''Leixlip Castle'' is an 1825 short story by the Irish writer
Charles Maturin
Charles Robert Maturin, also known as C. R. Maturin (25 September 1780 – 30 October 1824), was an Irish Protestant clergyman (ordained in the Church of Ireland) and a writer of Gothic fiction, Gothic plays and novels.Chris Morgan, "Maturin, C ...
. His final work, it was published posthumously. Maturin's earlier novels had been heavily
Gothic in tone. With his previous work ''
The Albigenses'' (1824) he moved towards historical stories in the style of
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
's popular
Waverley novels
The Waverley novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe.
Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...
. In ''Leixlip Castle'' he combined both elements in a
supernatural
Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
story concerning Ireland in the early 18th century. It should not be confused with a novel of the same title by M.L. O'Byrne published in 1883.
Synopsis
In 1720
Jacobite supporter Sir Redmond Blayney, tired of the boasts of his
Whig about the
Siege of Derry
The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by an attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates. Thi ...
, moves from the North of Ireland to rent Leixlip Castle in
County Kildare
County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
outside
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. Over the following years his three daughters all begin suffering from supernatural and tragic events.
[Trumpener p.223]
References
Bibliography
* Hayley, Barbara & Murray, Christopher (ed.) ''Ireland and France, a Bountiful Friendship: Literature, History, and Ideas : Essays in Honor of Patrick Rafroidi''. Rowman & Littlefield, 1992.
* O'Malley, Patrick R. ''Liffey and Lethe: Paramnesiac History in Nineteenth-century Anglo-Ireland''. Oxford University Press, 2017.
* Morin, Christina. ''Charles Robert Maturin and the haunting of Irish Romantic Fiction''. Manchester University Press, 2017.
* Morin, Christina. ''The Gothic Novel in Ireland, 1760–1829''. Manchester University Press, 2018.
* Trumpener, Katie. ''Bardic Nationalism: The Romantic Novel and the British Empire''. Princeton University Press, 2021.
1825 short stories
Short stories set in Ireland
Novels set in the 18th century
Works by Charles Maturin
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