Carlyle's Devil in "The Everlasting No" versus Corell's in "Sorrows of Satan"

In "God's Funeral", A.N. Wilson writes "For the Victorians, it was Carlyle's ordinariness and not his extraordinariness which appealed. We, perhaps, approach him as a journalist of genius, peculiarly in touch with the Zeitgeist which he so abominated and deplored. He was indeed an embodiment of the Victorian dilemma about God. He wished to believe - in a Supreme Lawgiver, in Duty and Morality, in a personal Guide to life. But he had looked into Christianity and found it to be false. His heart could not subscribe to it. The God and the religion of Revelation being incredible to him, Carlyle could not rest in mere unbelief. Such a thing was horrifying to him" (56, italics chosen by me for emphasis).
We see this clearly in Carlyle's s spiritual autobiography "Sartor Resartus" and most explicitly The Everlasting No": Carlyle in a self-described 'state of crisis, of transition' (qtd. in Buckler 85). For Carlyle, without religion the world had become derelict of Hope or Duty:

"Doubt had darkened into Unbelief,' says he; 'shade after shade goes grimly over your soul, till you have the fixed, starless, Tartartean* black'. To such readers as have reflected, what can be called reflection, on man's life, and happily discovered, in contradiction to much Profit-and Loss Philosophy, speculative and practical, that Soul is not synonymous with Stomach; who understand therefore, in our Friend's words, "that, for man's well-being, Faith is properly the one thing needful; how with it, Martyrs, otherwise weak, can cheerfully endure the shame and the cross; and without it, Worldlings puke up their sick existence, by suicide, in the midst of luxury": to such it will be clear that, for a pure moral nature, the loss of religious Belief was the loss of everything." (86)

Carlyle paints a bleak picture for the future of a mankind without God, one that Marie Corelli cleverly elaborated on in "The Sorrows of Satan". Corelli's book follows the memoir of Geoffrey Tempest, a struggling writer who inherits millions from a unknown rich uncle he has never heard of. The next day, Lucio Rimanez (a.k.a.: the Devil) shows up in his doorstep and becomes his mentor as Tempest 'descends' into a frivolous and self-serving lifestyle. Corelli's view of the connection between moral depravity and wealth often echoes Carlyle's 'sick existence in the midst of luxury', in fact Corelli cleverly uses the words of Lucio Rimanez to warn Tempest of his fate:

"It often happens, nevertheless that when bags of money fall to the lot of aspiring genius, God departs and the devil walks in. Have you never heard of that?"
"Never" I answered smilingly.
"Well, of course the saying is foolish, and sounds doubly ridiculous in this age when people believe in neither God nor devil. It implies however that one must choose as up or a down - genius the up, money is the Down. You cannot fly and grovel at the same time" (35)

However, Marie Corelli doesn't stop here but skillfully ties explains this 'scale of money to genius for the doubting Tempest in 'rational, scientific terms':

"The possession of money is not likely to cause a man to grovel" -I said- "It is the one thing necessary to strengthen his soaring powers and lift him to the greatest heights."
"You think so?" and my host lit his cigar with a grave and pre-occupied air--"Then I'm afraid you don't know much about what I shall call natural physics. What belongs to the earth tends earthwards, -surely you realize that? Gold belongs most strictly to the earth,- you dig it out of the ground, - you handle and dispose of it in solid wedges or bars - it is a substantial metal enough. Genius belongs to nobody knows where,- you cannot dig it up or pass it on, or do anything with it except stand and marvel - it is a rare visitant and capricious as the wind, and generally makes sad havoc among the conventionalities of men." (35-6)

Corelli cleverly gives a scientific rationalization for the 'physics' of wealth. Money, being Gold, has material form and belongs to the earth. As such, the pursuit of it will pull you down. Forgoing wealth and pursuing works of Genius, however, although hard to achieve, is obviously a more heavenly pursuit.

Similarly, Carlyle saw the rise of materialism and profit as reducing 'Genius' or imagination:
"But what, in these dull unimaginative days, are the terrors of Conscience to the disease of the Liver! Not on Morality, but on Cookery, let us build our stronghold: There brandishing our frying-pan, as censer, let us offer sweet incense to the Devil, and live at ease on the fat things he has provided for his Elect!" Carlyle saw luxury and greed as a sign of the Devil's will manifesting itself.


In contrast, Corelli's Satan is not thrilled with man's greed and egoism; in her retelling of the 'fall of Lucifer' God proclaims "Fall proud Spirit from thy high estate! Thou and thy companions with thee! Each human soul that yields unto thy tempting shell be a new barrier set between thee and heaven; each one that of it's own choice doth repel and overcome thee, shall lift thee nearer thy lost home! When the world reject thee I will pardon and receive thee,- but not till then." Lucio is trying to re-enter heaven and is made miserable by the world around him: he sees the the rise of commerce and industry as replacing God with 'The Almighty Dollar'.

*of or relating to Tartarus: infernal, hellish


Carlyle, Thomas Sartar Resartus : The Everlasting No 1838, qtd in
Buckler, William E. Prose of the Victorian Period Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1958.

Corelli, Marie Sorrows of Satan J.B. Lippincott Co., Philedelphia, 1896.

Wilson, A.N. God's Funeral: A Biography of Faith and Doubt in Western Civilization Ballantine Publishing Group, New York, 1999.

Thomas Hobbes' State of Nature and the Death of God

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes claimed that human beings constantly live in a ‘state of nature’ in which life is ‘short, nasty, and brutish’. According to Hobbes, the only right a person held was the right to ‘self-preservation’; preserve oneself by any means necessary. If this were the case, everyone would be at war with one another. This is what life would be like without morality, and without rules and regulations. Hobbes claimed that in order for people to avoid living in a state of nature, everyone must hand over all of their rights to an absolute power; he called this power a Sovereign. Thomas Hobbes was born in 1588 and died in 1679 (http://www.egs.edu/resources/hobbes.html). A short biography of Hobbes can be found at this link. Already, at this very early time, one can see that the “death of God” ideology existed. If God created the ten deadly sins, then why would human beings live in a ‘state of nature’ if as a result of their actions, they would be sentenced to eternity in hell?


The truth is, many people believe that you only get one life to live, and as a result, self-preservation is something that would be very important. In Marie Corelli's "Sorrows of Satan", Corelli writes "Live your life to yourself, -if you do anything for others they will only treat you with the blackest ingratitude,-so take my advice, and don't sacrifice your own personal interests for any consideration whatever" (Corelli 38). This sentence shows the ideals many people have in this world and in order to ensure that people are not constantly at war with one another, instilling morals and values in people is something that is very important. Morality is something that has continued to develop over time. It is instilled in people through parental guidance, as well as the societies people grow up in. Someone born and raised in Canada would have an entirely different set of morals and principles than that of someone born and raised in Iran for example. This is a direct result of the society people grow up in and the lifestyle people are used to.

Rules and Regulations (i.e. Laws) are a necessary means to prevent Hobbes’ ‘state of nature’ ideology. This is a direct result of the materialistic society in which we live in today. Corelli writes "It often happens, nevertheless that when bags of money fall to the lot of aspiring genius, God departs and the devil walks in" (35). People are constantly looking to improve their lifestyle, and unfortunately, the media has glamorized this material lifestyle and many people do whatever it takes to achieve this standard of living; lie, cheat, steal, etc. In many cases, a jail sentence is not enough of a deterrent to stop people from performing such acts. However, fortunately, many people have strong morals that would stop them from doing these acts, despite the potential for money, and these prevent them from performing immoral acts like the ones I have illustrated above. Hobbes’ state of nature is something that does in fact exist in many areas of the world. Human beings fighting other human beings in order to survive. This is an unfortunate reality that makes me quite grateful to have been born and brought up in Canada.

A song called "God's Funeral"

Some song lyrics by a band called Younique (Link)

A rainy day
A silent procession
Dismayed faces
And empty stares

Beside the cross
A hole in the ground
The preacher tries to speak
But not a word comes out

And now down there he goes
He goes

No sense in praying
The bible - worthless
The one who led you dropped your strings

Now that he saw there's no day without sorrow
Your father threw his life away
You'll have to pray to a new god tomorrow
Think twice about your choice
Because there's no life to borrow
You will pay

The churches raped
The bibles burned
The sup_songs died away
A new one came

And you adore him
Just like before
You give him all you've got but still he calls for more

You see his powers grow
They grow

New holy houses
New sacred books
A new religion built of fear

Now that he saw he can live without sorrow
Your new father made you live to pay
You never know what he'll want from you tomorrow
And nobody cares for the tears that you swallow every day

Come to me my brother
I wash your conscience clean
I am the solution, the fulfilling of your dreams

Soak away your power
Eliminate your brain
All that will be left: A nameless servant for my game

Listen to my sermon
Your mind is where I dwell
Out there on the streets there are a million souls to sell

Fall into dependence
Too late now for distress
Pay for all your sins and make me rich while you confess

I promise you'll live in the sunshine
I promise your dreams will come true
It's all up to you



Wow, I wonder who the speaker could be...

The War Still Wages: Science vs. Religion

If there is a war, then its opposing parties still curse each other from their opposing sides. This battle could be seen as starting some 500 years ago but for the purposes of this blog, we could view these 'sides' as based on the idea that the underlying concept of Darwin's work, that we are all evolving possibly from one or few forms and that there is no 'First Cause' (see Darwin post), is irreconcilable to a literal translation of the Bible.
For an article dealing specifically with the ideas Darwin presented and the ongoing war between science and religion, please see this interesting article by David Van Biema in Time's online magazine that asks:

"Can Darwinian evolution withstand the criticisms of Christians who believe that it contradicts the creation account in the Book of Genesis? In recent years, creationism took on new currency as the spiritual progenitor of "intelligent design" (I.D.), a scientifically worded attempt to show that blanks in the evolutionary narrative are more meaningful than its very convincing totality. I.D. lost some of its journalistic heat last December when a federal judge dismissed it as pseudoscience unsuitable for teaching in Pennsylvania schools.
But in fact creationism and I.D. are intimately related to a larger unresolved question, in which the aggressor's role is reversed: Can religion stand up to the progress of science? This debate long predates Darwin, but the antireligion position is being promoted with increasing insistence by scientists angered by intelligent design and excited, perhaps intoxicated, by their disciplines' increasing ability to map, quantify and change the nature of human experience. Brain imaging illustrates--in color!--the physical seat of the will and the passions, challenging the religious concept of a soul independent of glands and gristle. Brain chemists track imbalances that could account for the ecstatic states of visionary saints or, some suggest, of Jesus. Like Freudianism before it, the field of evolutionary psychology generates theories of altruism and even of religion that do not include God. Something called the multiverse hypothesis in cosmology speculates that ours may be but one in a cascade of universes, suddenly bettering the odds that life could have cropped up here accidentally, without divine intervention. (If the probabilities were 1 in a billion, and you've got 300 billion universes, why not?)

For a more 'opinionated' representation of the side of science check out this link

"Even today religious fundamentalists still insist the Bible is the literal infallible Word of God, inerrant, without contradiction, correct in all matters of Faith and all matters of science. They force the Bible to fit in with today's knowledge of science, like forcing a square peg into a round hole, or they attack any science they can not yet force the Bible to conform to."

A Quick Summary of Geoffrey Tempest

The main character in Marie Corelli's "Sorrow of Satan," Geoffrey Tempest, is able to gain riches and leave his "graceless, sordid and miserable" (page 1) poverty and still finds himself miserable once he is a millionaire. It is the works of Satan Incarnate, Lucio Rimanez, that he is miserable as a rich man. It is also the discovery of Rimanez that leads Tempest to become a poor man who is happy. It is seemingly that Tempest's flaw was that he did not believe in God, as a resul he did not believe in the devil either--which made Rimanez's task much easier.
One of Geoffrey Tempest's greatest wishes is to be famous: especially for his writing which he holds in high regard. He believes that his money will make him known for it and states: "You see, with money I can force my name into notice whether the public likes it or not. No newspaper refuses advertisements" (Page 35). It is this belief that leads him to great frustration later with regards to Mavis Clare. Rimanez warns him about this persuit by saying "you cannot grovel and fly at the same time" (page 35). Rimanez is stating that because he is rich his work will not be the same because he has lost his inspiration--being poor.
Tempest's work is also not considered seriously because he is so heavily advertised. He wanted to be famous but he was famous for his money not his work. This was the work of Rimanez: he placed Tempest in all of the newspapers and gossip collumns so people would know who he is. He even heavily advertizes and buys off the editors and still little success. This is how Lucio Rimanez works; he provides you with what you want at the moment but it never works out the way one wants it to. The same thing happend to Viscount Lynton. Lynton's love of gambling led to debt and he sacrificed his soul to try and win back some of the money he lost. Geoffrey Tempest was so ready to embrace this world of the wealthy that he allowed Rimanez to control his finances and his public relations. Not realizing Rimanez was the devil it allowed Rimanez to do what he wanted.
There are many parts of the book where Rimanez acts as a bad influence. When Rimanez is discovered he chastizes Tempest for not realizing who he was.
"you thought me a friend" he said. "You should have known me foe!Foreveryone who flatters a man for his virtues, or humors him in his vices, is that man's worst enemy, whether demon or angel!" (page 450)
By not acknowledging his instincts Tempest was easily manipulated and became very bitter and miserable. If he paid attention to his instinct and followed the morals that he wrote in his book he would not be in such a miserable state.

Tempest's transformation back to poverty--and to God--is quite interesting.
"My feelings for Rimanez too began at this time to undergo a curious change. The fascination I had with him, the power he exercised over me remained as great as ever, but I found myself often absorbed in a close study of him, strangely against my own will...there was an uneasy sensation of doubt and fear growing up in my mind regarding him...on the rare occasions I experienced a sudden shock of inexplicable repulsion" (page 423).
It was on the open sea that Tempest began to really feel this way about Rimanez; his instinct was about to set in but he still was not able to decifer what was going on. It was when Rimanez turned himself into an angel to show Geoffrey Tempest who he was. It was this exciting feat that changed his mind about God and Satan. This is particularly interesting--I think--because he needed to see it before he could believe it. It was not faith that changed him but an event.
Imagine if Tempest were a religious man. Would he be able to see through Rimanez? Would he chose differently? Would he go along with the gambling etc? Would he be so easily corrupt?
He ends up finding happiness but it is not because of faith. If he had faith he may have had a moral standards...but this is all speculation.
These of course are questions we all have to ask ourselves.
What do you guys think?

The Representation of the Devil in The Sorrows of Satan

In Marie Corelli's Sorrows of Satan she presents a brand new version of the Devil is created. Here we see not the vengeful and hateful Satan seen in previous works such as Paradise Lost but rather a character with whom we can sympathize. Rimanez evokes an image of a man who made a bad decision and who cannot fix it. When he describes himself as, "the power of Evil, made evil and kept evil by the disobedience and wickedness of Man alone" (445) it evokes shamefulness on the reader as it is because of our misdeeds that this man suffers. At the same time the reader is thankful for his evil abilities for if it were not for this Satan, "thus do i become their constant companion, humoring them in such vices as they best love!- thus do I take on the shape that pleases them, and fit myself to their humors! They make me what I am..." (445) then many of the pleasures which the reader enjoys would not be available to him. Of course, these pleasures are usually evil but it is not Rimanez fault that "the Devil in Man" is actually the "worse monster." This representation of the Devil is a post Victorian creation, born of the Edwardian age after the death of God has already occurred, "the God-in-Man was rejected and slain, - I, the Devil in Man live on, forever accepted and adored!" (446). Although God is dead the Devil lives on in the sin which God's death has created. The best example of his sadness in his predicament is in his appeal to Mavis Clare when he states, "Pray for me then, as one who has fallen from his higher and better self,-who strives, but who may not attain,-who labors under heavy punishment,-who would fain reach Heaven, but who by the cursed will of man, and man alone, is kept in Hell" (339). He states, "I may tempt, but I do not pursue" (340), ultimately, Rimanez does not live a life of sin, he just creates one which Man must decide whether or not to embrace, his final goal is a sinless world so that he may return to Heaven and hear the Angels singing.

Poor Geoffrey

Geoffrey Tempest, in Mary Corelli's "Sorrows of Satan," is the depiction of the 'fallen' man. His choices lead him, ultimately, to redemption, though he must resist tempation and pride to achieve a sense of peace. But what makes the character of Geoffrey so believeable, is that he represents the reality of the Victorian age. Many people during that time, and even now, look for solutions from desolation and sorrow- Solutions to make life 'bareable' or at least liveable. The 21st century, though filled with technology, is a plethora of wealth and gluttony. Much of the comfort that is experienced is done so by the plight of others. Geoffrey is the character most middle-class, working people are able to relate to- However, as Corelli demonstrates, Geoffrey soon inherits a fortune that will bring him out of his misfortune but bring with it tests of faith and consciousness.
The story of "Sorrows of Satan" encourages those readers who have very little to accept what they have and be grateful to God that they have it. It may seem as though gratefulness is not part of the sceama. However, there is a lot to be said about faith in God and the reassurrance that good will always triumph over evil.
Geoffrey is the character that is the most realistic as he shares parrelles with most of the readers. He is down on his luck, a man searching for meaning of his existance. Although he is warned several times to be mindful of Lucio, his disregard leads to his reincarnation. Geoffery is made better from his experience with Satan.
I saw myself in the character of Geoffrey, mainly because he represents those who struggle, and suffer from lifes trials and tribulations. Life should not be easy, nor should it not be filled with meaning. However, as I read the novel, I kept wishing that Geoffrey would understand sooner, and would not be tempted by Lucio's charm and wishes of wealth.
However, as with most stories, there is a lesson that needs to be learned, and an opportunity for the character and the reader to learn from mistakes and recify their behaviour or actions before its too late. Moreover, it can be said that tehre is a little of Geoffrey in all of us. Someone who struggles for meaning, and understanding and who longs to have everything that he went without.