Wieland, or The Transformation: A Quick Read edition

Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 8 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 22 minutes

"Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale" is the first major work by Charles Brockden Brown, published in 1798. It is considered the first American Gothic novel and has elements of horror, psychological fiction, and epistolary fiction. The story revolves around Clara Wieland, the narrator, and her brother Theodore, who hears voices telling him to kill his family. The arrival of a mysterious stranger named Carwin adds to the supernatural experiences in the story. Clara is secretly in love with Henry Pleyel, but her chance to confess is ruined when Carwin plans to rape her. Accused of an affair, Clara's life takes a tragic turn when she finds her friend Catharine dead and her brother Theodore responsible for the murders. Carwin, a ventriloquist, reveals that he caused the voices but did not instruct Theodore to kill. In the end, Theodore kills himself, and Clara finds solace in writing about the events. The novel explores themes of religious fanaticism, sensationalist psychology, ventriloquism, and the limits of knowledge. Despite criticism, "Wieland" is considered one of the first significant American novels and has influenced writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley.