The Devil (novel)
"The Devil" (Russian: Дьявол) is a novella by Leo Tolstoy. It was written in 1889, given an alternative ending in 1909,[1] but published only posthumously in 1911.[2] Like Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata, written around the same time, "The Devil" deals with the consequences of sexual emotion.[3]
Plot summary
Two young men, Eugene Irtenev and his brother, are left a large inheritance after the death of their father. However, the inheritance is saddled with debts, and the brothers must decide whether or not to accept it. Eugene accepts the inheritance and buys off his brother's portion, thinking that he can sell off large tracts of land while making improvements to the rest. Living alone with his mother while working on the farm, Eugene misses the relations he had with women while living in
After a year of marriage, Liza employs two peasant women to help with cleaning the estate. One of them is Stepanida. When Eugene notices her, all the passion for her that he thought was forgotten comes rushing back. He can't stop thinking about her and decides that she must be sent away. Liza later suffers a harmful fall while pregnant, and Eugene takes her for a
At a village festival, Eugene notices Stepanida dancing, and their glances re-awaken his desire. Tormented by lust, he thinks of resuming relations with her, but realizes that the affair would cause too much of a scandal. Eugene says of Stepanida, "Really, she is--a devil. Simply a devil. She has possessed herself of me against my own will."[4] He convinces himself that there are only two options: to kill Stepanida, or to kill his wife and run off with Stepanida. Eugene then thinks of a third option, which is to commit suicide. When his family finds him dead of a revolver shot, they cannot understand why he killed himself since, although he was evidently tormented, he did not confide in his closest relatives.
See also
References
- ^ Igor Masarek, Review of "The Devil", accessed 2011-09-03
- ^ "Tolstoy". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. 1956.
- ISBN 0-06-083071-9.
- ^ Maude translation