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LITR 4328 American
Renaissance Research Posts 2015 (research post assignment) Research Post 1 |
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Rachel Morris
Father of the American Gothic: Charles Brockden Brown
I had my first encounter with Gothic Literature in a British Literature
class last year. The text we studied was The Castle of Otranto by
Walpole. Credited as being the first Gothic Novel, The Castle of Otranto
sets the standard for the genre. However, The Castle of Otranto is a
British novel. The differences between The Castle of Otranto and the
American Gothic literature we have read thus far intrigued me enough to look
into the origins, and, if possible, inquire after the transition of the Gothic
to America. In my research I decided to begin with finding out what the first
American Gothic novel was, in order to see if there were any changes present to
differentiate it from the British Gothic. What I found instead was the
interesting research articles done on the author of the first American gothic
novel, on his life and influence.
The first American Gothic Novel is considered to be Wieland by
Charles Brockden Brown, America’s first Gothic writer, and the first American to
attempt a career as a novelist (White). Brown
is credited with adapting the Gothic style to American culture and settings
(White). Brown’s work possessed a psychological tension that influenced future
authors, such as Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe (White). One critic argues
that Charles Brockden Brown and Percy Bysshe Shelley had an intellectual and
even spiritual connection (Sickels 1116). She states that the influence of
Brockden Brown not only effected his writing, but also his personal life.
Shelley, having read Wieland, was so influenced by it he sought to
purchase or build a summer house that matched the description of the one in the
book (Sickels 1116). In two of his critical articles, Poe speaks highly of
Charles Brockden Brown and his skill in writing fiction (Carter 190). Some
elements in Poe’s writing are even directly parallel to those found in Brockden
Brown’s work, such as the pit incident in “Edgar Huntly” (Carter 191).
In this course I have learned about the religious connection to Romantic
texts and how religion influences Romanticism and vice versa. What I learned in
my research is that Charles Brockden Brown and his work were most certainly
influenced by religion, specifically Quakerism. Robert Proud, one of Brockden
Brown’s Quaker teachers, had a great influence on his religious views. Proud was
a Quaker, and published a History of Pennsylvania which had influences on
Brockden Brown’s work as well, specifically the somber and religious tones in
Wieland (Clark 239).
While I had never studied him, or even heard his name before, I have
learned about the influential work and person of Charles Brockden Brown. He
influenced many Romantic authors, both American and British, such as Percy
Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley, and Edgar Allan Poe. He set the standard for
American gothic novels, and his first novel typifies the connection between
Romanticism and religion. Having done this research, I feel like I have a
stronger foundation for my understanding of the American gothic genre.
Works
Cited
Carter, Boyd. "Poe's Debt to Charles Brockden Brown." Prairie Schooner 27.2
(1953): 190-96.JSTOR. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Clark, Michael. "Charles Brockden Brown's "Wieland" and Robert Proud's "History
of Pennsylvania"" Studies in the Novel 20.3 (1988): 239-48. JSTOR.
Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Sickels, Eleanor. "Shelley and Charles Brockden Brown." PMLA 45.4 (1930):
1116-128. JSTOR. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
White, Craig. LITR 4231 Early American
Literature
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/xauthors/BrownCB.htm
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/texts/AmClassics/Quakers/QkrNdx.htm
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