Customer Reviews

The Necromancer; or, The Tale of the Black Forest

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Unlike the other "horrid" novels satirized by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey, The Necromancer has remained in print since its publication in 1794. The critics never approved of it. Here and there it becomes incoherent and it's awkwardly written, but something about the story continues to fascinate.

The book is mostly a translation from a German novel, which might explain the occasionally stilted and overwrought language. Readers in the late eighteenth century were crazy about German works, and both real and fake translations abounded. (My knowledge of all this comes from the informative introduction.)

The story begins with the reunion of two old friends, Herrman and Hellfried, who while catching up after decades of separation, discover they've had similar experiences involving a Necromancer. This mysterious old man subjected them both to amazing displays of lightning, thunder and loud lamentations while raising spirits. We learn more about the Necromancer from a variety of narrators. It's not always easy to keep track of who's speaking or what's transpiring! I'd find myself going back a page to get straightened out.

But there's plenty of action: wild doings in a haunted castle, a bizarre duel, near-fatal encounters with ferocious bandits and many other adventures, including plenty of skullduggery.

The introduction presents a convincing new theory on the identity of the author/translator. There's also an intriguing article following the intro by a modern critic who sees a homosocial and homophobic subtext in the novel. Another interesting subtext is political, concerned with the sociological roots of crime.

The Necromancer is not my favorite of the "horrid" novels. But it's one type of escapist reading popular in Jane Austen's time. Scholars and lovers of the period should find it interesting, as I did.