The artistic and political movement known as Romantic Satanism challenged the traditional Christian concept of Satan as the source of all evil, recasting the Devil as a heroic rebel in a struggle against oppression and injustice. Satanic historian Michael Osiris Snuffin presents a clear and concise overview of this fascinating subject, describing the historical events that changed people’s attitudes about Satan and exploring the literary origins of the genre in Milton’s Paradise Lost. Using five themes of Romantic Satanism, Snuffin examines sixteen Satanic works written by influential English and French authors, from William Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell to Anatole France’s Revolt of the Angels.
Selected Excerpt:
Romantic heroes were intensely introspective, and thus authors often emphasized their thoughts and emotions over their actions. Romantic heroes may have lacked heroic qualities, yet they often behaved in a heroic manner. The Satanic hero and the Byronic hero were darker variants of the Romantic hero.