The devil in the 16th century German literature, the Teufelsbücher

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The literary works with which this study is concerned comprise the so-called «Teufelsbücher» which were written between 1545 and 1604. To this category of devil-books belong those works whose basic conception is the idea that every vice has its source in, or is directed by a specialized devil. These socially critical satires significantly helped create the attitude and atmosphere out of which the Faust tradition developed.