The Mysterious Stranger

It begins in a "modern" print shop, which is actually in the late 19th century. A young boy, August, timid and out of place, persecuted by his employers, finds himself back in the 16th century, the time of alchemy and magic, and religious persecution. He is the same character, working in much more primitive print shop, one that produces Bibles for the University.

It brings in a magical character named 44 who is able to jump through time and do virtually anything he wants. In the book his name is the not too subtle Satan, but 44 is really more of an imp and out to have fun.

Most of the troubles have to do with an alchemist played by Fred Gwynne looking very much like Herman Munster and a group of discontented printers whose role seems to be to use their skills for extortion. It is a comment on labor unions and guilds and these fellows become the perfect foils for Twain would have approved because it takes shots at religion, at least mysticism, self importance, the romanticism we attach to these times, and the frailty and fundamental unfairness of human life. August, played by Chris Makepeace, is the recipient of 44's played by Lance Kerwin, a child star of the late 70's and early 80's abilities, but is himself caught in his own medieval beliefs and can't understand what 44 is doing.

I watch this about once a year since I taped it on PBS way back in It has an interesting message and I would hope that people will make an effort to find it and see it. Visit Prime Video to explore more titles. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. The next thing he knows he has conjured up a young spirit from the future who Mark Twain story , Julian Mitchell teleplay.

IMDb's Guide to Streaming. Deeper Into the Western Canon: Films set in Missouri. Share this Rating Title: Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Edit Cast Cast overview, first billed only: August Feldner Bernhard Wicki He says that there is no other, and that even this life is just a dream, and that nothing truly exists. He says that he doesn't even exist, and the only thing that does exist is you, an aimless thought, wondering about in the void of emptiness and space.

The ending is not logically sound, obviously and, if he intended it, would indicate Twain's nihilism, although it must be noted that this is the very end of the story, and the author died before the story was finished; notes were found and someone else finished it, and no one knows where the second author begins, although it is quite possible that this is not the ending that Twain intended.

Along with this nihilism, constant indication of the ultimate vanity of morality, hatred, or in Satan's case, indifference , of the human race through Satan, Twain gives strong hints as to his hatred of Christianity as well, there is, however, no way to know if this was the author's intention, as it is a piece of fiction and not ever stated to a reflection of the authors actual beliefs and opinions, although it would strongly indicate that it is.

As Satan is showing Theodor and Seppi, Nikolaus had drowned , a progress of the human race, he states that of all civilizations, only Christendom had intentionally improved upon war and was engulfed in constant violence, and incessant "sin", citing numerous Bible stories as part of the "history" such as Cain's murder of Able, etc.

In conclusion, this is a good story in my opinion. There didn't seem to be much progression of plot and it ended abruptly and oddly, granted, the author died before it was completely, so this is excused from my criticism, but not my mention. Sometimes it seemed almost like a Platonic discussion in the Socratic Method in some of the conversations between Theodor and Satan.

Mysterious Stranger

That said, it was well written, and the narrative never was hard to follow or choppy. Indeed, all throughout it was concise and easy to understand. I would disagree with his, or rather "Satan's" position about humanity and theology, and certainly his claim that all of life is a dream and does not actually exist. However, I do appreciate and think it important to ponder these speculations. If one were only to hear what they already agreed with and "knew to be certain", then no one would learn, and nothing would be gained but gratification to one's own presuppositions.

It being so small, I read it not hurriedly in only a few hours , it is not a serious investment of time to read, and is worth the time put in. In fact, I really appreciate novellas sometimes, because they can capture the value and message of a story without the "filler" drivel and other stuffing that novels usually have, that do not contribute to the aforementioned, but only lengthen the story and can definitely bog it down. Short and sweet, is certainly an applicable description of this book, and I encourage that you read it. Even if you do not appreciate the speculative and philosophical value of it, and that isn't to say, agree or disagree, but rather, whether you understand or care about it or not , it is an entertaining story.

I would encourage your reading of it. Jul 25, Mike Sheehan rated it it was amazing Shelves: To me, I think problems can only begin to be solved once they're recognized as such; this could work on a societal level too. And so it genuinely saddens me that one-hundred years after Mark Twain's railing against human nature and its major institutions government and religion , practically nothing has changed, because the things he speaks of truly are a part of human nature, as it seems.

The most damning one of all is Satan's speaking of the nature of war, a conversation which could've taken To me, I think problems can only begin to be solved once they're recognized as such; this could work on a societal level too. The most damning one of all is Satan's speaking of the nature of war, a conversation which could've taken place yesterday, or any time in the past hundred years, which Twain hits the nail on the head with in a way that takes great will power to not quote the whole passage here.

Chapter's 7, 9, and 11 contain Satan's most potent critiques of humanity; an absolutely scathing, misanthropic mostly-one-sided dialogue, where Twain's Satan speaks truths that anyone will, should, realize the moment it's read. Twain is very clever and does an excellent job articulating all his misanthropic feelings.

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Another thing that's really great about this book is Twain's idea of Satan. Satan is an omniscient being where everything he does seems bad on surface level killing and causing insanity , but he actually does what's best for each person though the closing dialogue may alter our perception on this a bit. I haven't gotten to reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, but I'm assuming The Mysterious Stranger doesn't get nearly as much attention because those two aren't even on the same plateau of philosophical significance that the latter holds, although I hope I'm wrong.

To me, this novella is a masterpiece and may as well be a treatise on human nature Nov 01, Laura rated it really liked it Shelves: Free download available at Project Gutenberg. Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions are all based upon that large defect in your race - the individual's distrust of his neighbor, and his desire, for safety's or comfort's sake, to stand well in his neighbor's eye.

These institutions will always remain, and always flourish, and always oppress you, affront you, and degrade you, because you always be and remain slaves of minorities. No sane man can be happy, for to him life is real, and he sees what a fearful thing it is. Only the mad can be happy, and not many of those. It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there 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 forelimb among the empty eternities! Nightingale , and the appearance of a banjo-playing minstrel who in my mind looks just like Koroviev, but African American In a disused castle.

The Mysterious Stranger

So much weirder, creepier, more moving, and existentially fraught than Letters From the Earth, but with all the anti-religious venom you could hope for. This was probably one of the best books I think I have read in a long time. Well, I guess a guy who wrote mostly Southern novels and is considered one the best humorists in history can't always be funny. Still, I was not expecting this from Mark Twain. In some versions of the novel, the "mysterious stranger" is either known as No.

Except he's not really Satan but is instead Satan's nephew. What's funny is the last novel I reviewed, The Picture of Dorian Gray was written by a man who mostly wrote comedy and is also considered on of the greatest humorists of the 20th century. Told ya' not everybody can write in one subject. It's also one of the greatest novels I've ever read. So back to the Mysterious Stranger It also questions God himself and we get to get opinions on Lucifer's fall from heaven from Lucifer's own nephew.

Mark Twain was after all, an atheist, so I'm sure that his strong atheistic views helped write this novella. It's really, really good, no matter what religion you belong to. However, I think if you're a rather religious Christian, I will admit that it does question the faith at some points and does point out some fallacies, even though it is rather subtle This is a really, really, really good novella.

It can get kinda long and tedious but it sure does pick up its pace and is very chilling. I'm not sure if I can call this a horror story but as something more philosophical and in some cases, possibly surreal. It's beautiful no matter what way you look at it. On my opinion, it's Mark Twain's best story bar none. It's kind of obscure to this day but it was made into a creepy tv show that was banned even though I thought it was beautiful. I believe it's on Netflix now so of you have a chance to come across it, please watch it.

View all 4 comments. Feb 06, George K. Sep 25, Michael rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Recommended to Michael by: This is a great little book. I agree with Twain's opinions to a large degree, but I cannot agree completely. I think Twain became an Atheist I am not a believer but I still hope for a God that mankind cannot comprehend nor describe. A very important and still timely idea expressed in this book is that humans are a lower order of animal than the wild beast because of his Moral Sense.

All one has to do is watch cable news and get confirmation of this sad fact. The mysterious stranger was an Angel named Satan, not the Devil but the Devil's nephew. He was beautiful, charming and gave the people what they thought they wanted. I personally don't believe in the Devil or Hell or the rest of the tools of fear used by religion and religious people. I do believe there is in every human, including me, a devilish nature.

Some have a greater power to resist this devilish nature, and some enjoy and utilize this nature to gain advantage over others. Laws are supposed to protect the lesser guilty, but greed and corruption within the systems of law are one of those minorities. It is made up of sheep. It is governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise. A humorous if not indicting novella addressing the immorality of man and the futility of his existence. For a short piece, there are some powerful thoughts penned by Mr.

Twain who "I know your race. Twain who at his end shows in this story why he was a master unsurpassed in his craft. There are a few short stories at the end of this collection but I base my 4 stars on the main piece. As a whole I would give it a 3. Aug 03, Mir rated it it was amazing.

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• chaotic poems of Love and faith.
• The Mysterious Stranger - Wikipedia.
• Witness to the Deed.

Nov 14, D. Kenyon rated it really liked it Shelves: It may seem nonsensical that I would rate my favorite book with only four out of five stars. The reason for this is because, the edition of Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger is not entirely original to Twain. Twain died in with several versions of a manuscript for the Mysterious Stranger incomplete. The versions vary considerably in setting and in story line, although they arguably seek to make the same point.

The popular version of this story was completed by his editor and, therefore, It may seem nonsensical that I would rate my favorite book with only four out of five stars. The popular version of this story was completed by his editor and, therefore, loses its status as pure Twain. Having said that, this story is outstanding in its criticism of didactic Christian culture and the influence of religion on society.

Satan's final soliloquy in the published version is a rant that not only challenges American puritanical Christian thinking, but opens the door to a distinctly existential point of view that ultimately became a prevailing point of view in the modern era. It is almost as if Twain gives birth to the realization that man is responsible for the creation of god, and the good or evil that gets done in his name, by lambasting the traditional superstitious point of view with a tongue-lashing from Satan designed to smack the human race into awareness.

This book is brilliant, but sadly not entirely Twain's. May 01, Anca rated it really liked it Shelves: Imi placu si asta, ca aproape tot ce-am citit 'existentialist' pana acum. Imi place franchetea, disperarea si pana ascutita din cartile astea, desi le contrazic majoritatea ideilor apoi.

Asa ca sa nu ma intrebati de ce le mai citesc Dupa ce-am citit celelalte povestiri ale lui Twain, nu ma asteptam sa-l gasesc asa intunecat si pesimist in asta majoritatea celorlalte sint amuzante, scurte, ironice ca viata si au un clenci: Lewis - da de unde!

Asa e stirpea voastra, continua el, josnica. Mintiti tot timpul, gasiti virturi pe care nu le aveti, dar le refuzati intotdeauna animalelor mai presus de voi, desi numai ele au virtutile alea cu adevarat. Niciun animal n-a comis vreodata un act de cruzime. Cruzimea e talentul exclusiv al celor cu simt moral.

Numai omul face asta, inspirat din simtul ala moral al lui. Amandoua lucreaza armonios si cu mare precizie pe principiul "da si ia". Dupa orice fericire care apare intr-o parte, vine de indata o suparare sau o durere, poate chiar mai multe, in cealalta parte. De cele mai multe ori, viata omului e impartita aproape egal intre fericire si nefericire. Cand nu e asa, cu siguranta predomina nefericirea. La unii, masina de suferinte face aproape toata treaba singura.

Si ce ridicoli sinteti! Pe urma o sa spuna cu seriozitate si indignare: Cativa oameni cinstiti din partea cealalta or sa protesteze si-or sa aduca argumente impotriva razboiului, cu vorba si cu pana. La inceput lumea o sa-i asculte si-o sa-i aplaude. Dar n-o sa dureze mult: Si gurile de felul asta n-o sa se mai deschida. Pero la llegada de este ser a este pueblo solo causara revuelos y problemas.

El tema principal de todo el relato es el sentido de la moral, la diferencia entre el bien y el mal, y el comportamiento humano. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Re-reading online from Project Gutenberg the titular story as it is mentioned extensively in Explaining Hitler: Austria was far away from the world, and asleep; it was still the Middle Ages in Austria, and promised to remain so forever.

Feb 09, Adriene rated it it was amazing. First and foremost, I read some academic journal publishing's over this short story before I read it. Now, having finished it, I am very glad that I did. It was interesting to read that so many Christians despise Twain's composition, and that so many Atheists use it as proof of there being no God. I take an undecided approach to religion when I read and I have to say, I see no foundation for Atheism in this work. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Instead, you have the inner frame working of First and foremost, I read some academic journal publishing's over this short story before I read it.

Instead, you have the inner frame working of an overall perception of fault within the post-developments in the religion and the natural inability of man to recognize his faults in doing so. Twain was able to adapt this present day small Austrian village to portray several Biblical stories. They unfold in a symbolic way as these villagers show that man continues to make the same mistakes even after given repeated chances to change.

Twain ingeniously tells a story within a story within a story. It's most evident during the play village scene in the woods with the three boys. The parallels are structurally predictable but how they are constructed is what makes them unique.

The Mysterious Stranger - Wikisource, the free online library

You have correlations between stories like Job and Father Peter, a woman who bathes people to cure sickness and Christ, the children and Christ's disciples, and so forth. From Genesis forward, the connections are vast. I felt that Twain was calling for Christian's to recognize that their foundation had changed from trying to live pure lives in the replication of that which they idolize, an Immortal and Just God, to simply believing they "are" immortal-like prosecutors. Notice I say "pure" not good, because "good" is as defined by man, not by God.

The works of the Disciples were discovered, even possibly written, hundreds of years after the death of Christ. They were passed down through generations by word of mouth alone. I think this, like the stories passed throughout the village of the events at the party and afterwards, is evidence of a tainting of the original message. And what is ironic, the boys spend so much time wanting to change how Satan feels about man, instill compassion to make wiser decisions to save their lives and lead them to merciful futures, that they fail to realize that is not Satan's purpose.

Several times he says you have a path you walk down, nothing divine changes that. The man could choose not to go to the well and thus miss the opportunity to lead a life of royalty and instead live in famine and disease all his life. And it is when he does interfere, just as the boys request, they become ungrateful and don't understand the mercy that is provided.

One could spend and eternity dissecting the symbolism in this short story and I'm sure come up with a different overall theme or message. However, the point remains that Twain created a dynamically constructed dramatic work that deserves to be respected. For many people, the movie is the Christmas must watch. Note, not for me. In some ways, Life is the American Christmas Carol. It heavily colors views about angels too.

So, if you like It's A Wonderful Life , you shouldn't read this work. This Kindle edition includes the title short novel as well as three short storie Every Christmas, American television shows It's A Wonderful Life at least once. This Kindle edition includes the title short novel as well as three short stories, of which only one, "A Fable" I enjoyed.

But Stranger is the star. Twain's story is about an angel named Satan who visits a town in Austria and meets some boys. The angel isn't very much like the modern view of angels Emma Thompson in Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Twains uses the angel or is it? Twain's never really been a favorite of mine. I'm not really sure why.