Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale, usually simply calledWieland, is the first major work byCharles Brockden Brown, published in 1798, Wielandis the first - and most famous - AmericanGothic novel Set sometime between theFrench and Indian Warand theAmerican Revolutionary War, Wielanddetails the horrible events that befall Clara Wieland and her brother Theodore's family. Clara and Theodore's father was a German immigrant who founded his own religion; he came to America just before the American Revolution with the conviction to spread his religion to the indigenous people."

"A light proceeding from the edifice made every part of the scene visible. A gleam diffused itself over the intermediate space, and instantly a loud report, like the explosion of a mine, followed. She uttered an involuntary shriek, but the new sounds that greeted her ear, quickly conquered her surprise. They were piercing shrieks, and uttered without intermission. The gleams which had diffused themselves far and wide were in a moment withdrawn, but the interior of the edifice was filled with rays." From "Weiland," by Charles Brockden Brown.

Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale, usually simply called Wieland, is the first major work by Charles Brockden Brown. First published in 1798. Wieland is often categorized under several subgenres other than gothic fiction, including horror, psychological fiction and epistolary fiction.

A compelling tale of sleepwalking, murder, and frontier violence set in rural Pennsylvania in the 1780s. His memory and wits shaken by the scenes he has witnessed, ordinary republican citizen Edgar Huntly relates the unpredictable and catastrophic consequences of his chance encounter with Clithero Edny, a mysterious Irish immigrant whose unfortunate but violent history catches up with him.