The image of Pyotr Verkhovensky from F. M. Dostoevsky's novel «Demons»: from the real S. G. Nechaev to new images in the cinema

Abstract

The author of the article offers the analysis and dissection of the image of Peter Verkhovensky, one of the main characters of F. M. Dostoevsky's novel «Demons» (1872). The prototypes of the hero from the history of Russia of the XIX'th century are considered in detail, on the example of S. G. Nechaev and M. V. Petrashevsky. The image of a character from F. M. Dostoevsky's novel is analyzed. The author pays special attention to the review of the hero's representation in three post-Soviet film adaptations from 1992 to 2024. The author analyzes the characteristic features, behavior and motivation of the character of Pyotr Verkhovensky from the novel in the screen adaptations, their independent evolution within the cinematography, how and to what extent the image changes depending on the actual socio-cultural context of the time and its positioning. This study used hermeneutic and dialectical method to analyze the form of representation of the image of the character in post-Soviet cinematography, as well as the theory of cultural hegemony of A. Gramsci is used to study the reasons for the changes and representation of the hero by the authors of film adaptations. The novelty of the study lies in the complex consideration and analysis of prototype images from real history. The key character from F.M. Dostoevsky's novel is studied, delving into the writer's worldview and perception of the revolutionary movement and individual personalities. The author examines the representations of the character in the domestic cinematography on the example of screen adaptations of «Demons (Nikolai Stavrogin)» 1992, «Demons» of 2014 and Sergey Arlanov's new mini-series 2024 «Qlipot». Attention is paid to the context of actual events for their time, which influenced the formation of the image of the movie hero.