"The Possessed" by Fyodor Dostoevsky: An aging intellectual dandy, Stepan Trofimovitch Verhovensky still believes his greatest work lies before him. Any day now he'll sit down and write his book, which will surely be a staggering academic achievement, and he'll once again be hailed as a scholar and a gentleman, reclaiming the glory of his youth. In the meantime, the puerile professor relies heavily on the kindness of the wealthy widow Varvara Petrovna Stavrogin, who first employed Stepan Trofimovitch as a tutor for her son Nikolay.

In the 20 years since, Stepan Trofimovitch and Varvara Petrovna's relationship blossomed into, well, not much really. Stepan Trofimovitch, with two unsuccessful marriages and an estranged son to his credit, becomes Varvara Petrovna's professional companion, basically accepting an allowance to be her friend and personal source of amusement, but never having the courage to profess his love for her. In turn, Varvara Petrovna treats him as an overgrown child, running every aspect of his life.

With plenty of money and leisure time at their disposal, Varvara Petrovna and Stepan Trofimovitch dabble in philosophical pursuits, falling in with a circle of youthful, free-thinking liberals. While Varvara Petrovna bankrolls their activities, Stepan Trofimovitch serves as a father figure for the young would-be revolutionists. Soon they're a happy little family, contemplating political reform and dreaming of a fantastic future for the Russian people.

Thought becomes action when Stepan Trofimovitch and Varvara Petrovna's sons return home. Pyotr Stepanovitch Verhovensky, who hasn't seen his father in years and is a relative stranger to all, is the first to arrive, charming everyone with his silver tongue and persuasive manner.

Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch Stavrogin is far more infamous in his hometown, having had instances of madness in his youth, from biting the governor's ear to literally leading a man around by the nose. He eventually left home to wallow in debauchery, quickly gaining a reputation for violence and unpredictable behavior. Despite his handsome appearance and refined manners, Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch inspires respectful fear, a reaction he neither warrants nor wants.

Pyotr Stepanovitch and Nikolay Vsyevolodovitch, acquaintances since childhood, spent time together in Switzerland, along with several other members of Stepan Trofimovitch's circle, exploring the depths of atheism and nihilism. They talked of revolution, even printing and circulating communist manifestos, a crime punishable by death in 1860s Tsarist Russia.

The liberalism of the younger Russian generation is embodied in Pyotr Stepanovitch, who will stop at nothing until he brings his homeland to ruin, building a new, improved Russia from its ashes. Pyotr Stepanovitch may have the cunning and desire, but he lacks the natural courage and charisma of a leader, qualities Nikolay Vsyevolodovith has in spades. Without Stavrogin, Pyotr Stepanovitch is nothing but an idea; he's Columbus without America. He knows he can't do it without his friend serving as the movement's figurehead. But Stavrogin wants nothing to do with a revolution. He's fighting his own internal warfare between reason and faith.

Stavrogin's spiritual struggle is further exemplified in the characters of Shatov and Kirilov, two former friends who had a falling out over differences in philosophy. Shatov, once a proud member of the atheist movement, has found god, renouncing his former iconoclast companions and returning to Russia to live a simple life. Kirilov, a godless existentialist, is writing a book on suicide, attempting to find a reason why everyone doesn't take their own lives immediately. Kirilov intends to kill himself, believing that a willing suicide, done for no other reason than to commit the act, is the most powerful statement man can make. By showing no fear of death, man conquers god, and thereby becomes god.

Stavrogin has no clear allegiance in spirituality, having demonstrated both faith and reason at different times, drifting between the extremes of Shatov and Kirilov. Stavrogin has grounds for doubting god, having perpetrated an unspeakable crime during his period of wantonness. With a tiny sliver of hope in god still present in his breast, Stavrogin is unwilling to commit suicide, so, as all great Dostoevskian characters do, he seeks spiritual redemption through suffering. He forsakes his true love and marries a crippled mental incompetent, bearing the personal shame with pride. Later, he agrees to a duel but refuses to return fire, boldly marching towards each lethal volley.

Pyotr Stepanovitch is willing to give Stavrogin's existence meaning. And he concocts a brutal plan to guarantee his friend's devotion, plotting to murder Stavrogin's burdensome wife and her blackmailing brother. He also intends to silence Shatov once and for all, ensuring he won't turn informer, spilling his traitor blood to further bind the fates of his revolutionary cohorts.

Kirilov is essential to the plan. Pyotr Stepanovitch's group paid for Kirilov's return to Russia. In exchange, the suicidal scribe promises to kill himself whenever they see fit, agreeing to pen a confession beforehand accepting responsibility for all their crimes.

"The Possessed," which depending on the translation is sometimes called "The Demons," was published in 1871, five years after "Crime and Punishment" and eight years before "The Brothers Karamazov." It's partially based on actual events, with Pyotr Stepanovitch's planned murder of Shatov mirroring the slaying of real-life revolutionist Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov in 1869. Of course, Dostoevsky also drew inspiration from his own involvement with the Petrashevsky Circle, an association that almost cost him his life. For those not familiar with the master's biography, Dostoevsky was condemned to death for his socialist connections, but at the last possible second Czar Nicholas I commuted his sentence to penal servitude in Siberia. The maddeningly close brush with death forever changed Dostoevsky's views of life, god, and existence.

As per usual, the book is ridiculously well plotted. Memorable characters abound, all converging in one magnificent testament to thought, pure, blissful thought. It's one of the most profound political works in literature, foreshadowing the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. And its examination of god and religion is easily on par with Dostoevsky's other masterpieces.

The novel was actually intended to only be a political work, with Pyotr Stepanovitch as the main hero. It was only after the story was already underway that Dostoevsky discovered the remarkable character of Stavrogin, allowing his quest for meaning to become the centerpiece of the text. Stavrogin is deserving of such attention, easily earning a place on my personal list of favorite literary creations. He's an existential dream. His debates with Shatov and Kirilov are some of the finest dissertations on god I've ever read, written, or conceived. Each sentence is worthy of a monument. Here are some random quotes to whet your appetite...

"Our heads hinder our understanding more than anything."

"God is the pain of the fear of death. He who will conquer pain and terror will become himself a god."

"Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy."

"If the laws of nature did not spare even Him, have not spared even their miracle and made even Him live in a lie and die for a lie, then all the planet is a lie and rests on a lie and on mockery. So then, the very laws of the planet are a lie and the vaudeville of devils. What is there to live for? Answer, if you are a man."

"Attain to God by work."

"God is necessary and so must exist. But I know He doesn't and can't."

Aw, that's quality. Now do you see why it's my heart?

Perhaps the most devastating portion of the book is titled "Stavrogin's Confession," a chapter so disturbing in its depiction of Stavrogin's godless debasement that it was never published with the original work, not seeing print until 1922, some forty years after Dostoevsky's death. Much like "The Grand Inquisitor" from "The Brothers Karamazov," "Stavrogin's Confession" could easily stand alone on its own merits. In most modern versions, the chapter is presented at the end of the manuscript and not following Part II, Chapter VIII, which is where Dostoevsky originally intended it to run.

Oh, and if you haven't guessed by now, "The Possessed" isn't a quick read. It weighs in at 710 pages. So clear your schedule. And enjoy the journey.

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