The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

         

                                                                                   


    The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in 1938, first published in Britain in 1967.

The Devil has arrived in late 1930s Moscow in the form of Professor Woland, a self-styled black magician. He is saddened and disappointed to find that people don't believe in him. Accompanying him are several demons, including a large black cat, a tall clown, a naked witch and a vampire. They set about causing chaos, dismantling the somewhat ridiculous nature of Moscow society and exposing greed and hypocrisy. They put on a show at the Variety theatre, showering the audience with money, which later turns into useless labels. Although a mischief-maker and murderer, Bulgakov's Devil is a charming character and his demons are, in their own way, quite loveable.
The Master is a writer, who has written a novel about Pontius Pilate, which becomes a story within the story. Margarita is his lover, although she is married to a scientist. When the novel is rejected and later criticised publicly, the Master loses his mind, burns the novel and wanders into the night. He is taken to an asylum for treatment. The Devil invites Margarita to become a witch and to act as hostess at his Springtime Ball, which she does. As a reward, the Devil reunites her with the Master and the novel is miraculously restored.
Over three days, Woland causes several prominent citizens to lose their minds, steals the head of a corpse and murders a man at the Springtime Ball. His demons burn several buildings to the ground. When Woland and his infernal troupe leave Moscow, they take the Master and Margarita with them. The authorities proceed to cover up the events.
The Master and Margarita is satirical and humorous. The over-the-top actions of the demons take away from what otherwise would be horrendous, for example when the theatre compere's head is cut off and later re-attached with no lasting physical harm, (although the psychological effects are devastating). It is also an insightful look at human nature, and at times it is profoundly beautiful.

Gothic Rating:

Isolated setting:

Brooding atmosphere:                            🕱

Mental illness:                                        🕱

Religious references:                              🕱

Supernatural elements:                           🕱

Murder:                                                  🕱

Family secret:

Genius/madness:                                    🕱

Doomed love:                                        🕱


The Master and Margarita has a Gothic rating of  🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱🕱


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