- Svengali
Svengali is the name of a fictional character in
George du Maurier 's 1894 novel "Trilby". A sensation in its day, the novel created astereotype of the evilhypnotist that persists to this day. The character was portrayed in many silent film versions of the story, and in talking pictures byJohn Barrymore in a 1931 film of the same name, byDonald Wolfit in a 1954 version inTechnicolor , and byPeter O'Toole in a 1983made-for-television modernized version, also in color, co-starringJodie Foster . This last one changed the names of all the characters, but was still called "Svengali".The word "" 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 female or believes he or she can only perform in the presence of the coach).A famous example of a svengali is with the swedish rock band,
The Hives and their mysterious manager,Randy Fitzsimmons 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.ee also
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Stage mother External links
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* [http://www.hypnosisinmedia.com/index.php?title=Fiction:Du_Maurier%2C_George_%28Trilby%29_Part_I Complete online text of the novel]References
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