The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner n/e (Oxford World's Classics)

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'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.

Review

[The] Oxford Worlds Classics edition provides concise background information enough to allow the reader to understand the references without feeling that s/hes reading a history book and a glossary and notes which explain any unfamiliar terms or allusions. The informative introduction, by Ian Duncan, Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, sets the book in its historical and literary context, and provides some biographical information on the author. ― Leah Galbraith, FictionFan's Book Reviews

About the Author

Ian Duncan has previously taught at Yale and Oregon universities and has been at UC Berkeley since 2001. He has edited several OWC editions including Doyle's The Lost World, Scott's Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, and the anthology Travel Writing 1700-1830 with Elizabeth Bohls. He is co-editor of the forthcoming (2011) Edinburgh Companion to James Hogg.

Review:

4.6 out of 5

92.31% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite remarkable

H.R. · 16 April 2023

It is incredible that this book is not better known. Admittedly it's language can be difficult, especially if you don't speak Scots, but it is well worth the effort. The story is a psychological thriller with shades of both Dorian Gray and Jekyll and Hyde but firmly rooted in the traditions of Scottish Calvinism. A joy from beginning to end.

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars

H.F. · 8 July 2015

Interesting, Hogg mocks religion delightfully.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read

s. · 27 February 2022

Really enjoyed this book for the plot, the historical context and the language. Read the introduction after the main text and was pleased I did as was a mine of information for further study. Great read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good service

n. · 5 August 2024

Very good

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book

F.F.A. · 14 April 2020

Great

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read

A. · 11 September 2012

One must take into account when reading this book that it was written in the 1830s or there abouts, and is set a century or so before then.A gothic horror story that can be read in two different ways: one taking it as a supernatural story or one taking it as a psychological journey of a young man.Either way it makes an interesting read, if a little long winded in parts.

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly relevant to contemporary life

J.A. · 29 September 2016

I read this for a meeting of my reading circle. I began it with some apprehension; perhaps this half-forgotten masterpiece was half-forgotten for a reason. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The book is readable (in the main) and, at least in the first section, a real page turner. The second section contains some short passages in Scots dialect which I had some difficulty construing.It is in two sections: the first is an objective telling of the events by an independent observer; the second, gives the villain's view of events and is an excellent account of a man whose enslavement to an idea, in this case a religious idea, has driven him to insanity.The book deals with some very contemporary themes: stalking, religious extremism and mental illness. There is also a supernatural element which is perhaps less relevant.It was well-received by the group and generated considerable discussion.The book is rewarding and well worth reading

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic.

A.C. · 24 September 2018

Arrived in perfect quality and quickly!

Uso universitario

A. · 26 January 2019

Libro acquistato per l'università. Ricevuto in tempi veloci.

Hogg, 'Confessioms'

H.B.D. · 29 April 2012

Hogg's 'Confessions of a Justified Sinner' is a fascinating novel, one of the very best novels in English of the early nineteenth century. There have been several good editions of the novel in the past but overall (quality of the commentary, price, availability), this one, edited by Ian Duncan, is the best.

Fun!

S.P. · 28 June 2011

One of the aspects that I like about "classic literature" as a cultural product is it's sheer..."know-ability." By "know-ability" I mean the HUGE volume of writing by different groups of intellectuals on the subject, both on individual works and "classic literature" as a group of artistic products. An interested reader can wallow forever in the pools and eddies of the stream of writing issuing forth on, say, 19th century British literature. Like all subjects of knowledge, classic literature has seen a logarithmic explosion of academic, quasi-academic and non-academic writing in the last 50 years, but the debate PRIOR to World War II is relatively easy to get a handle on: A set number of works, a set number of theories. The real pleasure for me comes in reading a work that I had never heard about prior to reading. One of the primary pleasures of intellectual pursuits is the joy of discovery: finding out something you didn't know before. It's a quiet, private pleasure that doesn't require a group for validation. This was the case for me with James Hogg's The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, originally published in 1824. Private Memoirs is not quite the first serial killer novel, not quite the first historical novel, and certainly not the first novel of the Scottish literary boom of the early 19th century, but it was influenced by all of those literary trends and more besides. Private Memoirs takes the form of two opposed narratives: One by an anonymous Editor, purporting to recount the same series of events the other narrative, the Private Memoirs and Confessions of the title. The Justified Sinner in this case is Robert Wringhim, the bastard son of a Scottish Laird and his over-zealous religious wife. Wringhim is what you call a "serial killer" and his activity takes place against the background of what today we would call "psychotic episodes" and what they then called "being haunted by the Devil." The Devil in this case is the affable "Gill-Martin." He's a charmer, and a shape shifter, and maybe a figment of Wringhim's imagination, and maybe not. The knowledge that this book was written in the early 1820s is interesting too contemplate. While Hogg was not drawing on terra incognita in his Gil Martin figure (Goethe's Faust had appeared in Scottish periodicals prior to this book being written, the overall combination of the doubling/visit by the devil/serial killer/scottish historical novel styles of 19th century literature is an intoxicating blend. Private Memoirs doesn't go on for 500 pages, either- it's readable in a weekend afternoon. Before reading the book, I was surprised to read Ian Duncan's claim that this is now the most popular 19th century Scottish novel, but after finishing, it makes perfect sense. Sharp, scary, funny and downright weird, Private Memoirs is a novel that holds up waaaayyyyyyyyy after it was published.

Aspettatevi di tutto.

K. · 8 April 2020

Un romanzo con una trama affascinante, scritto molto bene.Nonostante il libro riuscirà in un modo o nell'altro (un po' per l'estetica, un po' per il contenuto) ad afferrare la vostra attenzione, non aspettatevi un romanzo di facile comprensione.Consiglio di leggere il romanzo in lingua originale solo a coloro che hanno solite competenze grammaticali/culturali della lingua inglese.Non preoccupatevi, c'è dello scozzese per tutti!

Five Stars

F.R. · 5 June 2018

Very good edition

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The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner n/e (Oxford World's Classics)

Name: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner n/e (Oxford World's Classics)
Brand: OUP Oxford
SKU: K0199217955
Price: 5.76 BHD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (13 reviews)

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