The Devil in Love

About “The Devil in Love”

The Devil in Love is a 1772 occult romance by Jacques Cazotte. It follows a demon who falls in love with a young Spanish nobleman named Don Alvaro. The demon disguises itself as a young woman to win his affection. The novel is considered a foundational work in the fantasy genre. French critic P.G. Castex called it "the very initiator of the modern fantasy story." Canadian critic Carlo Testa described it as a "terminus a quo" in the history of the demonic subgenre. The novel introduced the literary style known as fantastique, in which surreal events blend with reality, leaving the reader unsure if the events are real or imagined.