Svengali: Difference between revisions
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Stage mother]] |
*[[Stage mother]] |
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*[[Frank DiLeo]] - [[Michael Jackson]]'s longtime manager |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 23:37, 24 August 2009
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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 color, co-starring Jodie Foster. This last one changed the names of all the characters, but was still called Svengali.
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. Recent figures to whom the label has been applied include Peter Mandelson (to Tony Blair)[1] and Karl Rove (to George W. Bush et al[2]).
The character
He "would either fawn or bully, and could be grossly impertinent. He had a kind of cynical humor, 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."
Svengali transforms Trilby into a great singer using hypnosis, but she cannot perform without his help in entering a trance state. The relation between Svengali and Trilby forms only a small portion of the novel, which is mainly an evocation of bohemian Paris in the 1850s.
Popular culture
In an episode of the the sitcom Seinfeld, entitled "The Wallet", Elaine refers to her psychotherapist boyfriend as a "Svengali" because he wields a powerful mental influence over her. She mispronounces the word, causing Jerry and George to correct her.
In the season 1 pilot of the Moonlight TV series, entitled "No Such Thing as Vampires", Beth interviews a suspect who refers to another character as a "Svengali" who brainwashed students, using literary references to vampires, sex and dark desires and seduced them into his cult.
See also
- Frank DiLeo - Michael Jackson's longtime manager
External links
References
- ^ Blair's local hero takes cue in Pennine poll drama, Independent, 23 July 1995
- ^ Karl Rove: the King of Dirt, Fromthewilderness.com, Wayne Madsen, 2003
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