Marie Corelli’s, The Sorrows of Satan is a Faustian-style horror novel written in 1985.The novel is one the most laude works of its time, and was hugely praised by notable author, Oscar Wilde.
The story revolves around the poverty of a starving author, Geoffrey Tempest, and his desire to escape a life of scarcity. This leads to his encounter with the enigmatic aristocrat, Lucio – unbeknownst to Tempest as the incarnate of the Devil – and his resulting fall from grace. Nonetheless, Tempest is ultimately able to redeem himself by rejecting evil and resuming his position as a penniless man, so long as his soul remains uncorrupted.
The book was renowned for its social criticism of the lack of morality of the wealthy and the inherent purity of the poor. British science fiction author, Brian Stableford, commented, "as delusions of grandeur and expressions of devout wish-fulfilment go, the fascination of the Devil was an unsurpassable masterstroke".
