Arthur Mervyn is a novel written by Charles Brockden Brown and published in 1799. It was one of Brown's more popular novels, and is in many ways representative of Brown's dark, gothic style and subject matter. It is also recognised as one of the most influential works of American and Philadelphia Gothic literature. It started earlier as a serial in Philadelphia's Weekly Magazine of Original Essays, Fugitive Pieces, and Interesting Intelligence, but it was discontinued due to several factors, such as lack of enthusiasm and the editor's death from yellow fever. Hence, Brown decided to issue the book himself. The novel summons the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia between August-October 1793, resulting to chaotic situations.
Plot summary
Meeting Mervyn
Arthur Mervyn is discovered by Dr. Stevens sitting on a bench. He is suffering from yellow fever, and since Dr. Stevens has pity on him, is invited into the Stevens household. A little after he gets better, Mr. Wortley comes over to pay Dr. Stevens a visit, recognizes Arthur Mervyn, and reacts with extreme displeasure at seeing him. Dr. Stevens is of course suspicious of Mervyn now and demands an explanation for Wortley's reaction. Mervyn begins to tell his story in an effort to clear his name in the eyes of Dr. Stevens. This is the frame, and nearly three quarters of the book bring Mervyn's adventures up to this moment in time. The rest of the book continues on after the storytelling, with Mervyn keeping Dr. Stevens informed either in person or via letters of the continuing adventures, all of which revolve around a tightly knit network of people. Arthur Mervyn lived with his father and their servant, Betty, on a farm near Philadelphia. Betty, however, married the father and Mervyn could no longer remain in the house without conflict. Arthur leaves and heads toward the city, where he ends up penniless, as he has been cheated out of all his money on the way there.
Arrival in the city
Upon arriving in the city he seeks out a friend of his father's, but he never ends up meeting him. Instead he meets a man named Wallace who invites him to stay in his home for the night. Arthur follows Wallace home, and Wallace promptly locks him into a pitch dark room. Realizing that he has been tricked, Arthur tries to escape without being noticed. He does this, but not before he overhears a private conversation between the true occupants of his quarters. When Arthur does manage to escape, he leaves behind only his shoes and some open doors and windows. Without shoes or money he decides to head home but can't because he can't pay the bridge toll. He further begs money from a man he meets on the street, and is promptly hired by this man.
Welbeck introduced
The man in question is Welbeck, who is a thief and a forger. The encounter will cost Mervyn more than he stood to gain from begging. Welbeck dresses Mervyn in city clothes, introduces him to Clemenza Lodi, a woman he claims is his daughter and tells him that he will start work the following week. Mervyn soon discovers that Welbeck is a thief and a seducer, putting Mervyn in so much trouble before he escapes and seeking refugee from Susan Hadwin. Mervyn decides to do a favour for Hadwin, by trying to carry Wallace, Hadwin's fiance who has been sick with yellow fever back to town.
Mervyn begins to get sick, and fearing a forced trip to the hospital, he decides to hide himself in the old Welbeck mansion. There he discovers none other than Welbeck, who has sneaked back to get the money he left in Father Lodi's book. He is outraged when he finds that Mervyn has already found it and intends to give it back to Clemenza. Welbeck tells him the money is forged and Mervyn promptly burns it. Welbeck has a conniption because he lied about the forgery and Mervyn has just destroyed 20,000 pounds. Welbeck leaves Mervyn to die, and Mervyn eventually wanders out into the street to see if he can make it back to the farm. He collapses and is rescued by Dr. Stevens. Thus ends the narrative up to the encounter with Dr. Stevens. After he gets better, Mervyn insists on returning to the Hadwin farm to make sure everyone is safe. After he leaves, though, he doesn't return for weeks and Dr. Stevens becomes very suspicious that Mervyn has escaped. One day, though, he is called to the debtors' prison, and discovers upon his arrival none other than Mervyn, who has summoned him there to tend to Welbeck, who lies languishing in the prison. Before he dies, he gives Mervyn a scroll that holds 40,000 pounds or so that belong to Mrs. Maurice, but were recovered from Watson's dead body.
Helping Eliza Hadwin
Mervyn continues his narrative, recounting what happened after he left Dr. Stevens. Upon his arrival at Malverton, he discovers that all but Eliza and Susan have died of yellow fever. An old man watches over them, but he is of little use. Susan dies the same day, unable to recover from the stress of waiting for her fiancé and the disappointment of finding that Mervyn is not the Wallace she had been waiting for. Mervyn, finding no alternative, buries Susan in the orchard. He then tries to house Eliza at her neighbor's farm, but he refuses her. They set out in the freezing weather and almost die, only to be saved by Mr. Curling. Mr. Curling agrees to take Eliza in until a better situation can be found for her. Philip Hadwin, Eliza's uncle, turns out to be an awful man who refuses Eliza the inheritance she could have from the farm because Eliza's father took out a mortgage on the farm that belongs to Philip Hadwin. Mervyn returns to the city to help Clemenza Lodi, now living in the house of Mrs. Villars, a known prostitute. When he forces his way into the Villars country home, he discovers Clemenza on the third floor of the house, mourning her dying baby. He also encounters Mrs. Fielding, a young widow who had no idea her friends were prostitutes. Mervyn goes to Philadelphia to ask Mrs. Wentworth to house Clemenza Lodi and rescue her from her current situation. Mrs. Wentworth refuses, but ultimately agrees to house her if Mrs. Fielding will bear part of the cost.
Conclusion
Next, Mervyn “rescues” Eliza from boredom by placing her with Mrs. Fielding. He quickly realizes that he is in love with Mrs. Fielding. This comes as such a shock to him that he actually goes out to the house in the country where Mrs. Fielding is staying and stares up at her window at night. She is frightened, recognizes him, and tells him to see her in the city. The next day they finally admit their feelings to each other and agree to marry.
Characters
Characters
Mrs. Althorpe, Francis Carlton, Miss Carlton, Mr. Curling, Mr. Ellis, Achsa Fielding, Eliza Hadwin, Philip Hadwin, Susan Hadwin, William Hadwin, Mrs. Hadwin, Betty Lawrence, Clemeza Lodi, Vincentio Lodi, Fannie Maurice, Arthur Mervyn, Sawney Mervyn, Dr. Stevens, Walter Thetford, Lucy Villars, Wallace, Capt. Amos Watson, Thomas Welbeck, Mrs. Wentworth, Ephraim Williams, Wortley, Caleb, Clavering, Colvill, Estwick, Jamieson, Medlicote
Main characters
Arthur Mervyn—The novel's protagonist. A farm boy who leaves rural area to move to Philadelphia. His transition from a rural child to a man of urban, eighteenth century America is the substance of the story. He is rash and acts on his convictions but, oddly enough, he is also a very analytical person. He eventually becomes apprentice to Dr. Stevens and marries Achsa Fielding, who is noteworthy for being the first Jewish-American character in American fiction.
Reception
The novel generally received mixed reviews. Some scholars have argued Mervyn's character in the grey area, whether he is a hero or villain. The novel lacks the Brown's force to put Mervyn's character to be either. As it is also based by the historical precedents, Brown tried to persuade its readers that in order to provide the truth, a novel could stand beyond imagination. Emory Elliott, an American Academic describes the new edited novel as providing reliable materials constructed within the intellectual, cultural, political, and religious context of a society. Many of Brown's works are related to revolution, but the political revolution only takes a small part on the novel, emphasizing more on the revolution of mental. Explicit rebellions also plays significant part on the revolutionary part of the novel.
Development
The sequel, Arthur Mervyn; or; Memoirs of the Year 1793. Second Part was released in 1800 in a very rare follow-up and only a few collectors obtained both volumes separately. The novel has also influenced other American Gothic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, in writing The Masque of the Red Death published in 1842.
