Edgar Huntly or Memoirs of A Sleep-Walker

Edgar Huntly; or Memoirs of a Sleep-Walker is a novel written by Charles Brockden Brown an American author and one of the early practitioners of American Gothic fiction. The novel was first published in 1799 and is considered one of the earliest works of American literature in the Gothic tradition.The story revolves around the eponymous character Edgar Huntly who narrates his experiences as a sleepwalker and the bizarre and often nightmarish events he encounters. Set in the American wilderness the novel explores themes of psychological turmoil the supernatural and the unknown.As a work of early American Gothic fiction Edgar Huntly combines elements of horror mystery and psychological suspense. The characters sleepwalking episodes and his encounters with the wilderness and its dangers contribute to a sense of unease and strangeness throughout the narrative.The novel is significant in the context of American literature for its exploration of the human psyche its incorporation of Gothic elements and its contribution to the development of the American Gothic tradition.