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Asmodeus: Or The Devil On Two Sticks
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1707
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About the author
Alain-René Le Sage
1,634 books30 followers
Gil Blas
(1715-1735), major novel of French writer Alain René Lesage, influenced modern realistic fiction.
Alain-René Le Sage, a prolific satirical dramatist, authored the classic in making the picaresque form a European literary fashion.
A Jesuit college in Brittany well educated always quite poor and orphaned Le Sage, who studied law in Paris. Well in the literary salons, he chose a family life over a worldly one and married Marie-Elisabeth Huyard in 1694. He abandoned his legal clerkship to dedicate himself to literature and received a pension from the abbot of Lyonne, who also taught him Spanish and interested him in the Spanish theater.
Early plays of Le Sage, adaptations of Spanish models, included the highly successful adapted comedy Crispin, rival de son maître (Crispin, Rival of His Master), which the Théâtre Français performed in 1707. He aimed satire of his prose work Le Diable boiteux (1707; The Devil upon Two Sticks) of Spanish inspiration at Parisian society. The more popular Théâtre de la Foire gave Le Sage greater freedom as an author, and he composed for that company more than one hundred comédies-vaudevilles and thus considerably succeeded Molière.
Gil Blas of the earliest concerns the education and adventures of an adaptable young valet as he progresses from one master to the next. In the service of the quack Doctor Sangrado, he practices on the poorer patients and quickly achieves a perfect record of certain fatalities, equal to that of his master. In service to Don Mathias, a notorious seducer, he also learns to equal and to surpass his master. The sunnier spirit of the character effectively civilizes the picaresque tradition. Unlike most novels of the genre, it ends happily as he retires to marriage and a quiet country life.
This author died in Boulogne.
Alain-René Le Sage, a prolific satirical dramatist, authored the classic in making the picaresque form a European literary fashion.
A Jesuit college in Brittany well educated always quite poor and orphaned Le Sage, who studied law in Paris. Well in the literary salons, he chose a family life over a worldly one and married Marie-Elisabeth Huyard in 1694. He abandoned his legal clerkship to dedicate himself to literature and received a pension from the abbot of Lyonne, who also taught him Spanish and interested him in the Spanish theater.
Early plays of Le Sage, adaptations of Spanish models, included the highly successful adapted comedy Crispin, rival de son maître (Crispin, Rival of His Master), which the Théâtre Français performed in 1707. He aimed satire of his prose work Le Diable boiteux (1707; The Devil upon Two Sticks) of Spanish inspiration at Parisian society. The more popular Théâtre de la Foire gave Le Sage greater freedom as an author, and he composed for that company more than one hundred comédies-vaudevilles and thus considerably succeeded Molière.
Gil Blas of the earliest concerns the education and adventures of an adaptable young valet as he progresses from one master to the next. In the service of the quack Doctor Sangrado, he practices on the poorer patients and quickly achieves a perfect record of certain fatalities, equal to that of his master. In service to Don Mathias, a notorious seducer, he also learns to equal and to surpass his master. The sunnier spirit of the character effectively civilizes the picaresque tradition. Unlike most novels of the genre, it ends happily as he retires to marriage and a quiet country life.
This author died in Boulogne.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 15, 2021
This reads with the style of books of its era, over 200 years ago. It's actually an amusing story if you have the patience to traverse the writing style. A man hiding in an Alchemist's lab is enticed into releasing a devil kept in a bottle. In return, the devil takes him on a wild adventure across Spain, observing details of the human condition.
Although there is an occasional nod to the idea that the devil creates mischief, overall he's quite amenable. The series of stories about courtesans, cheating husbands and other human foibles serves as commentary on our human weaknesses, so often blamed on demons when in fact they are just part of the nature of our species and common to every era.
At times it really did feel like a slow read, but interesting at the same time and sometimes amusing.
Although there is an occasional nod to the idea that the devil creates mischief, overall he's quite amenable. The series of stories about courtesans, cheating husbands and other human foibles serves as commentary on our human weaknesses, so often blamed on demons when in fact they are just part of the nature of our species and common to every era.
At times it really did feel like a slow read, but interesting at the same time and sometimes amusing.
Want to read
September 3, 2021The Devil Upon Two Sticks (1707).
April 10, 2025
Strangely compelling
February 21, 2013
One of those older novels that uses a clever bit of fantasy as a frame work for telling numerous stories and making comic observations on life and society, without actually making much use of the fantasy element.
One of the many satires that sprang up, all wanting to be Faust or Guliver's Travels.
A young lover, on the run from his love's burly, angry brothers, stumbles into an alchemists den and by accident frees the devil from the title from a bottle.
He turns out to be a quite genial and grateful devil and takes the young man on a magical tour of Spain and a chance to see how stupid, immoral and generally messed up his fellow citizens are.
While, being over two hundred years old, many of the political jabs go over my head, but the fantasy elements are entertaining and a lot of the little stories are clever and fun enough to keep your interest.
Book could probably survive having fifty pages edited out.
The short story, about two chimneys commenting on the various people that have lived in their rooms was quite cute and clever.
While i can understand why this never became a classic, but it was a good read.
One of the many satires that sprang up, all wanting to be Faust or Guliver's Travels.
A young lover, on the run from his love's burly, angry brothers, stumbles into an alchemists den and by accident frees the devil from the title from a bottle.
He turns out to be a quite genial and grateful devil and takes the young man on a magical tour of Spain and a chance to see how stupid, immoral and generally messed up his fellow citizens are.
While, being over two hundred years old, many of the political jabs go over my head, but the fantasy elements are entertaining and a lot of the little stories are clever and fun enough to keep your interest.
Book could probably survive having fifty pages edited out.
The short story, about two chimneys commenting on the various people that have lived in their rooms was quite cute and clever.
While i can understand why this never became a classic, but it was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews