Longsword

Death's but a Path that must be trod / If Man wou'd ever pass to God - Thomas ParnellLongsword Earl of Salisbury by eighteenth century Dublin-born clergyman Thomas Leland is a fast-paced historical romance of medieval menace and high excitement. Set in the early years of the thirteenth century it features a blend of real and created characters in a mêlée of intrigue corruption lust and revenge. In part a metaphor for the tug-of-war between the sexes Longsword is the definitive precursor to the Gothic novel; both in trappings and in style it provides vital elements of prototype for Walpole's The Castle of Otranto and Lewis's The Monk. Through Longsword Leland emerges as a forerunner of fellow Dublin clergyman Charles Robert Maturin author of Melmoth the Wanderer. This 250th anniversary edition is edited and introduced by Albert Power.