Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin, Victor Sage (Editor)
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: February 2001
- 704pp
- Sales Rank: 282,789
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: February 2001
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Format: Paperback, 704pp
- Sales Rank: 282,789
- Series: Penguin Classics Series
- ISBN-13: 9780140447613
- ISBN: 014044761X
Synopsis
Written by an eccentric Anglican curate in Dublin, Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) brought the Gothic novel to a new pitch of claustrophobic intensity, surpassing the quiet tremors of Ann Radcliffe's romances in its reckless accumulation of cruelties and blasphemies. Its tormented villain, a Faustian transgressor desperately seeking a victim to release him from his fatal bargain with the devil, was regarded by Balzac as one of the great outcasts of modern literature. Intended partly as an attack on Roman Catholicism, Maturin's intriguing novel teeters giddily over abysses of sacrilege and raving paranoia, in moments of delirious panic worthy of Godwin or Poe.
Annotation
Written by an eccentric Anglican curate, Melmoth the Wanderer brought the terrors of the Gothic novel to a new pitch of claustrophibic intensity.
Customer Reviews
Diabolical geniusby ed28
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March 17, 2009: I give this book 4.5/5 stars. Not a full 5 because I agree with Shakespeare that "brevity is the soul of wit." The book contains an abundance of the latter but a complete absence of the former. It is 600 pages long and its narrative style is tortuous and multi-layered. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it just makes for tedious reading. Tedious, but well worth the effort. Maturin has created a gothic masterpiece which is fulfillingly the final bookend for the genre.
The titular character has exchanged an eternity in heaven for an eternity in hell. His consolation prize is an extension of his mortal life and access to the deepest vaults of human knowledge. Melmoth is portrayed as a dark-eyed fiend who invokes fear in all who behold him.What makes this novel truly horrific, however, is not the actions of Melmoth; its power lies in its exposure of human evil which exists in all of us. Melmoth speaks with ironic, cutting sarcasm which contains enough truth to pack a powerful punch; Melmoth is a man who is not fettered by societal and social inhibitions which afflict most mortals. All of the characters in this novel are well-described and likeable. It is interesting to see their responses to the calamities which suddenly strike them. In summary, this book is a dark gothic masterpiece which is refreshingly original. I highly recommend it, despite the effort required to remove its pearls.Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturinby Anonymous
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August 04, 2000: Maturin's novel relates the story of Melmoth, a scholar who traded his soul to Infernal powers in return for answers to all of his questions about the Universe. He has 100 extra years to live; in that time, if he can find someone to volunteer to take his place in Hell, he is free. Otherwise, at the end of the 100 years, Melmoth will be damned. Melmoth the Wanderer is a Gothic novel in the highest tradition of the Romantic period. It's structure, however, makes it unique. It folds in upon itself, beginning with the present and ending with the future, but somewhere in between moving progressively backwards as the narrator tries to unlock the secrets of Melmoth's life, just as Melmoth tried to unlock the secrets of the Universe. The characters, Melmoth, Emmalee, the many Jews who help Melmoth, are beautifully written and engaging. The novel is worth reading for Maturin's virtuoso touch with structure alone, but also for the wonderful touches and passages, particularly where Melmoth struggles with his conscience and reveals that even fiends have a soul. The novel questions what it means to search for knowledge, to have a family, to be in love, and to accept responsibility for your own fate. Melmoth the Wanderer asks questions about why mercy is so hard to find, why supposedly pious people often cause the most suffering, and what it might take to redeem a minion of Hell. An ambiguous ending caps off the novel and allows you to answer these questions for yourself.
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