To Sup With the Devil — Edition Insights

Repetition as a Marker of Unease

Scholnick uses repetition to create a hypnotic, almost incantatory rhythm that contrasts with the mundane setting. George's speech is peppered with repeated words and phrases: "Yes, yes," "Nice gray hair," and "a demon or a ghoul or something." This verbal tic suggests a mind that is either deeply convinced or trying to convince itself. Henry, too, echoes George's words in a mocking or disbelieving tone, as when he repeats "Work for him?" The repetition builds a sense of artificiality, as if the characters are performing a scripted exchange. The effect is to make the reader question the sincerity of both men—is George truly enthusiastic, or is he trying to persuade Henry (and himself)? The device also slows the pace, drawing attention to each unsettling detail as it is introduced.

Understatement and the Horrific

The story's horror emerges not from explicit description but from what is left unsaid or said too lightly. When George describes the Devil as "a splendid chap" who dresses "most conservatively," the contrast between the mundane description and the entity's traditional menace is jarring. Similarly, the prospect of becoming a demon is dismissed as "quite pleasant" and "quite a change from the market." The most chilling moment comes when George lists what he will see in Hell: "Graveyards, coffins and corpses" and "the fire and brimstone, and you hear their cries of anguish and it's quite pleasant." The word "pleasant" is repeated, flattening the emotional weight of the image. Henry's response—"Oh, that's amusing. Most amusing"—mirrors this understatement, turning atrocity into a joke. The narrative voice maintains a polished, almost theatrical detachment, which amplifies the horror by refusing to acknowledge it directly.

Pacing and the Shift from Banter to Threat

The story's pacing is carefully controlled, moving from leisurely conversation to a sudden, stark revelation. The opening paragraphs are filled with descriptions of wine, firelight, and comfortable chairs, establishing a relaxed tempo. The dialogue is punctuated by actions—pouring wine, swallowing, leaning forward—that slow the exchange and give it a ritualistic quality. As George reveals more about his pact, the pace quickens through shorter sentences and more direct statements: "I must kill someone." This line, delivered without preamble, shatters the previous tone. Henry's response—"But that's most naughty, old boy, isn't it?"—attempts to restore the earlier banter, but the damage is done. The story leaves the reader suspended between the two registers, uncertain whether the threat is real or part of a macabre game. The excerpt ends before the resolution, forcing the reader to sit with that ambiguity.

Readers should attend to the way Scholnick uses the trappings of civilized conversation—wine, leather chairs, polite laughter—as a frame for increasingly monstrous ideas. The story's power lies in its restraint: the Devil is never described in detail, and the violence is only hinted at. Pay attention to who speaks more, who repeats themselves, and how the physical setting (the fire, the shadows) mirrors the psychological tension. The story rewards close reading of its dialogue rhythms and its deliberate, unsettling silences.

The rain kept up its listless drumming while I finished To Sup With the Devil, struck by how the horror crept in between sips of wine, all politeness and pause. That quiet unease lingered, so I reached for something gentler nearby, and found A good old scout — Reading Notes instead. Odd, how one book leads to its opposite, almost without asking.