The Horrors of Oakendale Abbey
Encyclopedia
The Horrors of Oakendale Abbey is a gothic novel by Mrs Carver, written in 1797 http://www.amazon.com/Horrors-Oakendale-Abbey-Mrs-Carver/dp/0976721287 and published, in one volume, by the sensationalist Minerva Press
. It proved particularly popular with the new travelling libraries of the day. A gothic tale of horror, rather than suspense, it centres on the physical and grotesque, rather than on metaphysical terror. A US edition, printed in New York by John Harrisson, was published in 1799.
It tells the story of Laura, a foundling refugee from revolutionary France, her attempted seduction at the hands of Lord Oakendale and her explorations of the haunted Cumberland
abbey
of the title which lead her to stumble upon a den of resurrection men and body snatchers. Unusually graphic in its depiction of death and decay, even by the standards of the day, in terms of its descriptions of the gruesome, it has recently been republished by Zittaw Press http://www.orientalia.org/us/0976721287/The_Horrors_of_Oakendale_Abbey.html. The book owes something to Eliza Parsons
' The Castle of Wolfenbach
although it dispenses with the emotional subtleties of that work.
It was possibly written by Sir Anthony Carlisle
, a well known surgeon. The name of Carver would thus be a play on the name of his occupaation.
Minerva Press
Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century...
. It proved particularly popular with the new travelling libraries of the day. A gothic tale of horror, rather than suspense, it centres on the physical and grotesque, rather than on metaphysical terror. A US edition, printed in New York by John Harrisson, was published in 1799.
It tells the story of Laura, a foundling refugee from revolutionary France, her attempted seduction at the hands of Lord Oakendale and her explorations of the haunted Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of the title which lead her to stumble upon a den of resurrection men and body snatchers. Unusually graphic in its depiction of death and decay, even by the standards of the day, in terms of its descriptions of the gruesome, it has recently been republished by Zittaw Press http://www.orientalia.org/us/0976721287/The_Horrors_of_Oakendale_Abbey.html. The book owes something to Eliza Parsons
Eliza Parsons
Eliza Parsons was an English gothic novelist. Her most famous novels in this genre are The Castle of Wolfenbach and The Mysterious Warning - two of the seven gothic titles recommended as reading by a character in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey.-Life:Many different speculations have been...
' The Castle of Wolfenbach
The Castle of Wolfenbach
The Castle of Wolfenbach is the most famous novel written by the English Gothic novelist Eliza Parsons. First published in two volumes during 1793, it was one of the seven "horrid novels" recommended by the character Isabella Thorpe to Catherine Morland in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey and...
although it dispenses with the emotional subtleties of that work.
It was possibly written by Sir Anthony Carlisle
Anthony Carlisle
Sir Anthony Carlisle FRCS, FRS was an English surgeon.He was born in Stillington, County Durham, the third son of Thomas Carlisle and his first wife, and the half-brother of Nicholas Carlisle, FRS. He was apprenticed to medical practitioners in York and Durham, including his uncle Anthony Hubback...
, a well known surgeon. The name of Carver would thus be a play on the name of his occupaation.
Sources
- Crime Fiction II: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1749-1990 A Completely Revised and Updated Edition (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities) by Allen J. Hubin (page 134).