Charles Brockden Brown`s Wieland; Or, the Transformation

Charles Brockden Brown`s Wieland Or , the Transformation

Charles Brockdeon Brown is considered to be America 's first truly professional author when he published in 1798 , the book "Wieland , or The Transformation " in epistolary format . Abandoning a career in law , Brown became a writer and wrote almost six novels , three of which are Gothic novels . It is widely felt that this book is based on a real life story of a New York religious fanatic who murdered his wife and children on the pretext of religion . This is a thrilling book with a lot

of suspense and mystery with elements of Gothic romance

In this book , along with gothic elements , Brown uses darker themes of American literature such as murder , insanity , suspicion , betrayal and religious fanaticism interlaced with fantastical elements such as hearing mysterious voices , death of his father with a burning cloud above him , and ventriloquism . The novel is best recognized for the use of Gothic devices in an Americanized manner . Moreover , there are many sensational elements such as spontaneous combustion , ventriloquism , and religious fanaticism and the fact that these elements have been present in a book written in the 18th century makes it all the more fascinating The book is intense in its style , elaborate in its form and sensitive in the portrayal of emotions

The story is set on the banks of the "Schuylkill " at only a little distance from Philadelphia . The story revolves around the main protagonist Theodore Wieland who lives with his wife Catherine , his sister Clara and his brother in law Henry Pleyel . Wieland 's father after accidentally coming across a religious book of the Camissard sect converts to the religion and becomes a missionary among the native Indians . He gets married , and settles down comfortably . His religiosity makes him build a curious chapel , on a height above the river where he worships at noon and at night . Later he faces a horrorful death at this chapel and his wife who witnesses the horrific event also dies . They leave behind the two orphans - Wieland and Clara

Wieland marries Catherine and has four children . They are joined soon by Catherine 's brother Henry Pleyel , who develops a romance with Clara Wieland begins to hear voices at a chapel his father had built . The voices seem to test his rationality and spiritual beliefs . Carwin arrives on the scene . He is an Irish immigrant , a ventriloquist and an associate of Henry . The entire family now begins to hear voices . The voices lead to a lot of confusion with the family . Henry and Clara love each other but Henry thinks he hears Carwin and Clara speaking to one another romantically . Henry therefore breaks off with Clara who does not even like Carwin . Henry discovers to his consternation Carwin hiding in Clara 's bedroom closet . In reality , Carwin had been practicing his ventriloquism in the closet . When Wieland thinks he heard things `that Catherine wouldn 't dare say to him ' and hears divine ' voices urging him to kill his wife...