Melmoth the Wanderer is a violent story about a man who sold his soul to the devil in exchange of a longer life, but he regretted about his deal and now preys on the helpless in their darkest moments, offering to ease their suffering if they will take his place and release him from his centuries of tortured wanderings.
Looking back to the development of the classic gothic literature, it's impossible not to mention Melmoth the Wanderer. This was one of those titles that helped to shape the Gothic fiction itself, and, along with The Castle of Otranto, The Monk, and the works of Ann Radcliffe, it is absolutely essential to understand the literary horror aesthetic of the turn of the century in the European context. This Victorian classic also influenced Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Melmoth's plot was inspired by many medieval legends that make references to the soul-selling pact with the devil, like Faust and The Wandering Jew. The urtext that provided the outline of all these classic stories was the unholy trade made on earth that bars entry to heaven. This theme was central in many ancient and medieval narratives and served as a storyline base for the main horror stories written and published at that time. A classic of Irish literature that certainly deserves to be read and debated more and more.