Book Cover of Arthur Mervyn

Arthur Mervyn

by Charles Brockden Brown

Kicked out of his parental home by his scheming young stepmother, a young country boy, Arthur Mervyn arrives in Philadelphia. Here he finds the city in the throes of a deadly yellow-fever epidemic. However, he finds a small job as a clerk and is determined to make his way in the world. He soon discovers that his employer is a con man and a murderer. One night, Arthur helps him dispose of a body in the river. While they're struggling with the corpse, the employer is swept away by the current... If you haven't encountered American Gothic before, Arthur Mervyn by Charles Brockden Brown is a great introduction to this genre. Originally published in two parts, the novel is set in the turbulent, crime ridden and disease prone Philadelphia of 1793. Arthur Mervyn was published in 1799 and 1800 respectively. It reflects several aspects of the age in which Brockden Brown wrote the aftermath of the French Revolution was still being felt in America. The Reign of Terror, which dismantled the class system and the violent Slave Rebellion in Haiti with its elimination of slavery on the island nation were viewed with increasing fear and insecurity in America. Seen in the light of these events, writers like Charles Brockden Brown used plot devices and characters that evoked mystery and terror to great effect. Though he is little known today, Charles Brockden Brown was one of the pioneers of the early American novel, on par with James Fenimore Cooper. Born in a wealthy Philadelphia Quaker family, Brown initially took up the study of law. However, he soon became part of the Friendly Club, a group of New York intellectuals. He gradually began to publish essays and short pieces in various journals and newspapers. At this time, he was also heavily influenced by writers like Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Frankenstein) and from 1798-1801 he published a series of Gothic novels characterized by motifs like sleepwalking, religious mania, violence, drama and intellectual complexity. Always known as a “writer's writer” Brown's work is only now being recognized and given its due. The book reflects the multicultural mix of America, with its diverse range of characters from different cultural backgrounds. One of the interesting things about this book is that the disease of Yellow Fever itself is almost a character in the novel. It symbolizes a disembodied force that attacks people regardless of their race or socioeconomic status and scholars of Brown's works liken it to the impact of print media on a hitherto unlettered populace. Arthur Mervyn is indeed a valuable and educational read not to be missed.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1799

Authors

Charles Brockden Brown image

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...

Books by Charles Brockden Brown

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Evil Guest Cover image

Evil Guest by Sheridan Le Fanu

In Sheridan Le Fanu's 'The Evil Guest,' a sense of unease pervades a desolate and remote dwelling. The arrival of an unexpected visitor throws the hou...

Black Cat Vol. 02 No. 10 July 1897 Cover image

Black Cat Vol. 02 No. 10 July 1897 by Various

This volume of "The Black Cat" features five original short stories. "For Dear Old Yale" presents a game of cards with high stakes. "The Casket of Pan...

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket Cover image

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tal...

Lane that had no Turning, and Other Tales concerning the People of Pontiac Cover image

Lane that had no Turning, and Other Tales concerning the People of Pontiac by Gilbert Parker

Gilbert Parker's "The Lane that had no Turning, and Other Tales concerning the People of Pontiac" is a collection of short stories set in the fictiona...

Book of Ghosts Cover image

Book of Ghosts by Sabine Baring-Gould

This collection of ghost stories, compiled by Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould, offers a glimpse into the realm of the supernatural. With tales of hauntin...

Adelgitha; or, The Fruits of a Single Error Cover image

Adelgitha; or, The Fruits of a Single Error by Matthew Gregory Lewis

A young woman's innocent mistake sets in motion a tragic chain of events in this dark and atmospheric Gothic novel. Adelgitha; or, The Fruits of a Si...

Water Ghost and Others Cover image

Water Ghost and Others by John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs's "Water Ghost and Others" is a collection of eight short stories exploring the supernatural with a delightful blend of humor and...

Cathedral Cover image

Cathedral by Joris-Karl Huysmans

La Cathédrale, the third novel in Huysmans's Durtal trilogy, follows the protagonist, Durtal, as he continues his exploration of Catholicism. After a...

Jane Eyre Cover image

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...

Bat Wing Cover image

Bat Wing by Sax Rohmer

Bat Wing is the first book in the Paul Harley series, a series of mysteries written by Sax Rohmer. The book centers on Paul Harley, a private detectiv...

Reviews for Arthur Mervyn

No reviews posted or approved, yet...