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Reviews
Edgar Huntly Or, Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker: Or, Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker by Charles Brockden Brown
shelbertcarr's review
4.0
An interesting introduction to the American Gothic genre. Will prove valuable to anyone trying to gain insight into the works of Poe and Hawthorne.
nikkigee81's review
2.0
Took forever to tell the story! The whole enterprise is fairly disjointed and meanders a lot.
withtheclassics's review against another edition
3.0
This story was a crazy ride. It is an American Gothic novel, and re-imagines European and English Gothic tropes for the late 18th century American landscape. Instead of bandits and crumbling castles, we get Indians and panthers.
On that note, be aware that the book's portrayal of Native Americans is very stereotypical/racist.
The blurbs for the book, both on the Penguin edition and here on Goodreads keep trying to make its theme some kind of "metaphor for the founding of a new nation," as the blurb on the book says. I disagree. What makes this interesting, and more of a 3.5 star rating, is the exploration of consciousness. The sleepwalking mentioned in the subtitle becomes an important plot point, and the book is very interested in the line between waking and dreaming, between sanity and madness, between primal instinct and rational action. If read with care, the seeming randomness of the plot starts to become more coherent, and yes, the main character fights a panther, but the novel also suggests some frightening things about the knife-thin line we all might balance between civilized behavior and madness.
On that note, be aware that the book's portrayal of Native Americans is very stereotypical/racist.
The blurbs for the book, both on the Penguin edition and here on Goodreads keep trying to make its theme some kind of "metaphor for the founding of a new nation," as the blurb on the book says. I disagree. What makes this interesting, and more of a 3.5 star rating, is the exploration of consciousness. The sleepwalking mentioned in the subtitle becomes an important plot point, and the book is very interested in the line between waking and dreaming, between sanity and madness, between primal instinct and rational action. If read with care, the seeming randomness of the plot starts to become more coherent, and yes, the main character fights a panther, but the novel also suggests some frightening things about the knife-thin line we all might balance between civilized behavior and madness.
emtobiasz's review against another edition
2.0
read in college for the Emergence of the American Novel. You can tell it was an early American novel, and (forgive me) Americans weren't very good at novels yet.
sean31's review against another edition
4.0
Taken from my Amazon review:
"Edgar Huntly" represents the early American epistolary novel at its finest. It provides the opportunity to give historical and cultural insight and at the same time, does so in language that does not alienate the 21st century reader. A relatable and adventurous narrator keeps the rich plot moving through a cast of exciting characters, intriguing turns, and vast and thrilling adventure.
Some may be displeased with recurring incidences of sexism and racism, and while they are certainly noteworthy, the context of the book ought to be considered; it was first published in 1799, an era where such ideas were the norm (while this does not necessarily make them "good" or "acceptable", it does shed insight on the thoughts of the times). This aside, the text has much to offer, and we as readers have much to learn from it. Depictions of a still-wild American landscape excite the heart and tense drama pulls the mind along.
"Edgar Huntly" represents the early American epistolary novel at its finest. It provides the opportunity to give historical and cultural insight and at the same time, does so in language that does not alienate the 21st century reader. A relatable and adventurous narrator keeps the rich plot moving through a cast of exciting characters, intriguing turns, and vast and thrilling adventure.
Some may be displeased with recurring incidences of sexism and racism, and while they are certainly noteworthy, the context of the book ought to be considered; it was first published in 1799, an era where such ideas were the norm (while this does not necessarily make them "good" or "acceptable", it does shed insight on the thoughts of the times). This aside, the text has much to offer, and we as readers have much to learn from it. Depictions of a still-wild American landscape excite the heart and tense drama pulls the mind along.
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