Svengali

Svengali is a fictional character in George du Maurier's 1895 novel Trilby. Scholars call Svengali a classic example of anti-Semitism in literature because he is Jewish, of Eastern European origins, and he seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young English girl, and makes her into a famous singer. The word "svengali" has come to refer to a person who, with evil intent, dominates, manipulates and controls a creative person such as a singer or actor. In court, a "Svengali defense" is a legal tactic that purports the defendant to be a pawn in the scheme a greater, and more influential, criminal mastermind.