Edgar Huntly, or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker (1799) is a novel by
American author Charles Brockden Brown. Combining the suspenseful style
of Gothic fiction with such thematic interests as consciousness,
morality, and truth, Brown's novel shows the profound influence of
European literature on his aesthetic while grounding the narrative in a
distinctly American setting.
Following the murder of his friend Waldegrave, the young Edgar Huntly
devotes himself to uncovering the mystery of his death. While walking at
night near the scene of the crime, Huntly sees a servant from a nearby
farm named Clithero digging in the ground beneath a willow. Initially
horrified at the man's strange behavior and disheveled appearance,
Huntly soon becomes suspicious and decides to question Clithero. After
realizing that the man is a sleepwalker, he confronts Clithero, who
denies murdering Waldegrave but admits his guilt in murdering a man in
his native Ireland. Disappointed but eager as ever to find his friend's
killer, Edgar continues his search. When he wakes up in a dark cave,
completely disoriented and on the brink of starvation, Edgar must fend
off the merciless local wildlife and escape captivity by the Lenni
Lenape tribe in order to survive. Charles Brockden Brown's Edgar
Huntly, or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker is a harrowing work of mystery,
horror, revenge, and survival which not only serves as a fine example of
Gothic fiction, but as a detailed psychological portrait of settler
colonial life.
This early masterpiece of American literature, among Brown's other
works, would inspire the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, Mary Shelley's
Frankenstein, and countless other authors whose works employ elements
of mystery, suspense, and horror. Brown's novel is perfect for readers
looking for a terrifying tale with philosophical and psychological
depth, as well as for those interested in the early days of American
fiction.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Charles Brockden Brown's Edgar Huntly, or, Memoirs of a
Sleepwalker is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern
readers.
