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Wolfstein (book)
Wolfstein; or, The Mysterious Bandit is an 1822 chapbook based on Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 1811 Gothic horror novel St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian.
The 1811 novel St. Irvyne, or, The Rosicrucian was republished by John Joseph Stockdale in 1822 following Shelley’s death. Two chapbooks were also published based on the novel. No publication date appeared on the title page.
The first chapbook version was entitled Wolfstein; or, The Mysterious Bandit and was published and printed by John Bailey at 116, Chancery Lane in London in 1822. The chapbook was a condensed version of the novel in 20 pages. The total length was 28 pages including the second story. Chapbooks were meant for popular consumption, serving the same function as a paperback would. The chapbook sold for sixpence.
The story is described on the title page as "A Terrific Romance" with an epigraph by Ossian: "A tale of horror, of murder, and of deeds done in darkness." Added to Wolfstein was the story The Bronze Statue, A Pathetic Tale by another author, Anna Jane Vardill. "The Bronze Statue" had appeared for the first time in print as part of the "Annals of Public Justice" in The European Magazine of May, 1820, signed "V", i.e., Anna Jane Vardill.
The chapbook had a folding, engraved hand-colored frontispiece with the caption: "Deeper grew the gloom of the cavern, darkness seemed to press around them. Suddenly a flash of lightning burst through the abyss followed by thunder that seemed to convulse the universal fabric of nature; & borne on the sulpherous blasts, the prince of terror stood before him. --- page 19." This was a depiction of the final scene: a giant skeleton, a lightning bolt, the corpse of Serena, and the terrified Wolfstein. Under the engraving was the notation: "Pubd. by J. Bailey, 116 Chancery Lane, London."
Like Frankenstein, Wolfstein is the name of a German town in southwestern Germany in the Rhine Palatinate district. Just as there is a Frankenstein Castle, there is also a Wolfstein Castle in Germany. "Frankenstein" in German means "Stone of the Franks", a Germanic tribe. "Wolfstein" means "Stone of the Wolf". German names, locations, and characters are a central theme of Gothic horror literature. The Goths were a Germanic tribe. Sir Horace Walpole developed the Gothic horror story with the publication of his novel The Castle of Otranto in 1764.
The chapbook follows the plot closely of the first section of the novel on the bandits but omits the second pastoral section featuring Frederic Nempere in Geneva.
The name of Cavigni, leader of the bandits, is changed to Stiletto. The name of Megalena is changed to Serena. The name of Ginotti, the Rosicrucian alchemist seeking to find the secret of eternal life, is changed to Barozzi.
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Wolfstein (book)
Wolfstein; or, The Mysterious Bandit is an 1822 chapbook based on Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 1811 Gothic horror novel St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian.
The 1811 novel St. Irvyne, or, The Rosicrucian was republished by John Joseph Stockdale in 1822 following Shelley’s death. Two chapbooks were also published based on the novel. No publication date appeared on the title page.
The first chapbook version was entitled Wolfstein; or, The Mysterious Bandit and was published and printed by John Bailey at 116, Chancery Lane in London in 1822. The chapbook was a condensed version of the novel in 20 pages. The total length was 28 pages including the second story. Chapbooks were meant for popular consumption, serving the same function as a paperback would. The chapbook sold for sixpence.
The story is described on the title page as "A Terrific Romance" with an epigraph by Ossian: "A tale of horror, of murder, and of deeds done in darkness." Added to Wolfstein was the story The Bronze Statue, A Pathetic Tale by another author, Anna Jane Vardill. "The Bronze Statue" had appeared for the first time in print as part of the "Annals of Public Justice" in The European Magazine of May, 1820, signed "V", i.e., Anna Jane Vardill.
The chapbook had a folding, engraved hand-colored frontispiece with the caption: "Deeper grew the gloom of the cavern, darkness seemed to press around them. Suddenly a flash of lightning burst through the abyss followed by thunder that seemed to convulse the universal fabric of nature; & borne on the sulpherous blasts, the prince of terror stood before him. --- page 19." This was a depiction of the final scene: a giant skeleton, a lightning bolt, the corpse of Serena, and the terrified Wolfstein. Under the engraving was the notation: "Pubd. by J. Bailey, 116 Chancery Lane, London."
Like Frankenstein, Wolfstein is the name of a German town in southwestern Germany in the Rhine Palatinate district. Just as there is a Frankenstein Castle, there is also a Wolfstein Castle in Germany. "Frankenstein" in German means "Stone of the Franks", a Germanic tribe. "Wolfstein" means "Stone of the Wolf". German names, locations, and characters are a central theme of Gothic horror literature. The Goths were a Germanic tribe. Sir Horace Walpole developed the Gothic horror story with the publication of his novel The Castle of Otranto in 1764.
The chapbook follows the plot closely of the first section of the novel on the bandits but omits the second pastoral section featuring Frederic Nempere in Geneva.
The name of Cavigni, leader of the bandits, is changed to Stiletto. The name of Megalena is changed to Serena. The name of Ginotti, the Rosicrucian alchemist seeking to find the secret of eternal life, is changed to Barozzi.
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