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Abstract:

The paper analyzes the artistic impact of Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot on Vyacheslav Butusov, Vladimir Ponomaryov, and Konstantin Komardin, the creators of an animated music video. The soundtrack for the video is “The Idiot,” a musical composition by musician and poet Vyacheslav Butusov. The song explores a symbolic night for humanity, populated by weak and destitute individuals who have lost their footing and forgotten the meaning of life. The animated video (2020) is richer in characters, events, and content than the song released in 2019. The world depicted in the animation is terrifying, with extraordinary actions and an overwhelming visual sequence. It portrays a world under attack by forces of evil and overrun by cyborg killers, not just in an apocalyptic Saint Petersburg but across the entire planet. The video employs a well- known narrative motif: the conflict between an author and one of his characters within a work of art. If the character’s fate is secure and fortunate, readers often lose interest. Understanding the narrative’s need for engagement, the writer complicates the plot, intensifies the drama, and subjects the character to extreme cruelty. Upon realizing the author’s radical intentions, the character decides to take control of his own destiny. This rebellion may even lead to an attempt on the author’s life. The animated clip illustrates such an incident, where Prince Myshkin, a fictional character, revolts against his creator, the writer Dostoevsky.

Keywords: Dostoevsky, The Idiot, Vyacheslav Butusov, song, animated clip, apocalypse, prince Myshkin, Marmeladka, Eduard Artemyev, Crime and Punishment, cyberpunk, rock-opera.