Origins and Characteristics
The third landscape of early American popular novels is Gothic fiction. The word "Gothic" has many meanings in English. It is both a literary word and a historical term, and can also be used as a technical term in architecture and art. As a literary word, it also has multiple meanings. It refers to both a literary phenomenon and a type of literary work, and it can also represent a literary creation method; and in different historical periods and stages, the connotations of these literary phenomena, literary works, and literary creation methods are also different. . Following common practice, it is used here to refer to a type of popular novel. This type of novel flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, but their authors, except for a few, have been ignored by literary critics and literary historians. Its characteristic feature is that the stories often take place in distant times and remote places, with characters imprisoned in narrow spaces and ghost-infested buildings, and suspense and love intertwined. The usual suspense techniques include mysterious inheritance, secret life experience, lost will, family secrets, ancestral curses, etc. In the end, the suspense is solved, the gangster is exposed, and the love obstacles between the hero and heroine are removed. However, this kind of love is different from the love in romance novels. The difference between the two is: Gothic novels usually describe mysterious adventure stories, and the love obstacles often come from gangsters; romance novels describe ordinary family affairs, and the love obstacles often come from the heroes and heroines themselves.
Gothic novels originated in England in the late 18th century, and the founder was Horace Walpole. His "The Castle of Otranto" established the pattern of early classical Gothic novels. The emergence of Gothic novels is not only related to the "Gothic" complex of the British cemetery poets at that time, but also to the "Gothic" aesthetic standards of Edmund Burke (1729-1797) . In addition, it borrows from the "lady-villain" opposition pattern of Richardson's "Clarissa." Soon after this novel came out, it attracted the attention of Clara Reeve (1729-1807), Sophia Lee (1750-1824), William Beckford (1760-1844) and many other people. Following suit, it became the most popular genre and quickly expanded from the United Kingdom to throughout Europe and the United States. By the 1790s, Gothic novels gradually evolved into two branches. One branch is horror Gothic novels, which are characterized by adhering to traditional methods and incorporating morbid evil on this basis to increase the mysterious and terrifying effect, such as Matthew Lewis (1775-1818) The Monk (1795). Another branch is the sentimental Gothic novel, which is characterized by retaining the castle scene, but abandoning the excessive mysterious elements and extreme horror atmosphere, so that the story can draw a logical explanation, such as Mary Radcliffe , 1764-1823)’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794). Both branches have an impact on the United States. Among American horror Gothic novelists, the representative figure is Charles Brown (1771-1810). His series of horror Gothic novels such as "Wieland" (1798) use gloomy tones and mysterious atmosphere to vividly describe the fear of the protagonist, which has a great influence on later generations of serious novelists. Among the sentimental Gothic novelists, representative figures include Sally Wood (1759-1855) and Isaac Mitchell (1759-1812). The former created a series of well-known Gothic novels such as "Julia" (Julia, 1800), which was set in France and Spain in the 18th century. The latter is famous for his Gothic novel The Asylum (1804).
Charles Brown
On January 17, 1771, Charles Brown was born in an old Quaker family in Philadelphia. He is the youngest son in the family and has been frail and sick since childhood. However, he showed greater talent in reading and writing. As a child, he attended Friends' Grammar School in Philadelphia, where he read classical works and wrote for Columbia Magazine at the age of ten. At the age of sixteen, he studied law with Alexander Wilcox. However, his interest remained in writing. In 1793, he decided to give up law and study literature instead. In the same year, he arrived in New York and participated in the Friendly Society (the Friendly Society) led by the famous British writer William Godwin (1756-1836). William Godwin had a great influence on Brown, especially his Gothic novel "Caleb Williams" (1794), which made Brown determined to write Gothic novels. Once back in Philadelphia, Brown began writing.
In 1798, he published his first book, "Alcuin, A Dialogue on the Rights of Women", speaking out for changing the unequal status of women. In the same year, his first Gothic novel "Wyland" was also published. After this, he returned to New York and served as editor of Monthly Magazine and American Review. In just three years, he published five novels in a row. They are: Ormond; Or, The Secret Witness (1799), Edgar Huntly (1799), Arthur Mervyn (1799) Mervyn, 1800), Jane Talbot (1801), and Clara Howard (1801). Brown later returned to Philadelphia to edit the Literary Magazine, the American Register, and the American Register Or General Repository. During this period, he wrote many articles and published a series of political pamphlets. In 1804, he married Elizabeth Linn of New York. The long and hard writing destroyed his already weak body. He died of tuberculosis in Philadelphia on February 22, 1810, at the age of thirty-nine.
Charles Brown's reputation lies mainly in a series of Gothic novels such as "Wyland". "Weyland" tells the story of a farmer named Weyland in New York who suddenly saw a bright light flashing in the sky. Two angels urged him to "destroy his idols." So he became crazy and killed all the horses first, then his children and his wife. Then, he went to visit his sister and wanted to kill her too. As a result he was caught and imprisoned as a lunatic. Charles Brown successfully combines traditional horror Gothic novel techniques with American scenes and brilliantly portrays Weyland's complex horror psychology. When Weilan was young, his father died unexpectedly because he failed to follow the instructions of the underworld gods. Although Willan later lived peacefully with his wife, children, and sister Clara for many years, the incident left a deep shadow in his heart. Especially in the "temple" built by his father, on the terrace, and in Clara's bedroom, there was often a mysterious sound. On the one hand, he fearfully speculated on the misfortune caused by this sound, and on the other hand, he recalled the tragic death of his father that year. In a trance, he heard a voice: "Your prayer has been heard. To prove your loyalty, dedicate your wife to me." So, he killed his wife and children, and then went to kill his sister Clara.
The theme of "Arthur Mervyn" is different from that of "Wyland". It shows a kind of natural evil, that is, the ravages of yellow fever on mankind; this novel began to be serialized in the "Monthly Magazine" in June 1798, but it was only serialized for two issues and was renamed "Monthly Magazine". ended with the suspension of publication. The following year, Brown compiled and published part of it. In the third year, the remaining parts were compiled and published. Since Brown himself suffered from yellow fever, the description of this plague in the book is very realistic. In addition, the plot of the novel is also extremely complex. The story has two protagonists. One was Dr. Stevens, and the other was a nineteen-year-old boy named Arthur Mervyn. It was on his doorstep that Dr. Stevens discovered Arthur Mervyn infected with yellow fever. Next, Arthur Mervyn recounts his own surprising experience. Most of these experiences have to do with Welbeck. This man betrayed, robbed, and killed all his friends. Arthur Mervyn is an intelligent person. He relied on wisdom, not force. When he rescued the fifteen-year-old girl Eliza, he cleverly defeated her cruel uncle.
"Ormond," completed after "Arthur Mervyn," is also set against the backdrop of yellow fever. However, yellow fever no longer serves as a plot link, but as a means to highlight the protagonist's strong character. The protagonist Constantil has both the personality of an ordinary woman and the qualities of an ideal woman. She faced disaster with a positive attitude. Even when facing Ormond who abandoned her lover, she remained very calm. Later, she gradually became interested in Ormond, not so much to possess him, but to defend her own honor. Ormond's personality appears surly in comparison. Presumably Brown wanted to portray him as a fierce, extremely selfish man, but failed to do so.
"Edgar Huntley" has returned to its original theme, which is to show people's distorted psychology. At the beginning, Brown used the perspective of the protagonist Edgar Huntley to exaggerate the terrifying scene of Crisillo's sleepwalking. At the same time, he expressed his deep sympathy for Crisillo in an affirmative tone, thus arousing great suspense in the readers' hearts. Next, Charles Brown confessed Crisillo's guilt, and Edgar Huntley suspected Crisillo of killing his fiancée's brother. Edgar Huntley's investigation of Crisillo reached a dead end. He has lost his memory of recent events.
Needless to say, Edgar Huntley himself was a sleepwalker.
In short, Charles Brown's "Wayland" and other horror Gothic novels are the best works of early American popular fiction. They reflect Brown's Quaker family background and embody William Godwin's social reform ideas. In particular, the book's original and complex psychological descriptions of terror influenced some famous novelists in later generations, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry James (1843-1916), etc. . Although horror Gothic novels such as "Weyland" have achieved widespread artistic success, they have not been widely welcomed by American readers. What is really favored by American readers is another type of Gothic novels, namely sentimental Gothic novels. Representative writers in this area are Sally Wood and Isaac Mitchell.
Other writers and works Sally Wood, formerly known as Sally Barrell, was born in 1759 in York County, Maine, into a family of naval officers. She grew up living with her grandfather, a judge, and received his good influence. At the age of nineteen, she married Richard Keating. But just five years after their marriage, Richard Keating died, leaving her with two daughters and a newborn son. She worked hard to raise her children, and a few years later she remarried to Abele Wood, a general from Wiscasset, Maine. From 1800 onwards, she wrote five Gothic novels in succession, initially signed as "A Lady from Massachusetts" and later signed as "A Lady from Maine". The most important of these five novels is his debut novel, Julia and the Illuminated Baron (1800). The book is set in France in the 18th century, and the heroine is the beautiful and kind-hearted girl Julia. After all kinds of hardships, she and her lover finally revealed the mystery of their life experience and got married. The novel uses many elements of traditional Gothic novels, such as dangerous plateaus, tombs, kidnapping, attempted rape, etc. The remaining four novels are Dorval, or the Spectator (1801), Amelia, or the Influence of Virtue (1802), Ferdinand and Elmira: A Russian Story (1804), Tales of the Night (1827). Their scenes are all set in Europe, and they all have mysterious and terrifying plots.
Isaac Mitchell was born in Albany County, New York, in 1759. He was the editor of local newspaper The Political Barometer. In 1804, it was in this newspaper that he published his own Gothic novel "The Asylum; or, Alonzo and Melissa" in serial form. However, it was not until 1811 that the novel was published in a single volume by Joseph Nelson, a bookseller in Poughkeepsie, New York. In the same year, a plagiarized book with a similar title, Alonzo and Melissa; or, the Unfeeling Father, signed by Daniel Jackson, was also published. Ironically, it was Daniel Jackson's version that was favored by readers and reprinted repeatedly for more than a hundred years. Later, people finally found out the authenticity. The basis for this is that the pirated version does not contain an informative preface like the original. "Shelter; or, Alonso and Melissa" mainly tells the story of a traditional "rescuing a beauty in an old castle". The novel is set in colonial Connecticut in North America. The heroine Melissa fell in love with the impoverished revolutionary Alonzo, but was imprisoned by her father in a haunted castle. Later, Alonzo joined Washington's navy and was captured by the British during the Revolutionary War. With Franklin's help, he escaped and returned to his hometown via France. This is Franklin's first and only appearance in American Gothic fiction. The climax of the story occurs at the end. In Charleston, locals rumored that Melissa was dead, and Alonso went to pay homage to her grave. However, Melissa did not die. She managed to escape from the castle and meet the one she loved.
Early Gothic Novels
"Gothic" is used as a literary genre mainly because the themes of this genre explore such extreme emotions and some black topics, and the theme of Gothic novels The background is often Gothic: abandoned crumbling castle, monastery. They focused on Gothic-related architecture, art, poetry (see Cemetery Poets) and even gardening.
Walpole's novels grew out of his fascination with the Middle Ages. The novel is no longer the fake building he originally called it but a real medieval legend. The Castle of Otlando was originally named Romance. The educated class considered romance to be a vulgar literary style, and even considered it unsuitable for children to read because of its superstitious elements. However, Walpole updated the elements and made the medieval legend a vulgar literary style. The saga has taken on a new form.
The basic plot is an essential element found in other gothic novels, a threatening secret, an ancient curse, and countless hauntings: hidden corridors, a heroine who often faints. But it was Ann Radcliffe who really established the standard style of Gothic novels. Radcliffe brought into literature the lingering Gothic villain, a character who later developed into the Byronic hero. Unlike Walpole's novels, her novels were popular bestsellers in the UK. Radcliffe created a craze and was followed by a cloud of imitators; her influence can also be seen in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. A character in the book has read Gothic novels, and the small voices in the middle of the night also bring her infinite fear. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is undoubtedly the pinnacle of Gothic fiction in its classic era.
Later development
In Britain, Gothic novels were in decline by 1840. This was largely due to the oversaturation of dime authors (whose works would later exist as penny horror novels in the form of Penny Horrors) and the over-explicit sex, violence (at least at the time it was thought to be close to The advent of works such as erotic literature has greatly reduced the status of Gothic novels. But Gothic novels had a profound impact on the development of literary styles in the Victorian era. It started a craze for short ghost stories in the Victorian era and gave rise to Poe's death-themed tales. Dickens read Gothic novels as a boy and incorporated their gloomy atmosphere and dramatic tension into his own works, only changing them to his own time. The gloom of Gothic novels had a special appeal to the Victorians who advocated mourning rituals and remembered immortality and immortality, which also made it have a wider influence on literature.
Post-Victorian Era
By 1880, the time had come for the revival of the Gothic novel as a semi-orthodox literary style. Authors of this period include Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Michan and Oscar Wilde. Born from Dracula. Although critics use Gothic to refer to all related genres, Gothic fiction has begun to seriously consider giving way to modern horror fiction. Some horror writers, like Anne Rice, have inherited Gothic sensibilities, while others, like Stephen King, have not. Gothic has also expanded its field to movies, music, and even used the new form of the Internet as a carrier.