Classics: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

Though a bit more obscure than the classics I usually discuss here, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) by James Hogg is an iconic work of Scottish Gothic that mixes elements of religious and political satire with truly harrowing depictions of demonic forces. I recently read this novel as part of the Romancing the Gothic book club, and am much indebted to Dr. Sam Hirst for walking us through the theological and political context behind the story.

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is the story of how religious fanaticism carried to absurd extremes can lead one to commit unthinkable sins. Specifically, the story examines an extreme form of Calvinism that preaches double predestination—the belief that God has already predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned—and leads to the Antinomian heresy—the belief that the Elect need not abide by any legal or moral laws, since no action could change their status as already saved. The novel centers on Robert Wringhim, the illegitimate son of a Scottish lady and the preacher who shares her extreme religious views. On the day that Robert is told that he is one of the Elect, he encounters a strange shape-shifting man named Gil-Martin, who uses the theology Robert was raised with to lead him to ever more ludicrous conclusions—among which is that Robert has a religious duty to murder certain sinful people who have already been damned by God. Robert becomes fixated on his half-brother, George Colwan, the young heir to the laird who does not share their mother’s beliefs. Robert stalks and harasses George, and after several confrontations, ultimately kills him with the help of Gil-Martin. Though Robert gets away with the murder, he soon finds himself tormented by the ever-present Gil-Martin as he begins to doubt the righteousness of their actions. Robert goes on the run, but once you’re in bed with the devil, there’s no turning back. Robert’s story ends tragically, becoming fodder for local legend.

This novel uses the found document trope to present the same events from two different perspectives. The novel opens with the lengthy Editor’s Narrative, which introduces the tale as a piece of local Scottish lore backed up by historical documents. This narrative covers the events from the wedding of the laird and lady to Robert’s disappearance with an air of objectivity, though the editor is missing many of the details. The reader is then presented with Robert’s confessions, a first-hand account of these events and what followed. Robert is a dreadfully unreliable narrator. Not does his ego lead him to view himself as valorous and victorious in all altercations (even those he has clearly lost), he is quite gullible and even admits to being swayed in his perception of events by Gil-Martin. This is most clear in Robert’s recollection of the duel that leads to George’s death. Though the Editor’s Narrative makes it clear that Robert stabbed George in the back, Robert allows Gil-Martin to convince him that he bested George in a fair fight. At the end of Robert’s narrative, the editor picks the tale back up with an account of the men who dug up Robert’s body many years later and discovered his outlandish manuscript. As is common with many stories presented as “found documents,” Confessions was originally published anonymously, though James Hogg does make a brief cameo in the text. By using this stylistic trope, the author is able to distance the narration from the improbable events described in Robert’s account. The editor himself claims to resist the implication that the manuscript tells a true story—while simultaneously reinforcing this implication through his air of objective authority and references to apparently factual events.

Chief among the supernatural elements of the story is the character of Gil-Martin, who exemplifies the trope of the doppelganger, or more specifically, the demonic double. Gil-Martin, whom the reader can infer is actually the/a devil, can shapeshift to take on the appearance of others. He chiefly uses this power to present himself as an identical duplicate to the main characters in the story. Robert first meets Gil-Martin when he is wearing Robert’s own face, an ominous sign that presages a unity between these two characters. Gil-Martin parrots Robert’s beliefs, as well, and uses these similarities to draw Robert in. The two become deeply attached to each other, at first in a positive way, but before long Robert feels reluctantly bound to his companion, whom he cannot escape. Gil-Martin is frequently described as Robert’s shadow, suggesting that he is a dark reflection of Robert’s own self. Indeed, the boundaries between these two characters begin to blur throughout the narrative. Is Robert plagued by an outside demonic force, or by the evil within himself? Perhaps these are one and the same? At times throughout the story, Robert feels that he himself is split in two, claiming “I have two souls.” He eventually realizes that either someone is possessing his body or else going out and committing evil acts while wearing his form. Gil-Martin also takes on the shape of others, particularly the shape of Robert’s murdered brother George. The theme of doubling in a metaphorical sense crops up frequently throughout the story and can be seen in the various parallels between Geroge, Robert, and Gil-Martin. But it is the physical doubling—Gil-Martin’s ability to mimic the appearance of others—that is perhaps the most frightening. If the devil can look just like anyone else, then you must be on your guard against the demonic everywhere. The devil could be masquerading as someone you know and trust, or could even be hiding within yourself!

Have you read The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner? What did you think of it? What other Gothic classics would you like to see me cover in detail? Let me know in the comments!