Crime and Punishment & Other Great Novels of Dostoevsky

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Genre

Classics, Fiction, Philosophy, Psychology

Contents

Demons — Part III

Previous: Chapter X. Filibusters. A Fatal Morning Next: Chapter II. The End of the Fete

Overview

The long-anticipated fête proceeds amid simmering resentment and rumors of a banquet. Provocations swiftly unravel the matinee: a drunken intrusion, Liputin’s insulting poem, and Karmazinov’s disastrous farewell incite the crowd. Stepan Trofimovich’s plea for art over reform backfires when his past is exposed, and a radical professor’s denunciation of Russia ignites open turmoil.

Summary

The town’s fête proceeds despite rising hostility toward Yulia Mihailovna and expectations of a grand buffet she had unintentionally encouraged. Riff-raff, aided by stewards like Lyamshin and Liputin, flood the hall, grumbling about missing refreshments. The Lembkes arrive to awkward fanfare, and tensions sharpen.

Captain Lebyadkin, drunk and in evening dress, stumbles onto the platform before being removed. Liputin then reads a crude “poem” about governesses, transparently designed to provoke. The insult offends the audience and unsettles the event just as Karmazinov appears to deliver his farewell reading.

Karmazinov’s affected, meandering “Merci” alienates the hall. Heckling erupts; he spars vainly with the crowd before ending amid mixed applause and complaints about food. Disorder simmers as Stepan Trofimovich takes the stage, determined to reconcile factions by attacking the manifestoes’ “stupidity” and exalting Shakespeare and Raphael over reform and utility.

The hall divides; Stepan grows frantic and tearful. A divinity student suddenly denounces him for having once sold Fedka as a recruit, linking Stepan to the now-escaped murderer. Stunned and humiliated, Stepan curses the audience and flees, further inflaming tempers.

Seizing the uproar, the next reader—a fiery, newly arrived professor—rushes onstage, delivering a scathing denunciation of Russia past and present. The tirade electrifies a large segment of the audience; officials drag him off twice as cheers intensify. A girl student tries to speak on student suffering, the stage area is breached, and the matinee disintegrates into chaos. The narrator slips out to find Stepan.

Who Appears

Yulia Mihailovna Lembke

Organizer of the fête; misreads public mood; absent Pyotr destabilizes her; loses control as scandals erupt.
Andrey Antonovitch Lembke

Governor; appears recovered; uneasy amid provocations; powerless as order collapses.
Narrator (steward)

Observes and anticipates plotting; confronts Liputin; flees to check on Stepan after chaos.
Liputin

Steward-agitator; stages Lebyadkin’s entrance and reads a mocking poem to spark scandal.
Lyamshin

Steward conspirator; plants riff-raff; orders a flourish for the Lembkes to embarrass them.
Captain Lebyadkin

Drunk; blunders onto the platform, priming the audience for disruption.
Karmazinov

Famed writer; delivers a vain, muddled farewell; heckled; accepts laurels with barbed irony.
Stepan Trofimovich Verhovensky

Attempts reconciliation by praising beauty over reform; breaks down; cursed after a public accusation.
Divinity student

Heckles; publicly exposes Stepan’s past sale of Fedka, catalyzing outrage.
Radical professor (third reader)

Newcomer; denounces Russia’s past and reforms; wins cheers; dragged off amid uproar.
Lizaveta Nikolaevna (Liza)

Arrives radiant, attracting attention; watches events; seeks Stavrogin, who is absent.
Prince (princeling steward)

Silent dandy steward; signals police to expel a drunken captain; later aids Yulia.
Marshal’s wife

Committee leader; presents laurel wreath to Karmazinov; urges decorum.
Girl student (Virginsky’s sister)

Attempts to speak on student suffering during the breakdown; adds to turmoil.
Pyotr Stepanovich Verhovensky

Conspicuously absent during the matinee, undermining Yulia and enabling disorder.