James Hogg

Desolate, wind-swept, the moor—the grave—lies unblessed, its soil untended and cursed. First published in 1824, James Hogg''s Gothic tale tells the story of a man named Robert Wringhim, who believes he is predestined for salvation, that any sin he commits is justified as long as it serves God''s will. In The Suicides Grave, Hogg weaves an eerie atmosphere of moral reckoning and spectral dread, as the land itself seems to recoil from the sinner buried beyond the church’s grace.A new illustrated edition of the classic novel featuring ballpoint pen illustrations, cover, and interior design by Dmitry Samarov.

''We have heard much of the rage of fanaticism in former days, but nothing to this''A wretched young man, ''an outcast in the world'', tells the story of his upbringing by a heretical Calvinist minister who leads him to believe that he is one of the elect, predestined for salvation and thus above the moral law. Falling under the spell of a mysterious stranger who bears an uncanny likeness to himself, he embarks on a career as a serial murderer. Robert Wringhim''s Memoirs are presented by an editor whose attempts to explain the story only succeed in intensifying its more baffling and bizarre aspects. Is Wringhim the victim of a psychotic delusion, or has he been tempted by the devil to wage war against God''s enemies? Hogg''s sardonic and terrifying novel, too perverse for nineteenth-century taste, is now recognized as one of the masterpieces of Romantic fiction.The first edition text of 1824 has been freshly considered for this new edition. A critical introduction explores the remarkable career of the novel''s author and its historical, theological, and cultural contexts. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Considered in turn a Gothic novel, a psychological case study of an unreliable narrator, and an examination of totalitarian thought, the ultimately unclassifiable novel is set in a pseudo-Christian world of angels, devils, and demonic possession. It has been the subject of increasing critical attention in recent years, and has received wide acclaim for its probing quest into the nature of religious fanaticism and Calvinist predestination.It is written in English, with Scots appearing mainly in dialogue.

He was constantly harassed with the idea, that the next time he lifted his eyes, he would to a certainty see that face, the most repulsive to all his feelings of aught the earth contained'. A nightmarish tale of religious fanaticism and darkness, this chilling classic of the macabre tells the tale of Robert Wringhim, drawn in his moral confusion into committing the most monstrous acts by an evil doppelganger. James Hogg's masterpiece is as troublingly duplicitous as Wringhim himself, and was ignored and bowdlerized before becoming a hugely influential work of Scottish literature. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.