Melmoth the Wanderer is a gothic novel published in 1820, written by Charles Robert Maturin (uncle of Jane Wilde who was mother of Oscar Wilde). Gothic fiction (sometimes referred to as Gothic horror) is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Year 1820 ( MDCCCXX) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Charles Robert Maturin, also known as CR Maturin ( September 25, 1782 in Dublin – October 30, 1824 in Dublin was an Jane Francesca Agnes Lady Wilde ( 27 December 1821 &ndash 3 February 1896) (born Jane Francesca Elgee in Dublin) Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of
The central character, John Melmoth (a Wandering Jew type), is a scholar who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for 150 extra years of life and spends that time searching for someone who will take over the pact for him. Wandering Jew is a figure from medieval Christian folklore whose legend began to spread in Europe in the thirteenth century and became a fixture of Christian mythology The novel actually takes place in the present, but this back story is revealed through several nested stories-within-a-story that work backwards through time (usually through the Gothic trope of old books).
The novel was cited by Karl Edward Wagner as one of the thirteen best supernatural horror novels[1], and by H. P. Lovecraft as "an enormous stride in the evolution of the horror-tale". Karl Edward Wagner ( 4 December 1945 &ndash 13 October 1994) was an American writer editor and publisher of horror, Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy [2]. The novel, which is usually considered to be the last great work of "high Gothic" fiction, goes beyond being just an entertaining horror plot. It offers some insightful social commentary on early nineteenth century England and, throughout the novel, it bitterly attacks Roman Catholicism while expounding the virtues of Protestantism's comparative unassuming simplicity.
Oscar Wilde, during his travels after release from prison, called himself Sebastian Melmoth, deriving this pseudonym from the title character in his great-uncle's novel and from Saint Sebastian. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900 was an Irish Playwright, Novelist, poet and Author of Saint Sebastian (traditionally died January 20, 287 was a Christian Saint and Martyr, who is said to have been killed while the Roman emperor
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Pop culture references
The independent comic book Cerebus the Aardvark has a lengthy story arc entitled "Melmoth," which deals with the last days of a character named Oscar. The term "alternative comics" is one of several labels applied to a range of Comics that have appeared since about 1980 in the wake of the Underground comix Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus ( IPA: ˈsɛrəbʌs is an award-winning independent comic book, written and illustrated by Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus ( IPA: ˈsɛrəbʌs is an award-winning independent comic book, written and illustrated by
The story was one of the many inspirations for the Anne Rice novel Memnoch the Devil. Memnoch the Devil (1995 is the fifth novel in Anne Rice 's Vampire Chronicles series following The Tale of the Body Thief
Humbert's car in Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita was named Melmoth, presumably because he uses it to wander from place to place with Lolita, who is an admixture of blessing and curse. Lolita (1955 is a Novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris, later translated by the author
Melmoth is the deposed king of the Sheeda in Grant Morrison's 2005 comics crossover, Seven Soldiers. The Sheeda are a fictional race published by DC Comics. They first appear in Seven Soldiers #0 (April 2005 and were created by Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born January 31 1960 is a Scottish Comic book writer and artist The Seven Soldiers of Victory (also known as Law's Legionnaires) is a fictional team of Comic book Superheroes in the DC Comics universe
In the Metabaron spin-off to the Incal comic. The Metabaron known as Steelhead encounters and enter a symbiotic relationship with an ancient poet known as Melmoth. This Melmoth had also lived unnaturally long due to artificial means. His pact with Steelhead can be compared to making a pact with the devil.
In Leonie Swann's 2007 (American publication) mystery "Three Bags Full", one of the sheep/detectives, a mysterious, wandering one with supernatural powers, is called Melmoth. Leonie Swann (b 1975 Dachau near Munich, Germany) is the Nom de plume of a German crime writer Three Bags Full A Sheep Detective Story (original German title Glennkill Ein Schafskrimi) is a work of Detective fiction which features a
See also
- Melmoth Reconciled, by Balzac
References
- ^ N. G. Christakos, "Three By Thirteen: The Karl Edward Wagner Lists" in Black Prometheus: A Critical Study of Karl Edward Wagner, ed. Benjamin Szumskyj, Gothic Press 2007. Gary William Crawford (born 1953 is an American Writer and Small press Publisher.
- ^ Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature, Dover Publications 1973. "Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a non-fiction survey of the field of Horror fiction by the famed horror writer H Dover Publications is an American book Publisher founded in 1941 by Hayward Cirker and his wife Blanche
External links
- Melmoth the Wanderer, excerpts online.
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