“The father of the American novel,” at least that is how people refer to Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810). The fictional world of Brown is filled with dreamlike haunted scenes, which I find interesting to follow through; always captivated to know what follows next. Brown set an exceptional record of gothic romances in a tradition that was adapted and dominated by two of the best American Authors ever to exist, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe. In his three novels, the Weiland, Edgar Huntly, and Ormond, Brown’s choice of the genre was the best that could be used to pass the intended message to the society appropriately. Although some people may find it hard to be wooed by his scary choice of the genre, all the religious obsession, murder, and madness as well as suicide has all become part of the American literature.
Of all his writings, I consider the Weiland or rather The Transformation to be his masterpiece. I love novels that give me chills as they can captivate my attention, and the relentless dark exploration of deception, guilt, and compulsion in this novel serve the purpose. I find the words of Clara in Weiland somehow intriguing as she describes the …show more content…
He tries to outline the American identity in the ongoing revolution (Smith 14). Similarly, Brown attempts to explain the position of women, same case depicted in his other works of Alcuin (1798) and Walstein’s School of History (1799). In fact, in both Ormond and Weiland, Brown is interested in the human society as Prominski(1) puts it. However, in his last novel Arthur Mervyn, I cannot fail to wonder why he had to draw away from his usual supernatural and psychologically disturbing ways of writing to sentimental form. Either way, my best guess for the shift would be to the fact that he narrates his life experiences that are deeply rooted in his heart and are of much importance to
Of all his writings, I consider the Weiland or rather The Transformation to be his masterpiece. I love novels that give me chills as they can captivate my attention, and the relentless dark exploration of deception, guilt, and compulsion in this novel serve the purpose. I find the words of Clara in Weiland somehow intriguing as she describes the …show more content…
He tries to outline the American identity in the ongoing revolution (Smith 14). Similarly, Brown attempts to explain the position of women, same case depicted in his other works of Alcuin (1798) and Walstein’s School of History (1799). In fact, in both Ormond and Weiland, Brown is interested in the human society as Prominski(1) puts it. However, in his last novel Arthur Mervyn, I cannot fail to wonder why he had to draw away from his usual supernatural and psychologically disturbing ways of writing to sentimental form. Either way, my best guess for the shift would be to the fact that he narrates his life experiences that are deeply rooted in his heart and are of much importance to