The private memoirs and confessions of a justified sinner / James Hogg ; edited with an introduction and notes by Ian Duncan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hogg, James, 1770-1835.

Contributor:

Duncan, Ian, 1955- editor.

Series:

Oxford world's classics (Oxford University Press)

Oxford world's classics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Calvinists--Fiction.

Calvinists.

Murderers--Fiction.

Murderers.

Scotland--Fiction.

Scotland.

Genre:

Fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Physical Description:

xlvii, 220 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm.

Edition:

New edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2010.

Summary:

One of the supreme masterpieces of Romantic fiction and Scottish literature, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is a terrifying tale of murder and amorality, and of one man's descent into madness and despair. James Hogg's sardonic novel follows a young man who, falling under the spell of a mysterious stranger who bears an uncanny likeness to himself, embarks on a career as a serial murderer. The memoirs are presented by a narrator whose attempts to explain the story only succeed in intensifying its more baffling and bizarre aspects. Is the young man the victim of a psychotic delusion, or has he been tempted by the devil to wage war against God's enemies? The authoritative and lively introduction by Ian Duncan covers the full range of historical and religious themes and contexts, offers a richer and more accurate consideration of the novel's relation to Romantic fiction than found elsewhere, and sheds new light on the novel's treatment of fanaticism. Copious notes identify the novel's historical, biblical, theological, and literary allusions. - Publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Note on the text

Select bibliography

A chronology of James Hogg

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The editor's narrative

Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Sinner, Written By Himself

Explanatory notes

Glossary.

Notes:

"First published as a World's Classics paperback 1981"--T.p. verso

Includes bibliographical references (pages [xxxviii]-xliii).

ISBN:

0199217955

9780199217953

OCLC:

506248673

Publisher Number:

99949605675