Charles
Brockden Brown (1771-1810) was the first major novelist and one
of the foremost intellectuals of the early national period in the
United States. He wrote prolifically in many genres, founded and
edited three major magazines, published widely-read political pamphlets,
and intervened in many debates about the culture and politics of
the new nation.
Brown
is still mostly known for his novels and for Alcuin, his
dialogue on women's rights, as these are the only texts currently
available in scholarly editions. Not available are his short fiction,
letters, and poetry, as well as his important magazine writings:
book, theater and music reviews, philosophical essays, meditations
on law, religion, nationhood, geography, history and literature,
political economy, medicine, science, and sexuality - altogether
some 5,000 pages of text.
To
make all of Brown's work accessible, our project is working to prepare
an electronic edition of all of his uncollected writings, fully
searchable, with a textual and critical apparatus, including historical
and biographical notes, to be included in a continuously updated
electronic archive for students of Brown and the early American
republic. |