An account of a man haunted by the Devil in the form of his own evil double. Hogg's 1824 novel, set in 17th century Scotland, anticipates Dostoevsky's great dramas of sin, self-accusation and damnation by half a century.
Hardcover
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Summary
An account of a man haunted by the Devil in the form of his own evil double. Hogg's 1824 novel, set in 17th century Scotland, anticipates Dostoevsky's great dramas of sin, self-accusation and damnation by half a century.
Description
What connects Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? James Hogg. What connects gothic romance with Freud? James Hogg. What connects theology with psychopathology? James Hogg.A gothic tale of good verses evil, about a pact with Satan and the horrific consequences. It's a chilling tale and cleverly written as the novel deals intelligently with the idea of pre-destination and in parts it treads the same path as the classic tale of Faust selling his soul to the Devil, in other places it shines a light on schizophrenia, a century before it was medically identified.Prompted by his charismatic companion - who lacks only cloven hooves to give his identity away - our 'hero' is easily tempted into the belief that he can be God's champion by killing the already damned. Conveniently, as one of the elect, his lies, cruelty and murders cannot be held against him, since his salvation is already secured
Critic Reviews
A good book stays with you; it becomes part of you as you perpetually ponder its mysteries whilst it lingers on your mind. This book will always haunt me because I will never have a conclusive answer as to what it is actually about. Hogg has created a story that is bizarre, intriguing and rather mystifying. As a result, it is completely excellent. Goodreads
Teasingly brilliant... prefigures some of postmodernism's best trickery.... An entertaining ride with the devil. The Guardian
About the Author
James Hogg was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many of the great writers of his day, including Sir Walter Scott, of whom he later wrote an unauthorized biography. He became widely known as the "Ettrick Shepherd", a nickname under which some of his works were published, and the character name he was given in the widely read series 'Noctes Ambrosianae', published in Blackwood's Magazine. He is best known today for his novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. His other works include the long poem The Queen's Wake, his collection of songs Jacobite Reliques, and the novels The Three Perils of Man, The Three Perils of Woman, and The Brownie of Bodsbeck.
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