Arthur Mervyn
'Arthur Mervyn' Summary
Meeting Mervyn
Arthur Mervyn is discovered by Dr. Stevens sitting on a bench. He is suffering from yellow fever, and since Dr. Stevens has pity on him, is invited into the Stevens household. A little after he gets better, Mr. Wortley comes over to pay Dr. Stevens a visit, recognizes Arthur Mervyn, and reacts with extreme displeasure at seeing him. Dr. Stevens is of course suspicious of Mervyn now and demands an explanation for Wortley's reaction. Mervyn begins to tell his story in an effort to clear his name in the eyes of Dr. Stevens. This is the frame, and nearly three quarters of the book bring Mervyn's adventures up to this moment in time. The rest of the book continues on after the storytelling, with Mervyn keeping Dr. Stevens informed either in person or via letters of the continuing adventures, all of which revolve around a tightly knit network of people.
Arthur Mervyn lived with his father and their servant, Betty, on a farm near Philadelphia. Betty, however, married the father and Mervyn could no longer remain in the house without conflict. Arthur leaves and heads toward the city, where he ends up penniless, as he has been cheated out of all his money on the way there.
Arrival in the city
Upon arriving in the city he seeks out a friend of his father's, but he never ends up meeting him. Instead he meets a man named Wallace who invites him to stay in his home for the night. Arthur follows Wallace home, and Wallace promptly locks him into a pitch dark room. Realizing that he has been tricked, Arthur tries to escape without being noticed. He does this, but not before he overhears a private conversation between the true occupants of his quarters. When Arthur does manage to escape, he leaves behind only his shoes and some open doors and windows. Without shoes or money he decides to head home but can't because he can't pay the bridge toll. He further begs money from a man he meets on the street, and is promptly hired by this man.
Book Details
Author
Charles Brockden Brown
United States
Charles Brockden Brown (January 17, 1771 – February 22, 1810) was an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period. He is generally regarded by scholars as the most impor...
More on Charles Brockden BrownDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Over the Hills and Far Away: A Story of New Zealand by Charlotte Evans
A young woman leaves her home in England to start a new life in New Zealand, but she soon finds that the journey is more than she bargained for. Syno...
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
"The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in The C...
Die Elixiere des Teufels by E. T. A. Hoffmann
The Devil's Elixirs is a novel by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Published in 1815, the basic idea for the story was adopted from Matthew Gregory Lewis's novel Th...
Animal Ghosts by Elliott O’Donnell
This is a collection of ghost stories in which the antagonists are various animals. Divided up into chapters of ghost sightings by each group of anima...
The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Marble Faun is Hawthorne's most unusual romance. Writing on the eve of the American Civil War, Hawthorne set his story in a fantastical Italy. The...
Afterward by Edith Wharton
"Afterward" is a short story by American writer Edith Wharton. It was first published in the 1910 edition of The Century Magazine. and later reprinted...
Sir Edmund Orme by Henry James
Henry James wrote a number of ghost stories -- The Turn of the Screw being the most famous. Did he believe in ghosts himself, as did many of his conte...
The Wanderer by Fanny Burney
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties is Frances Burney’s last novel. Published in March 1814 by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, this historical...
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
This timeless novel highlights the abuse and neglect that the orphaned Jane Eyre faced while growing up. This story opens with Jane Eyre being shipp...
The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker
The Lair of the White Worm is a horror novel by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. It was first published by Rider and Son of London in 1911 – the year bef...
Reviews for Arthur Mervyn
No reviews posted or approved, yet...