Affects in the City: Leonid Kvinikhidze’s Film Adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “White Nights”

Abstract

The article delves into the representation of affects in a classic text and its film version. Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “White Nights”, adapted by Leonid Kvinikhidze, allows for the comparison of the affective-emotional elements in the film with those of the literary original. We first elaborate on three different approaches to the study of affect (John Hodgkins, Alanna Thain and Greg Singh) and its links to the sphere of senses and emotions. We then proceed to analyze Dostoevsky’s text and its film adaptation (with emphasis on colour and lightning in the mise-en-scène, editing techniques and music) to demonstrate that the affective and emotional energies of the film establish a complex relationship with the original narrative. Special attention is paid to the analysis of closing episodes and their significance in provoking emotional reactions.