Question

Who is the author of Melmoth the Wanderer (1820), an Irish Faust story?

• A. William Beckford
• B. Horace Walpole
• C. Charles Robert Maturin
• D. Edgar Allan Poe

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Charles Robert Maturin

About Charles Robert Maturin:

• Charles Robert Maturin (1780–1824) was an Irish novelist and dramatist, best known for his Gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer.
• He was a clergyman in the Church of Ireland, but his literary pursuits and extravagant lifestyle often led to financial difficulties.
• Maturin was a contemporary and acquaintance of prominent literary figures like Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, contributing to the Romantic literary movement.

About Melmoth the Wanderer:

• Published in 1820, Melmoth the Wanderer is considered a quintessential work of Gothic literature and a significant Irish contribution to the genre.
• The novel is structured as a story within a story, a narrative technique that adds layers of complexity and suspense.
• Its plot revolves around a pact with the devil, a common trope in Gothic and Faustian literature, where the protagonist sells his soul for extended life and knowledge.
• The novel explores themes of guilt, redemption, madness, and the supernatural, reflecting the dark and often pessimistic mood of the early 19th century.
• Despite initial mixed reception, Melmoth the Wanderer gained considerable posthumous fame and influenced later writers, including Edgar Allan Poe and Oscar Wilde.
• It is often compared to works like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Christabel and Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto for its Gothic elements.
• The Faustian element, a key aspect of the novel, involves a protagonist who seeks forbidden knowledge or power at a great personal cost, mirroring the legend of Faust.

Relevance for Competitive Exams:

• Knowledge of key authors and their major works is frequently tested in English Literature sections of competitive exams.
• Authors associated with specific literary movements (like Romanticism or Gothic literature) and their representative works are important study points.
• Understanding narrative structures and thematic elements of significant literary pieces can help in answering questions related to literary analysis.