The Inferno · Chapter
XII: Pilgrimage and Penance explained
The narrator returns to Sweden and settles in Lund, a town he despises, where he experiences persecution, miraculous events, and a deepening spiritual crisis.
What happens
The narrator returns to Sweden and settles in Lund, a town he despises, where he experiences persecution, miraculous events, and a deepening spiritual crisis. He meets an old friend who confirms a widespread turn toward religion and the invisible, leading him to borrow Swedenborg's works and begin his path to redemption.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Punishment
The narrator endures relentless persecution, noise, electric shocks, and social humiliation as a form of penance.
Religion and Spiritual Crisis
The chapter depicts a widespread yearning for religion, a reconciliation with the 'powers', and the narrator's turn to Swedenborg.
The Invisible and the Occult
Miraculous events (falling knife, water drop, wax-cloth) and references to occult powers and Swedenborg's works.
Guilt and Redemption
The narrator sees Lund as his Canossa, where he must retract false doctrines and expiate his sins.
Characters to notice
- August Strindberg
The narrator, who returns to Sweden in a penitent's costume and seeks expiation.
- Swedenborg
His works are borrowed and provide deliverance.
- Popoffsky
Popoffsky's sister-in-law and her husband are mentioned as influential enemies in Lund.
- Saul
The narrator's friend is described as 'that Saul among the young prophets'.
- Providence
Thanked for sending the narrator to Lund to expiate his sin.
- The Devil
The narrator attributes the persecutory noises and electric currents to the Devil.
Key passages
“the worst place I could have chosen for a quiet residence; it is hell, but a hell contrived with masterly logic and divine ingenuity.”
Lund is the most unsuitable place for peace, yet it is a hell designed with perfect logic and divine craft.
The narrator acknowledges the divine purpose in his suffering.
“From atheism to Swedenborg is only a step!”
The transition from disbelief to embracing Swedenborg's teachings is a short one.
Highlights the narrator's rapid spiritual transformation.