Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio (1807) is a novel by Charles Maturin. Published under the psueudonym Dennis Jasper Murphy, Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio was Maturin’s debut novel. Largely ignored by critics and readers, it managed to draw attention from Sir Walter Scott, who supported Maturin’s efforts and encouraged him to pursue a career as a writer. Despite its humble beginnings, Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is considered a masterpiece of Gothic romance. “Their palaces were haunted by groups of monks, and magicians, and alchymists, and astrologers; and amid the most superstitious state of the country of superstition, the House of Montorio was distinguished by weak and gloomy credulity.” At the siege of Barcelona in 1697, two brothers of mysterious origin fight bravely and gain the respect of their fellow officers. When the fighting has ceased, they are counted among the dead. Gathering his subordinates, their commandant, “acquainted with their name, and their country, and their misfortunes,” begins to tell the story of their cursed family. Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is a story of mystery and terror that engages with timeless themes of loyalty, fantasy, and fate. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Charles Maturin’s Fatal Revenge; Or, the Family of Montorio is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

The Gothic novel emerged out of the romantic mist alongside a new conception of the home as a separate sphere for women. Looking at novels from Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kate Ferguson Ellis investigates the relationship between these two phenomena of middle-class culture--the idealization of the home and the popularity of the Gothic--and explores how both male and female authors used the Gothic novel to challenge the false claim of home as a safe, protected place. Linking terror -- the most important ingredient of the Gothic novel -- to acts of transgression, Ellis shows how houses in Gothic fiction imprison those inside them, while those locked outside wander the earth plotting their return and their revenge.