Charles Maturin

Christina Morin (University of Limerick)
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Remembered today for his Gothic masterpiece,

Melmoth the Wanderer

(1820), Charles Robert Maturin (1780-1824) played a pivotal role in the development of Romantic national fiction in Ireland in the early-nineteenth century. A Church of Ireland clergyman, Maturin was profoundly shaped by the conflict of loyalties inherent to his Irish Anglican identity. Born shortly before Ireland’s brief parliamentary independence beginning in 1782 – a period known as Grattan’s parliament, named for the leading patriot spokesman, Henry Grattan – Maturin was firmly attached to the idea of an independent Ireland. Despite his Protestant mindset and firm support of Anglican ascendancy in Ireland, his fictional works continuously register his discontent with the Act of Union of 1800 and its merging of…

2430 words

Citation: Morin, Christina. "Charles Maturin". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 May 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4900, accessed 28 March 2024.]

4900 Charles Maturin 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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