William Leidy
William Leidy is a PhD candidate in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Stanford. He received BAs in Russian and Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 2004. In addition to his current project on scandal in literature, his research interests include Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, early Soviet literature, interwar Polish literature, and satire.
"Bringing a New Word to the World Through Charismatic Scandal "
Leidy’s dissertation considers scandal’s role in literature and society through three main texts—Aleksandr Griboedov’s Woe from Wit, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Idiot, and Witold Gombrowicz’s Ferdydurke. Each of these texts features a charismatic central figure who tries to bring a new word to society by provocatively challenging the status quo, recalling the origin of the word “scandal”—the New Testament concept of skandalon, frequently linked with the actions of Jesus Christ. Emphasis is placed on the interaction between the speaker and society and the reception of scandal.
