The Demons by Heimito von Doderer
A symphonic chronicle of a declining Viennese society entangled in ideologies
Symphonic in structure, Heimito von Doderer’s sprawling chronicle The Demons portrays the deeply entangled, ideologically fractured world of Vienna, in which no single sonorous note can be isolated without losing the harmonious rhythm of the whole. In fact, this universality is alluded to early on in the Overture: “For the whole is contained in the smallest segment of anyone's life-story; indeed, we may even say that it is contained in every single moment.” This statement prepares readers for a voluminous narrative that continues to fold and unfold upon itself through its reflexive complexities and intricate details. Trapped in a web of interconnectedness, von Doderer’s decadent Vienna slowly unravels as its citizens grapple with their twisted realities and resistance to fate.
Primarily told through the perspective of Georg von Geyrenhoff, a retired civil servant, the three-part novel chronicles events in Vienna between 1926 and 1927, occasionally deviating with chronological oscillations to uncover pertinent details. Gathering various perspectives, facts, and his own personal accounts, Geyrenhoff slowly pieces the story together, taking periodic breaks before completing his manuscript in the 1950s. On the surface, the plot of The Demons is quite straightforward. A conniving financial counsellor Herr Levielle has withheld the immense inheritance from a deceased, wealthy landowner Herr Ruthmayr. Amidst other converging subplots, Geyrenhoff and others work to resolve this matter in favor of the rightful heir—a daughter born of a clandestine relationship. Following the revelation of this secret and its aftermath, the narrator's meticulously crafted chronicle reaches its climax on July 15, 1927, with the burning of the Palace of Justice—a real historical event. However, the story depicts far more than financial corruption and social unrest. Dispersed throughout are reflections on perspectivism, commentary on ideological fanaticism, and gradual shifts within social dynamics.
Rather than provide a pan-optical, reductionist tale told through an omniscient narrator, von Doderer utilizes a non-linear, fragmented perspective that forces readers to digest the minutiae before them while simultaneously encouraging a macro view of matters as they develop. The novel features a diverse and vivid cast of characters, ranging from petty criminals and arrogant intellectuals to corpulent wives. With each chapter, the story spirals and spreads like a rhizome, sprouting profound ideas and presenting a multi-faceted view of Viennese society. Focusing too closely on any one detail or plot point comes at the cost of losing the forest for the trees. True understanding or knowledge can only be found when one zooms out and takes into consideration all perspectives, or as Herr Altschul puts it, “It almost seems that all capacity for judgment is based solely on taking the proper distance from a subject. Only at the proper distance will the necessary detailed knowledge be found.” The crown jewel of this novel is its ability to capture the wholeness and interwoven nature of society. This point is further illuminated by the witty, reprobate Kajetan later in the novel when he states, “All of us are prisms with many facets: we have as many different existences as there are people who know us.” By breaking out of a parochial and myopic worldview, one is able to view matters from the necessary distance and conduct a proper assessment. Failing to do so not only creates a misunderstanding of individuals, but a poorly constructed view of history.
Another key feature of the novel is von Doderer’s exploration of ideologies, or ‘demons’, and their pernicious effects on individuals and society at large. Whether its Kajetan Schlaggenberg’s comical fixation on rotund, mature women, or the boiling over of socialist fomentation, these various fanatical ideas become elusive driving factors behind major cultural change. Von Doderer overlaps these beliefs with the concept of ‘second realities’ and the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. These second realities diverge from the first, or real, reality resulting in dissociation and a downward spiral, as described by the story’s young, ambitious scholar Leonhard Kakabsa: “All roads of descent lead down, but never do people hate one another so passionately as when they choose different downward paths.” This point is strengthened by the fictitious medieval manuscript written in an pseudo-archaic language that tells the story of a torturous witch chamber where these demonic ideas ran rampant.
Perhaps most of all, the chronicle exemplifies the fatalistic nature of existence. Much of our actions emerge from the construct of our environment and the forces placed upon us, or as von Geyrenhoff expresses it: “Thus it is that sometimes weapons we have not loaded are thrust into our hands; and nevertheless we fire the shot.” To our chagrin, any desperate grasping for free will is swept away by the immense influence of our surroundings and the societal constructs in which we live. In both Leonhard's and René Stangeler’s transformations by the end of the novel, their desires for freedom and change were fulfilled only through propitious chance encounters. Much like a Schopenhauerian worldview, we are rarely, if ever, the creator of our circumstances, but merely reacting to them. Despite his reluctance, Leonhard understood that, “he himself had not come into the world intentionally, that it had happened quite by chance, […] But this fact altered nothing; you had to lie in the bed even though you had not made it.“
Prolix, catholic, and at times laborsome, The Demons is a eccentric novel that rewards patience and attentive reading. As you swirl around in the maelstrom of trivialities and confluence of characters, von Doderer illuminates the symphonic unity of nature where a single instrument cannot be understood in isolation. The harmony must be taken as a whole and examined as a whole. Only then can one hope to seek any truth or gain any knowledge. Only then can one see the taut strings of the bow, witness the arrow as it soars across the sky, and recognize the inevitability of its descent and piercing strike.
Thank you to Wiseblood Books for providing the copy for review. You can order a copy here