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Selections from the Memoirs of Satan: Volume Two
This second volume deepens the Devil's sardonic observations of early 19th-century European society through three interconnected narratives. Opening with a playful legal satire where Satan's publisher faces charges of literary fraud, the volume cleverly mocks the bureaucratic and legal systems of the German states.
The narrative then moves to Frankfurt during Pentecost, where Satan observes the emerging world of international finance and speculation. Through the story of a lovesick merchant, Hauff provides fascinating insights into Jewish-Christian relations of the period, the rise of banking houses like Rothschild, and the transformation of traditional European society by modern capitalism.
The volume's centerpiece is a tragic love story set in Rome, which Hauff uses to explore religious conversion, cultural conflicts between Protestant Germany and Catholic Italy, and the personal cost of social ambition. This section is particularly notable for its critique of religious hypocrisy and its nuanced portrayal of interfaith relationships.
This annotated translation preserves both Hauff's intricate prose and his multiple layers of meaning. Extensive footnotes help modern readers understand the historical, cultural, and literary references that would have been familiar to Hauff's contemporary audience.
Perfect for scholars, students, and general readers interested
German Romantic literature and satire19th-century European finance and societyReligious and cultural conflictsGothic literature and supernatural talesHistorical fiction and social commentary
The narrative then moves to Frankfurt during Pentecost, where Satan observes the emerging world of international finance and speculation. Through the story of a lovesick merchant, Hauff provides fascinating insights into Jewish-Christian relations of the period, the rise of banking houses like Rothschild, and the transformation of traditional European society by modern capitalism.
The volume's centerpiece is a tragic love story set in Rome, which Hauff uses to explore religious conversion, cultural conflicts between Protestant Germany and Catholic Italy, and the personal cost of social ambition. This section is particularly notable for its critique of religious hypocrisy and its nuanced portrayal of interfaith relationships.
This annotated translation preserves both Hauff's intricate prose and his multiple layers of meaning. Extensive footnotes help modern readers understand the historical, cultural, and literary references that would have been familiar to Hauff's contemporary audience.
Perfect for scholars, students, and general readers interested
German Romantic literature and satire19th-century European finance and societyReligious and cultural conflictsGothic literature and supernatural talesHistorical fiction and social commentary
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2011
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About the author
Wilhelm Hauff
861 books51 followersWilhelm Hauff was a German poet and novelist best known for his fairy tales.
Educated at the University of Tübingen, Hauff worked as a tutor and in 1827 became editor of J.F. Cotta’s newspaper Morgenblatt. Hauff had a narrative and inventive gift and sense of form; he wrote with ease, combining narrative themes of others with his own. His work shows a pleasant, often spirited, wit. There is a strong influence of E.T.A. Hoffmann in his fantasy Mitteilungen aus den Memoiren des Satans (1826–27; “Pronouncements from the Memoirs of Satan”). Hauff’s Lichtenstein (1826), a historical novel of 16th-century Württemberg, was one of the first imitations of Sir Walter Scott. He is also known for a number of fairy tales that were published in his Märchenalmanach auf das Jahr 1826 and had lasting popularity. Similar volumes followed in 1827 and 1828. His novellas, which were collected posthumously in Novellen, 3 vol. (1828), include Jud Süss (The Jew Suss; serialized 1827).
Educated at the University of Tübingen, Hauff worked as a tutor and in 1827 became editor of J.F. Cotta’s newspaper Morgenblatt. Hauff had a narrative and inventive gift and sense of form; he wrote with ease, combining narrative themes of others with his own. His work shows a pleasant, often spirited, wit. There is a strong influence of E.T.A. Hoffmann in his fantasy Mitteilungen aus den Memoiren des Satans (1826–27; “Pronouncements from the Memoirs of Satan”). Hauff’s Lichtenstein (1826), a historical novel of 16th-century Württemberg, was one of the first imitations of Sir Walter Scott. He is also known for a number of fairy tales that were published in his Märchenalmanach auf das Jahr 1826 and had lasting popularity. Similar volumes followed in 1827 and 1828. His novellas, which were collected posthumously in Novellen, 3 vol. (1828), include Jud Süss (The Jew Suss; serialized 1827).
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