Svengali

Svengali is the name of a fictional hypnotist in George Du Maurier 's 1894 novel, Trilby . A sensation in its day, the novel created a stereotype of the abusive hypnotist that persists to this day. Trilby O'Ferrall is literally tone-deaf: "Svengali would test her ear, as he called it, and strike the C in the middle and then the F just above, and ask which was the highest; and she would declare they were both exactly the same." Svengali is, in Du Maurier's words, an "Oriental Israelite Hebrew Jew" with a cruel personality. He "would either fawn or bully, and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humour, which was more offensive than amusing, and always laughed at the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place. And his laughter was always derisive and full of malice." Under his hypnotic spell, Trilby becomes a talented singer, performing always in an amnesiac trance. At a performance in London , Svengali is stricken with a heart attack and is unable to induce the trance. Trilby is unable to sing in tune and is subjected to "laughter, hoots, hisses, cat-calls, cock-crows." Not having been hypnotised, she is completely baffled and cannot remember anything about Svengali or her singing career. When an audience member yells "Oh, ye're Henglish, har yer? Why don't yer sing as yer bought to sing — yer've got voice enough, any'ow! why don't yer sing in tune? I won't sing another note!" She is stricken with a nervous affliction and dies tragically a day later. The relation between Svengali and Trilby form only a relatively small portion of the novel, which is mainly an evocation of Bohemian Paris in the 1850s. The novel has been adapted for the screen many times, the most successful being the 1931 film Svengali starring John Barrymore . (A 1954 version is described by imdb users as "unintentionally hilarious". There was a 1983 television version with Peter O'Toole and Jodie Foster ). The word "Svengali" has entered the language meaning a person who, with evil intent, tries to persuade another to do what is desired. It is frequently any kind of coach who seems to exercise an extreme degree of domination over a performer (especially if they believe they can only perform in the presence of their coach). The Svengali deck is a mechanical card trick with no connection to the Du Maurier novel.

Svengali is the name of a fictional character in George du Maurier 's 1894 novel Trilby . A sensation in its day, the novel created a stereotype of the evil hypnotist that persists to this day. The character was portrayed in many silent film versions of the story, and in talking pictures by John Barrymore in a 1931 film of the same name , by Donald Wolfit in a 1954 version in Technicolor , and by Peter O'Toole in a 1983 made-for-television modernized version, also in colour, costarring Jodie Foster . This last one changed the names of all the characters but was still called Svengali , the name having become a common noun. The word " svengali " has entered the language meaning a person who with evil intent manipulates another into doing what is desired. It is frequently used for any kind of coach who seems to exercise an extreme degree of domination over a performer (especially if the person is a young woman and the coach is an older man). The term has entered the media lexicon for an unaccountable but overridingly influential adviser to a political leader or candidate.

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Svengali as a spider in his web. Illustration by George du Maurier , 1895. Svengali ( / s v ɛ ŋ ˈ ɡ ɑː l i / ) is a fictional character in George du Maurier 's 1895 novel Trilby . Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates, and exploits Trilby, a young Irish girl, and makes her a famous singer.

Fictional character from the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier This article is about the fictional character. ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Svengali as a spider in his web . Illustration by George du Maurier (1895) . Svengali ( / s v ɛ ŋ ˈ ɡ ɑː l i / ) is a character in the novel Trilby which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier . Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer.

Fictional character from the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier This article is about the fictional character. Svengali as a spider in his web . Illustration by George du Maurier (1895) . Svengali ( / s v ɛ ŋ ˈ ɡ ɑː l i / ) is a character in the novel Trilby which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier . Svengali is a Jewish man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer.