Charles Brockden Brown Summary

Charles Brockden Brown - (1771 - 1810) American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. Brown is remembered as the author of the first Gothic novel produced by an American. Wieland; or, The Transf... Read more

Biography EssayFrom the years immediately after America gained its independence from England until long after, America's literati called for a literature that would reflect well on the artistic capaci... Read more

From the years immediately after America gained its independence from England until long after, America's literati called for a literature that would reflect well on the artistic capacities of the new... Read more

Often referred to as America's first important novelist, Charles Brockden Brown might also be considered the father of American literature and criticism. Although he had no one integrated theory, Brow... Read more

In the following essay, Garnett reviews some of Brown's literary fragments, observing that these works reflect the same theme as his novels, that is, the effects of abnormal events on the devel... Read more

In the following essay, Kimball examines Brown's use of the term "savage, " arguing that Brown uses the term ironically, not as a reflection of "New World experiences... Read more

In the following essay, Witherington analyzes Brown's abandonment of fiction as a result of his failure to reconcile the two strains of his thought: the principles of objectivity and reason ass... Read more

In the following essay, Bell addresses the "dialectic between innocence and experience " in Brown 's novels, maintaining that in novels such as Wieland, Brown explores the conflic... Read more

In the following essay, Young asserts that although Brown 's novels cannot properly be characterized as Gothic, Brown did write "the romance of mystery and terror." Young further ... Read more

In the essay that follows, Fleischmann explores Brown's "systematic treatment" of women, their rights, and their roles in his novels. Fleischmann argues strongly in favor of the v... Read more

In the following essay, Bennett contends that Brown 's novels reflect his effort to reconcile reason and imagination and concludes that Brown 's rejection of fiction was based on the tri... Read more

In the following essay, Loshe studies the Gothic elements of Brown 's novels, stressing the influence of William Godwin on Brown 's writing. Loshe maintains that, like Godwin, Brown inco... Read more

In the following essay, Marchand uses a variety of sources—including the prefaces to Brown 's novels, literary allusions in his novels, his reviews and contributions to periodicals, and ... Read more

In the following essay, Wiley appraises the plots, characters, and style of Brown's novels, contending that his plots are "original, exceptional, and forceful," although they lack... Read more

In the following essay, Hirsch maintains that Brown utilized a combination of genres—the sentimental novel of seduction and the gothic romance—in order to advance his French-influenced p... Read more