mentioned in the essay by Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, which argues the opposite claim. The Possessed is long but worth reading - studded with useful aphorisms."
Questions
"Themes" page?
Notes
Demons (or the Devils, or the Possessed): Variously titled in English, depending on the translation, this is Dostoevski's great political novel. The late nineteenth century Russians were hit hard by news of the death of God, in Nietzsche's terminology. Demons is Dostoevski's attempt to document the consequences of the disruption of a great belief system (in this case, that of Orthodox Christianity). The dissolution of belief produces an existential chaos, which is emotionally excruciating. Ideological identification appears as a potent attraction to individuals entrapped in such a situation.
Demons might be considered the literary precursor to Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago, another suggested adjunct reading. Dostoevsky describes the psychological situation that lead to the great Marxist revolution in early-twentieth century Russia -- several decades before that revolution took place -- and painstakingly details the unsavory and dangerous nature of the characters driven to desire such a revolution. Solzhenitsyn the historian documents the events foretold by Dostoevsky the prophet. "If there is no God, then I am God."
Life is pain, life is fear, and man is unhappy. Now all is pain and fear. Now man loves life because he loves pain and fear. That's how they've made it. Life now is given in exchange for pain and fear, and that is the whole deceit. Man now is not yet the right man. There will be a new man, happy and proud. He for whom it will make no difference whether he lives or does not live, he will be the new man. He who overcomes pain and fear will himself be God. And this [current] God will not be.
But do you understand, I cry to him, do you understand that along with happiness, in the exact same way and in perfectly equal proportion, man also needs unhappiness!"
The Possessed 2003
It is a beautiful, utopian dream of a world without wars, banks, diplomats, and so on. -Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov “Strike me dead, the track has vanished, Well, what now? We've lost the way, Demons have bewitched our horses, Led us in the wilds astray.
What a number! Whither drift they? What's the mournful dirge they sing? Do they hail a witch's marriage Or a goblin's burying?” A. Pushkin.

Preface

2005: somewhere between the play (adaptation) and the screenplay is this "case study" book, the production notes. I keep it online to show the students the process director goes through working on different material. This time -- Dostoevsky. Prose, novel.

Three horisonts -- novel, play (Camus), translation -- maybe I should go back to the original in Russian?
To do my own adaptation/translation? My Summer is gone then...
By where are the great monologues I remember for fourty years? And the play is huge! Where?
No shows in Moscow, nothing in Israel. Two years after the start of the "War on Terror" -- nothing on stage!
Dostoevsky wrote about terrorism more then a century ago!
I have to make it an American Story, othervise it useless. The Russia of 1860s, America of 1960s -- and now.
Americans as terrorists? See my unabomber files. Too bad I didn't keep the notes on Tim in Oklahoma...
Even more important -- what is ahead!
Existential "horror" and Rasta "dread" -- biblical fear of God.
Life and living breed Horror. Horror and Terror = mortality of the "thinking grass." We need to understand why we are here and why we die. Nothing philosophical about it -- the rock and rap screaming about it.
All living know fear (they say -- even the plants), but pitty? Only humans?
Преступление не помешательство, а благородный протест. Фантастическое составляет сущность действительности.
A new page in script.vtheatre.net? adaptation review @ curtainup.com
From the eGroup "vtheatre":
"Folks, I will be using this group for UAF production in the Fall. You are welcome to stay, but there will be a lot of posts from cast and crew (character analysis, this is "Method Acting" show).
Auditions -- Sept. 13...
Tech -- Nov. 8 2003.

I started a new directory shows.vtheatre.net/devils Looks like I have to work on the new translation/adaptation of Dostoevsky (and Camus?) -- "Virtual Theatre" means that it must be copyright free (or you hold the copyright). Read the play (Camus) and the novel over the summer. Think about "terror" (existentialism) and terrorism (news). Post your thoughts (maybe, I will make a poll): "War on Terror Starts at Home" (agree?) What does it mean? It's time to look into non-discussed issues, like "terrist's mind" and "America 2003" (ourselves)....

Anatoly 5.9.03" (subscribe to http://egroups.com/group/vtheatre)

PostAmeriKa Files In my opinion, the main evil of the present democratic institutions of the United States does not arise, as is often asserted in Europe, from their weakness, but from their irresistible strength. I am not so much alarmed at the *excessive liberty* which reigns in that country as at the inadequate securities one finds there against tyranny. (Toqueville)

* Berdiaev, Nikolai, Dostoevsky. PG3328 B413 1934 Sheed & Ward, 1934. ÒThis translation of Mirosozertsanie Dostoevskago has been made from the French version of Lucienne Julien Cain, L'esprit de Dostoieski, published by Editions Saint Michael in Paris. -p. 6 Originally written in Russian, the author wrote this book in his love for Dostoevsky's work. It is no a biography in its strict form, rather, it talks about the spirituality of the great novelist. The book talks about Dostoevsky's philosophical mind, his artistic nature, and his intelligence.

biblio *** Nikolay Berdyaev (Prague, 1923) states matter-of-factly: “So great is the worth of Dostoevsky that to have produced him is by itself sufficient justification for the existence of the Russian people in the world: and he will bear witness for his country-men at the last judgement of the nations.”

Bakhtin: "...what unfolds before Dostoevsky is not a world of objects, illuminated and ordered by his monologic thought, but a world of consciousnesses mutually illuminating one another . . .Among them Dostoevsky seeks the highest and most authoritative orientation, and he perceives it not as his own true thought, but as another authentic human being and his discourse. The image of the ideal human being or the image of Christ represents for him the resolution of ideological quests. This image or this highest voice must crown the world of voices, must organize and subdue it. Precisely the image of a human being and his voice, a voice not the author's own, was the ultimate artistic criterion for Dostoevsky: not fidelity to his own convictions and not fidelity to convictions themselves taken abstractly, but precisely a fidelity to the authoritative image of a human being."

Next: intro

* Cerny, Vaclav, Dostoevsky and his devils; PG3328 Z6 C4 Ardis [1975] An essay of interpretation and criticism of Dostoevsky's works, primarily The Devils, which takes on a somewhat sympathetic understanding and empathy with the author by the critic. The essay serves not only as an analysis of Dostoevsky's works, but as an outline of Cerny's critical technique, and thus, a tool for the reader.

Don Juan 2003: The Price for The Freedom of Mind

* Gide, Andre, Dostoevsky. PG3328 G52 1949a Secker & Warburg, 1949. Concerned with Doesoevsky's public acceptance, Gide works to discount the theory that the author's universe is not one of fantastic nightmares, but a very real and competent portrayal of 19th century Russian life. He examines Raskolnikov in detail, concluding that he is completely bankrupt of heroic stature, a thoroughly common man who commits a brutal and inhuman act.

Before and after:
Deciding what Camus and Dostoevsky Left Out

Let's first take a look at the timeline the story has given us:

The "Facts" In Cronological Order
Pre Script:
-Stepan is taken into Vavarra's house, to tudor Nikolai.
-Lisa comes to study under Stepan.
-Nikolai begins studying abroad for two years.
-(two year later..) Nikolai joins the Military; does not return home, 
but is recieved in high society very well.
-Rumors of Nikolai's conduct reach home (duels, women, etc...)
-The slaves are emancipated (historically 1861)
-Shatov and Dasha begin studying with Stepan.
-Nikolai (insitgates and) fights two duels (in which one man is 
killed and another crippled) and is broken in rank and exiled to the 
infantry.
-(1963) Nikolai is again promoted to Officer (it should be noted that 
Vavarra wrote a number of letters in Nikolai's defence before his 
promotion)
-Nikolai quickly retires, moves to Petersburg, although does not 
present himself in high society and does not write his mother.
-Around this time Stepan forms his intellectual circle which include 
Luputin and Shatov.
-Nikolai returns at Vavarra's request.

Camu Scene 1. Gagnov's Ear.

-Nikolai travels for more than three years.  Visiting Europe, Eygpt, 
and Iceland.
(Curtis, correct me if I'm wrong... but) I believe that durring these 
three years:
*-Shatov is kicked out of School (this is abroad) and becomes a 
Merchant's peersonal tudor.
*-Shatov and Kirilov meet Nikolai abroad.
*-Shatov is married... three weeks later seperated.
*-Shatov and Kirilov move to America for a year, and with money sent 
by Nikolai return to Russia.
-Nikolai debauchery with the little girl
-Nikolai's marriage to Maria
-Nikolai meets Lisa Abroad, Peter makes his first appearence there, 
Dasha is sent there.
-Nikolai fools around with Dasha and leaves.

Camu Scene 2. (this is cut I know but you get the jist.)

The rest is covered in the Script.  Now the ending aside from 
Nikolai's suicide.

The Conclusion:
-Peter leaves in the morning for Petersburg.
-Mary worried for Shatov in the early morning seeks out Kirilov (who 
is dead) to find out where her own husband is, and then rushes into 
street to report the murders, by noon she dies of the cold.
-Liputin leaves town
-Lymshin tells the authorities. Nikolai is not connected to the 
society although all else is revealed.
-Maurice lives, and moves away.

Okay now let's fill in the blanks about your characters before and 
after:

Kirilov: where did he come from before they meet him abroad?

Peter: what did he do after his whole organization was uncovered?

Vavarra: how did she meet Stepan?  What gave her the confidence in 
Stepan to raise her son?

Shatov: Why was he kicked out of School, why did he never go back?

Mary: Where was she those three plus years?  Did you meet (sleep 
with) Nikolai within those three weeks?

Nikolai: What did he learn on his travels, his travels remind me very 
much of Jesus' travels to Egypt and Asia before he was thirty (Think 
wedding of Cana, he wasn't supposed to preform mircles yet).

Captain: Chicken or the Egg: Drinking or being broken in the army.

So your homework guys is to find the beginings of your characters, I 
believe the secrets in portraying these characters are finding out 
who they were before they became who they are (the transition is 
usually when they meet Nikolai, but even in Nikolai has this change 
when he becomes 'possessed' with ideas earlier on, probably when he 
is 16).  Also respond about what becomes of your character because of 
their involvement, re-write the ending when aplicable (stick with 
Camu's text, though).