Alphonso Maria de Liguori

[Ang24]

Hi, I am new here. The reason I have joined is for some academic help. I am currently doing some research for my dissertation for my Masters degree in English.
I will not go into too much detail on my dissertation it would too long, but it is about literary villains in Gothic fiction.

My research has led me to St. Alphonso Maria de Liguori. The website where I found this did not go into much detail, but it stated that Alphonso Maria de Liguori 'gave advice on breaking demonic pacts'. I have spent a few days trying to find information on this but alas I have hit a dead end, (my university online library has little on this, and I cannot go to to a physical one due to having conjunctivitis and am slightly contagious right now) I was hoping that someone here would be kind enough to help.

I understand that he, in The Glories of Mary,  told the story of how he overcame a 'pact' with the devil. The information I have does not correspond with any of the materials I have access to, so I was hoping that someone knows this story and would be willing to share any knowledge they have with me.

I would be very grateful.
Any information received will not be used in my work in any capacity other than as a clarification of a subject.

[Shin]

Hello Ang!

The volume the Glories of Mary is available for free reading and download on the Saints' Books website. The closest incident that immediately appears to partly resemble what you are looking for would be in the latter part of the book where the saint discusses the Dolours of Mary, it should be an early example in that portion. It is not the saint himself who acts he is merely relating the story, St. Alphonsus Maria is a saint who is famous for relating stories from the lives and writings of other saints in his books, his writings are full of such examples.

In the particular edition on Saints' Books it would be page 534, where the passage begins, 'We read in the revelations of St. Bridget, that there was once a lord as noble by birth as he was low and sinful in his habits. He had given himself by an express compact as a slave to the devil,' etc.

[Ang24]

Thank you. That would explain why I could not find it. The information I had was that Alphonso Maria de Liguori was the one who, at a young age made a pact with devil to become a great lawyer, plagued by devish visions he repented by calling on  Mary then went into the preisthood.

This is why you double check your sources. Thank you very much.

[CyrilSebastian]

The Glories of Mary falls into the genre of ascetical and devotional writings.

[Shin]

The habit to refer to the original historical sources to the greatest extent possible is a very good one!

[eschator83]

Best wishes, Ang24, for your dissertation and your Masters.  You've reminded me that I too had an English undergraduate degree, but having been offered free tuition for a Masters, I didn't seriously pursue it, to my deep regret.

[Ang24]

Thanks, the research for this is taking me all over the place. The one thing I have learnt from my undergraduate and masters degree is that you need advanced degrees in psychology,  sociology, history, philosophy, and religion and many others to understand some concepts you come accross, or some helpful people and a lot of luck.

[eschator83]

I like to think of luck as one of God's Graces.  Perhaps your Phd dissertation can evaluate the way the several scholastic disciplines, especially literature, philosophy, psychology, math, and theology assess luck.  Has literature's celebration of the quest for luck caused serious social damage?  Why do you suppose my edition of Encyclopedia Brittanica makes no reference to luck?  Nor does the index of our latest Catholic Catechism.  Why do I have such a strong instinct to wish you good luck?  In all sincerity and good will.

[Ang24]

Sounds like a good idea, but I am rather attached to my idea of how villains are made, how they are perceived etc, especially in the text I have chosen as I have some decent intertext relationships lined up, Paradise lost, doctor faustus and a few bible quotes, which hopefully will make sense when I am done with them. Anyway thank you all for your input.