Unleashed academics, tutors, and ornamental hermits Alice and Rowan do a deep dive into dark hero archetypes on a semi-weekly basis.
On this episode we consider William Beckford's infamous Vathek (1786).
We discuss the relevant context surrounding the novel, with a particular focus on Beckford's eclectic and eccentric life. We consider Beckford's engagement with a contribution to "orientalism" and the gothic tradition more broadly. Rowan tries to make sense of the fever dream-like plot and Alice considers the various hero types Beckford draws on to represent his Caliph. We also discuss the most interesting character in the novel—Carathis—as another sublime gothic woman.
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Relevant Sources:
Alwan, Muna al. "The Orient “Made Oriential”: A Study of William Beckford’s Vathek." Arab studies quarterly 30, no. 4 (2008): 43–52.
Châtel, Laurent. William Beckford: The Elusive Orientalist. Oxford: Foltaire Foundation, 2016.
Faxneld, Per. "Woman Liberated by the Devil in Four Gothic Novels: William Beckford’s Vathek (1786), Matthew Lewis’ the Monk (1796), Charlotte Dacre’s Zofloya or the Moor (1806) and Charles Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer (1820)." In Grotesque Femininities: Evil, Women and the Feminine, edited by Maria Barrett. Oxford: Interdisciplinary Press, 2010.
Graham, Kenneth. "Beckford's "Vathek": A Study in Ironic Dissonance." Criticism 14, no. 3 (1972): 243–52.
Nussbaum, Saree Makdisi; Felicity. The Arabian Nights in Historical Context: Between East and West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. London: Penguin Modern Classics, 2021.
Thorslev, Peter L. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
Thorslev, Peter L. The Byronic Hero. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1965.
