The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

I have no idea what this book is about. Nobody does. The narrative is so dense that it is impossible to make a solid interpretation of the events, but I shall try. I shall try to tell you why this book is so utterly excellent. Perhaps the most obvious interpretation to start with is the religious angle. Robert, our sinner, has been claimed by Satan. The prince of destruction dominates his mind and controls his actions. The novel can be read as a didactical message about the dangers of a sinful m [...]

A "post-modernist" early 19th century Scottish novel featuring multiple narratives and at least one--possibly three--unreliable narrators, "Sinner" is a curious congeries of doppleganger tale, abnormal psychology, moral fable, anti-Calvinist satire, and historical fiction with a little comic relief thrown in. Part of its attraction may come from its very strangeness, which in turn may be a result of the fact that Hogg is not completely in control of his material, but that in no way diminishes th [...]

The 1001 books list says that this is "at once gothic comedy, religious horror story, mystery thriller and psychological study." Way to go James Hogg! Either this book is so deep and complex that no one can actually fathom enough of it to pigeon-hole it in a convincing manner, or it is in fact, everything it says on the tin. Personally I saw this book as a good example of what might happen when you tell a lot of people that they have an unlimited get-out-of-hell-free card. The deal is this: you [...]

An eerie Caledonian fable about religious dogmatism, which works simultaneously on dozens of levels – atmospheric, intellectual, generic, geographical – and all of them engaging. With its in-jokes, its metafictional structure and even a cheeky authorial self-insertion, it reads very much like something faked-up by Pynchon or Coover or some other contemporary experimentalist: a postmodern rewrite of Gothic Romance. But this is very much the original article.The accoutrements of the genre are [...]

So, what is the best Gothic novel ever written? For me there can only be one candidate: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg, a nineteenth century Scottish poet and author. Hogg wrote it with a straight-forward intention: as a good macabre tale and as a satire on the Calvinist theology of his native Presbyterian church.But with the passage of time more complex readings can be made; as an examination of a mind on the brink of collapse or, perhaps more import, es [...]

I came across Hogg through his interactions with de Quincey, and so I grabbed his most notable work from Project Gutenberg, expecting another 'Opium Eater' about some clever reprobate's adventures through the Victorian. If you know anything about this book, then you can imagine my shock and wonder at discovering the story it actually contains.It begins simply enough, as a witty picaresque set in Scotland and making some mockery of self-righteousness and Calvinist pre-destination in particular. B [...]

Who is he that causeth the mole, from his secret path of darkness, to throw up the gem, the gold, and the precious ore?Hogg should be better remembered. Justified Sinner is a dark revelation, one less gothic than psychological. The novel is a headbirth which ignores Lewis/Walpole/Radcliff and instead Babadooks from a nascent emotional realism, one like Fyodor's magic door where everything is tinged yellow and seizures lead to murder. Speaking of crows, I heartily endorse the subtext as being an [...]

This book opens with an anonymous Editor offering a 70-page Narrative, the story of what happened here. He tells it slyly, almost as if the humor and skewerings in the telling were unintentional. It's a Cain and Abel tale, a fratricide. This segues into the Private Memoirs and Confessions of the killer, who indeed fancies himself a Justified Sinner. Something on the order of the Devil made me do it. It is nothing less than a descent into madness.The Editor re-appears briefly at the end, explaini [...]

I felt as one round whose body a deadly snake is twisted, which continues to hold him in its fangs, without injuring him, farther than in moving its scaly infernal folds with exulting delight, to let its victim feel to whose power he has subjected himself.Hogg’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner is one of those works that was experimental at the time it was published, and still reads as pretty experimental almost two hundered years on (it was published in 1824). This is late-Gothic at its most [...]

This book was, well, utterly boring. I actually fell asleep on two occasions whilst reading it. If you suffer from sleeping problems, I highly recommend this book. A book the likes of which will not be repeated, I hope!

Ranting Scottish religious fundamentalist goes a bit bonkers and it all ends in tears. An early book with different viewpoints presented as "found" papers. A few in-jokes, a bit of murder, and some self righteous godbothering. Or is it a study of the descent into mental illness? A bit of work for the modern reader at times but well worth the effort.

The dark side of Predestination I first discovered this book when I was perusing the shelf of a friend of mine from university and the title literally jumped out at me. The first thought that went through my mind was 'wow, this seems to be a good, whole hearted, Christian book' and asked her if I could borrow it. She kindly lent it to me, but I never go to finish it because after a week she asked for it back (having assumed that I have finished reading it, which I hadn't). Anyway, that was the l [...]

I found this totally addictive and read it in two sittings. He's not the writer Scott was, nevertheless I found the style and tone to be highly readable. In fact, I thought his coarser style was more appealing in many ways.By turns sinister, terrifying, amusing, fanatical, complex, simple,realistic, supernatural, ludicrous, coarse, lyrical,poeticAll combining to make a wonderful read.Although not always my cup of tea in novels, I found the multiple narratives to be hugely interesting and enlight [...]

This is the first reading experience I have ever had that would have been enhanced by having a church organ belt out some thunderous riffs every now and again in the background. Published in 1824, and rediscovered in the 1940s when it must have seemed incredibly apt, The novel is a fascinating mixture between gothic novel, crime story, psychological thriller, and study of religious fanaticism. Actually to call it a mixture is to do the book a rank disservice, its more of a multi- layered gem. Tw [...]

Don't wring him, Wringhim.Someone is saying prayers for me,The grace I earn I never see,In all things he do, I interferes,All I know is trouble as soon as he appears.Mister Wringhim, Mister Wringhim, Mister Wringhim. I'm gonna wring him.When I say my prayers my character changes,My whole mind and body rearranges,This strange transformation takes place in me,Instead of myself everybody can seeMister Wringhim, Mister Wringhim, Mister Wringhim. I'm gonna wring him.When you see my brother, make sure [...]

THE PHARISAICAL VIEWPredestination is an infallible and rigid belief that God has irrevocably preordained the eternal salvation of some and the condemnation of the rest of mankind. For the elected few whose salvation has already been guaranteed, no past or future transgression could wobble its validity, nor any situation could alter its mandate.This seemingly amorphous doctrine in Christian theology is from the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo and of Calvin and James Hogg elucidates this doct [...]

I first read this at university, but decided that it was long past time to reread it. In the first few pages, I couldn't see why it had made such a strong impression on me. But by the end of the "Editor's Notes", I'd remembered. And there's so much about it that I'd forgotten - especially the latter part of it. So a rare star upgrade from my original rating.It tells the story of a 'justified' sinner, who believes he's already one of God's elect on Earth, and therefore his place in Heaven is alre [...]

Cloven Hooves in Goody-Two-ShoesIt was thanks to one of my friends’ reviews that I came across James Hogg’s disturbing novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, which was published anonymously in 1824 and which can be read as a warning against religious fanaticism – were it not for the difficult language, it should therefore belong to the set books of our schools – but which is much more than that.The Private Memoirs tells the story of the fervent and utterly self [...]

I was predestined and ordained from the beginning of time to love this book.

One of the most bizarre and compelling books I've ever read. I can't wait to write about it--academically, rather than for fun. That said, I won't waste too much of my time reviewing it here.This much you should know: three times, you hear the story of Robert Wringhim and his parents, and each telling is different. No teller is impartial, and each version of the events varies greatly. Few things are certain by the end of the novel. Only one thing, I would think, remains certain--absolute faith i [...]

This is a great Calvinist, horror, thriller, detective story, melodrama. It will be a great delight to anyone interested in the history of either detective or horror fiction. Unfortunately, I do not fall into either category and so somewhat churlishly only give it three.Add one or two stars to my rating if you think the genre itselfis interesting. Ian Rankin loved this book and I think he is a source that any crime fiction fan could trust.

Set out within the framing mechanism of a forgotten manuscript found and presented to the reader this Calvinist inspired horror story is set around the year 1700 in Scotland and features the involvement of a mysterious diabolical figure in a sibling rivalry.

I read this novel for an “I’ll Read Yours if You Read Mine” challenge. It was chosen for me because I normally avoid classics. Nevertheless, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner had many of the features I enjoy in fiction – conflicting perspectives on the same events, a close psychological study of a tortured character, torment and seduction by a devil, and a criticism of strict religious doctrine. Consequently, I quite enjoyed it (which I often do, with classics, wh [...]

UNRELIABLE NARRATOR!! META-FICTION!! demons, possession, murders, grave disturbers! what more can you ask for? oh yeah, wonderfully stilted old-fashioned language plus some scottish brogue for good measure. i dare youREAD THIS BOOK!disclaimer: i know nothing about Calivinism or how to read that layer of the story. but for those of you who do, this book may hold even more (or perhaps less, depending on your view of religion in literature) than it did for me.

Despite the fact that this still holds up pretty well today, context is everything. If you consider that this was written in 1824 the book is astoundingly shocking. It thumbs its nose at Calvinism, it sympathizes with a murderer, it toys with satanism, it explores insanity vs reality, and the tone of the book writes like a piece of post-modern metafiction. It doesn't surprise me to know that when this came out no one knew what to do with it and it didn't resurface until 100 years later.

A mildly entertaining look at an issue of much relevance: the indignant and self-righteous who purport to act in the name of God, usually viciously.The "Sinner" of the title, who believes that predestination governs the world and sees himself as elect, goes about murdering those who would sully God's good plan (and because God has already decided they deserve it). In short, you're screwed since God already said you are, so I get to kill you! Sounds familiar, right? Aided by a diabolical, shapesh [...]

This 1824 Scottish novel about a young radical Calvinist who is lead by his doppelganger into acts of terrorism is genuinely creepy with fantastic images. This is the only one of the major 19th Century horror novels which spooked me. If had read this as a teen I would have been horrified when out on my newspaper route at 4 AM. As far as optional reads go when ascending the Mountain of Classics, it's a 5 star diversion.I looked again up into the cloudy veil that covered us and thought I beheld go [...]

i was gonna read this 4 school but UGHHHHHHH

This peculiar little book is essentially a send-up of hard-line Scottish Calvinism and especially its tenet of predestination. Hogg's main character - the "justified sinner", one Robert Wringhim - was raised in the faith and told that he was one of the elect, meaning he is predestined for heaven and his actions, on the merit of being his actions, must be righteous. This creates in Robert a miserable asshole of a person, judgmental and impatient towards others, weak and selfish but arrogant in hi [...]

A very confusing novel, "Private Memoirs" explores, over and over again, the concept of the "double" as a demonic force. A demon (is it Satan? -- probably not, though several characters speculate) entices a religious young man into a "double life" of debauchery and murder. The demon has the ability to resemble whoever's energies he is thinking of at the moment; thereby, several characters have "doubles" in the course of the story. The narrative, further is in two separate parts, the first an out [...]