diff --git a/libpathod/language.py b/libpathod/language.py
index 42fffcf82..e1f6820ff 100644
--- a/libpathod/language.py
+++ b/libpathod/language.py
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ import utils
 BLOCKSIZE = 1024
 TRUNCATE = 1024
 
+
+def escape_backslash(s):
+    return s.replace("\\", "\\\\")
+
+
 def quote(s):
     quotechar = s[0]
     s = s[1:-1]
@@ -186,7 +191,7 @@ class LiteralGenerator:
         return self.s.__getslice__(a, b)
 
     def __repr__(self):
-        return '"%s"'%self.s
+        return "'%s'"%self.s
 
 
 class RandomGenerator:
@@ -274,10 +279,16 @@ class ValueLiteral(_ValueLiteral):
     @classmethod
     def expr(klass):
         e = v_literal.copy()
-        return e.setParseAction(lambda x: klass(*x))
+        return e.setParseAction(klass.parseAction)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def parseAction(klass, x):
+        v = klass(*x)
+        return v
 
     def spec(self):
-        return quote("'%s'"%self.val.encode("string_escape"))
+        ret = "'%s'"%self.val.encode("string_escape")
+        return ret
 
 
 class ValueNakedLiteral(_ValueLiteral):
@@ -361,7 +372,7 @@ class ValueFile(_Token):
         return FileGenerator(s)
 
     def spec(self):
-        return '<"%s"'%self.path.encode("string_escape")
+        return "<'%s'"%self.path.encode("string_escape")
 
 
 Value = pp.MatchFirst(
@@ -561,8 +572,7 @@ class PathodSpec(_Token):
 
     def freeze(self, settings):
         f = self.parsed.freeze(settings).spec()
-        print [f]
-        return PathodSpec(ValueLiteral(f))
+        return PathodSpec(ValueLiteral(f.encode("string_escape")))
 
 
 class Path(_Component):
diff --git a/test/test_language.py b/test/test_language.py
index d8392404d..e2d5190f1 100644
--- a/test/test_language.py
+++ b/test/test_language.py
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ import tutils
 language.TESTING = True
 
 
+def test_quote():
+    assert language.quote("'\\\\'")
+
+
 def parse_request(s):
     return language.parse_requests(s)[0]
 
@@ -29,7 +33,7 @@ class TestValueLiteral:
         assert v.expr()
         assert v.val == "foo"
 
-        v = language.ValueLiteral(r"foo\n")
+        v = language.ValueLiteral("foo\n")
         assert v.expr()
         assert v.val == "foo\n"
         assert repr(v)
@@ -44,9 +48,20 @@ class TestValueLiteral:
         v = language.ValueLiteral("\"")
         assert v.spec() == repr(v) == '\'"\''
 
-    def test_freeze(self):
-        v = language.ValueLiteral("foo")
-        assert v.freeze({}).val == v.val
+    def roundtrip(self, spec):
+        e = language.ValueLiteral.expr()
+        v = language.ValueLiteral(spec)
+        v2 = e.parseString(v.spec())
+        assert v.val == v2[0].val
+        assert v.spec() == v2[0].spec()
+
+    def test_roundtrip(self):
+        self.roundtrip("'")
+        self.roundtrip('\'')
+        self.roundtrip("a")
+        self.roundtrip("\"")
+        self.roundtrip(r"\\")
+        self.roundtrip("200:b'foo':i23,'\\''")
 
 
 class TestValueGenerate:
@@ -242,13 +257,14 @@ class TestMisc:
         assert "@1" not in f.spec()
 
     def test_pathodspec_freeze(self):
-        spec = r'GET:"/foo":s"200:ir,\'\"\'"'
-        r = parse_request(spec)
-        assert r.freeze({})
-
-        spec = r'GET:"/foo":s"200:ir,\"\'\""'
-        r = parse_request(spec)
-        assert r.freeze({})
+        e = language.PathodSpec(
+            language.ValueLiteral(
+                "200:b'foo':i10,'\\''".encode(
+                    "string_escape"
+                )
+            )
+        )
+        assert e.freeze({})
 
     def test_code(self):
         e = language.Code.expr()