The Motive of Foolishness in the Novel by F. M. Dostoevsky “Demons”

The first part of the article reviews the study of the theme of foolishness in the “Pentateuch&8j1; of F.M. Dostoevsky and some of his too broad interpretations are criticized. An own understanding of this motive and its real place in the writer’s work is developed. The differentiation of the holy fool and the foolish hero is carried out, as well as the difference between foolishness and buffoonery. In the second part of the work, the motif of foolishness in the novel “Demons&8j1; is considered, since this is the only novel of the “pentateuch&8j1; where this motif really performs an ideological and plot-forming function. The motif of holy foolishness is revealed in a number of characters, such as Stavrogin and Lizaveta Tushina, in addition to literally holy fools (Marya Timofeevna, Semyon Yakovlevich). It is shown how the development of the motif of foolishness in “Demons&8j1; allows Dostoevsky to convey his specific vision of the era of change, since the writer sees the conditionality of the spiritual upheavals of the present historical moment by the Russian national character and the deep layers of the people’s consciousness – the original grassroots religious tradition.

foolishness, holy fool, F.M. Dostoevsky, the novel “Demonsˮ, A.M. Panchenko, buffoonery, demonic possession, folk religiosity