The Mysterious Stranger
by Mark Twain
'The Mysterious Stranger' Summary
In 1590, three boys, Theodor, Seppi, and Nikolaus, live relatively happy simple lives in a remote Austrian village called Eseldorf (German for "Assville" or "Donkeytown"). The story is narrated by Theodor, the village organist's son. Other local characters include Father Peter, his niece Marget, and the astrologer.
One day, a handsome teenage boy named Satan appears in the village. He explains that he is an angel and the nephew of the fallen angel whose name he shares. Young Satan performs several magical feats. He claims to be able to foresee the future and informs the group of unfortunate events that will soon befall those they care about. The boys do not believe Satan's claims until one of his predictions comes true. Satan proceeds to describe further tragedies that will befall their friends. The boys beg Satan to intercede. Satan agrees but operates under the technical definition of mercy. For instance, instead of a lingering death due to illness, Satan simply causes one of Theodor's friends to die immediately.
In the village and in other places around the world where Satan transports them magically, the boys witness religious fanaticism, witch trials, burnings, hangings, deaths and mass hysteria. Finally, Satan vanishes with a brief explanation: "[T]here is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream – a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought – a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!".
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1916Author
Mark Twain
United States
Twain was fascinated with science and scientific inquiry. He developed a close and lasting friendship with Nikola Tesla, and the two spent much time together in Tesla's laboratory. Twain patented thre...
More on Mark TwainDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
The Little Room and Other Stories by Madeline Yale Wynne
Step into the enchanting world of Madeline Wynne's imagination with "The Little Room and Other Stories," where extraordinary tales await to captivate...
The Step on the Stair by Anna Katharine Green
The story follows a young woman named Rosamund, who moves into a new home with her husband and soon becomes convinced that the house is haunted. As sh...
From Jest to Earnest by Edward P. Roe
Will Harold Harcourt ever find true love and purpose, or will his life of jesting and frivolity lead him to ruin? From Jest to Earnest is a heartwarm...
The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
The Lifted Veil explores themes of extrasensory perception, possible life after death, and the power of fate. The story is a significant part of the...
Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber
It is a captivating novel that explores the mysterious world of witchcraft and the power it holds over the lives of ordinary people. Written in 1953,...
The Day of the Beast by Zane Grey
It tells the story of a young cowboy named Milt Dale who finds himself caught in the middle of a dangerous conflict between a group of wealthy cattle...
Mudfog and Other Sketches by Charles Dickens
The Mudfog Papers was written by Victorian era novelist Charles Dickens and published from 1837–38 in the monthly literary serial Bentley's Miscellany...
The Finding of Jasper Holt by Grace Livingston Hill
What if a train wreck brought two unlikely people together, and their love story changed the course of their lives? The Finding of Jasper Holt by Gra...
The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins
When a young woman is presumed dead in a war, another woman seizes the opportunity to escape her past and assume her identity. But when the first woma...
Beyond These Voices by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Beyond these voices, there is a mystery waiting to be solved. Helen is a young woman who is haunted by voices. She hears them everywhere she goes, an...
Reviews for The Mysterious Stranger
No reviews posted or approved, yet...