The Chronicle of Young Satan opens in Eseldorf — or Assville, if you speak German — a small Austrian village in 1702 where it is still the Middle Ages and Twain makes clear it intends to stay that way. Chapter one has no devil in it yet. It has something arguably more interesting: a town built entirely around the idea that knowledge is dangerous, goodness is suspicious, and the loudest most frightening priest is the most respected one.
We dig into the two priests who set up everything that follows. Father Adolf — “the Town Bull,” “Hell’s Delight” — has met Satan in person and thrown things at him, which earns him both reverence and a wide berth, because even the devil deserves a certain respectful tone and Father Adolf absolutely does not use one. Father Peter, the gentle one who may have said God loves everybody, is living in disgrace. His niece can no longer teach music. The moneylender is about to take their house. A Hussite woman was quietly distributing Bibles to the literate and being prosecuted for heresy. Twain hasn’t introduced his mysterious stranger yet. He doesn’t need to. The world he’s describing is already doing the work.
We also sort out the manuscript situation one more time for clarity: we’re reading The Chronicle of Young Satan, Twain’s original unfinished text, available free at the Mark Twain Project. The published version called The Mysterious Stranger is a fraud assembled by his executor without disclosure. The wine bottle versus inkstand debate is real and we have opinions.
READ THE CHRONICLE OF YOUNG SATAN FOR FREE HERE.
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