Vathek (A Gothic Novel: the Original Translation by Reverend S...

This carefully crafted ebook: "Vathek (A Gothic Novel: the Original Translation by Reverend Samuel Henley)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. This Beckford's novel, translated by Samuel Henley, was originally written in French when the author was 21. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Samuel Henley in which form it was first published in 1786. It is the story of Caliph Vathek, whose eye can kill at a glance, who makes a pact with the Devil, Eblis. The Caliph Vathek is dissolute and debauched, and hungry for knowledge. When the mysterious Giaour offers him boundless treasure and unrivalled power he is willing to sacrifice his god, the lives of innocent children, and his own soul to satisfy his obsession. Vathek's extraordinary journey to the subterranean palace of Eblis, and the terrifying fate that there awaits him, is a captivating tale of magic and oriental fantasy, sudden violence and corrupted love, whose mix of moral fable, grotesque comedy, and evocative beauty defies classification. Thomas Beckford ( 1760 – 1844), usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed at one stage in his life to be the richest commoner in England.

Kevin L. Cope, Louisiana State University

“Sympathetic to Beckford’s odd and yet unexpectedly typical position as a member of the ruling class with progressive attitudes and often rebellious tastes, Graham offers us the first true appreciation of Beckford as a literary innovator, oriental scholar, social visionary, and plain old curious character. The first volume to take Beckford in all his sardonic comedy truly seriously, Graham’s Vathek with The Episodes of Vathek is certain to remain the standard edition of, and commentary on, Beckford for decades to come.”

Sydney Conger, Western Illinois University

“Kenneth W. Graham’s introduction to William beckford’s Vathek with The Episodes is simply packed with information, and includes one of the finest discussions of Oriental Tales I’ve encountered. With its careful editing, its appendices, maps, and bibliography, this new, expanded edition of Vathek is, all in all, superb.”

From the Publisher

The Broadview Literary Texts series is an effort to represent the ever-changing canon of literature in English by bringing together texts long regarded as classics with valuable, lesser-known literature. Newly type-set and produced on high-quality paper in trade paperback format, the Broadview Literary Texts series is a delight to handle as well as to read. Each volume includes a full introduction, chronology, bibliography, and explanatory notes along with a variety of documents from the period, giving readers a rich sense of the world from which the work emerged.

From the Back Cover

William Beckford’s Vathek is a touchstone of eighteenth-century Orientalism and of the Gothic novel. Beckford’s later work, The Episodes of Vathek, shares Vathek’s irreverent and decadent style, and an edition that unites the two has long been overdue. The Broadview edition includes a newly discovered early version of the first episode, never before in print, that centres on male-male love, as well as the previously published version that was re-written by Beckford as a heterosexual narrative. Based on the 1823 edition―the last one edited by the author himself―the Broadview Edition also introduces The Episodes in the order Beckford planned, and incorporates his final corrections.

About the Author

Kenneth W Graham teaches at the University of Guelph. He has written widely on eighteenth-century literature. His books include Gothic Fictions: Prohibition/Transgression, and “Vathek” and the Escape from Time: Bicentenary Revalutations.

Reviews

News