Wieland, or, The Transformation, An American Tale is a remarkable book for a number of reasons. American literature scarcely existed in the late 18th century when Charles Brockden Brown made the bold decision to pursue a literary career. Wieland, published in 1798, is a gothic novel, but it's more than that. It's a complete reinvention of the gothic novel, with the accepted trappings of moldering castles and doomed aristocratic heroes being discarded entirely. It's the beginning of American gothic, and it' an astonishingly accomplished beginning.
Brown focuses on psychology,...