Charles Brockden Brown

In Weinstock’s contribution to the Gothic Authors: Critical RevisionsA , we are given an insight into the work of Charles Brockden Brown, a late eighteenth/early nineteenth century American author, identified by Weinstock and literary critics as an important figure in the development of American literature, particularly regarding the gothic genre. Throughout this book, Weinstock asserts his belief that Brown needs to be recognised as the main originator of gothic sub-genres, concentrating primarily on the frontier gothic, the urban gothic, the psychological gothic and the female gothic. Brown is represented as a transitional figure between Enlightenment rationality and Romanticism, as well as a strong political voice who spoke out against the slave trade and anti-Semitism, providing an insight into the socio-political milieu of the early American republic.