Published in 1798, Weiland or, The Transformation, An American Tale by Charles Brockden Brown, is considered the first American gothic novel. While fiction, it is thought based on the real-life story of James Yates, who in 1781 killed his wife and four children, then attempted to kill his sister -- all on divine orders -- expressing no remorse for his conduct in court later.
In the book, Theodore Wieland and his sister Clara are the children of a German immigrant who, disillusioned with other protestant denominations, creates his own with the intent of converting Native Americans to it. It fails to catch on, and in a solitary midnight ritual he will be mysteriously injured; and die as a result of “spontaneous combustion.” His wife will die a few months later.
As unusual as that paragraph may sound, in early American history offshoots of mainline protestant religious denominations were being founded all the time. Most failed. Others like the Church of the Later Day Saints (Mormons) founded by John Smyth in New York in 1830, and the Seventh Day Adventists founded by Hiram Edson in Michigan in 1863, grew to have more staying power.
Theodore and Clara, young at the time of their parents’ death, will inherit the estate and be placed with an aunt. While ostensibly protestant, they will not attest to any denomination. Their best childhood friends are neighbors Catherine Pleyel and her brother Henry. In adulthood, Theodore will marry Catherine, and late in the story, Clara will marry Henry. All four will begin to hear voices, setting off a horrible chain of events. A mysterious fifth person will play a major role in these events. And … sorry, I’m not giving any more of a spoiler.
This novel is a page-turner.
Charles Brockden Brown is one of the first American-born major novelists, pre-dating even James Fenimore Cooper. He is credited as a major influence on the later macabre works of Edgar Allan Poe who was born a year after Brown’s death from tuberculosis at the age of 39.
Recommended: Yes, particularly for American Literature majors.
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