Charles Brockden Brown

Wieland; or, The transformation is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1889. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Book Excerpt: ortley when they were presented to each other. His satisfaction was mingled with surprise, and his surprise with anger. Mervyn, in his turn, betrayed considerable embarrassment. Wortley's thoughts were too earnest on some topic to allow him to converse. He shortly made some excuse for taking leave, and, rising, addressed himself to the youth with a request that he would walk home with him. This invitation, delivered in a tone which left it doubtful whether a compliment or menace were meant, augmented Mervyn's confusion. He complied without speaking, and they went out together;--my wife and I were left to comment upon the scene. It could not fail to excite uneasiness. They were evidently no strangers to each other. The indignation that flashed from the eyes of Wortley, and the trembling consciousness of Mervyn, were unwelcome tokens. The former was my dearest friend, and venerable for his discernment and integrity. The latter appeared to have drawn upon himself the anger and disdain of this man. We alreRead More

Novels - Memoirs of a sleep-walker is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1887. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale is a Gothic novel by Charles Brockden Brown, first published in 1798. It recounts the terrifying story of how Theodore Wieland is driven to madness and murder by a malign ventriloquist called Carwin.

Novels is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1887. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

I feel little reluctance in complying with your request. You know not fully the cause of my sorrows. You are a stranger to the depth of my distresses. Hence your efforts at consolation must necessarily fail. Yet the tale that I am going to tell is not intended as a claim upon your sympathy. In the midst of my despair, I do not disdain to contribute what little I can to the benefit of mankind. I acknowledge your right to be informed of the events that have lately happened in my family. Make what use of the tale you shall think proper. If it be communicated to the world, it will inculcate the duty of avoiding deceit. It will exemplify the force of early impressions, and show the immeasurable evils that flow from an erroneous or imperfect discipline. My state is not destitute of tranquillity. The sentiment that dictates my feelings is not hope. Futurity has no power over my thoughts. To all that is to come I am perfectly indifferent. With regard to myself, I have nothing more to fear. Fate has done its worst. Henceforth, I am callous to misfortune. I address no supplication to the Deity. The power that governs the course of human affairs has chosen his path. The decree that ascertained the condition of my life, admits of no recal. No doubt it squares with the maxims of eternal equity. That is neither to be questioned nor denied by me. It suffices that the past is exempt from mutation. The storm that tore up our happiness, and changed into dreariness and desert the blooming scene of our existence, is lulled into grim repose; but not until the victim was transfixed and mangled; till every obstacle was dissipated by its rage; till every remnant of good was wrested from our grasp and exterminated.

Wieland, or, The Transformation, An American Tale is a remarkable book for a number of reasons. American literature scarcely existed in the late 18th century when Charles Brockden Brown made the bold decision to pursue a literary career. Wieland, published in 1798, is a gothic novel, but it's more than that. It's a complete reinvention of the gothic novel, with the accepted trappings of moldering castles and doomed aristocratic heroes being discarded entirely. It's the beginning of American gothic, and it' an astonishingly accomplished beginning. Brown focuses on psychology, and the novel is also a very early example of the psychological thriller. Wieland lives on what seems to be a fairly isolated estate on the Schuylkill River, with his wife and children and his sister Clara (who narrates the tale). His grandfather had succumbed to religious mania and had established what was to all intents and purposes a one-man cult, and had died in mysterious circumstances. Wieland has inherited his religious disposition and his tendency towards melancholy and a gloomy sense of duty. The little colony is complete by his young ward, and by a much more frivolous young man named Pleyel, a young man who seems to be forming a romantic attachment to Clara. All is well until the arrival of an enigmatic stranger named Carwin, which coincides with a series of odd events involving unexplained voices. These events are slightly unsettling but are soon overtaken by far more sensational and grisly occurrences. Wieland abounds in gothic atmosphere. The religious fanaticism and the cultism give the book a disturbingly modern flavor, and the horrors are far more plausible than those in contemporary English gothic novels such as those of Ann Radcliffe. Brown adopts a similar approach to Radcliffe towards the supernatural, but with a higher degree of ambiguity. Like all good early gothic novels it relies on sensationalistic and sometimes far-fetched plot devices, but that's part of the charm of early gothic. Wieland remains a disturbing and genuinely horrifying tale. Essential reading for anyone with any interest at all in the gothic. Scroll Up and Grab Your Copy Timeless Classics for Your BookshelfClassic Books for Your Inspiration and Entertainment Visit Us at: goo.gl/0oisZU