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Asmodeus; or, The Devil on Two Sticks — Context and Discussion
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3280
Project Gutenberg
2016
Not confirmed
Madrid (Spain) -- Fiction; French fiction -- Translations into English; Devil -- Fiction; Good and evil -- Fiction
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Project Gutenberg digital edition
en
Edition facts
Words
107,725
Reading time
469 min
Text sections
14
Asmodeus; or, The Devil on Two Sticks — Context and Discussion can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 107,725 words, 7 hr 49 min estimated reading time, and 14 detected text sections.
The text analysis averages about 26.5 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.
Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Madrid (Spain) -- Fiction,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.
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Project Gutenberg record #51145
This edition of Le Sage's picaresque classic pairs a new translation by Joseph Thomas with Jules Janin's biographical notice and Tony Johannot's illustrations. The opening excerpts show the devil Asmodeus guiding student Don Cleophas through Madrid's rooftops, exposing human follies in a series of satirical vignettes.
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- Description quality20 pts
- Title & short description10 pts
- Source metadata20 pts
- Text length15 pts
- Chapters / structure15 pts
- EPUB file integrity20 pts
Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.
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CHAPTER I. WHAT SORT OF A DEVIL HE OF THE TWO STICKS WAS--WHEN AND BY WHAT ACCIDENT DON CLEOPHAS LEANDRO PEREZ ZAMBULLO FIRST GAINED THE HONOUR OF HIS ACQUAINTANCE.
CHAPTER II. WHAT FOLLOWED THE DELIVERANCE OF ASMODEUS.
CHAPTER III. WHERE THE DEVIL TRANSLATED THE STUDENT; AND THE FIRST FRUITS OF HIS ECCLESIASTICAL ELEVATION.
CHAPTER IV. STORY OF THE LOVES OF THE COUNT DE BELFLOR AND LEONORA DE CESPEDES.
CHAPTER V. CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE LOVES OF THE COUNT DE BELFLOR AND LEONORA DE CESPEDES.
CHAPTER VI. NEW OBJECTS DISPLAYED TO DON CLEOPHAS; AND HIS REVENGE ON DONNA THOMASA.
CHAPTER VII. THE PRISON, AND THE PRISONERS.
CHAPTER VIII. OF VARIOUS PERSONS EXHIBITED TO DON CLEOPHAS BY ASMODEUS, WHO REVEALS TO THE STUDENT WHAT EACH HAS DONE IN HIS DAY.
CHAPTER IX. THE MADHOUSE, AND ITS INMATES.
CHAPTER X. THE SUBJECT OF WHICH IS INEXHAUSTIBLE.
CHAPTER XI. OF THE FIRE, AND THE DOINGS OF ASMODEUS ON THE OCCASION, OUT OF FRIENDSHIP FOR DON CLEOPHAS.
CHAPTER XII. OF THE TOMBS, OF THEIR SHADES, AND OF DEATH.
CHAPTER XIII. THE FORCE OF FRIENDSHIP.
CHAPTER XIV. THE SQUABBLE BETWEEN THE TRAGIC POET AND THE COMIC AUTHOR.
CHAPTER XV. CONTINUATION, AND CONCLUSION, OF THE FORCE OF FRIENDSHIP.
CHAPTER XVI. THE DREAMERS.
CHAPTER XVII. IN WHICH ORIGINALS ARE SEEN OF WHOM COPIES ARE RIFE.
CHAPTER XVIII. RELATING TO OTHER MATTERS WHICH THE DEVIL EXHIBITED TO THE STUDENT.
CHAPTER XIX. THE CAPTIVES.
CHAPTER XX. OF THE LAST HISTORY RELATED BY ASMODEUS: HOW, WHILE CONCLUDING IT, HE WAS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED; AND OF THE DISAGREEABLE MANNER, FOR THE WITTY DEMON, IN WHICH HE AND DON CLEOPHAS WERE SEPARATED.
CHAPTER XXI. OF THE DOINGS OF DON CLEOPHAS AFTER ASMODEUS HAD LEFT HIM; AND OF THE MODE IN WHICH THE AUTHOR OF THIS WORK HAS THOUGHT FIT TO END IT.
I shall at once place LE SAGE by the side of Molière; he is a comic poet in all the acceptation of that great word,--COMEDY. He possesses its noble instincts, its good-natured irony, its animated dialogue, its clear and flowing style, its satire without bitterness, he has studied profoundly the various states of life in the heights and depths of the world. He is perfectly acquainted with the manners of comedians and courtiers,--of students and pretty women. Exiled from the Théâtre-Français, of which he would have been the honour, and less fortunate than Molière, who had comedians under his direction, and who was the proprietor of his own theatre, Le Sage found himself obliged more than once to bury in his breast this Comedy, from want of a fitting stage for its exhibition, and actors to represent it. Thus circumstanced, the author of "Turcaret" was compelled to seek a new form, under which he might throw into the world the wit, the grace, the gaiety, the instruction which possessed him. In writing the biography of such men, there is but one thing to do, and that is to praise. The more humble and obscure have they been in their existence, the greater is the duty of him who tells the story of their lives, to heap upon them eulogy and honour. This is a tardy justice, if you will, but it is a justice nevertheless; and besides, of what importance, after all, are these vulgar events? All these biographies are alike. A little more of poverty, a little less of misery, a youth expended in energy, a manhood serious and filled with occupation, an old age respected, honourable; and, at the end of all these labours, all these troubles, all these anguishes of mind and heart, of which your great men alone have the secret,--the Académie-Française in perspective. Then, are you possessed of mediocre talents only? all doors are open to you;--are you a man of genius? the door opens with difficulty;--but, are you perchance one of those excelling spirits who appear but from century to century? it may turn out that the Académie-Française will not have you at any price. Thus did it with the great Molière; thus also has it done for Le Sage; which, by-the-bye, is a great honour for the illustrious author of "Gil Blas."
The translator's preface immediately signals a departure: Joseph Thomas explains that he undertook a fresh translation after finding the existing English version lacked the 'style' and 'verbal melody' of Le Sage's original. He adopts Janin's biographical notice rather than writing his own, and notes the controversy over the work's debt to Luis Velez de Guevara's Diablo Cojuelo.
The excerpts plunge us into a nocturnal Madrid where the devil Asmodeus—called 'the Cripple'—lifts rooftops to reveal the city's inhabitants. Don Cleophas Leandro Perez Zambullo, a student, serves as the astonished observer. The devils commentary is brisk and satirical, targeting collectors, courtiers, card players, and an old bachelor obsessed with women's shoes.
A Devil's-Eye View of Madrid
The excerpts establish a distinctive narrative mechanism: Asmodeus and Don Cleophas move from rooftop to rooftop, peering into houses. The devil points out individuals and delivers crisp, mocking summaries of their obsessions. One man buys furniture only to pack it away for posthumous inventory; another loiters in ministerial antechambers to create the illusion of influence. The student's reactions—laughter, disbelief, and the occasional wry remark—anchor the reader's response.
Le Sage's prose, even in translation, favors direct speech and rapid characterization. The devil's tone is worldly and amused, never moralizing. He presents each case as a specimen of human absurdity, and the student's questions keep the dialogue moving. The setting—a city seen from above at night—gives the satire a theatrical quality, as if the reader is watching a series of short plays.
The Translator's Double Task
Joseph Thomas's preface is unusually candid about the challenges of rendering Le Sage into English. He criticizes the earlier version for its 'total absence of style' and admits he does not always translate literally, aiming instead to convey the 'ideas which those words import.' This self-awareness colors the reading experience: the text we have is a deliberate reinterpretation, not a transparent window onto the French original.
Thomas also adopts Jules Janin's biographical notice, which describes Le Sage as a 'Devil truly French.' The preface thus frames the work as both a literary artifact and a translation project. Readers may notice moments where the English feels slightly formal or period-specific—'cavalier,' 'devoirs,' 'auditor of the court'—which reflect Thomas's effort to balance fidelity with readability.
Patterns in the Madness
The excerpts reveal a recurring structure: Asmodeus identifies a person, describes their peculiar behavior, and Don Cleophas responds with surprise or laughter. The devil then often adds a second, related example, creating a cumulative effect. For instance, after the collector of packed-away furniture, he presents the old bachelor from the Philippines who pretends to have court connections. The student's comment—'An amusing original, indeed!'—prompts the devil to offer more cases.
This pattern suggests that the full book will proceed as a series of such vignettes, linked by the framing device of the rooftop journey. The satirical targets are varied—vanity, avarice, lust, social climbing—but the method remains consistent: expose the gap between public appearance and private folly. The devil's tone is never angry; he seems to enjoy the spectacle.
What the Excerpts Leave Unseen
The provided text covers only the translator's preface and a few early episodes. We do not see how the story begins (how Don Cleophas meets Asmodeus) or ends. The excerpts give no indication of a larger plot—no overarching conflict, no character development beyond the student's role as a sounding board. The devil's own motives remain unclear; he says he 'esteems' one old bachelor who is 'formed in my own mould,' but this hint of self-identification is not elaborated.
Readers should expect the book to maintain its episodic structure, with the devil as a consistent, ironic narrator. The translation's style, as established in the preface, will likely prioritize clarity and wit over archaic flourish. The illustrations by Tony Johannot, mentioned on the title page, are not represented in the excerpts but may add visual commentary.
Approach this edition as a performance of translation as much as a novel. Thomas's preface invites us to compare his choices with the original's reputation for 'verbal melody,' and the early episodes demonstrate his method: brisk dialogue, pointed characterization, and a light satirical touch. The devil's rooftop tour is a flexible frame, not a tight plot, so readers can dip in and out of episodes. Pay attention to the rhythm of Asmodeus's speech—it carries the book's energy.
There’s something about the way Asmodeus lifts the rooftops off Madrid, showing every private ache beneath, that stayed with me. That same quiet tenderness for flawed people seems to live in After the Divorce: A Romance — Reading Companion. It left a soft ache, like recognizing a friend’s sigh before they speak.
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