Customer Reviews

Arthur Mervyn

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For sentimental reasons, I'll always love Charles Brockden Brown. I've taken two different English courses in which Brown was the only writer I really cared to engage with, and in both cases, he pretty much ended up getting me an A in the course because I could write papers and do presentations on his books. He has always been a really compelling writer for my tastes, and he offers endless avenues for thought. This book is certainly no exception. It's mysterious, disturbing (in a good way), and strangely satisfying throughout, and there's certainly much to think about.

Arthur Mervyn is basically the story of a young man trying to survive in a chaotic world. Arthur Mervyn's post-Revolutionary America is plagued by all sorts of anxiety. Not only is there a yellow fever epidemic ravaging Philadelphia, the newly formed nation, established by revolution, seems to be crumbling. Arthur has no moorings in this place, and he struggles to find community and meaning. He has a number of strange obstacles to overcome. His boss is, of course, a murderer, and Arthur's association with him doesn't make him many friends. Also, there are not many people (including perhaps Arthur) who know how to tell the truth, and Arthur can't tell who to believe. There are also quite a few people who, for one reason or another, are out to get Arthur. He's got to survive the disease and the society and attempt to find some sort of peace from himself.

It's a good read. It's confusing at times, but its a meaningful confusion. And the average reader can certainly enjoy this. Arthur Mervyn reveals a lot about life of his day in this new nation, and a lot of his struggles really resonate with those happening today. The parallels between Arthur's America and today's are pretty startling. There are really a lot of reasons to read this book. There's plenty to think about here and plenty to enjoy.