The Historical and Political Contexts for Wieland - Coursework Example

Name: Course: Tutor: Date: Historical and political context of Wieland Introduction Charles Brockden Brown’s 1798 novel Wieland, or the Transformation, An American Tale is acclaimed as a pioneer gothic novel in American literature by an author widely considered to be the first professional American author. Brown’s novel is inspired by an actual event. In 1781, New York farmer James Yates brutally and ritualistically murdered his family-his wife and four children (Williams 647). Yates was an intensely religious farmer and he claimed that his actions were out of obedience to religious “voices” which had apparently demanded it as a demonstration of his faith. The plot of Wieland is also built upon such. Brown narrates the story through the account of one of the characters in the novel, Clara Wieland, in which her brother Theodore Wieland attempts to kill his family and siblings following what he perceives to be the “voice of God” (Savoy 171). This paper will analyze the historical and political context of the novel Wieland. It will seek to identify the conflicts and problems faced by the new American Republic or the New World, represented by the era of Enlightenment, as it attempts to untangle and transform itself from the Puritan Old World as illuminated by Brown in his characterization of the Wieland family. This paper will first give a brief summary of the novel. It will then place the novel in its historical context by analyzing and paralleling the historical events captured by Brown in the novel. It will then explore the political context of Wieland and identify the conflicts and problems faced by the new American Republic by analyzing the characterizations of the members of the Wieland family. Plot Summary Brown narrates the story in Wieland through one of the characters, Clara Wieland. In a letter to a friend, Clara gives a retrospective account of the tragedies that befell the Wieland family. She begins from her father’s arrival in England and settlement in Pennsylvania, America and his resolve and endeavor to spread Christianity among the Indians. Her father, a German immigrant who had founded his own religion, is a religious fanatic fearful of divine punishment if he does not spread his religion to the indigenous Indians. Her father is frustrated in his religious efforts and one night as he retreats to his temple, he is struck by a flash of lightning and an explosion and suffers extensive burns which lead to his death in what is later described as a case of spontaneous combustion. Clara’s mother also dies afterwards but her and her brother, Theodore Wieland, are sent to live with their aunt and raised in material comfort and enlightened Christian attitudes imparted through deist liberal education (Brown 25). On reaching adulthood, Clara and Theodore inherit their father’s property and Theodore marries his childhood family friend Catharine Pleyel. They have four children and also adopt teenage orphan Louisa Conway. Catharine’s brother, Henry Pleyel, pays them a visit from Europe and joins Theodore’s social circle. The story takes shape when both Theodore and Pleyel begin hearing strange voices. The voices tell them that Pleyel’s fiancée in Europe is dead which they later confirm. Later, a stranger named Frank Carwin; a previous acquaintance of Pleyel’s in Spain, appears and joins the social circle. His take on the voices is that they are acts of human mimicry but the others are reluctant to believe this proposition. Meanwhile, a secret romance buds between Clara and Pleyel. This is temporarily blighted when one day Clara returns home to find Carwin hiding in her closet. Carwin confesses to having wanted to rape and murder her but did not under the belief that she is under the protection of a supernatural force. A paranoid Clara locks herself in her room fearing for her safety while Pleyel incidentally tries to see her. She locks herself in the room and refuses to let Pleyel in fearing that it was Carwin. In the morning, an angry and berate Pleyel accuses Clara of having an affair with Carwin and leaves without allowing her to defend herself or explain her actions. Clara seeks the counsel of her brother who advises her to find Pleyel and explain herself. She does this but to no avail. On the way back from the Pleyel estate, Clara stops at a family friend’s, Mrs. Baynton’s house, to find a letter from Carwin seeking audience with her. She returns to the Wieland house and cannot seem to locate either Theodore or Catharine. On returning to her house, she hears strange noises and sees strange lights. She also catches a momentary glimpse of Carwin’s face. In her room, she finds an incoherent letter from Carwin on her table and the body of a murdered Catharine on her bed. A deranged Wieland enters the room and threatens her but then takes flight apparently listening to the command of strange voices. As it would later turn out, Wieland has ritually murdered his entire family and Louisa.-of whom “not a lineament” remained. He does this under the belief that he is acting under orders from God. He heeds the command of the voice, “in proof of thy faith, render me thy wife”. As an ailing Clara returns to the family estate once more before moving to Europe, she meets Carwin who confesses that he is a biloquist/ventriloquist and is responsible for most of the strange voices they had been hearing. Wieland emerges, having escaped from prison, with the apparent aim of finishing his mission by killing Clara. Dismissing her accusation of Carwin, he tries to kill her but Carwin, from another room, tells Wieland that he has been insane to believe the voices he has been hearing. Wieland commits suicide with a penknife. An ill Clara refuses to leave the house believing that she is destined to die until one day the house burns down. She agrees to move to Europe with her uncle and eventually marries Pleyel after his fiancée, who apparently had still been alive, dies. She also unravels the mystery behind Louisa Conway’s mother fleeing from Europe and the death of her father Major Stuart. Historical Context of Wieland In the preface to the novel, the “Advertisement”, Brown alludes to the fact that some of the incidents narrated in the book are grounded in history. This is a key step in determining the historical context of Wieland. Brown explains that some of the incidents in the book are seemingly extraordinary and unscientific but that the intelligent reader will not just rely on science alone to explain them but also refer to historical events. Brown is specifically referring to the case of James Yates which was published in 1796 which has remarkable parallels to the story of the Wielands. According to Brown; “The incidents related are extraordinary and rare. Some of them, perhaps, approach as nearly to the nature of miracles as can be done by that which is not truly miraculous. It is hoped that intelligent readers will not disapprove of the manner in which appearances are solved, but that the solution will be found to correspond with the known principles of human nature. The power which the principal person is said to possess can scarcely be denied to be real. It must be acknowledged to be extremely rare; but no fact, equally uncommon, is supported by the same strength of historical evidence” (Brown 4). Wieland is set in the revolutionary America of the 1760s. Published in 1798 Wieland is set in Pennsylvania. In the preface to the book by Brown himself, the “Advertisement”, Brown reveals that the setting of the book is the time period between the conclusion of the French and the commencement of the revolutionary wars; “It may likewise be mentioned, that these events took place between the conclusion of the French and the beginning of the revolutionary war” (Brown 4). According to Mull the historical setting of Wieland is the 1760s interlude between the completion of the French War and the beginning of the Revolutionary War or the period preceding the formation of the US as an independent country (Mull 4). Frank is more precise in his approximation and posits that the actual dates are between the years 1753 to 1776 (Frank 374). Christophersen has also placed Wieland historically on the eve of the American Revolution (Christophersen 116). It has been argued by Manuel that Wieland was an American Jeremiad during a period when literature and especially fiction was used as a vehicle for political claims. Manuel argues that Wieland was an attempt by Brown to identify some of the problems faced by the new American Republic, a forewarning of sorts and an instrument of salvation. This has been cited as the reason Brown sent a copy to the then Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson (Manuel 92). In Wieland, Brown illustrates how the new American Republic carries within it the seeds of its own destruction. Historically, Wieland represents the period that marked the bridging of the Old World and the new World. The Old World is represented by two generations of Wielands, the elder Wieland or Clara’s father, Theodore, Wieland and his father. According to Clara, her grandfather was of noble German ancestry; “My father's ancestry was noble on the paternal side; but his mother was the daughter of a merchant.” (Brown 6) Clara’s father is portrayed as a religious fanatic or a puritan. Despite being of noble German ancestry which at the time implied Catholic faith, Theodore Wieland senior is indoctrinated in Protestantism on discovering a book written by a French Protestant teacher of the Albigenses. In true puritan fashion, he had migrated to Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia to spread his own creed or religion. “He had imbibed an opinion that it was his duty to disseminate the truths of the gospel among the unbelieving nations”(Brown 9). Theodore Wieland senior is depicted as a stout religious fanatic steeped in faith and is representative of the puritan mission in America. This would eventually reflect on the younger Wieland. The New World in Wieland is represented by another generation of Wielands, the elder Wieland’s son Theodore Wieland and his sister (Frank 347). Theodore seems to inherit his father’s religious fundamentalism and belief that he must complete an errand for Deity; the sins of the father are passed on to the son. Although Theodore is well educated in the period of enlightenment, he still harbors the religious fervor and Puritanism of his father. In contrast to the Old World, the New World is also represented by the character of Henry Pleyel. Pleyel is depicted as an intellectual young man, well travelled and rational in thought. Just like Theodore, he is well educated but unlike him he represents the true embodiment of the New World ideology, the era of enlightenment and rational thought. According to Clara’s account, while Pleyel and Theodore argue the latter falls back on his faith while the former adopts a more rational and scientific outlook (Brown 21). Brown uses the characters of Pleyel and Theodore to juxtapose the era of Puritanism and Enlightenment (Mull 5). “Their creeds, nevertheless, were in many respects opposite. Where one discovered only confirmations of his faith, the other could find nothing but reasons for doubt. Moral necessity, and Calvinistic inspiration, were the props on which my brother thought proper to repose. Pleyel was the champion of intellectual liberty, and rejected all guidance but that of his reason” (Brown 21). The narration of the Wieland’s family history has also been paralleled to American colonial history by Christophersen. Clara’s narration of her fathers’ life captures the economic downturn in Europe and advent of religious fanaticism (Christophersen 117). The dwindling economic fortunes in Europe are captured as Clara describes her father’s settlement in Mettingen, Pennsylvania “For a while he relinquished his purpose, and purchasing a farm on Schuylkill, within a few miles of the city, set himself down to the cultivation of it. The cheapness of land, and the service of African slaves, which were then in general use, gave him who was poor in Europe all the advantages of wealth” (Brown 11). The reference to “him who was poor in Europe” is an allegory of the economic hardships that Europe faced in the early 18th century. Subsequently, the elder Wieland embarked on his puritan crusade. Further evidence that Wieland represents American colonial history is provided by the illumination of the fact that the elder Wieland’s sacred temple was gradually converted into a leisurely spot for his less devout descendants and to complete the transition, they were joined appearance of an enlightened and rational Pleyel. This is an allegory for the movement of the new American Republic from divinity under monarchy to democracy. The story of the Wielands thus covers the period of American history marked by the confrontation between two dominant ideologies of the time, Puritanism which had taken root in colonial America and the Enlightenment in post Revolutionary America (Mull 5). Through the story of the Wielands, Brown’s novel captures the historical transition of American society or the transformation from one ideology to another- from Puritanism to enlightenment. By using the story of the Wielands, Brown is able to capture some of the distinct features of the historical transition. Through Clara’s narration, the story of the Wielands is told in generations. The Old World is captured by the elder Wieland’s father, a noble and aristocratic German and his son who deviates from his bloodline, is cut off from the family and ends up becoming a devout protestant and religious fanatic who migrates to America to follow what he believes is a divine calling. The New World is represented by Theodore and Clara, brought up in enlightenment and rationalism as they try to reconcile their faith with reason and science in the face of strange events. Political Context of Wieland As earlier established, Wieland was set at the dawn of the 19th century. America had undergone subsequent political mutations during this period. From gaining independence, America had transformed its political shape from a colony to a revolutionary coalition then to a confederacy and then a Federal Republic. This was a period of political tensions in America marked by disputes between the two dominant Republican and Federalist Ideologies. These disputes took various forms. The Federalist-Republican disputes in the 1790s were primarily concerned with the powers of the central government and those of the state governments. The Federalists were championed by Alexander Hamilton and they advocated for a strong central government while the Republicans or Antifederalists led by Thomas Jefferson advocated for individual states’ rights. The Federalist-Republican disputes took many forms. In his article, “Voice, Identity and Radical Democracy in Wieland”, Eric Wolfe argues that Brown uses ventriloquism through Carwin as a reflection of the political tensions of Republicanism and to a large extent, the Federalist-Republican dissonance. The Federalist Party rallied the country behind one unified voice with unity of purpose and identity and to this effect sponsored four acts; the Naturalization Act, Alien Enemies Act, Alien Friends Act and the Sedition Act (Wolfe 433). According to Wolfe, these Federalist Acts were meant to serve a unifying purpose. The Sedition Act, for example, made any criticism of governmental policy illegal. Thus the overarching Federalist desire was to “purify” the voice of the nation and unite it under one voice. On the other hand, Republicans advocated for the autonomy of states fearing tyranny under a strong central government. In apparent defiance to the Federalists, the Republicans drafted the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions meant to prevent federal troops from enforcing the Acts (Christophersen 121). In Virginia, this included appropriation of arms in readiness to resist federal troops. Ventriloquism, according to Wolfe, separates the voice from the body. Thus Wieland could be reflective of the anxieties over the Republican government. Carwin’s ventriloquism is seen as targeting this demagogical voice separated from the body or the independent state which may easily sway the public using persuasive and seductive speeches whose authority cannot be questioned. The elder and younger Wieland’s actions, inspired by what they believe are divine voices are an example of some of the dangers posed by a Republican form of government. Ventriloquism is used to demonstrate the potential for the new Republic to be misled. The political tension in America was also compounded by another diplomatic incident which occurred at the time- the XYZ affair (Wolfe 432) which is believed to be behind the Alien and Sedition Acts (Christophersen 121). This was considered a diplomatic insult to America and placed the new Republic at a precarious position. Three French agents allied to the French foreign minister publicly referred to as X, Y and Z had demanded that America must loan France $12 million in addition to a personal bribe of $250,000 to French foreign minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand as preconditions to further treaties between America and France. The crisis escalated when it was publicized and resulted in a Quasi-War. Brown also depicts the Federalist-Republican ideological rift through the beliefs held by Wieland and that of the court which sentences him. According to Elizabeth, Wieland and the court are at two opposite ends of the Federalist-Republican philosophical ideologies. In his defense against the murder charges, Wieland insists that his actions were borne out of obedience to God and he is not answerable to anyone else. He states; “My motives have been truly stated. If my judges are unable to discern the purity of my intentions, or to credit the statement of them, which I have just made; if they see not that my deed was enjoined by heaven; that obedience was the test of perfect virtue, and the extinction of selfishness and error, they must pronounce me a murderer”. (Brown 144) This portrays Wieland’s philosophy as Republican according to (Elizabeth 15). According to Wieland, religious freedoms are paramount and seemingly override other liberties. The court, on the other hand, espouses a Federalist ideology. By passing a guilty verdict on Wieland, the court implicitly supports the federalist argument that if Americans are granted too much liberty or freedoms, they may degenerate to committing acts of violent fanaticism such as that of the younger Wieland. Further evidence that Wieland’s philosophy was Republican can also be inferred from his adoration and admiration of Roman historical figure Cicero. After their father’s death, Wieland redecorates his father’s temple and one of his additions is a bust of Cicero (Brown 20). Clara intimates that Wieland admired Cicero; “My brother was an indefatigable student. The authors whom he read were numerous, but the chief object of his veneration was Cicero. He was never tired of conning and rehearsing his productions”. (Brown 20) Cicero was a staunch proponent of traditional Republican government in Julius’ Caesar’s reign in Rome and Wieland seems to be inspired by his works, writings and philosophies. Wieland is thus set against the backdrop of the Federalist-Republican disputes at the dawn of the 19th century. It has been argued that Wieland is an attempt by Brown to warn American society of the dangers posed by Republican government (Manuel 92). Wolfe argues that Brown condemns radical democracy or the Republican abuse of freedom through the novel by showing some of the dangers posed if America allows unrestricted religious freedoms. It is argued by writers such as (Manuel 93) that Wieland was designed as a “cautionary tale” in period when literature was widely used to articulate political claims. The implication for the political context of Wieland is that Brown was posing or exposing some of the dangers inherent in radical democracy under Republican ideology such as unchecked religious fanaticism. By separating the voice of the nation from the body, as Republicans argued for state autonomy, Brown uses ventriloquism as an allegory to critique Republicanism. Conflicts and Problems Illuminated by Brown in Wieland In his characterization of the Wieland family, Charles Brockden Brown illuminates some of the problems and conflicts of the new America. From the analysis of the historical and political contexts of Wieland, these problems can largely be attributed to two categorizations of conflict; ideological conflict and political conflict. Ideological and political conflicts in the new America are demonstrated through the characters or behavior of the Wieland family. To demonstrate ideological conflicts in the new America, Brown has juxtaposed the characters of the Wieland family against each other. Brown first juxtaposes the elder Wieland’s character against that of his father who was of noble German ancestry. While the elder Wieland’s father was a refined gentleman born into fortune and a connoisseur of arts, the elder Wieland renounced his family fortune to lead a commoner’s life and eventually migrated to America under the puritanical protestant banner. In America, the elder Wieland initially settles into a life of luxury before his divine conscience catches up with him and he becomes morose, moody and withdrawn believing he has failed in his divine duty. The elder Wieland’s inner conflict demonstrates the ideological antagonism between Puritanism and Enlightenment. The conflict between Puritanism and Enlightenment is further demonstrated in the younger Wieland’s character when evaluated against his sister Clara’s. Both Clara and Theodore were raised and educated in deist liberal fashion or with enlightened Christian attitudes. However, Theodore seems to inherit his father’s fanatic streak. Clara intimates that his father’s death greatly troubled the younger Wieland and although he was well educated and less fanatical than his father, he still made pertinent references to his faith at the expense of rationality and reason. Brown also uses Henry Pleyel to highlight or illuminate ideological conflict. Pleyel comes out as the ideal rationalist propagating reason and science but Wieland, on the other hand, is more inclined towards his faith. Pleyel and Clara dismiss allusions to the divine when they start hearing voices but the Calvinistic Wieland eventually succumbs to what he believes are divine commands. According to (Frank 353), Brown illuminates the religious disputes between Pietism represented by Wieland and his father and rationalism represented by Clara and Pleyel. Brown also uses the characterization of the younger Wieland to capture the political conflicts in the new America. As earlier mentioned, the historical setting for Wieland is on the eve of the 19th century which was marked by political and ideological antagonism between the Republicans and the Federalists. The Republicans were in favour of state autonomy and the irreproachability of fundamental rights such as freedom of worship. Wieland’s character is portrayed as that of a staunch Republican. His religious enthusiasm, his admiration and reverence for historical Roman Republican Cicero and his defense in court that his actions are borne out of obedience to Deity all reinforce his Republican standing. Wieland’s eventual murder of his family is used by Brown, according to Wolfe and Manuel, to highlight some of the potent dangers of a Republican form of government. Wolfe argues that Wieland is Brown’s criticism of radical democracy which promotes individual freedoms such as religion and overlooks the infringement of other peoples’ rights. The catalyst for Wieland’s actions is the biloquial Carwin. Brown uses Carwin’s ventriloquism, which separates the voice from the body, as representative of the Republican ideology which sought to create strong independent states against the Federalist ideology which sought a common American identity, a unified voice or a strong center. This would explain the Federalist sponsored Alien and Sedition Acts which sought to unify the new America. In Wieland, Brown targets ventriloquism or in essence the Republican ideology by demonstrating it’s potential for destruction as brought out by Wieland’s slaughter of his family. Conclusion Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland, The Transformation, an American Tale is widely acclaimed as the first gothic American novel. Set in the fictional Mettingen near Philadelphia, Wieland is narrated as a first person account of one of the characters in the novel, Clara Wieland. Brown uses Clara to give a historical account of the Wieland family, from their historical roots in Germany to the elder Wieland’s puritan crusade to America and his death in mysterious circumstances. The novel is loosely based on the real-life 1781 story of New York farmer James Yates who ritualistically killed his family-wife and four children- claiming that he was following a divine command. Just as in the Yates case, Theodore Wieland, Clara’s brother, murders his wife and children claiming to heed divine instructions which demanded that he murder his family as proof of his faith. However, as it later turns out, Wieland was being manipulated by Carwin, a man who has recently joined their social circle who has the rare gift or ability of ventriloquism or what Brown refers to as biloquism. Wieland is set in the historical period between the end of the French Wars and the beginning of the Revolutionary Wars. It is told against the backdrop of the new revolutionary American Republic marked by the demise of Puritanism and the advent of the era of Enlightenment. During this period, monarchical rule and divinity were slowly ceding ground to democracy. Politically, the period is marked by Republican-Federalist disputes over the type and nature of government. During this period, America has already undergone significant political changes- from a colony to a revolutionary coalition then to a confederacy and then a Federal Republic. The Federalists were championed by Alexander Hamilton and they advocated for a strong central government while the Republicans or Antifederalists led by Thomas Jefferson advocated for individual states’ rights. Wieland thus captures some of the political and religious tensions of the new America. Using ventriloquism, Brown critiques Republican philosophy and gives an ominous warning to some of the dangers to be expected should Americans embrace radical democracy such as religious fanaticism. According to (Manuel 93), Wieland is an example of literature as a tool of salvation in revolutionary America. Works Cited Brown, Charles. Wieland: the transformation, an American. Kent: Kent State University Press. 1977, p 25-440. Christophersen, Bill. Picking up the Knife: A Psycho-Historical Reading of Wieland. American Studies 24 (1986): 115–26. Elizabeth, McAndrew. The Gothic Tradition in Fiction. New York: Columbia University Press. 1979, p15. Frank, John. The Wieland Family in Charles Brockden Brown's "Wieland". Vol. 42, No. 7. 1950, pp. 347-353. Galluzzo, Anthony. Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland and the Aesthetics of Terror: Revolution, Reaction, and the Radical Enlightenment in Early American Letters Eighteenth-Century Studies. Volume 42, Number 2. 2009, pp. 255-271. Gibson, Lara. The Politics of Excess: Religion, Gender, And Race In The Novels Of Charles Brockden Brown. A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English. Washington, DC July 28, 2008. Manuel, Carme. Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland or, Fiction as an Instrument of Salvation in Post-Revolutionary America. Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses 12.1999: 91-104 Universitat de Valencia. Mull, Pala. Wieland or the transformation: An American gothic Tale. Retrieved on November 26, 2010 Savoy, Eric. The rise of American Gothic: the Cambridge companion to Gothic fiction. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2002, p 34-78. Wolfe, Eric. Ventriloquizing Nation: Voice, Identity, and Radical Democracy in Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland. American Literature. Volume 78.Number 3. 2006, pg 431- 457. Williams, Daniel .Writing under the Influence: An Examination of Wieland's 'Well Authenticated Facts' and the Depiction of Murderous Fathers in Post-Revolutionary Print Culture. Eighteenth-Century Fiction. 2003, Vol. 15: Iss. 3, Article 15. Read More