Sign-In
Cart
Arthur Mervyn - A Classic Tale of Mystery, Madness, and the American Revolution
Paperback
Mystery & ThrillerClassic Fiction
ISBN13: 9781617205972
Publisher: SMK Books
Published: Jan 24 2012
Pages: 538
Weight: 1.72
Height: 1.20 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
First published in 1799, Arthur Mervyn is one of the earliest American Gothic novels and a foundational work of psychological and epidemic fiction. Set during the devastating yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia, Charles Brockden Brown's novel follows a young country orphan drawn into a labyrinth of deception, moral ambiguity, social collapse, and hidden identities. As disease ravages the city, Arthur moves through scenes of contagion, conspiracy, and ethical uncertainty, confronting both the fragility of civilization and the instability of truth itself.
Blending Gothic suspense with early American realism, Brown crafts a narrative that anticipates later works of psychological fiction. The novel examines themes of reputation, social mobility, financial corruption, and the tenuous line between innocence and manipulation. Its layered structure, unreliable narration, and exploration of epidemic panic make it strikingly modern in tone and conception.
As one of the first major novels written by a native-born American author, Arthur Mervyn stands as a landmark in early American literature and Gothic tradition, offering insight into the anxieties of the young republic while remaining an engrossing work of suspense and moral inquiry.
7 different editions
Also available
Arthur Mervyn - A Classic Tale of Mystery, Madness, and the American Revolution
Brown, Charles Brockden
Hardcover
Also in
Classic Fiction
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
Four Comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, a Midsummer Night's Dream, the Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
The Princess Bride Deluxe Limited Edition: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Paperback
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Paperback
The Lord of the Rings Illustrated by the Author: Illustrated by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien, J. R. R.
Hardcover
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
Goldman, William
Hardcover
The Pilgrim's Progress: A Readable Modern-Day Version of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Revised and easy-to-read)
Vermilye, Alan
Bunyan, John
Paperback
Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Stoker, Bram
Shelley, Mary
Paperback