Melmoth the wanderer

[Lobolover]

by far THE most briliant gothic novel,and the last,as seen by many.

MELMOTH THE WANDERER

A giant of a book-901 pages long in the book edition I have had in my hands,but boy is it worth it.Everthying here is real,everything is horrid and there are no "fakes",the story progresses as a colection of interconected short stories,which may take away the tediousnes of the read away from some, seeing as how the story is kept fresh this way.......

I have read this before any other gothic novel and I say everyone should.

 

[j d worthington]

I'm not sure Melmoth would be to everyone's taste, by any means. However, if you're going to have a go at the Gothics, then Melmoth should definitely be one of the three or four (out of literally hundreds) you should tackle. I'd also suggest The Monk (despite serious flaws), as well as The Mysteries of Udolpho (which is a superb novel that I find grows with repeated readings). I'd also suggest a few of the shorter Gothic tales, most especially "Sir Bertrand: A Fragment" (generally attributed to Anna Letitia Barbauld -- on rather strong evidence, though it may have been the work of her brother, John Aikin, or a collaboration by both....)

 

[Lobolover]

Hmm,I didnt see that much in Bertrand .

 

[j d worthington]

Plotwise, there isn't, of course, as it is more an exercise to demonstrate the points made in the essay it accompanied. But atmospherically, it has some very powerful aspects; quite eerie, dreamlike, and unsettling....

By the way... my comments about Melmoth don't necessarily indicate my own feelings about the novel itself, of which I am intensely fond; simply my experience with so many modern readers.

 

[Lobolover]

So its 900 pages long-what else?Its a colection of stories not necessary to read in that order,except for the first few.

 

[j d worthington]

I'm afraid I'd disagree with that. It really isn't a collection of short stories; it's a journey down the years, seeing the destructive path of the Wanderer in all his encounters, and watching his effects on those he meets, as well as seeing his own desperation grow as the hour for paying for his bargain draws near. If one reads the novel out of sequence, one will miss many of the links, as well as the gradual building of that extremely effective blending of horror and pity concerning the titular character....

In its episodic nature, it is very much modeled not only on many another Gothic (which in turn were modeled on such things as the Arabian Nights as well as examples of the early novel), but of its most famous thematic predecessor, Goethe's Faust....

 

[Lobolover]

Yes,what I MEANT was you CAN read the stories separately.

 

[Fried Egg]

I was looking at this in the bookshop today and wondering whether it would be a good read. I take it by the comments here that it is well worth it?

 

[GOLLUM]

I was looking at this in the bookshop today and wondering whether it would be a good read. I take it by the comments here that it is well worth it?

Yes I feel so as per my posted reply to your query on H.G. Wells.

We should probably add Beckford's Varthek to this discussion, another classic of the Gothics.

Good night and happy reading...

 

[j d worthington]

Yes, I'd say Melmoth is very much worth it; though one has to adjust to some degree to the oddities of the Gothic novel. It also drags a bit in spots, but when it is good (which is a considerable amount of the time) it is good.

 

[Lobolover]

To actualy make clear what I meant one year ago : I meant that it's not such a tax to one's atention span when new forms and naratives arive, keeping the story fresh even after some five hundred pages .

 

[Ursa major]

We should probably add Beckford's Varthek to this discussion, another classic of the Gothics.

And Vathek is a lot less than 900 pages long....


(In fact, it occupies just over 100 pages in my Penguin English Library book, Three Gothic Novels, the other two novels being The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein.)

 

[j d worthington]

And Vathek is a lot less than 900 pages long....


(In fact, it occupies just over 100 pages in my Penguin English Library book, Three Gothic Novels, the other two novels being The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein.)

However, I would suggest getting hold of the Episodes from Vathek, as well -- three tales (or two tales and an unfinished piece) which were intended to be inserted toward the end of the novel, but which Beckford never got around to finishing before the original publication of Vathek... which was rather convoluted to begin with!

The Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series edition inserts them in their proper place, and I will admit that it gives the novel much more of the feel of the Arabian Nights which inspired it, but it also breaks up the flow of narrative of the novel proper. However, these pieces really do add to it when read in conjunction with the book as a whole, and I believe they, also, are available separately in a Penguin edition....

 

[Ursa major]

Thanks for that information, JD.

I was, until now, unaware that any more Vathek-related material existed.

 

[j d worthington]

Thanks for that information, JD.

De nada. And, if you look them up, I hope you enjoy.... (Oh, by the way, Clark Ashton Smith wrote a completion of the unfinished piece, "The Story of the Princess Zulkaïs and the Prince Kalilah", under the title of "The Third Episode of Vathek", which can be found below.)

The Third Episode of Vathek by Clark Ashton Smith

 

[GOLLUM]

The Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series edition (Varthek) inserts them in their proper place, and I will admit that it gives the novel much more of the feel of the Arabian Nights which inspired it, but it also breaks up the flow of narrative of the novel proper. However, these pieces really do add to it when read in conjunction with the book as a whole, and I believe they, also, are available separately in a Penguin edition....

Yes, I recall that was the one edited by Lin Carter.

I've got the Penguin black classic edn and have no idea if I'm missing those parts?

 

[j d worthington]

So far as I know, the Ballantine edition was the only one ever to attempt to insert them in their proper place within the narrative....

 

[GOLLUM]

And Vathek is a lot less than 900 pages long....


(In fact, it occupies just over 100 pages in my Penguin English Library book, Three Gothic Novels, the other two novels being The Castle of Otranto and Frankenstein.)

Hey C'mon get with the times...you've been short changed!....

I have an Oxford Edn. entitled Four Gothic Novels containing Varthek, Frankenstein, The Monk and Castle Of Otranto.

Cheers....

 

[GOLLUM]

So far as I know, the Ballantine edition was the only one ever to attempt to insert them in their proper place within the narrative....

I may have to track down a copy then. Thanks, was never aware of that.

 

[Ursa major]

Hey C'mon get with the times...you've been short changed!....

I have an Oxford Edn. entitled Four Gothic Novels containing Varthek, Frankenstein, The Monk and Castle Of Otranto.

Cheers....

It only cost £1.25 new; and - according to the label - A$3.50 (recommended).

Come to think of it, that was probably a lot of money at the time.




* Scowls. *