An Arabian tale
from an unpublished manuscript: with notes critical and explanatory.
by William Beckford, Samuel Henley, Richard Garnett, Samuel Henley, Franz Blei, John Beckford, Giaime Giaime Pintor · 1836
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Vathek is one of the earliest and most influential Gothic novels. Its hero is the Caliph Vathek who renounces Islam in a hedonistic quest for supernatural powers, which leads to his downfall. Beckford's genius was in marrying Orientalism with the Gothic, both sources of fascination and delight to reading audiences of the time.
Fiction, generalFrench literature, translations into englishDescription and travelFictionInheritance and successionClassic LiteratureThirty years' war, 1618-1648CivilizationFrench literatureTranslations into EnglishEnglish literatureTranslations