[sfear]

VATHEK by William Beckford, a short review. Published in 1786 this was Beckford's entry into the arena of Gothic fiction. Presented as a mock tale of the Arabian Nights it was, and some say still is, the pinnacle of its kind becoming so important and influential Byron referred to it as his Bible and gave the European reading audience all the garb and garbage of occidental orientalism. Caliph Vathek and his overbearing mother join forces to seek out power and knowledge not meant for sublunary man from Eblis, the satan of the East. As one would expect such treasures do not come cheap, but mother and son, the heart and soul of one of the most malignant malversations in all literature, seem oblivious to the terms of transaction. By novel's end they find while the devil may hide in the details, perdition flourishes in ignorance.



Devendra Varmas has said, "The Gothic novel appeals to the night-side of the soul." To do this you need a dark novel and parts of VATHEK are too dark to be appealing. Unrelentingly vile and loathsome, I had to stop and read a collection of murder mysteries (by Mary Rinehart Roberts for those interested) to cheer myself up and gather strength to finish it. VATHEK is a novel villains and their villainy, where hell is the hero consummating comeuppance by collecting the coinage of fools. Then sing the readers odes of gratitude with neither shame nor guilt.