We end our exploration of eighteenth-century fiction with Vathek, a strange little novel that is mired in contradictions: a British novel that was written in French, a novel of the eighteenth-century that is best known in an edition that got published well after the Romantic era was underway, and a profoundly secular work that centered on a mythical being from the underworld.
Your study of the eighteenth-century novel has given you several different ways to approach this text. Respond to this post by suggesting an interpretive question to be asked about this novel, identifying an issue in it that ought to be explored more deeply, or observing some feature of the novel that provokes your interest or curiosity.
Deadline: Tuesday (11/29), start of class.
I think one of the questions that could be asked about this novel is what purpose is the novel serving? Is it supposed to be for moralistic reasons, entertainment, etc.? The novel plays a lot to the foreign/exotic aspect of the Orient at the time, was this supposed to show how heathen other countries/religions were or just be a subject of complete intrigue for readers?
ReplyDeleteThat was actually a jumble of questions sort of put together...
There isn't really an answer to this question - But, did Vathek loose its meaning once the novel was translated into English? As you mentioned, the contradictory French language and British publication work together to make this novel even more fascinating and unusual. What was the point of this in the first place?
ReplyDeleteReading Vathek reminds me of the play "Doctor Faustus", written by Christopher Marlowe. In both of these stories, the main character strives to know as much as they can, even if it means turning to these devil like characters. I have not finished Vathek yet, but Faustus ends with him being dragged to hell, and I am imagining there will be a similar, unhappy ending for Vathek. Is Vathek a cry against knowledge, or how to obtain it? Is it telling people to know their place in the world? Vathek, just like Faustus, is being punished for trying to reach outside of his realm of power, so is the overall moral to know your limits? That people should accept that they cannot know everything, and should not attempt to understand God's power?
ReplyDeleteDoes Vathek present a positive, negative, or neutral view of Islam? Are there any clearly defined heroes in this novel?
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that Islam was not contrasted with Christianity at all. I know there isn't much information about religion in the book, but I wonder if that in and of itself is a commentary. Also, it seemed like all of the characters were pretty twisted. There was no one to whom I was especially drawn or felt much sympathy for. Both this lack of blatant moralizing and heroic characters make this book glaringly different than the other novels we've read this semester.
One question that I have about Vathek is about its reception as a gothic novel. When I think of a "gothic novel", I tend to have a certain idea in mind: castles, hidden pathways, ghosts, etc.. I also have never scene a gothic novel that wasn't written by an Englishman or American; I guess I thought this genre was specific to those cultures only. I also agree with Taylor on the villain/hero aspect, the plot is a little bit all over the place and I have a hard time deciphering which characters to trust.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the novel, I don't know if anyone else has read this novel, it reminds me of Zofloya. This idea of mystical, magical, kind of unworldly content is really interesting. I was wondering why do you guys think writers chose to take this approach when they are writing novels? There is also this idea of grandiosity present in the book. Everything is of the extreme (houses, relationships, meals, etc) and not subtle at all. I was also wondering does this add to the mystical theme or is there a reason why people of the time wrote in this fashion? There may be a short and simple answer, but I always thought there were various reasons and opinions why people take this approach.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nathan that this novel reminded me of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus. (This was a 16th Century novel! Especially the bits about astrology and magic. Insatiable thirst for knowledge puts the Caliph in manic episodes and it gives the devil a foothold on him. He can't control his earthly desires. (He has five wings of palaces dedicated to the gratification of each of the senses. Strange!)
ReplyDeleteFor this novel, this quote on page 11, "'Woe to the rash mortal who seeks to know that of which he should remain ignorant; and to undertake that which surpasseth his power!'" sums up the plot...
In the end, Gulchenrouz, who's a foil to Vathek "passed whole ages in undisturbed tranquillity..." (120)Ignorance is bliss...?
Could this novel be trying to say that humans trying to know everything and attempting to be "gods" creates disorder?
(And I just want to say... that Giaour turning into a ball was so disturbing! Uncanny, indeed! That is the scene where I realized that it was gothic novel...)
What does this novel say about the relationship between gender and race as compared to The Female American? How does its international origin affect this meaning? Does it give us an accurate depiction of any aspect of 18th century culture, or is it too far out of context with the main social issues we have assumed from other texts throughout the semester?
ReplyDeleteFor Vathek I was intrigued by his greediness, I mean no matter what happens in the story Vathek is never satisfied nor does he seem to notice his impending damnation. In the post above that this story was likened to Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and while I was reading, I too thought that the stories were similar. I am curious about the role of Vathek’s harem, Are they there simply as another expression of Vathek’s greed? Or do they serve a different purpose?
ReplyDeleteMy question is a fairly simple one, why did Vathek, like so many other works of its time, not receive acclaim and/or notoriety until so many years after its first publication? If I'm remembering correctly, the same was said about Robinson Crusoe when we covered it earlier in the semester, and I don't think that was the only other work we did that fell under this category. Why were so many novels of this era that are deemed literary classics centuries later seemingly pushed aside by the audiences of their time? Is it a matter of taste, or simple (un)availability? Or is there more to it? The answer doesn't necessarily have to be Vathek-specific as I've wondered this several times about other novels from this time period as well.
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