I'm going to reverse my usual approach to these things and give my opinion first, because what little joy can be gleaned from reading WIELAND comes from it's surprises and I'll probably give those meager joys away. I read it as part of a general overview I've taken on of the Gothic novel and so, being a 'root of American Gothic' novel, here it was and so I read. Perhaps some read it because of interest in a particular aspect (religious mania, biloquisim as portrayed in popular culture.God knows). Most are probably assigned it for a class. I'll bet a lot of people read it because it's a very early example of the 'American Novel'. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.I read WIELAND: OR THE TRANSFORMATION for different reasons than I think the majority will read it. The text also explores some of the most important issues vital to the survival of democracy in the new American republic.īrown further considers power and manipulation in his unfinished sequel, Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist, which traces Carwin's career as a disciple of the utopist Ludloe.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe.

Underlying the mystery and horror, however, is a profound examination of the human mind's capacity for rational judgement. The plot turns on the charming but diabolical intruder Carwin, who exercises his power over the narrator, Clara Wieland, and her family, destroying the order and authority of the small community in which they live. Based on an actual case of a New York farmer who murdered his family, the novel employs Gothic devices and sensational elements such as spontaneous combustion, ventriloquism, and religious fanaticism. One of the earliest American novels, Wieland (1798) is a thrilling tale of suspense and intrigue set in rural Pennyslvania in the 1760s. Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Health.The European Society of Cardiology Series.Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

Carwin the biloquist