The Fatal Revenge; Or, The Family of Montorio

Charles Maturin

2021년 6월 · Graphic Arts Books

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Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio (1807) is a novel by Charles Maturin. Published under the psueudonym Dennis Jasper Murphy, Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio was Maturin’s debut novel. Largely ignored by critics and readers, it managed to draw attention from Sir Walter Scott, who supported Maturin’s efforts and encouraged him to pursue a career as a writer. Despite its humble beginnings, Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is considered a masterpiece of Gothic romance. “Their palaces were haunted by groups of monks, and magicians, and alchymists, and astrologers; and amid the most superstitious state of the country of superstition, the House of Montorio was distinguished by weak and gloomy credulity.” At the siege of Barcelona in 1697, two brothers of mysterious origin fight bravely and gain the respect of their fellow officers. When the fighting has ceased, they are counted among the dead. Gathering his subordinates, their commandant, “acquainted with their name, and their country, and their misfortunes,” begins to tell the story of their cursed family. Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is a story of mystery and terror that engages with timeless themes of loyalty, fantasy, and fate. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Charles Maturin’s Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Charles Maturin (1780-1824) was an Irish writer and clergyman. Born and raised in Dublin, Maturin was raised in a prominent Huguenot family. Educated at Trinity College, he became ordained as curate of Loughrea, County Galway, before returning to Dublin in 1903. Due to his position in the Church of Ireland, he was forced to publish his writing under a pseudonym, achieving some acclaim for his early novels. In 1816, his play Bertram was staged at the Drury Lane theatre in London. Although he was encouraged by Sir Water Scott and Lord Byron, he received a devastating review from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who deemed the play “melancholy proof of the depravation of the public mind.” Forced to reveal his identity in order to claim his profits, Maturin was barred from advancement by the Church of Ireland and turned his attention to novel writing. In 1820, his Gothic novel Melmoth the Wanderer was published to critical acclaim, earning Maturin a reputation as a leading Romantic, influencing such writers as Charles Baudelaire and Honoré de Balzac. Controversial in his lifetime, viewed as an eccentric in his native country, Maturin would serve as inspiration to his grandnephew Oscar Wilde, as well as countless writers, artists, and aesthetes.