Brown is often called the first American novelist. Originally published in 1799, Ormond was inspired by enlightenment philosophers and Gothic writers. The novel engages with many of the period's popular debates about women's education, marriage, and the morality of violence, while the plot revolves around the Gothic themes of seduction, murder, incest, impersonation, romance and disease. Set in post-revolutionary Philadelphia, Ormond examines the prospects of the struggling nation by tracing the experiences of Constantia, a young virtuous republican who struggles to survive when her father's business is ruined by a confidence man, and her friends and neighbors are killed by a yellow fever epidemic.
- ISBN10 1147220840
- ISBN13 9781147220841
- Publish Date 12 March 2010 (first published December 1962)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Nabu Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 230
- Language English