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bisexualbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
“I long unspeakably for happiness. And so I await the Devil’s coming.”
Published in 1902 under the title "The Story of Mary MacLane," Mary MacLane's debut work "I Await the Devil's Coming" is a revolutionary text that shook the literary world. MacLane's unflinching honesty and radical self-expression were too avant-garde for her time, prompting her publisher to make numerous alterations to her original manuscript. Republished in 2014, I read an annotated, unexpurgated edition that restores MacLane’s raw and powerful voice.
MacLane’s writing is often considered the precursor to the confessional diary genre. Her openness about her self-love, sexual attraction to women, and desire to marry the Devil was groundbreaking. Her influence extended to literary figures like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and she is recognized as a pioneer for her feminist and bisexual identity. Despite the historical context of her work, MacLane's themes of self-exploration, identity, and defiance against societal expectations remain strikingly relevant today.
"I Await the Devil's Coming" is a bold and introspective account of 19-year-old Mary MacLane's life and thoughts. Dedicated to the Devil—“who one day may come”—MacLane's narrative explores her deep sense of isolation, yearning for purpose, and rejection of the roles imposed upon women. Her writing probes the line between art and artifice, challenging the constant performance demanded of women. Mary’s reflections on her life in Butte, Montana, are interspersed with her longing for something more—an intense desire for change and recognition.
MacLane's prose is both sensory and sensual, drawing readers into her world with vivid descriptions of the Montana landscape and her internal turmoil. Her language is raw and unfiltered, capturing her emotions with an honesty that feels almost invasive. Lines like “Are there many things in this cool-hearted world so utterly exquisite as the pure love of one woman for another woman?” and “May I never, I say, become that abnormal, merciless animal, that deformed monstrosity—a virtuous woman” highlight her radical views and deep introspection.
Mary’s relationship with her former English teacher, Fannie Corbin—referred to as “the anemone lady”—is a poignant thread throughout the book. Mary's desire to escape with Fannie to the mountains, coupled with her acknowledgment that Fannie, a good Christian woman, would never reciprocate her feelings, paints a heartbreaking picture of unrequited love and longing. This relationship underscores the intense loneliness that permeates Mary’s life, as she imagines becoming a man to be with Fannie and achieve the respect and value denied to her as a woman.
MacLane’s reflections on her own femininity and her desire to be more than a commodity are powerful and ahead of her time. She grapples with feelings of invisibility and powerlessness, yet remains fiercely self-aware and determined to leave her mark on the world. Her narrative is informed by and obsessed with the natural world around her, often using it as a metaphor for her inner state.
The book’s portrayal of Mary’s inner world is both fascinating and at times, repetitive. While this redundancy can slow the narrative, it also reinforces the relentless nature of her introspection and desire for change. MacLane's self-awareness and her struggle to find happiness and recognition are themes that resonate deeply, making this book a unique and valuable insight into the life of a queer feminist in the early 20th century.
"I Await the Devil's Coming" is a remarkable and daring work that captures the essence of Mary MacLane’s rebellious spirit and her quest for identity and autonomy. It is a testament to the enduring power of radical self-expression and the importance of preserving the authentic voices of trailblazing women. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of feminist literature and the raw, unfiltered thoughts of a woman who dared to defy societal norms. For its groundbreaking nature and emotional depth, this book earns a solid four-star rating.
📖 Recommended For: Advocates for LGBTQ+ Representation, Feminist Readers, Those Interested in Historical Memoirs, Fans of Radical and Unconventional Literature
🔑 Key Themes: Queer Feminist Identity, Rejection of Societal Norms, Loneliness and Desire, Introspection and Self-Discovery, Unrequited Queer Love.
missemg's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
malicemushroom's review against another edition
5.0
I expected this to be boring due to its age, but I soon realized that was a complete mistake on my part. It still holds up today, and I found myself heavily relating to most of it. Please don’t overlook it simply based on age like I did at first
linda_don's review against another edition
5.0
“An idle brain is the Devil’s workshop, they say. It is an absurdly incongruous statement. If the Devil is at work in a brain it certainly is not idle. And when one considers how brilliant a personage the Devil is, and what very fine work he turns out, it becomes an open question whether he would have the slightest use for most of the idle brains that cumber the earth.”
Hilarious and raw, but actually rather sad at turns considering how stuck she was at the time of writing this. Her life was so monotonous that it comes across in her writing -- you can almost see her mind running in helpless circles with nowhere to go but around again.
Hilarious and raw, but actually rather sad at turns considering how stuck she was at the time of writing this. Her life was so monotonous that it comes across in her writing -- you can almost see her mind running in helpless circles with nowhere to go but around again.
mitunter's review against another edition
3.0
Ich weiß nicht mehr wodurch ich auf dieses Buch aufmerksam wurde. Es ist ein im Tagebuchstil verfasster Roman aus den ersten Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ich bin froh dieses Buch gelesen zu haben, weil mich MaryMacLane fasziniert und ich ihren Mut spannend finde und dass dieses Buch ihrerzeit als Skandal erlebt wurde. Manchmal hat es aber sehr genervt es zu lesen. Ich glaube die Übersetzerin sagt in den Anhängen, dass wir MacLane bei der Pubertät zusehen. Jaaaa, und das ist echt nicht immer einfach. Und dann war ich doch auch immer wieder berührt oder überrascht von einzelnen Passagen.
se_wigget's review against another edition
4.0
I think I would have enjoyed this more as a teen, since the author was a teen when she wrote it.
ipanzica's review against another edition
5.0
Mary did a great job writing this book. If you have a dark sense of humor this is a book you need to read this book now, or listen to the audiobook. Personally, I think a nonotoned narriated audiobook is the best way to read this, since the lack of emotion makes it funnier when she is going on her teenages angsty rants. Though not everything about this book is funny, since inbetween her quirky rants she does talk about her depression, feelings of isolation, and even thoughts of suicide.
Throughout this book she is constantly roasting either herself, roasting everyone she knows, giving herself weird complements, or going on the weirdest rants. These rants are weird but they usually have a connection to a deeper topic. For example, her rant about her horrifying theft of $3 is about how as a society we like to label people by their most negative trait and often forget the persons good traits.
Mary also likes to use repitition and list in her writing. Though in almost every list she includes something weird or as an insult to herself. My favorite list was a list of all the things she hates since the list was so random and without any theme.
Some fun facts about Mary that we learn in this book is that she has yet to damage any of her major organs yet, is a good eater (she proves this in her olive rant), and she is a genious (she says this constantly). Mary is also in love with the devil, her high school english teacher, and Napoleon (because he is strong). Also Mary is the greatest Maclane in her genration because she said so and is a genious.
Personnally, I think Mary is an overlyconfident depresed angsty girl who is so bizzar it's hard to not be entertained by her.
Throughout this book she is constantly roasting either herself, roasting everyone she knows, giving herself weird complements, or going on the weirdest rants. These rants are weird but they usually have a connection to a deeper topic. For example, her rant about her horrifying theft of $3 is about how as a society we like to label people by their most negative trait and often forget the persons good traits.
Mary also likes to use repitition and list in her writing. Though in almost every list she includes something weird or as an insult to herself. My favorite list was a list of all the things she hates since the list was so random and without any theme.
Some fun facts about Mary that we learn in this book is that she has yet to damage any of her major organs yet, is a good eater (she proves this in her olive rant), and she is a genious (she says this constantly). Mary is also in love with the devil, her high school english teacher, and Napoleon (because he is strong). Also Mary is the greatest Maclane in her genration because she said so and is a genious.
Personnally, I think Mary is an overlyconfident depresed angsty girl who is so bizzar it's hard to not be entertained by her.
krobart's review against another edition
2.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/day-588-i-await-the-devils-coming/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/day-588-i-await-the-devils-coming/