Lauren Weatherly

A Gothic America: The Early Years

          My personal drive when reading any kind of literature for recreational purposes centers around the Gothic. I greatly enjoy the tales of the wicked and the weird and actively seek out new material to quench my growing habit. Ever since entering college, I learned very quickly that not everything I read for school will fall into this category. Some may not even be in the same ball park, city, or planet, for how much fiction differs throughout the course of history. Even still, after paying close attention to works I do read and waiting patiently for that point in the semester when my favorite syllabus texts will finally come into play, my efforts in sticking with the curriculum and “being a good girl” are amply rewarded when the swirly texts about dark places and even darker people come into view. The aspects I most enjoy in any Literature course I take revolve around the Gothic, and I was very heavily rewarded in this class with Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, Susanna Rowson’s Charlotte Temple, and Charles Brockden Brown’s Edgar Huntly.

          Washington Irving, you masterful mind, you! I absolutely adore Irving’s work with both Rip Van Winkle, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Even though I had read both works before entering this class, and we were only required to read and discuss the former as a class, I find new things every time I explore these amazing short stories. Irving was the first fiction writer in America to gain any credibility and to make the job of writing, an actual job. It is a warm-hearted surprise to me to know that not only did he pave the way in America for fiction, but his subject matter was of dark, twisted tales full of mysterious and supernatural elements. What I already knew about this author and his stories before entering this class was significant, but what I see brought anew to the table upon further examination is just how Romantic the writing style is. Irving is deliciously descriptive with landscapes, literally painting a picture in the minds of the reader. Such a technique did not really exist before the Romantic Era and it definitely paved a way for how fiction has evolved over the decades, even more so for how we regard fiction today. What we are used to reading now wasn’t always so exciting, and it is important to learn and remember the process by which literature evolved throughout history. What I also enjoy the most about such stories is the fact that I have the opportunity to read them again and again, not only for personal enjoyment, but on a critical level. I delight in these stories, yes, but why are they important and taught so frequently in schools at so many levels of education? For reasons such as Romantic ideals, introduction of the Gothic and sublime into America, the writing style… All are reasons I am reminded of every time I read one of Irving’s stories. They will never get old for me, and I am sure I am not alone with this belief. Even though one’s previous knowledge on a particular work is extensive, there is always something new to learn, or a new approach to take to a work. This is the reason I delight in taking courses such as this one, to not only refresh my memory, but learn new elements I can take with me into the future.

          While Susanna Rowson’s novel may not fit wholly into the Gothic genre, it definitely contains some Gothic elements. Looking at the history of the novel, Rowson wrote it in order to “scare” young girls from falling in love with the “bad boys” who try and steal their hearts. Knowing this information, it is only fitting that Rowson included some Gothic elements to set the scene. After all, who is scared by fluffy kittens and rainbows? It is a dark place that causes the mind to wander. Solitude is also extremely frightening as the notion of being alone scares most people to death. This is as true in Rowson’s time as it is now. Examples of such Gothic elements can be seen scattered throughout the text, but some of the most horrifying, heart-wrenching scenes lie towards the end of the novel when Charlotte is undeniably alone and seeking the help of anyone she can reach. Her last desperate attempts leave her wandering in the snow in Chapter 30 to seek out her old “friend,” La Rue:

[30.6] The distance from the house which our suffering heroine occupied, to New York, was not very great, yet the snow fell so fast, and the cold so intense, that, being unable from her situation to walk quick, she found herself almost sinking with cold and fatigue before she reached the town; her garments, which were merely suitable to the summer season, being an undress robe of plain white muslin, were wet through, and a thin black cloak and bonnet, very improper habiliments for such a climate, but poorly defended her from the cold.

Such elements portray our protagonist at her most fallen of states. Alone and wandering on a cold, dark night, desperate for help are elements included within the story to tear the hearts from the reader’s chest and enact sympathy and feeling. We pine for Charlotte and her misfortunes, and the use of Gothic language aids in the delivery of such an effect. Try taking out the describing words of the sad picture that is painted and try to execute the same effect of a lonely wanderer: “Charlotte walked to the city. It was snowing. She was cold. She was tired. She was not properly dressed.” It is next to impossible to complete such a task without such grounding and powerful describing words. Words are key in creative writing; the better the word used, the better effect on the reader. This was my first experience with this novel, but I greatly enjoyed the elements and the general dis-shoveled nature of the order of events. Not every story in life has a happy ending, and I believe that was the idea Rowson was trying to get across to young female readers of her work.

          Edgar Huntly… Just the name itself sounds Gothic. It rolls off the tongue in a familiar, yet unfamiliar and almost disturbing way upon reaching the ears. I do have to say, that while I was not previously knowledgeable about Charles Brockden Brown or this novel in particular before entering this class, I am deeply grateful that this class introduced both the author and the work to me. I chose Brown for my second research post, as my first one dealt with the Gothic in Early America in general, narrowing down on a Gothic writer we would actually read and discuss in class only seemed the right thing to do. And how right it was! While I learned some basic biographical information on Brown and how he progressed as a writer throughout his life during my research journey, some things I did not know about him were his Quaker origins and his disdain for his religion throughout much of his young life. It makes sense, as how a devout Christian, much less a Quaker during that time period, could write such twisted work and get away with it! (That is very much a joke.) I could tell he was very well educated simply by the language used in Edgar Huntly, but I did not know that while he wrote fiction, he was also a journalist and activist for many movements circling America at the time, such as women’s rights and U.S. foreign policy. A writer, activist, political thinker, and literary theorist were all elements of Brown’s life that greatly influenced his fiction.

          As a Gothic writer, Edgar Huntly is definitely in a realm of its own as being among the first Gothic novels in America. The language is purely unique and sublime in nature as Brown describes not only glorious landscapes full of mystery and terror, but the previously unsought realm of the subconscious and what people do when they are asleep, but don’t stay in bed. The text is full to the brim with Gothic elements of dark caverns, villages at night time, and the darkest realm of all, the human mind. An example of Brown’s brilliant language can be found in the second paragraph of chapter 26 as Edgar is describing his nightly routine of having a candle (pre-electric nightlight) lit at all times during his sleep for fear of the surrounding darkness:

Sly cowardice requires the perpetual consolation of light. My heart drops when I mark the decline of the sun, and I never sleep but with a candle burning at my pillow. If by chance, I should awake and find myself immersed in darkness, I know not what act of desperation I might be suddenly impelled to commit.

This is only a small example of what is the entire masterpiece of the language of Edgar Huntly. Just these few sentences enact a fear in the mind of what happens when Edgar goes to sleep and becomes unaware of what his unconscious mind is compelling his physical body to do. Sleepwalking is not a new notion, nor was it really back then as people do/did it all the time. However, this may be one of the first instances in which the psychological aspects of sleepwalkers were put into play. This is a fictitious story, but the possibilities of such a tale are very real. What excited me personally about this novel is that I am currently working on a book myself which involves the darker aspect of a sleepwalker. In my story, a young girl walks in her sleep, but not only does her physical body travel around her house, her subconscious mind compels her to commit arson, destruction, and even attempt murder. I have definitely been taking notes from Brown upon reading his novel and will be putting some of his elements to use in my own work. Overall, the story of Edgar Huntly is one that greatly excited and satisfied a part of my Gothic curiosity, as it is such a wide realm to be considered out of the ordinary, my curiosity is infinite.

          As stated before, I came into the class with an urge to pursue the Gothic, as I try to pursue or see Gothic elements, if I can, in any fiction I read as it is the element I most enjoy. With Irving, I get a taste of the weird and supernatural mixed in with the first breaths of Romanticism. I get a break from the Founding Fathers and the colonization of our country to get into the works I really enjoy reading and the styles I am most familiar with. Irving is the first writer in America to make this possible for me, and I enjoy reading him again and again, as I find new elements to entertain my thoughts and provoke my learning capabilities. Charlotte Temple is a work, that while enjoyable, challenged me to read between the lines and find the Gothic elements. The settings, demeanor, and the end of the protagonist are all elements that surprised me and enhanced my enjoyment of the novel. Brown was the cake-stealer in this class for me as Edgar Huntly challenged both my vocabulary and my sanity while reading this awesome work. I found myself getting caught up in the story of Edgar and Clithero and the twin like nature the two possess as they each progress upon their own personal journey in the novel. Edgar could very well have ended up like Clithero if he let the insanity of his situation get the better of him, and Clithero alone as a character and antagonist is frightening to read. I will definitely be reading more works by Brown in the future, as intense and fast-paced his novel flows, the subject matter is definitely worth it in my opinion. Another work I will read is the sequel to Charlotte Temple about her daughter. All the struggle to save the future generation from the previous’ misfortunes are all for naught as I hear that Lucy Temple has even more questionable circumstances.

          What I enjoy most about any English course is the challenge any material brings. After all, we wouldn’t be Literature Majors if this stuff was easy to get through. We are all here for various reasons and genres that we personally like, but what unifies us is the story. The story is what drives us: the content, the progression, the history, are all elements that excite any Lit. Major, and compel us to pursue a degree in this field. Enjoying literature is for everyone, but to understand it takes a special type of person as the quest is not easy, but the rewards are often great. This is why we take classes such as this one… It’s not about the destination, but the journey that drives and excites us to our core.