'Perverse Nature': Edgar Huntly and the Novel's ...

"Perverse Nature": Edgar Huntly and the Novel's Reproductive Disorders
Author(s): Dana Luciano
Source: American Literature, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Mar., 1998), pp. 1-27
Published by: Duke University Press
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Dana "PerverseNature"E: dgarHuntlayndthe
Luciano Novel'sReproductivDeisorders

Ina youngrepublica,littlerhetoriccanbea danger-

ousthing-especiallyiftherhetoriics novelisticit,sstyleGothica,nd
itsintendedaudiencetheyoungrepublicanT.he presumedperilous-
nessofproseis nowherme oreevidenthaninthepost-Revolutionary
AmericandebatesovertheeffectosfnovelreadingA. ntinoveclam-
paignersinsistedthatimaginativfeictioncouldhaveno place in a
rationarlepublict;heydismissedthenovelas frivolouasndunproduc-
tiveatbest,deeplydangeroutsothereaderatworstA. s a writerfor
theMassachusetWts eeklwyarnedin 1791,"[novels]arewrittenwith
an intento captivattehefeelingsa,nddo infactlead manyontothe
pathofvice."1Andwhilethegenre'sdefenderasrguedthatnovels
providedusefuml oralessonsp, articularflyoryoungreaderswhodis-
dainedmoreseriousstudyw, henitcametothehighlystylizedGothic
romancet,heyconcededitspotentiahl armfulnesCs.onsiderJoseph
Dennie's1803polemicagainsttheworksof"Mrs.Radcliffaendher
imitatorsA."lthoughDenniewas usuallyfriendltyo fictionh,e wor-
riedthatthe Gothicemphasison the"darkside"oflife"wantonly
weaken[ed] themind."Dennieobservedthatthemanoftastecould
easilysee throughtheseinferioprerformancebsu,t,he warnedl,ess
well-ordererdeaderswerethreatenebdytheromanceD. enniesaw
theGothicnovelas mostenticinga,ndmostpernicioust,osensitive
readerssusceptiblteocaptivatiobnyitsdrivetowardembodiment:

If I had a friendofexquisitesensibilityw,hoseirritablne erves
vibratedlikethechordsofmusic,I wouldlockupMrs.Radcliffe's
novelsfromhismorbidcuriosityI w. ouldnotsuffehrimtoturnpale

AmericanLiteraturVe,olume70,Number1,March1998.CopyrighCt)1998byDuke
UniversitPyress.

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2 AmericanLiterature
atthethoughotfanyofherghosts.... A hypochondriwacouldbe
as muchinjuredbytheperusalofthewoefurl omancea,s bythe
denialofairandexercise.2

Dennie'simageofliterarysuffocatiownas echoedbythenovelist
CharlesBrockdenBrownw, hocomplainedthatGothicworks"en-
deavortokeepthereaderina constansttateoftumulatndterror....
[Firightsucceedsto frighta,nd dangerto dangerw, ithoupt ermit-
tingtheunhappyreadertodrawhisbreath".3 The problemwiththe
Gothicromancei,ntheseaccountsw, asnotso muchthatitmisrepre-
sentedtherealworld(althougbhothDennieandBrownagreeditdid)
butthatit insistentliynvolvedthebody;thephysicallyoppressive
styleoftheGothicrenderedthereader'sbodyunfitforproductive
sociallaborby (over)excitinigt.The batteredbodyofthehapless
romancereaderwas thegroundonwhichthenovel'sdefenderasnd
opponentcsouldmeetinagreemenotn a singlepoint:Gothicprose
hurtthenation.

The debateoverthenovelwas,in a sense,one oftherepublic's
earliestpublic-healtchampaignst;herelationbs etweentheliterary,
thebodilya,ndthepoliticawl eregraphicalldyetailedinordertolegiti-
matethe impositioonfpublicauthoritoyvertheemergennt ation's
readingmatterT.he effectosfnovelreadingwerenotjudgedmerely
inrelationto"taste";rathera,s CathyDavidsonhaspointedout,the
assumptioonfa largelyfemininaeudienceforthenovelandtheasser-
tionthatnovelsrenderedtheir(femaler) eadersproneto seduction
highlightetdheneedforpublicregulationforthesake ofnational
survivalY.4etwhiletheAnglofemalebodywas mostoftendepicted
as theone on whosebehalfthe debateoverthenoveltookplace,
certainmalereaders-thoseof"excessivesensibilityo"rweakjudg-
ment-werealso seen as overlysusceptibleandin needofmature
guidanceintheirchoiceofreadingmatterA. s MissD-, a habitual
novelreadero, bservesinan installmenotfBrown'serialfeatur"eA
Student'Ds iary,""boysandgirls,andmenandwomenwhosejudge-
mentsare no betterthanboysand girls,"preferthetawdriestof
novelsa, diversionMissD - insistsis "innocent.Y"etCritot,henar-
ratorof"AStudent'Ds iary,"turnsthisobservatiobnackonMissD -,
commentin"gW, hym, yfaircriticy, ouarea warmandzealousadvo-
cate,and,perhaps,defendyourcause witha littlemoreeloquence
thantruth".Thisdissociatioonf"eloquencef" rom"truthb"ya devote

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 3
ofthenovelimpliesthatjudgmenmt aybe impairedbyimmaturity
or personalattachmenSti.nceevenMiss D- can be carriedaway
byeloquence,Critoinsistst,heexerciseofindividuaplreferenceins
novelconsumptiomnustalwaysbe regulatebdythemoreenlightened
andimpartiaclriticw, howillensurethat"guidestoa rightchoiceare
alwaystobe found."5

The pointhereis notmerelythatpersonaalttachmenctanoperate
likeimmaturitrya;therp,ersonaalttachmenistimmaturitinysofaras
itimpairrs ationaalndobjectiveassessmentofthepublic-healtdhan-
gersof"eloquence".6 ItispreciselythisbeliefthatmotivateBsrown's
promisei,n thefirstissue ofhis LiteraryMagazineandAmerican
Registerto, takegoodcareofthepublic'staste.Havinginformetdhe
readerthathis "objects"inpublishintgheMagazineareto provide
"usefulinformatioandrationaalmusement,h"e predictsthatthe
readerwillfindno"indelicacyorlicentiousnesisn"hispoetryw, hich,
ifitmaybe "dull,"willatleastbe "freefromvoluptuousneossrsen-
suality,a"ndthat"hisprose,whethersecondedornotbygeniusand
knowledges,hallscrupulouslayim at thepromotioonfpublicand
privateVirtue."7Brownholdshis moderatedproseup to thepublic
forbothapprobatioanndemulationa,ndhe dramatizetsheneedfor
thelatterbyrenouncinhgis ownearlierfictiont,heverysortthat
promisedi,nrecognizablGyothicfashiont,o "enchain"and"ravish"
thereader,a8ndthathe nowcharacterizeass embarrassingaldyoles-
cent:"timecanscarcelyfailofenlarginagndrefinintghepowersofa
man,whiletheworldis suretojudgeofhiscapacitiesandprinciples
at fiftyb,ywhathe has writtenat fifteen."S9taginghis transition
fromravisherto dullardas inherenitngrowingup,Browninvokes
thechronologichalierarchtyhatdominatetdhepost-Enlightenment
viewoftherelationshibpetweenpleasureandproductivittyh:atis,
theconstructioonf"pleasure,"especiallythepleasuresofthebody,
as outsideofand anteriorto theproperlyproductivreealmofthe
social.In therationalisvtiew,one mustrelinquishthe"pure,"un-
boundedpleasureofthebodyin orderto participatien thesocial,
wherepleasureis treatedas an instrumenatnd channeledtoward
specifics,ociallysanctioneednds.Attachmenttospleasureforitsown
sake-thatis, pleasurenottiedintoan instrumentaltisetleology-
are dismissedas archaic,barbarici,nfantilpe,athologicaol,r queer.
Brown's1803essayinsistentleynforcetshisnormalizincghronology;
theGothicmustbe periodizedas an adolescentstyleofwritingin

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4 AmericanLiterature
ordertotranscenidt,togrowoutofitintoa healthy-mindinedsistence
ontheinstrumentaloitfybodiesandtheirpleasures.10

Brown'slastGothicnovelE, dgarHuntlys,imultaneouselyndorses
andunderminetshesesanitarystylistisctandardsA. lthoughitsnar-
rativeostensiblyconcernsthegrowthtomaturitoyfa youngAmeri-
can-revealingalongthewaythe stepsthatdevelopmenotughtto
take(stepsthatincluderenouncintghepleasuresofrhetorics,ubmit-
tingto patriarchadlisciplinea,ndparticipatinmg,urderousliyfneed
be,inracialpolicingA, merican-sty-lteh) is telosis troubledbythe
novel'sinescapabledrivetowardembodimenTt.houghEdgartries
torunawayfromhisbody,carnalitryepeatedlycatchesupwithhim
throughoutht etale.Reasonandvirtueseeminsufficieinntnoculation
againsthis ownappetitesw, hichfollowhimaroundthewilderness
in formsbothphysical(thedangerouslpyroximatbeodiesofIndi-
ans)andprosaic(theinsistentlcyontagioums ethodofhisnarration).
Writingina genrethatwas saidtoharmthenationE,dgarHuntly's
narratodroeshisbesttoshowhimselafndhisreaderthemanyways
itcoulddoso-and intheprocesstorturebsothnearlytodeath.

EdgarHuntlyis insomewaysa novelabouthowstorytellinfgeels,
evenas itis framedbyEdgar'stellingofhisownstoryT. he expres-
sionsofreluctancwe ithwhichEdgardelaysforseveralpagesthe
beginninogfhisnarrativfeoregrountdheproblematiocfstorytelling
itselfH. e apologeticalliynformhsis correspondentht athe has not
hithertboeenableto"complywith[her]request"fortheparticulars
ofhisrecentraumatiecxperiencbeecause"[t]illnowt,oholda stead-
fastpenwas impossiblet;o disengagemysensesfromthescenethat
waspassingorapproachingto; forbeatrograspatfuturittyo;suffer
so muchthoughto wanderfromthepurposewhichengrossedmy
fearsandhopes,couldnotbe."1"Edgardefertshetellingofhisstory
becausehe cannotseparatehimselfromhimself-hecannotstop
being-longenoughtowriteD. etachinghimselfromthepresentin
ordertorelatetherecentpasthas beenunthinkablteh; everyverbs
he employtso describethisconditionareinfinitivreatherthanpast
tense,andthepurposetowhichhe willputthem-notwithstanding
thatit is negation("couldnotbe")-is postponeduntiltheend of
thesentenceY. etthetelling-ormoreaccurateltyhewriting-otfhat
storyis an unavoidablexercise,notonlybecausehe has promised
ittohiscorrespondenbuttalsobecausehe believeshe needstosepa-
ratehimselfromthatexperiencein orderto resumehis place in

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 5
theworld:"In proportioans I gainpoweroverwords,shallI lose
dominionoversentimentIsn. proportioans mytaleis deliberataend
slow,theincidentasndmotivews hichitis designedtoexhibiwt illbe
imperfectrlyevivedandobscurelyportrayed("5). As Edgarsubjects
hisexperiencetso writtenarrationth, eimmediacyoftheirhorror
willbe mitigatedt;hatis,thetaskofmakingsenseofhisstorywill
producea correspondenlotssinsensationY.etEdgar,despiteallthat
hehasbeenthroughc,learlyviewsthislosswithambivalence.

The oppositionof"words"and "sentimentsi"n Edgar'sdescrip-
tionforegrountdhs etensionbetweenthetwotendencieosftheearly
Americannovel-thestrugglbeetweentellingthestoryforthesake
ofits moraltruthand forthe reader'sprivateappropriatioonfthe
narrator'esxperience.1F2orwhileit is thefirstpurposethatEdgar
proclaimass thereasonfortellinghistaleinwriting(he assureshis
correspondenthtatitwouldbe unjustifiabtloekeepherinignorance
of"whathashappened")h, isattachmentotthesecondsurfaceisnhis
resistanceto thepotentialldyepersonalizinegffectosfthatwriting.
The reluctancwe ithwhichEdgarapproachetshisproject-andthe
resistancethathisnarratiopnosesto itscompletiond-emonstrates
hisambivalenctonceptionoftruthf;orifthelessonshe learnsfrom
histhreedaysin thewildernesasre "true,"so too are theexperi-
encesthathehadthereH. encehewishestoproducea narratiotnhat
will"revivet"hewholetruthh; isreadershouldnotbe ablesimplyto
extracthemoralessonsthathistaleofferbsutshouldhaveto go
througwh hathedidtogettothemi,findeedshecangettothematall.
Itis notincidentatlhatatthispointinthenovelthereaderpossesses
no informatiotnhatwouldenableherto name,or even describe,
Edgar'scorrespondensth; e is deniedan identifiabbleodyto inter-
pose betweenherownandthephysiologicealffectosfhisrhetoric.
Cruciallyt,heidentityofthatcorresponden(Etdgar'sfianceeMary
Waldegravet,hesisterofhismurderefdriendi)s givenonlyafterthe
narratohraspredicted",Thouwiltcatchfrommystoryeveryhorror
andsympathtyhatitpaintsT. houwiltshudderwithmyforbodings
anddissolvewithmytears"(6). Edgar'spromisteoproducea power-
fulphysicarleactioninhisreadert,oinduceanorgasmischudderand
dissolutionse, emsto makelittlesenseinthecontextofwhathe has
justconfessedA. lthoughe proclaimtshesoul-annihilatitnegrrorof
hisrecentexperienceandinsistsupontheneedtorestorehimseltfo
rationalitEyd,garwilltellhistaleinsucha waythatthereaderwill

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6 AmericanLiterature
havenoplacetohidefromitssensationalismTh. enarrativeeconomy
hehasdevisedforhistalereliesuponconversionh;isexperiencwe ill
notbe lostbutreproducetdhrougrheaderlyabsorption.

This insistenceon absorptioninto,ratherthana moredistanced
appraisaol f,Edgar'sstorymimicstheeffectthatstorytellinhgas on
Edgarwithinthenarrativietself-aneffecotfcompulsormy imicry.
In thesectionofthenovelthatprecedeshis fallintothecave-pit,
EdgarlistenstothelifestoriesofbothClitheraondWeymoutWh. hile
Edgartriesto playtherationarl eaderbyfocusingon the"truth"
thesestoriesconvey-heremarkuspontheproofosfClithero'isnno-
cenceandthevalidityofWeymouthc'slaimson MaryWaldegrave's
fortune-thestoriesthemselvens everthelesms anageto leak into
himp, roducinagnexperientiiadlentificatiwoniththestorytelletrhsat
takesplace despitehis statedintentionAs.s mostcriticsofEdgar
HuntlyhaveobservedE, dgarmoreorless turnsintoClitheroafter
hearinghis storyh; isownodysseyparallelsClithero'isn a number
ofways,nottheleastofwhichis thatbothbecomemurdererWs. ey-
mouth'storyalsohasa transformateivfefecotnEdgar.Notonlydoes
itpullthegroundoutfromunderEdgarand Mary'sfeet,sending
Edgarliteralloyvertheedgeintosomnambulisamndthecave-pitb,ut
italso occasionsEdgar'sreenactmenotfWeymouths'solitarytrials
ina remotelandamonghostilestrangerAs.ttheendofEdgar'sjour-
ney,Sarsefieldh,isformetreachera,ttempttso putan endto these
narrativteransferencbeys givingEdgarbackhisownstorya,lbeitin
a morecompleteandmoreobjectiveformY. etEdgar'sabsorptioonf
itstruthis mitigatebdyhisaddictivaettachmenttohisbodydouble,
Clithero.

Edgar'sinabilittyo behaveas a goodrepublicanreadershouldis
causedbyhisinvestmenintthepowerofsympathoyr,themore"per-
fect"communicatiavbeilitieesmbodiedinspeech.Hisconvictiotnhat
Weymoutihs therightfuowl nerofthemoneythatMaryWaldegrave
hasinheritedf,orexamplea,risesnotso muchfromthesensethetale
makesas fromthewayitstellerlooks:

His storyh,adthouobservedthefeatureasndguizeoftherelater,
wouldhavewonthyimplicictreditH. iscountenanceexhibitedeep
tracesoftheafflictionhse hadenduredandthefortitudwehichhe
hadexercisedH. e wassallowandemaciatedb,uthiscountenance
wasfullofseriousnessanddignityA. sortofruggednesosfbrow,

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 7
thetokenofgreatmentaelxertionandvariedexperiencea,rgueda
prematuroeldage. (154)
In Edgar'sview,Weymouthb'sodyspeaksforhim,andthe"argu-
ments"itmakesareatleastas powerfuals thepointsofagreement
betweenhisstoryandEdgar'sownknowledgoefthefactsofthecase.
Weymoutlhookslikea personwhomighthavelivedthroughthe
storyhehastold;thereforfeo,rEdgar,he isthatpersonW. henEdgar
emergesfromthewildernesnseartheendofhisstoryh, e toolooks
thepart,so muchso thatSarsefielsdhrinkisnfearfromhis"hideous
guise"(241).As EdgarrelateshisexperiencetsoSarsefieldh,ehigh-
lightstheeffecotfhisbodilypresenceonthesensationaalspectsof
thetale:
Hiseyestrayednota momenftrommyface.Allmyperilsandfore-
bodingsw, erefreshinmyremembrancteh, eyhad scarcelygone
by;theirskirtss,o tospeak,werestillvisible.No wonderthatmy
eloquencewas vividandpathetict;hatI pourtrayetdhepastas if
itwerethepresentscene;andthatnotmytongueonlyb, utevery
muscleandlimb,spoke.(246)
Edgar'svisionof"eloquencer"eliesupona modelofspeechincarnate;
he assumesthatSarsefieldwillbe convincedbythephysicalitoyf
hisperformancSea.rsefieldh,oweverb,elievesinlogic,notsensation.
Hencehe replies,"Yourtale,Huntlyi,s true,yet,didI notsee you
beforme e,wereI notacquaintedwiththeartlessnesasndrectitudoef
yourcharactera,nd,aboveall,hadnotmyownexperienced,uringthe
lastthreedays,confirmeedveryincidentI,shouldquestionitstruth"
(246).In endorsinEgdgar'snarrativSearsefieldgivesmorecreditto
thewayit fitsin withhis ownpriorknowledgtehanto thepower
ofEdgar'simpassionednarrationE.ven his concessionto Edgar's
presence"beforhe im"isnotanadmissionofhissusceptibilityosen-
sationbutsimplya confirmatitohnatEdgarmusthavesurvivedthis
experiencbeecausehe is theretotellthestoryS;arsefielda,s hehas
justremindeEddgar,is fartoorationatlobelieveinghosts.
Sarsefield'esmphaticpreferencfeorlogicconveysan implicictri-
tiqueofEdgar'sownlisteninagndreadingpracticesI.ntheEnlighten-
ment-inflectheiderarchyofreadingmethodsthe novelappearsto
endorse(thoughappearancesa,s Edgar'sstoryteacheshim,canbe
deceivingE),dgarreadslikea womanJ. ustifyihnigscensorshiopfher

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8 AmericanLiterature
brother'hsereticallettersE,dgartellsMaryWaldegrave",Thou,like
othersofthysex,areunaccustometdometaphysicarl gumentTs.hy
religionisthegrowthofsensibilitayndnotofargument("133).Edgar
hereinvokesMary's"natural"femininienclinatiotnowardsChris-
tianitynottopraisewomanlvyirtuebuttopointoutthesusceptibility
to"pollutioannddepravitys"ucha styleofbeliefengenders.

Mary'sfaithcouldnot,he asserts,enduretherough-and-tumble
worldoflate-eighteenth-centiunrtyellectuadliscourse;sincenoth-
inginherownexperiencwe ouldhavepreparedherforthisstyleof
debate,she wouldbe unableto chooserationallbyetweenideason
thebasis oftheirmeritsandwouldend a "fallen"woman.Indeed,
itwas thisverypossibility-thleinkbetweentheseductivenesosf
readingandactualseduction-thaatlarmedopponentosfthenovelin
theearlyAmericanrepublic.Y13et,as Edgarrevealsinhisrepeated
assertiontshatMarywillsympathizweithhisstoryh,e andMaryare
muchalike.WhilelistenintgoClithero'sstorya, narratiotnhatoccu-
piesfivechapterosfEdgarHuntlyE,dgarallowshimseltfobe drawn
intothesensationaalspectsofthis"extraordinartya"le;afterwards,
notingthatnothinignhisownexperienche elpshimtointerpreit,he
findhs isjudgmen"tsunkintoimbecilitayndconfusion("91).Edgar's
reactionto Clithero'ns arrativseeemsan allegoryofreadinga novel
suchas EdgarHuntlyIn. deed,Clithero'sstoryparallelsthenovelnot
onlyinitsdetailsbutinthestruggletshataccompanyitstellingl;ike
Edgar,Clitheromustforcehimselfto tellit,andhe interruptshe
narrativaet itsmosthorrifimc omenttso proclaimthedifficultoyf
sayingwhatheknowshe soonwill.AndEdgaris as overwhelmebdy
thephysicalitoyfhisparticipatioinClithero'nsarratioans hehopes
hisreaderwillbe byhisown.

The ironyis,ofcourse,thatevenafterhispauseforreflectio-n
his"deliberataendmethodicala"ttemptto makesenseofClithero's
tale-EdgarstillgetsitwrongH. e "reasons"thatClithero'csonduct
wasjustifiedandactsaccordinglyon; lyafterhis narratiotno Mary
has endeddoes he learnthathe has beenmistakenall along,that
Clitherios indeed"a maniac"(290).Thismisreadingu,ncoveredonly
inthenovel'sepistolaryepilogueh, as direconsequencesI.fa story
suchas Clithero'scannotbe "sensibly"readevenafteritspower-
fullyimmediatiemageshavefadedt, henwhatis tobe saidofEdgar
HuntlyP?erhapsonlya readersuchas Sarsefieldcouldmanageit,if
hecouldbe inducedtoreaditatall.

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 9
But even Sarsefieldcannotfullycontainthe contagiouseffects
Edgar'sreadingpracticesset in motionA. lthoughhis republican
rationalitayccordshimthestatusofthenovel'smostmaturereader,
in theendSarsefieldis also absorbedintothewaveofembodying
identificatiothnatsweepsthroughthe narrativeE.dgar'sletterre-
portingtheperilinwhichhismisreadinogfClithero'csharactehr as
placedMrs.Sarsefieldcauseshertohavea miscarriaged,estroying
Sarsefield'hsopesforprogenyIn. hisresponseto thatletterS,arse-
fieldchastisesEdgarforputtingthisinformatioin a placewhere
his wife(as nervousa characteras JosephDennie'shypothetical
hypochondriacco)uldsee itandemphasizintghedifficultoyfkeep-
ingsensationasltoriesfromreaderslikelyto be adverselyaffected
bythem.Cruciallyi,t is notEdgar'sactionsbuthis narrationthat
doesthedamage,andSarsefield'fsinaladviceforEdgarreadsas a
proscriptioangainstthestylistiecxcessesthatmarktherestofthe
novel.Foritis notEdgar'sshortu, ncharacteristicarlleyservedfirst
letterw, hichcontaintshesimpleinformatitohnatClitherios enroute
totheirhome,thatterrifieMs rs.Sarsefieldintomiscarriageb,uthis
second,whichcontainsa graphicandwhollycharacteristdicescrip-
tionofhisfinaelncountewr iththelunaticsomnambulisItn.contrast,
Sarsefieldeclinesto "tortur[eEdgar's]sensibilityb"ydwellingon
thedetailsofClithero'asrrest(293).Thisrefusatlo engagein nar-
rativequidproquoappears,at theendofthenovel,to be theonly
remaininrgemedyfortheplagueofsensationasltorytellintghat-
initsinsistenceon embodyintghereader/listener-harsesultedin
suchunproductivoer,moreaccuratelyan, tireproductievfefects.
Edgar,howeveri,nsiststhroughouotn boththe productivitoyf
storytellinangdthepoweroffeelingT.he storiesthatgettoldinthe
noveldoproducesomethingb,utwhattheyproduceis whollyoutof
linewiththeidealofreason.Specificallyth, eyproducebodies:fully
embodiedbodies,orwhatI wouldcallcarnalbodies,bodieswhose
desiresexceedthepossibilitoyfcontrolA. nddespiteEdgar'smost
murderouesfforttsh, esebodiescannotbe containedt;heyreturnto
hauntSarsefield'rsationarlepublicanworldjustas theGothicflour-
ishesofEdgar'snarrativsetylecontinuteohaveeffectesvenafterhis
ownstoryends.Thespecterofthecarnalbodyu, nlikethe"ghosts"of
RadcliffeG'sothicc,annotbe explainedawayrationalliynthisnovel's
denouemenItt.canonlybe (rationallyw)arnedagainst.
The excess ofthebodyand itspleasureshauntsEdgar;he con-

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10 AmericanLiterature
fessestoreadingnovelsandbodies,andtheperusalofeachseemsto
supplyhimwithsomethinmg orethanhe canconvertorationaulse.
Waldegrave'hsereticallettersw, hichdescribea perilouslymaterial,
evencarnalphilosophyar,epreservedintactbyEdgar,despiteWalde-
grave'sinsistenceo,ncehe has outgrownthisantifaithth, atEdgar
destroythem:

I wouldnotconsenttothissacrificeI. didnotentirelyabjurethe
creedwhichhad,withgreatcopiousnesasndeloquenceb, eende-
fendedintheselettersB. esides,mixedupwithabstracrteasonings,
werenumberlespsassageswhichelucidatedthecharactearndhis-
toryofmyfriendT. hese weretoo preciousto be consignedto
obliviona,nd to takethemout oftheirpresentconnectionand
arrangemenwt,ouldbe tomutilataenddeformthem.(133)
Edgaranthropomorphitzheseletterisnordertopreventtheir"sacri-
fice", placinghisattachmenttoWaldegrave'csopiouseloquenceand
his"charactearndhistorya"bovethepracticaul selessnessofthelet-
ters,whichare,inWaldegrave'esstimatel,ikestoredpoison.Indeed,
Edgar'sinvestmenint sympathhyi,sfondnesfsorverbalintercourse,
andhispleasureinnatureallspringi,nhisaccountf, romthefriend-
shipsofhis formativyeearswithSarsefieldandWaldegravet,hose
twoexemplarpyedagogueswhoseappearanceisnthestoriestoldby
ClitheroandWeymoutahddgreatlytoEdgar'sinteresitnthemY. et
Edgar'srecollectionoftheseyouthfualttachmentsseems,likehis
preservatioonfthelettersp, reciselyto havemissedthepointthat
thesefriendus rgeduponhim-thatsuchexchangeswereintended
primariltyo makehim"usefulto his country,n"otattachedto his
interlocuto(r1s51).UnmarrieadndunemployedE,dgaris suspended
betweentherecentpastofaffectionabterotherhooadndthe"patri-
archalscheme"thatsurroundhsim.His refusatlo movebeyondthis
adolescentperiodand submitto the disciplinesofadulthood-re-
flectedinhiscontinuinogbsessiona,gainstall advice,withthecause
ofWaldegrave'dseath-leaveshimopentofeelinginwhatbecomes,
ultimatelayc,orporealleyndangerinwgay.
This susceptibilittyo sentimenits highlighteidnthenovel'sfirst
scene,as Edgarfindhs imselifnvoluntarialtytractetdoa strangerH.is
bodyactsindependentolyfhiswill,in directresponseto theother
man,whoturnsouttobe Clithero":Everynewaccentofthemourner
struckuponmyheartwithadditionaflorcea,ndtearsfoundtheirway

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EdgarHuntlayndtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 11
spontaneousltyo myeyes" (11).This is, ofcourse,theverymodel
ofwhatEdgarcalls"sympathyH."e fantasizelsaterinthetaleabout
thebenevolenetffecttshatreturnintghissympathmy ighthave:"if
wordswereimpotenatnd argumentws erenugatoryy,etto set by
himinsilence,to moistenhishandwithtears,to sighinunisont,o
offehrimthespectacleofsympath.y.. couldnotfailtobe ofbenign
influence("106).

Edgar'scharacteristpicreferencfeorincarnatsepeechishereimag-
inedas a healingcommunicatitohnatreliesuponthepowerofmingled
tearsandsighs.His initiala,ffectivreelationto Clitherpo recedesthe
mimicryofClithero'esxperiencenotedabove,butitis perhapsthe
exchangeoffluidbs etweenthemthatdoesthedamageinthenovel's
accountF. orhisfirsetncountewr ithClitherois emphaticallcyarnal;
thatis to say,Clithero'bs odyis highlightefdoritsownsake.Just
beforehis involuntaroyutbursotfaffectE,dgarhas remarked"the
shapeofa man,tallandrobust"diggingin theearthat thesiteof
Waldegrave'dseath(10).His descriptioonfthatshapefurthehrigh-
lightsitsoutlines":somethinlgikeflannewl aswraptroundhiswaist
and coveredhis lowerlimbs.The restofhis framewas naked.A
figurer,obustandstrangea,ndhalfnaked,to be thusemployeda,t
thishourandplace,was calculatedto rouseup mywholesoul" (10).
ThoughEdgar'ssoulis presumablmy ostarousedbythecoincidence
ofthisbehaviorwithWaldegraveu'snsolvedmurderh,isemphasison
thesheerbodilinesosfClithero'bsody-twicerobustandtwicenaked
withina fewsentences-remainisnexcessofthisconnectionIn. deed,
Clithero'bsodyappearsas excessinthescene;as Edgarapproaches
him,he realizesthatClitherois sleepwalking-thaisttosay,thathe
is a bodyrunawaywithitself.

As Edgarpursuesthisbodyin orderto extractitsstoryh, e falls
victimtothesameconditioonfbodilyexcess.He becomes,ofcourse,
a sleepwalkerb,utthatis the least ofhis problemsh; is storybe-
comesthestoryofhisownimperilebdodyo, rrathero,fhisbodyand
itsaccompanyinpgerils.Manycriticshavenotedtheresemblances
betweenEdgarHuntlyandcolonialisatccountsofIndiancaptivity.14
These similaritiegso beyonda mereincorporatioonfsomeofthe
detailsandthemesofthesetales;EdgarHuntlyis itselfa captivity
narrativet,houghofa differensotrt.AlthoughEdgaris at no point
in thenovelimprisonebdyIndians,he is captivatedbythecarnal
body,muchas he hopesthereaderwillbe byhisnarrativAe.ndthe

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12 AmericanLiterature
referenftorthatbodyinthisnovelis thebodyoftheIndian,a body
thatEdgarconflatews iththenotionofviolenceA. fternotingthatfour
"brawnyandterrifficiguresl"iebetweenhimandtheentrancteothe
cave (172),Edgarreflectusponthedeathofhismotherandfatherat
thehandsofa bandofIndians": Youwillnotbe surprizedthatthe
fateofmyparentsa,ndthesightofthebodyofoneofthesavageband,
who,in thepursuitthatwas madeafterthem,was overtakenand
killeds,houldproducelastingandterrificmagesinmyfancyI.never
lookedupon,orcalleduptheimageofa savagewithousthuddering"
(173,emphasisadded).Thefour"brawnyI"ndianswhoblockEdgar's
escapedo notsimplystandinfortheidea ofviolencer; athert,hey
standinforthebodyofa priorIndianthatis theideaofviolencein
Edgar'sfancya,n ideaso strongas to causehimtoreactphysically.
Thusitis nosurpristehatthedeathofhisfriendWaldegravew,hich
setsinmotiontheeventsofthenovel,shouldintheendbe ascribed
tothebloodlusotfa "sanguinaryIn" dian.

JaredGardnerhas recentlyshownthatBrownusesEdgarHuntly's
devastatindgepictionofIndianstodemonstratehemakingofproper
AmericansA.s Gardnerobserves",[t]heAmericanIndian(andmore
generallyt,hesavage) embodieshere (andin thebroaderpolitical
discourseoftheperiod)a wholearrayofthreattsothenation-from
thealiento,mosttroublinogfall,theun-AmericaAnmerican".15Yet
itis crucialtorecogniztehatincontemporarwyritintgheIndianem-
bodiedthesethreatsp,reciselyas a bodys,pecificallays a primitively
disorderedand disorderinbgody.The genealogyofthisimageof
theIndianis a longone,extendinfgromsixteentha-ndseventeenth-
centuryaccountsoftheIndianas cannibalp,rofligataen, dsodomite,
to the"bloodthirstsyavage"oftheIndianwars,to themythofthe
"naturaml an"popularwithRevolutionarWyarwriters.B1r6own'cson-
temporarieisn, contrastt,endedto insistupontheIndians"' loveof
indolence,t"heirrefusatl o farmorto labor,andtheirlackofsub-
missionto anydevelopedsystemoflaws;at the same time,they
pointedouttheIndianse' xceptionaplhysicaalndemotionahlarden-
inginpreparatiofnorthehuntM. ostnotablyt,heyemphasizedIndian
excesses-the extremesofheatand coldto whichtheywereaccus-
tomedandthesupposedboundlessnesosftheIndianappetitfeorwild
meat,forrum,andforpreyB. ytheendofthecenturythese"habitual
excesses"werecastless as theresultofIndianlivingpracticesthan
as a naturaalndinherenctonditiona,nticipatintghethorougrhacial-

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 13
izationofthebodythatwouldtakeplace in thenineteentchentury
throughthesuccessivesciencesofphrenologayndbiology.

The Anglo-Americiamn ageoftheIndian,then,oscillatedinthis
periodbetweentwoaccountso,neofwhichheldthattheIndianhad
chosenthelifeofthebody,andtheotherthatthelifeofthebody
had chosentheIndian;bothwereincompatibwleiththerationalist
demandto renouncetheprimalexcessesofthebody.Againstthis
oscillationthefigureoftheIndianin EdgarHuntlyappearsas the
originarsyourceofthe"pollutioannddepravityt"hatspreadsacross
thenovel-thatis, carnalityitselfA. s I havenoted,Edgar'scarnal
odysseybeginswiththesightofClithero'ms ute,half-nakebdody.
Clithero'gsarbinthissceneis apparentlmy eanttocalluptheimage
ofanIndianb, uttosaythatClitherois dressedlikean Indianis also
to saythathe is "imperfectlydr"essed,thathisoutfihtighlighthsis
bodyC. lithero'ssomnambulisttircansvestisrmevealsthelogicofsub-
stitutioantworkinthenovel:notonlyis an Irishmanas goodas an
Indiana,s Gardnerpointsout,butalso,andcruciallya,n Indianis as
goodas a body-anda bodya,s such,is (upto)nogood.

It is alsonoaccidenthatthistransubstantiati(oIrnishimmigrant
intoIndianintocarnalityitself)occursat thesiteofthenarrative
substitutioonfClithero'storyforEdgar's.ForEdgar'sinitialcuri-
osityaboutClithero'ms ysterioums idnighatctivitiebsecomesfirsatn
obsessionandthena transformatiloink;eClitherohe becomesboth
sleepwalkerand murdererh;e is, indeed,absorbedintoClithero's
storyE. dgardoesn'tlackfortroublesbeforehe runsintoClithero:
hisfriendis dead;hisfianceet,hatfriend'ssistera,ppearstobe preg-
nanta; ndhehimselhfasnoemploymennto,propertyan, dnoparents.
Indeed,all he has is his ownexperienceanda fewskills-notably,
boxmakingandstorytelling-anwdhatheproducefs romthatexperi-
enceprovidesufficiendtistractiofnromhistroublesc,onvertinhgis
lackofa securepositioninthesocialworldintoa prolongeedngage-
mentwithmalebodies,includinhgisown.He makesofhisbodyan
absorbinsgtory.

AsEdgarframeist,heproceedsfromabsorbintghetalesofthetwo
strangemenhe meetstoconsuminogtherstrangebodies.His exces-
sivebodilyneedsdo battlewithhiswillthroughouhtisthreedaysin
thewildernessa,ndthisconflicntearlyannihilatehsissubjectivithye;
becomes,infact,almosterminalleymbodiedU. ponwakingupinthe
cave,hisbodyachingandsore,he feelsa hungerso "ferocioust"hat

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14 AmericanLiterature
itthreatentso destroyhimbytemptinhgimto"bitethefleshfrom
[his]arm"anddrinkhisownblood.Thishungerbothconvincehs im
thathisperceptionasrerealandcompelshimtomurderoufsantasies:
"I ponderedonthedelighItshouldexperiencienrendingsomeliving
animalto pieces,anddrinkinigtsbloodandgrindingitsquivering
fibrebsetweenmyteeth"(164).Edgar'sdesirec, onveyedinthemost
gruesometermspossible,is notmerelyforfoodbutforthephysical
pleasureofconsumingit;to allayit he eats his ownclothingand
drinkshissweat.Oncehisfantasiehs avebeenfulfilleadndhishun-
ger satisfiedbyconsumingthebodyofthepantherhe has killed,
he againalmostdies,thistimeofagonizingstomachcrampsB. oth
timesa, torturoussensationoriginatiningtheverycenterofhisbody
spreadsoutwardtothreatentheentireorganismD.rivenmadbyhis
stomachpains,Edgardesperatelwy isheshe couldremovethesource
ofthosesensations.

Ofcoursethedesiretotearone'sowninsidesoutis notrational;
yetit is preciselywhatrationalityin, itsinsistenceon suppressing
thebodyr, equires.1E7dgarmanagestoavoidterminaslelf-absorption
byinterposinagseriesofotherbodiesbetweenhis sensationsand
himselfH. e projecths isself-destructidveesireontothebodiesofthe
Indianshe meetsand murdersa,nd aftertheyare gonehe writes
theletterthattearstheinsidesoutofMrs.SarsefieldR. ationalizing
carnalitiys noeasybusinessinBrown'snovelb, utitdoesgiveEdgar
a formofemployment.

YetEdgar'smanagemenotfhiscarnalappetitecsallsintoquestion
theverypurposeof"naturei"tselfT. he needsofthenaturabl odylead
him,as helamentsi,ntosomeratherunnaturablehavior":Myhunger
hadarrivedatthatpitchwhereallfastidiousneasns dscruplesareat
an end.... Ifthis appetitehas sometimessubdued the sentiments
ofnaturea,ndcompelledthemotherto feeduponthefleshofher
offsprinigt,willnotexciteamazementhatI didnotturnfromthe
yetwarmbloodandreekingfibresofa brute"(167).Thisrationaliz-
ingexplanatioonfhis ownunnaturablehaviorcomparesEdgarto a
motherfeedinguponthebabieswho"naturallym" ightfeedoffher,
justas Edgarkilledthepanthetroprevenittsfeedingoffhim-an act
thatwouldbe,as he observess,implypartofthebrute'snatureB. ut
theorderofthisfiliatioins calledintoquestionbyEdgar'smorbid,
panther-flesh-induencecdountewr ithindigestionw,hichagonizingly
contorthsisbodyandeventuallkynockshimunconsciouosnceagain.

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 15
Edgarawakensfromthissleepfeelingrefresheadndlessfeeblea,nd
he convinceshimselfthatnaturehas set thingsin orderafterall.
Butthebodyhe awakensintois sheerlycarnalb, loodthirstayn,deffi-
cientlylethalt; hepanthehr as,ina sense,givenbirthtohim.Edgar's
panther-fuelterdansubstantiatimonarksa violentdisorderinogfhis
bodyo, nethatheinsistentlcyonnecttsothefiguroeftheIndian:

I hademergedfromabhorredarknessintheheartoftheearth,
onlytoenduretheextremitieosffaminaendencountetrhefangsof
a wildbeast.FromtheseI wasdeliveredonlytobe thrownintothe
midstofsavages,towageanendlessandhopelesswarwithadepts
inkillingw; ithappetitetshatlongedtofeastuponmybowelsand
quaffmyheart's-blood(2.23-24)
Hisowncarnaldisarrayis castagainst he"appetitest"hatdesirethat
disarrayc,onflatinhgis"heart"-theseatofthesympathiynwhichhe
previousliyndulged-withhisbowels,thesiteofthehorrifiecffects
ofhismostagonizingcarnalindulgenceI.t seemsto makelittledif-
ferencienEdgar'sestimatiotnhathe has bythetimeofthisoutburst
wonthe"endlessandhopeless"warinthisanthropomorphilzaendd-
scapesimplybykillingalltheIndianshe encountereidnthecave,for
hisparticipatioanlonereflectas fundamentlaolssofordert: heend-
less andperhapshopelessconflicbtetweenrationalitayndappetite.
Hence,after"piercingwitha bayonett"heprostratbeodyofthelast
ofthatbandofIndiansh, e throwhs imselfonthegroundl,amenting,
"Suchare the deedswhichperversenaturecompelsthousandsof
rationableingstoperformandtowitness!"(202).
Edgar'ssenseofdisorderendatureh, isfeelingofpersecutionan, d
themarkedlaynal-paranotidermsinwhichhe castshisassessmenotf
Indian"appetitesa"ll markthissectionofthenovelas exemplaryof
whatEve KosofskySedgwickcallsthe"paranoidGothic."'1In8deed,
themasculinientensitieosfthenarrativec'sonnections-aversionof
whatSedgwickseesas theparanoid-Gothi"ch'syperchargredelations
betweenmen"-mightcallintoquestiontheverynatureofthe"appe-
tites"beingheredescribedB. utitwouldbe bothanachronistaicnd
reductivteo assertthatthe"real"referenotfEdgar'scarnalityhere
is sexualitya,ndthat"perverse"mustin thiscontextmeanhomo-
sexual-anachronistibcecauseitwouldentailreadingintoBrown's
novela constructiotnhatwouldnot,strictlyspeakinge,mergeuntil
nearlya centuryafteritspublicationan, dreductivbeecauseitwould

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16 AmericanLiterature
limitoa singleregister(althoughsexualitya,s such,is neversimply
singulart)herangeofbodilyexcessesthatplagueandpleasureEdgar
throughoutthenarrativeR.athert,hecarnalitythatravishesanden-
chainsEdgarindexesa rangeofindulgencetshatresonateagainst
sexualitybothin thisperiodand throughoutthefollowincgentury,
andagainsta correspondinrgangeofdisciplinetshatproducedand
orderedtheseindulgenceass, successivelyt,endenciesandtypolo-
gies.1T9he flexibilitoyfthespecteroftheambiguouslcyarnalbody
gaveita purchaseon a varietyoftransgressionths atcirculateda,s
didthedebateovernovelreadingattheturnofthecenturya,round
sexualityand reproductionbu; tthisflexibilitcyouldalso be more
broadlydisseminatedin, relateddiscourseso,verareassuchas race,
employmenrte,ligione,ducationa,ndpartisanship.

To say that"homosexualityis" anachronisticn Brown'sera is,
howevern, otto saythatconcernsabouttheaffectivaenderoticin-
tensitiebsetweenmenwerenotoperativaetthetime,orthattheydo
notsurfacerecognizabliynthenovelf, orneitheroftheseisthecase.
It is simplyto observethat"thehomosexual"as a specifiablteype
wasnotyeta categorytowhichthesetermscouldbe affixedW. hatis
mostobviouslyatissueinEdgar'scharacteris,as I havenoted,his
adolescenltackofsubmissiotnothe"patriarchaslcheme"ofhetero-
sexualityI.t is usefulto bearin mindhereSedgwick'sadmonition
aboutthepoliticsofreadingsexualityintheparanoidGothic:

evenmotiftshatmightex postfactolooklikehomosexuatlhemat-
ics (theUnspeakablet,heanal),evenwhenpresentedina context
ofintensitiebsetweenmen,nevertheleshsaveas theirfirsrteferent
thepsychologyand sociologyofprohibitioannd controlT. hatis
to say,thefactthatit is aboutwhatwe wouldtodaycall"homo-
sexualpanic"meansthattheparanoidGothicis specificallnyot
abouthomosexualosrthehomosexuali;nsteadh, eterosexualitisy
bydefinitioitnssubject.20
In someways,heterosexualitisyindeedEdgarHuntly'subjectb, ut
anythinrgecognizablaes "homosexuapl anic"is absentin Brown's
novel.Rathert,heprojectionofperversittyhattakesplaceinEdgar
Huntlypointsback to the bodyofthe Indian,and the panicthat
circulatesaroundEdgar'suncertainrelationto thatbodyis largely
racial.EventheconventioonftheUnspeakablew, hichforSedgwick
indexesby elisionsomenefariousluynspecified(nefarioubsecause

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 17
unspecifiedb)utpalpablysexualpracticei,s hereemployedwithref-
erenceto Indianness.F2o1rofall thegoryanddisturbinegncounters
thatEdgardetailsforhislong-suffercinogrrespondenit,is onlythe
panther-eatinscgenethatevokesnarrativheesitation":I crepttothe
spot. . . . I will not shock you by relatingthe extremesto which
direnecessityhad drivenme.Nowthatitis pastI lookbackupon
itas on somehideousdreamT. he wholeappearsto be somefreak
ofinsanity"(167). Edgar'sunderspecifieadpproachto thebodyof
this"savage"(a namethathe appliesequallytopantherandIndian)
refusesto describea practicee,atingwildmeatraw,commonliym-
putedto Indians;it is a racial,nota sexual,transgressiotnhathe
cannotbringhimseltfoname.2Y2ettosaythatthehorroorfcarnality
is hereindicatedthroughracialpanicis notto say thatthispanic
wasnotcloselyconnectedtotheconcernoversexualityevidenbt oth
inthedebateaboutnovelreadingandthisnovel;forin someways
theracialpanicthatEdgarHuntlydetailsis also aboutheterosexu-
alityA. s Gardnernotes,concernfortheproperreproductioonfthe
Anglo-Americwanasrepeatedlycitedas justificatiofnorracialpolic-
ingandcontrotlhroughoutthecenturythatfollowedM. oreovert,he
ethicofmasculineself-managemednitsplayedin EdgarHuntlybe-
camea meansthroughwhichthepropermalesubjectdemonstrated
notonlyhis masculinitbyutalso his whitenessh, is industryh,is
purityh,is maturityan, d,finallyh,is heterosexualitEyd.garHuntly
foreshadowtsheemergencoefa flexiblleogicofcontainmenftorthe
plagueofcarnalitywhosereferenits so insistentlryacializedinthe
novelT. hislogiccouldinvokeexileor-as graphicalldyemonstrated
inthenovel-genocidea,s wellas thedisciplininmgechanismosfthe
public-healtmhovementtshatwouldemergeintheearlypartofthe
nineteentchenturym, ovementqsuiteoftenfocusedontheperilously
contingenytouthfublodiesthatEdgarHuntlyemphasizes.23

The contagioucsarnalitythatspreadsoutwardfromthe"savage"
bodyoftheIndianis disseminatedf,ollowintgheformoftheGothic,
bycontactf; orthewildernessurroundinNgorwalkhas had,Edgar
observesi,ts"rudesurfacesometimetsraversedbyRed-men("172)
longbeforeEdgarwandersintoitsinteriorc,omplicatintghemaking
oftheyoungAmericanws hoare supposedto springfromthissoil.
As Sedgwickpointsout,thetransferentlioagl icoftheGothicholds
that"the attributesofthe . .. surface. .. are contagiousmetonymi-
cally,bytouch."This contagionS,edgwicknotes,metaphorizetshe

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18 AmericanLiterature
transferenocfeidentitiews,hichare"socialandrelationarlatherthan
originaroyrprivat"e2.4 FromtheGothicpointofviewt, heno, nemust
"catch"identitfyromsomeoneelse-thereis no otherwayto come
byit.The questionremainswhatkindsofidentityone is goingto
catch;thusthetypesofbodiesonehascontactwithareofparamount
importanceN.earthecloseofthenovelSarsefield'rsefusatlo treat
Clithero'ws oundsis receivedbyEdgarwithdismayb; utSarsefield,
whoseabilityto "manage"theproblemofembodimenits reflected
in his professionas a surgeonno less thanin his Enlightenment
rationalismk,nowsthedangeroutsransferenctehs atcanarisefrom
touch.UnfortunateElyd,garappearsnotto havebeenso selective:
"MyheadreposeduponthebreastofhimwhomI had shotinthis
partofhisbodyT. he bloodhadceasedtoflowfromthiswoundb, ut
mydisheveledlocksweremattedand steepedin thatgorewhich
hadoverfloweadndchoakeduptheorifice"(197).Edgaris steeped
throughoutht ispartofthenarrativienthedisorderleymissionosfthe
carnalbody;thetransferencoefidentityis facilitatedm,oreoverb,y
theopennessofhisownbodya,s justbeforethisswoonhe notesthat
hehimselifsbleedingcopiouslyfroma woundonhischeek.Whilethe
deathsofhisfirsftourIndianvictimasrerationalizeidntermsofself-
defenseandtherescueoftheyounggirlwhomtheyholdcaptiveh, is
fiftmh urdere,nactedsoonafterhe awakensfromthisblood-mingling
swoon,canfindnosuchdefenseandis committefdorrevengealone.
Itisthiskillingm, otivatebdyprimabl loodlustt,hatoccasionsEdgar's
outcryagainst"perversne ature,w" hichhereappearstobehisown-
ortheonehehascontracteidn (andthrought)hestory.

Forifidentitieisn thenovelare contagioubs ysurfacephysical
contactt,heyare also,as notedabove,passed on bythetellingof
storiesB. utitis preciselyEdgar'sattractiotnothephysicaalspects
of oralstorytelling-hiasttachmentto facialexpressionsand the
speechofmusclesandlimbsratherthanthetruthofthenarrative-
thatenablesmeaningtobe transmitteTdh. ese sympatheteicffects,
whichEdgarbelievesaretheonlyvehicleformakingthewholetruth
knowna,llowthestoryto (bodily)absorbthereaderY. ettheyalso
providea pointofmetonymcicontacta, pointof"origint"owhichthe
disorderinrgipplesof"perversityt"hatspreadthroughthenovelare
insistentltyracedI.fEdgar'sproblemsp,re-Clithercoa,nbe summed
up as themisfortunoefhavinga bodyandnopropertyh,isstoryof
thesavagedigressionproducedbyhisencountewr ithClithero'csar-

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 19
nal/alien/Indihanistoryascribesthoseproblemnsottotheperversity
ofhisownexcitablei,maginativaen, dcarnallyattached"natureb" ut
totheruptureasrisingfromtheinterventioonfsoutsidersIn. deedt, he
storyinthisnovelbecomesthebody'salibi-theexplanatiofnorthe
unreasonablperesenceofthecarnalin thepresumablryationaalnd
orderlysocialrealmA. bsorptioinntoa well-tolsdtoryproducesa state
likesleepwalkingin,whichthebodyrunsawaywithitselfi,s outside
allconsciouscontrolI.fwould-bgeoodcitizenEdgarmismanagehsis
bodyi,tisn'thisownfaultt:hestorymadehimdoit.

The body'sinescapableconnectiotnothestorycausesmostofthe
troubleinthisGothicnovelr, ightdowntothesensationaalbortionat
itsclose.EventhewrittesntoriesinthenovelM, rs.Lorimer'ms anu-
scriptandWaldegrave'lsettersa,re sensationaolralperformances-
thatis,theyserveas stand-infsorthebodiesoftheirwritersT.hus,
ratherthanfunctioninags emblemsofdepersonalizevdirtuea,s re-
positorieosfself-evidenantdpoliticallpyroductivteruthst,hemanu-
scriptsbecomesitesofprivateand deeplytroubledidentifications.
ClitherbouriesMrs.Lorimer'ms anuscripats thoughitwerea corpse,
and thecherishedpacketofWaldegrave'lsettersdisappearsmys-
teriouslyfromEdgar'sroomjustas Waldegravwe as suddenlyand
mysteriouslryemovedfromEdgar'slife.Treatingthemanuscripts
as privatelyfetishizedobjectsratherthantextsforrationadl iscus-
sionreinforcetsheprimaryandproblematmic odeofconsumptioonf
storiesinthenovel.Foritis Edgar'sattachmentto theshapesand
surfacesoftales-to themateriaelmbodimenotftheir"storyness"-
thatallowsthemtofunctio(ndangerouslyli)kebodiesas vehiclesfor
cathexisandabsorption.

Anditis preciselythisattachmentthatEdgarhimselfa,ttheopen-
ingofhis narrationa,ttempttso reproducein his reader,affirming
a connectionbetweenthereaderand thestorythatis bothinevi-
tableand interminablBer. own'snovelvigorouslyresistsclosurein
theabsorbingeffectosfitsstructureit,snarrativea,nditsrhetoric.
For althoughthe existenceofthe memoirthatcomprisesmostof
Edgar Huntlyis explainedat itsoutsetas Edgar'scompliancwe ith
thedutyofself-explanatiotnh,isexplanationdoes notaccountfor
thethreelettersappendedto thememoirwithoutexplanationle,t-
tersthatthrowthe verypossibilityofterminatioin todoubt.Nor
do thelettersthemselvebsringthingsto a close,eventhoughthe
finalone is pennedby SarsefieldA. lthoughthisletterreportsthat

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20 AmericanLiterature
Clitherohasdrownedm, akingitseemthecharacterasrefinallysafe
fromhiscontagioudsepravityth, ereader'sfaithinthisendingmay
be shakenifsherecalls,as BeverlyLyonClarkpointsout,thatEdgar
also appearedtohavedrownedearlierinthenovel,onlytoresurface
aliveina differenpltace.2S5cenesarejustas "contagiousa"s charac-
ters,accordingtoClark,andwhentheyrubup againstoneanother,
transferencecsan happen.Ironicallyt,hevehicleforthispotential
episodictransference-thoenethatmostthreatenpsrospectfsorthe
charactersr'eturntorationaelxistence-isSarsefieldw,howitnesses
bothscenes.Sarsefieldm, oreoverla,mentsinthatletterthathisown
bodyis notquiteas securelysealedoffas he wouldlike:Clithero's
escape can be attributetdo Sarsefield'oswnfailureas a jailer,"a
provincwe hichrequiredan heartmoresteeledbyspectaclesofsuf-
feringandtheexerciseofcrueltyt,hanminehadbeen"(293).Since
evenSarsefield'ismperfectelynclosedbodycan becomeimplicated
intheplagueofcarnalcontagionit, appearsthatnoreadingpractice,
howeverationalc,anfullyimmunizoeneagainstembodiment.

EdgarHuntly'psrosealsorefusetsoallowthereadertoadopteven
thepretenseofa rationalS,arsefield-lipkoesitioni;nitsemphasison
sensationalismE,dgar'snarrationinsistson absorbing-andhence
embodying-threeaderuntilthefinaml omentr,efusintgoallowher
toseparateherselfromherexperiencoefhisexperienceinorderto
understanidt.Edgarhimselfeelsthetellingofhisstoryas a physi-
callypainfusltrugglbeetweensensationandnarration"O: neimage
runsintoanothers,ensationsucceedinso rapida traint,hatI fearI,
shallbe unabletodistributaendexpressthemwithsufficienpterspi-
cuityA. s I lookback,myheartis soreandacheswithinmybosom"
(159).YetthispainfunlarratiohnastakenplacedespiteEdgar,outside
theregulationofhiswill.As he notesinthefinalparagraphosfhis
memoirt,hebookhasbeenwritte"ninsensiblya,l"mostas thoughthe
narrativietselfweresleepwalking(281).Howcan thereadermake
senseofa bookso "insensiblyw"rittenS?ince,as Edgarnotesatthe
openingofhisnarrativeh,isobjecthas beennotonlyto explainhis
experiencebutalso to reproduceit in his reader,thepointis not
simplyitsoutcomebutalsothestoryitselfT. he readerknowsa,fter
all,thatEdgarhassafelysurvivedwhenshebeginsthenovelf, orhow
elsecouldhebe tellinghisstory?

Thereis,howevera,nadvantagienthesecuritythatthisknowledge
offerfsromthebeginningit: allowsthereadertofocusherattention

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 21
onthestoryitselfE. dgarmakesa similarpointwhen,comingupon
thefigureofan Indianfrombehind,he remarksthatthisposition
enableshimto"distinctlsyurveyhisgigantifcormandfantastiocrna-
ments"(174).Thereadert,oo,entersthenarrativferombehind-that
is, afterEdgar'sexperiencehas (presumablye)nded-and she too
can see itsformandornamentsH.ereformandornamentasmount
tomoreorlessthesamething-theemphasisonbodies(bothofthe
carnalcharacterasndtheGothicreader)fortheirownsakes.Forthe
Indianso' rnamentasrepartoftheirbodies,as Edgarrevealswhenhe
notestheirlegs scoredinto"uncouthfigures"t;heseare indeed,as
Gardnernotes,a formofwritinognthebodyS. imilarlyth, e"fantastic
ornamentso"ftheGothicnovelaretheeffects-threhetoricafllour-
ishes-thatallowittowriteitsdetailonthebodyofthereaderI.tpays
insistenatttentiotnographicdetailinordertoleavethereader"mat-
tedandsteepedingore"totheveryrootsofherhair,a conditiotnhat
Sarsefield'lsastword-whichcallsformore,notfewers,pectaclesof
sufferinagndcruelty-doesnothintgoremedy.

Paul Witheringtosnuggestssomethingsimilarin his rhetorical
analysisofEdgar Huntlyas a "testingoutofformsn" otnecessarily
subjugatedtoanyparticulaproliticaolrliteraryends.He arguesthat
thenarrative'"srhythmicalelpyisodicstructurew, hichresistsany
particula'rstatement,"i's reproducedat thelevelofitssentences,
whichpileclauseontoclausemoreforthepleasureofparallelismthan
forthesake ofmeaningE. venEdgar'ssentencessleepwalka,dding
phrasesthatturnintopagesand"consumeweeksandfillvolumes"
(281) butrefuseto add up to anythinrgationalY. etWitherington
himselfw, hois finelyattunedtoEdgar Huntly'saestheticprojecti,n
theend enforcesa versionofSarsefield'csriticalteleologyon the
novelH. e classifieEsdgar'sassertionthat"[t]imeandreasonseemed
to havedissolvedthespellwhichmade [him]deafto thedictates
ofdutyanddiscretion("8) as an exampleofthenovel's"lamentable
excesses":"Herethesenseis obscuredbyalliteratioanndwordiness,
andthisexamplemakesonewonderifthedeafnessEdgarclaimsto
have cast aside mightnothavebeen absorbedbyBrown."2E6ven
as WitheringtoanrguesthatBrown's"testingoutofforms"should
notbe readas necessarilyleadingtowardanythingh,e enforcetshe
"dictatesoftimeandreason"on thissentencein his protestagainst
theinsistenatndsense-obscurinmgaterialitoyftherhetoricY.etthe
truthofthissentenceis thatit is false;Edgaris mistakenh; e has

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22 AmericanLiterature
neithercastasidethisdeafnesns orsucceededinreenterintgheworld
oftherationaslo soonafterWaldegraved'seatht; husheissusceptible
toabandonin"gdutyanddiscretiono"ncemoreaftercatchingsightof
ClitheroA. ndifthisis the"sense"thatthesentencemakes-thatis,
thatEdgaris notsensible-whyshoulditnotperformpreciselywhat
itdescribes?

The pointofEdgarHuntlymayfinallybe thattherescarcelyis
one.The batteringrepetitionofits alliterationit,s "wilderingand
mazy"syntaxa,nditsoverlongandovercrowdesdentencesall con-
spiretokeepthereader"inthatstatetowhichtheframeis reduced
byblowsofa club,mercilesslyandendlesslyrepeated"(160)-the
stateinwhichEdgarfindshimselaffterhisfallintothecave-pitB. ut
thisis,again,itsprojectn: otto aid thereaderto sensebuttogoad
hertowardsurrenderto, wardtheshudderydissolutioinnwhichthe
bodyis senselesslygivenoverto sensationA. nycriticalprojectis
ultimatelayrationalisotne,andthelastwordonrationalismis spo-
ken,ofcourse,bySarsefield":Consciousnesistselfis themaladyt;he
pest;ofwhichhe onlyis curedwhoceasestothink"(277).Although
Sarsefieldintendsthisstatementto referto Clithero'isrrationality,
Witheringtorneadsit as standinginforthecentrapl roblemfacing
theartist":Howcan onecreatewhentheultimatcereationbegsto
be theobliteratioonftheevilsandfalsitieosfconsciousnesistself?"27
Sarsefieldh,oweverh,as alreadyansweredthisquestionb: yceasing
to thinkB. ut to presumethatthisreplymeansthatdeathis the
remedythenovelendorsesis toequatethinkinwgithconsciousness
andconsciousnesws ithexistence-tofallbackintorationalismA.nd,
contrartyo whattraditionraleadingsofthenovelwouldlead one to
expect,Edgar'smostpainfu"lfall"is notthefallintopuresensation
butintorationatlhoughtH. isleasttroubledmomentasrethosewhen
he ceasestothinkA. fterhe wakesupinthecave,he reflects":I was
consciousf,ora time,ofnothinbgutexistenceI.twasunaccompanied
bylassitudeor pain,butI feltdisinclinedto stretchmylimbs,or
raisemyeyelidsM. ythoughtws erewilderinagndmazy,andthough
consciousnesws aspresenti,twasdisconnectewdiththeloco-motive
orvoluntarpyower"(159).Edgar'stransitiofnromthispainlessstate
tothetraumandgorethatsubsumetherestofthenovelis enacted
whenhe againbeginsto makethoseconnections-tomoveandto
thinkT. hisscenariois repeatedatanotherofEdgar'sbriefrespites,
whenhe stopsto gaze at a waterfalalndgloryinthebeautyofthe

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 23
woodsT. here,herecalls",I ponderedfora whileonthesestupendous
scenes.Theyravishedmyattentionf,ora time,fromconsiderations
relatintgomyselfb;utthisintervawl asshorta,ndI begantomeasure
thedescent,in orderto ascertainthepracticabilitoyftreadingit"
(214).His returnto practicacl onsiderationms eets,ofcourse,with
"bitterdisappointmenth":ereappearsto be no wayout,andeven-
tuallyd, rivenby necessityE,dgarplungesrightintotheravishing
"scene,"immersinhgimselfin thewaterfalalnd avoidingdrowning
bymerechance.

Edgar'sattempttsomakenature'sornamentfalormservehisown
pragmatipcurposesarevexedandoftentortuoust,hecauseofmany
ofthenarrative'ms ostpainfuml omentsI.t seemsdisappointment
canbe avoidedinthistaleonlybyceasingto thinkb,yallowingits
rhetoritco"ravish"one'sattentionEd. garHuntlyimplicitlcyonfirms
theantinoveplolemicistsw' orstfearsaboutthegenre;itsmostir-
resistiblienvitatiotnothereaderis to abandonthestrugglteoward
narrativ"etrutha"ndsimplygetintotheview.

Ofcourse,eveninmyreviewofthewaysinwhichEdgar Huntly's
pleasuresconfoundits utilityI, wouldnotsuggestthatthe novel
was notreadforits"use-valueb"yBrown'scontemporarieFso.rthe
Gothicnovelwas,in fact,instrumentaliziendtheearlyAmerican
republicB. yteachingitsreaderswhatto fearandhowto fearit,it
proveditselfcongeniatloschemesofmoraleducationmeanttobring
theselessons"home."28Nordo I believethatBrownsaw himself
as writingnovelsthatwouldhavebeentermed"depraveda"ndni-
hilisticinhis day.In his criticawl ritingBsrownadvocateda "use"
forfictionthatchanneledits captivationtsowardthediscoveryof
highertruthsY. etas Critowarnsin "A Student'sDiary,"thereis
somethinignliteraryeloquencethatultimatellyimitsitsusefulness.
In his ownnovels,thatsomethinwg orksto turnrationalitaygainst
itselfandsubordinatietto thebodyand itsdesires.LikeClithero,
Edgar Huntlystruggleasgainstapprehensiotno thelast,andtomiss
thatpointopensthereaderto thekindsofdisappointmesnutffered
byWitheringtoandothercriticsa,nddissipatesmostofthenovel's
enjoymentF.oralthoughEdgar Huntlycan andhas beenrationally
reador"used,"sucha readingdoesnotcomewithouittscosts.After
Edgar'smealofrawpantherh,e realizesthatthenearfatalstomach
pangshe sufferewdereactually"a usefulefforotfnaturetosubdue
andconvertonourishmentht ematterI hadswallowed"(168).The

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24 AmericanLiterature
powerofrationalismis strongenoughtotameeventhebodyofa wild
bruteonceEdgarhas consumedit;thisusefulprocessalmostkills
him,howevera,ndhe declaresthatifhe hadknownbeforehan"dthe
pangsto which[his]ravenousandbloodymealwouldgivebirth,"
he wouldneverhavebegunit (168).Andso itis withBrown'snovel:
makingsenseofit,ultimatelmy,akeslittlesense.
CornelUl niversity

Notes
I wouldliketo thankLaurenBerlantK, atherinBe iers,PeterCovielloa,nd
JoelPortefortheirencouragincgommentosnearlierdraftosfthisessay.
1 Leander[pseud.],MassachusettMsagazine,November1791,662-64;

quotedinG.HarrisonOrians",CensureofFictioninAmericanRomances
andMagazines1,789-1910,P"MLA52 (March1937):198.
2 JosephDennie,"TheLayPreacher",ThePortFolio,15July1803,226.
3 CharlesBrockdenBrown",TerrifiNcovels,"TheLiterarMy agazineand
AmericaRnegisteAr,pril1805,399.
4 See CathyN.DavidsonR, evolutioanndtheWordT: heRiseoftheNovelin
America(NewYorkO: xfordUnivP. ress,1986),especiallychap.4,foran
incisivereadingofthedebateoverthenovelinrelationtothepoliticsof
gender.
5 CharlesBrockdenBrown",AStudent'sDiary,"TheLiteraryMagazine
andAmericaRnegisteMr,arch1804,403-5.
6 It was preciselysucha rationalisrtelationto textsthatcharacterized
printcultureintheRevolutionarpyeriod,as MichaelWarner'srecent
LetterosftheRepublidcemonstrateWs.arnearrguesthatrepublicaindeol-
ogyemphasizedtheinstrumentaloitfyprintedobjectsv, iewingthemas
themetonymeicmbodimenotfthepublicsphereP. ublicatiownasasso-
ciatedwithimpersonalnesrsa,tionalitayn,ddisinteresteddedicationto
thenationawl elfareI.n thedecadesfollowintgheRevolutionh,owever,
theemergencoefmarkectapitalisme,xacerbatebdytheexcessesofthe
FrenchRevolutionp,lacedtherepublicaindealofa self-regulatirnegad-
ingpublicunderincreasinsgtress;thedebateoverthepublicfunction
ofthenovelepitomizedtheseconcernsW. hileearlyAmericannovels,
as Warnershowsthroughhis readingofBrown'sArthuMr ervynd,id
makegesturetsowardpublicityn,ovelreadingtendeda,tthesametime,
to inducereaderstoward"a privateappropriatio[onfa character'esx-
periences]thatis tangiblyimaginary"s;ee WarnerT, heLetterosfthe
RepublicP:ublicatioanndthePublicSpherienEighteenth-CenAtumreyrica
(CambridgeH:arvardUnivP. ress,1990),173.
7 CharlesBrockdenBrown",The Editor'sAddressto thePublic,"The
LiterarMy agazineandAmericaRnegisteOr,ctober1803,5.

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 25
8 The thematiacndstructurhalallmarkosfBrown'sdomesticatioonfthe

Gothichavealreadybeenamplydocumentedse;e,forexampleA, .Robert
Lee, "ADarknessVisible:The Case ofCharlesBrockdenBrown,"in
AmericaHnorroFrictionfromBrockdeBnrowntoStepheKninge, d.Brian
Docherty(NewYork:St.Martin's1,990).See also LeslieFiedlerL, ove
andDeathin theAmericanNovel(NewYork:SteinandDay,1966),and
ScottBradfieldD,reamingRevolutionT:ransgressiionntheDevelopment
ofAmericanRomance(Iowa City:Univ.ofIowa Press,1993),fortwo
divergenatccountsofthelogicthatunderlietshetranslatiobnetween
theEuropeanandAmericanGothicF. orFiedlern, aturea,s a metaphor
forhumannaturei,s substitutefdorsocietyas thesymboolfevilinthe
AmericanGothics,o thattheCalvinisvtiewofuniversadlepravitrye-
placestheimageofa decayingandcorrupatristocracyB.radfielsdees
muchthesame movebeingmade,thoughhis Foucaultiananalyticre-
quiresthepsychologictarl opesoftheAmericanGothictobe continually
translatebdackintoclasstermsM. yownreadingdifferfsromthesein
highlightinthgestylistircatherthaniconographmicarksofGothicismin
Brown'snovelst; akingmycuefromBrownhimselfw,hoadvertisehdis
fictionosnthebasisoftheirabilityto"enchaintheattentioanndravish
thesoulsofthosewhostudyand reflect,I" addresstheGothicnovel
as a genrewhoseravishingeloquenceattempttso producea specific
bodilysensation-fear-inthereaderthrougthheprojectioonfthenar-
ratoras anidenticscreenforthesesensationsT.he Gothicnovel'sprose
producesa particularlsyensationaflormofidentificatiopnr,ioritizing
physicaolvermentaol rintellectucalonnectionth, atis betterconnoted
bythetermabsorptioSne.e CharlesBrockdenBrown'asdvertisemefnotr
Sky-Walqku,otedinTheProfessioonfAuthorshiinpAmericaT: hePapers
ofWilliamCharvate,d. MatthewJ.Bruccoli(AthensO: hioStateUniv.
Press,1968),26.
9 Brown",Editor'sAddress,5".
10 I amnothereattemptinbgy, highlightinthgisconfiguratiotno,callfor
a utopiaofpurepleasuresoutsideall rationaelnds;norwouldI argue
thatthisis whatBrown'fs ictionis really"about."RatherI,simplywant
to pointto thewaysin whichtheprojectofmakingsenseofthenovel,
on theassumptionthatsensationaloneis neverenough,repeatsand
reinforcetshehierarchieosfends-above-mea(nths eproductivoeverthe
pleasurablet,hesocialoverthebodilyt) hatpervadepost-Enlightenment
thinkingT.he extentowhichthisviewhasbeenrecapitulateidncriti-
cismofBrown'sownliterarwy orkis strikingN.inaBaymf, orexample,
sees hisfictionas "flawed,i"mmaturaen, dultimateluynproductivbe-
cause ofitsprivileginogfGothicsensationalismovertragicawe;see
Baym,"AMinorityReadingofWieland,i"n CriticaEl ssayson Charles
BrockdeBnrowne,d. BernardRosentha(lBoston:G. K Hall,1981),87-
103.Ina spiritedresponsetoBaymJ, aneTompkinasrguesthatBrown's
workwasdesignedtohavenotaestheticbutpoliticaelffects;ee "What

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26 AmericanLiterature
Happensin Wieland,i"nTompkinsS,ensationaDlesigns:TheCultural
WorkofAmericanFiction1, 790-1860(NewYork:OxfordUniv.Press,
1985),40-61.YetTompkinismplicitlaycceptsthetermsofBaym'scri-
tiquein insistinugponBrown'sproductivithye;rreadingsimplyshifts
thefieldofproductiofnromartto politicsT. his visionoftheutility
offictionallowsthegenretohavedestabilizinegffectosnlywithinthe
narrativele,avingunchallengetdhepresumablryationali,nstrumental
relationshbipetweenauthort,ext,andreaderI.twas,howeverp,recisely
theinsecuritoyfthisinstrumentaltithyatmotivatepdost-Revolutionary
anxietieasbouttheeffecotfGothicprose.Rationarleadersi,nthisview,
couldnotbe assumed;theyneededtobe producedanddisciplinebdy
mentorssuchas the"matureB"rown.

11 CharlesBrockdenBrownE, dgarHuntlyo,r,Memoirosfa Sleep-Walker
(Kent,Ohio:KentStateUniv.Press,1984),5. Furthercitationosfthe
novelwillbe givenparentheticalilnythetext.

12 See WarnerT,heLetterosftheRepublic,hap.6.
13 As CathyDavidsonpointsout,thesepolemicistasssumeda largely

femaleaudienceforthenovelandworriedthatnovelreadersw' omanly
virtuewouldbe assaultedbytheirexposureto storiesforwhichtheir
ownexperienceosfferendoanalogues;ee RevolutioanndtheWord.
14 See RichardSlotkinR, egeneratioTnhroughViolenceT: heMythologoyf
theAmericanFrontier1,600-1860(MiddletownC,onn.W: esleyanUniv.
Press,1973);JoelPorte,In RespecttoEgotismS: tudiesin American
RomantiWc ritin(gCambridgeC:ambridgUenivP. ress,1991);andSteve
Hammelman",RhapsodisitntheWildernessB:rown'sRomantiQc uest
inEdgarHuntly",StudieisnAmericaFniction21 (autumn1993):171-90.
15 JaredGardner",AlienNation:Edgar Huntly'sSavage Awakening,"
AmericanLiteratur6e6 (September1994):432. Gardnerdistanceshis
astutereadingofthenationalisptarameterosfEdgarHuntlyr'sacialcon-
flictfromprevioucsritiquetshaterasedthenovel'shistoricaslpecificity
byseekingto representthisconflicats a "timeless"onebetweenthe
civilizedindividualndthesavagewithinW. hatthisdistancinugnfortu-
natelyobscuresis thehistoricallsypecificollusionofthefirstconflict
withthesecond-thewaythatemergenrtacialdivisionws erealigned
in theearlyyearsoftheAmericanrepublicwitha call to "American
identityt"hatreadas a calltosupprestsheunrulydesiresofthebodyin
favorofrationalr,epublicavnirtue-aswasvisibleinthedebatearound
thenovel.
16 See SlotkinR, egeneratioTnhroughViolencef,ora moredevelopedver-
sionofthisgenealogyH. ectorSt.Johnde Crevecoeur'Lsetterfsroman
AmericanFarmer(NewYork:Penguin1, 981)andThomasJefferson's
NotesontheStateofVirgini(aChapelHill:Univo. fNorthCarolinaPress,
1995)offetrwoexamplesofthe"naturaml an"mythologaygainstwhich
anti-Indiawnritersat theturnofthecenturyposedtheirpolemicsof
savagery.

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EdgarHuntlyandtheNovel'sReproductivDeisorders 27
17 Alongtheselines,Brownobservedi,nanessaywrittesnevenyearsafter

thepublicatioonfEdgarHuntlyt,hatthegeneralmassofreaderscould
be dividedintotwotypest: hosewhowerecontentomerelyappreciate
theshapeandformofa storyand thosewhoseemphasison a more
functiontayl peoflearningledthemtoapplythemselvetsothetextwith
a kindof"gentlve iolence."He commentisnthiscontexthat"theraven-
ous appetiteofJohnsonforreadingis expressedina strongmetaphor
byMrs.Knowlesw, hosaid,'he knowshowtoreadbetterthananyone;
hegetsatthesubstanceofa bookdirectlyh;etearstheheartoutofit"'
("RemarkosnReading,"TheLiterarMy agazineandAmericanRegister,
March1806,166).
18 See EveKosofskySedgwickT, heCoherencoefGothiCc onvention(Nsew
York:Methuen1, 986),andBetweenMen:EnglishLiteraturaendMale
HomosociaDlesire(NewYorkC: olumbiUa nivP. ress,1985).
19 Significanttlhye,developmenotfindulgencientotendenciyntotypology
canfirstbe tracedi,ntheearlypartofthenineteentchenturya,gainst
thefiguroeftheadolescenotnanistt,heoriginosfwhoseself-abusweere
tracedbothtoimpropecrontactbetweensocialclassesandthesolitary
indulgencoefnovelreadings;ee,forexampleS, ylvesterGrahamL,ec-
turestoYoungMen (ProvidenceR,.I.:WeedenandCorey1, 834).Fora
historyoftheanti-onaniscmampaignin theAmericannineteentchen-
tury,see StephenNissenbaumS,ex,Diet,and DebilityinJacksonian
AmericaS:ylvesteGrrahamandHealthReform(WestportC,onn.:Green-
wood,1980).
20 SedgwickB,etweeMn en,116.
21 See SedgwickT,heCoherencoefGothiCconventions.
22 The impliciatssociationin themid-nineteenctehnturybetween"sav-
age"cannibalismandthatotherUnspeakableh,omoeroticismisd, etailed
in Caleb Crain's"'LoversofHumanFlesh':Homosexualitaynd Can-
nibalismin Melville'sNovels,"AmericanLiteratur6e6 (March1994):
25-53.
23 See NissenbaumS,ex,Diet,andDebilityinJacksoniaAnmericaa,ndBer-
nardWishyT, heChildandtheRepublicT:heDawnofModernAmerican
ChildNurtur(ePhiladelphiUa:nivo. fPennsylvanPiaress,1968).
24 SedgwickT,heCoherencoefGothiCconvention1s4,2.
25 BeverlyLyonClark,"CharlesBrockdenBrown'sContagiousUnreli-
ability,In" ternationFailctionReview8 (summer1981):91-97.
26 Paul Witheringto"n'N, ot My TongueOnly':Formand Languagein
Brown'sEdgarHuntly,i"n Rosenthale,d., CriticalEssayson Charles
BrockdeBnrown1,75,164,177.
27 Witheringto"n'N,otMyTongueOnly",' 181.
28 ShirleySamuelsdevelopsthisargumenitnherRomanceosftheRepublic:
WomenT,heFamilya,ndViolencientheLiteraturoeftheEarlyAmerican
Nation(NewYorkO: xfordUnivP. ress,1996).

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