The politics of excess: Religion, gender, and race in the novels of Charles Brockden Brown

Many scholars cite Charles Brockden Brown's novels as evidence of his ambivalent political beliefs. However, investigation of religion, gender, and race in his novels Wieland, Ormond, Edgar Huntly, and Arthur Mervyn suggest not political ambivalence but a belief in moderation. This paper argues that Brown establishes a spectrum of excesses in each of his novels. This structure metaphorically articulates the dilemma of political factionalism facing early America. Brown's structure also helps reinforce the complexity, rather than indecision, of his political ideals