Vathek

by William Beckford

  113 Ouranbad. This monster is represented as a fierce flying hydra, and belongs to the same class with the rakshe whose ordinary food was serpents and dragons; the soham, which had the head of a horse, with four eyes, and the body of a flame-coloured dragon; the syl, a basilisk with a face resembling the human, but so tremendous that no mortal could bear to behold it; the ejder, and others. See these respective titles in Richardson’s Persian, Arabic, and English Dictionary.

  114 Creatures of clay. Nothing could have been more appositely imagined than this compellation. Eblis, according to Arabian mythology, had suffered a degradation from his primeval rank, and was consigned to these regions, for having refused to worship Adam, in obedience to the supreme command: alledging in justification of his refusal, that himself had been formed of etherial fire, whilst Adam was only a creature of clay. Al Koran, c. 55, &c.

  115 the fortress of Aherman. In the mythology of the easterns, Aherman was accounted the Demon of Discord. The ancient Persian romances abound in descriptions of this fortress, in which the inferior demons assemble to receive the behests of their prince; and from whom they proceed to exercise their malice in every part of the world. D’Herbelot, p. 71.

  116 the halls of Argenk. The halls of this mighty dive, who reigned in the mountains of Kaf, contained the statues of the seventy-two Solimans, and the portraits of the various creatures subject to them; not one of which bore the slightest similitude to man. Some had many heads; others, many arms; and some consisted of many bodies. Their heads were all very extraordinary, some resembling the elephant’s, the buffalo’s and the boar’s; whilst others were still more monstrous. D’Herbelot, p. 820. Some of the idols worshipped to this day in the Hindostan answer to this description.

  Ariosto, who owes more to Arabian fable than his commentators have hitherto supposed, seems to have been no stranger to the halls of Argenk, when he described one of the fountains of Merlin:—

  Era una delle fonti di Merlino

  Delle quattro di Francia da lui fatte;

  D’intorno cinta di bel marmo fino,

  Lucido, e terso, e bianco piû che latte.

  Quivi d’ intaglio con lavor divino

  Avea Merlino immagini ritratte.

  Direste che spiravano, e se prive

  Non fossero ai voce, ch’ eran vive.

  Quivi una Bestia uscir della foresta

  Parea di crudel vista, odiosa, e brutta,

  Che avea le orecchie d’asino, e la testa

  Di lupo, e i denti, e per gran fame asciutta;

  Branche avea di leon; l’altro, che resta,

  Tutto era volpe.

  117 holding his right hand motionless on his heart. Sandys observes, that the application of the right hand to the heart is the customary mode of eastern salutation; but the perseverance of the votaries of Eblis in this attitude, was intended to express their devotion to him both heart and hand.

  118 In my life-time, I filled, &c. This recital agrees perfectly with those in the Koran, and other Arabian legends.

  119 Carathis on the back of an afrit. The expedition of the afrit in fetching Carathis, is characteristic of this order of dives. We read in the Koran that another of the fraternity offered to bring the Queen of Saba’s throne to Solomon, before he could rise from his place, c. 27.

  120 Glanced off in a whirl that rendered her invisible. It was extremely proper to punish Carathis by a rite, and one of the principal characteristics of that science in which she so much delighted, and which was the primary cause of Vathek’s perdition and of her own. The circle, the emblem of eternity, and the symbol of the sun, was held sacred in the most ancient ceremonies of incantations; and the whirling round deemed as a necessary operation in magical mysteries. Was not the name of the greatest enchantress in fabulous antiquity, Circe, derived from Κιρκος, a circle, on account of her magical revolutions and of the circular appearance and motion of the sun her father? The fairies and elves used to arrange themselves in a ring on the grass; and even the augur, in the liturgy of the Romans, whirled round, to encompass the four cardinal points of the world. It is remarkable, that a derivative of the Arabic word (which corresponds to the Hebrew סהר, and is interpreted scindere secare se in orbem, inde notio circinandi, mox gyrandi et hinc à motu versatili, fascinavit, incantavit) signifies, in the Koran, the glimmering of twilight; a sense deducible from the shapeless glimpses of objects, when hurried round with the velocity here described, and very applicable to the sudden disappearance of Carathis, who, like the stone in a sling, by the progressive and rapid increase of the circular motion, soon ceased to be perceptible. Nothing can impress a greater awe upon the mind than does this passage in the original.

  121 They at once lost the most precious gift of heaven—Hope. It is a soothing reflection to the bulk of mankind, that the commonness of any blessing is the true test of its value. Hence, Hope is justly styled “the most precious of the gifts of heaven,” because, as Thales long since observed—ὁις αλλο μηδεν, αυτη παρεστιν—it abides with those who are destitute of every other. Dante’s inscription over the gate of hell was written in the same sense, and perhaps in allusion to the saying of the Grecian sage:—

  Per me si va nella città dolente:

  Per me si va nell’ eterno dolore:

  Per me si va tra la perduta gente.

  Giustizia mosse ‘l mio alto fattore:

  Fecemi la divina potestate,

  La somma sapienza, e ‘l primo amore.

  Dinanzi a me non fur cose create,

  Se non eterne, ed io eterno duro:

  Lasciate ogni speranza, voi che ‘ntrate.

  canto iii.

  Strongly impressed with this idea, and in order to complete his description of the infernal dungeon, Milton says,

  ——————where——————

  ————————hope never comes

  That comes to all.

  Paradise L. 1. 66.

  About the Author

  WILLIAM THOMAS BECKFORD (October 1760–May 1844) was born in London, England, to a wealthy, esteemed family. The only (legitimate) son of William Beckford (Alderman Beckford, who twice held the office of Lord Mayor of London), he inherited vast family wealth at the age of ten, when his father died unexpectedly. This inheritance was so prodigious, it made him one of the richest individuals in all of England, consisting of £1 million cash (over $150 million U.S. by today’s standards), as well as immense English estate holdings and ownership of several sugar plantations in Jamaica. Young William went on to indulge in a life of extreme debauchery, whimsy, scandal, and artistic fulfillment.

  As a child he received piano lessons from Wolfgang Mozart and throughout his life wrote copious amounts of music. He was also trained in art and architecture and became an eccentric collector and purveyor of art from around the world, often selling priceless collections, only to purchase them back years later when the mood struck. Most famous of these endeavors was his construction of Fonthill Abbey, a colossal “country house,” said to be the most sensational building of the English Gothic Revival, built to house a library collection that he purchased.

  In 1782, before his twenty-second birthday, Beckford travelled to Italy and penned his first book, Dreams, Waking Thoughts and Incidents (first published in 1783). Upon his return to England later that year, he wrote Vathek. Beckford claimed it only took him three days and two nights, but its polish suggests otherwise. The book was not published until 1786, when Rev. Samuel Henley translated the work into English and arranged for publication in England, without Beckford’s name, as An Arabian Tale, from an Unpublished Manuscript, adding extensive notes. The first French edition (dated 1787) was published later in 1786.

  After 1784, Beckford exiled his young wife and himself from England for about twelve years after he was publicly outed for a reputation of sexual aberrancy (bisexuality with a
youth, as well as involvement in multiple other affairs); although he was never “officially” sentenced, his prestige was forever scarred. (Curiously, thirty years later, George Gordon, Lord Byron, who lived much the same sexual life as Beckford, also self-exiled to Switzerland but was lionized by the press and literati. Byron was reportedly inspired by Vathek to pen his epic poem The Giaour.) Beckford spent the time abroad travelling through much of Western Europe and publishing travel memoirs that were widely read (particularly Letters from Italy with Sketches of Spain and Portugal, 1835). He was an avid reader and involved in literary circles across the continent, including a particularly close friendship with author Jane Austen.

  Though hardly destitute by the end of his life, Beckford had managed to lose most of his holdings and was valued at less than £80,000 (less than $1 million U.S. today) upon his death at the age of eighty-three, leaving behind two grown daughters (each married into nobility), and a legacy of artistic unconventionality and luxuriant patronage. Vathek slowly gained cult status and is recognized today as an important example of Gothic literature, influencing the poets and writers of nineteenth century Romanticism.

  Suggested Discussion Questions for Classroom Use

  1. Vathek is a unique novel in that there is no hero or heroine. The protagonist caliph is villainous, as are the antagonists that counter him. Readers are at a loss for a likeable character to empathize with or to “root for.” In what other ways does author William Beckford instead draw in the reader to keep them vested throughout this story?

  2. Vathek’s insatiability for knowledge drives the plot of this story. “…for he wished to know everything; even sciences that did not exist.” What does this mean to you? Can you imagine any sciences that do not exist, but perhaps someday could?

  3. The closing decree against Vathek, Carathis, and Nouronihar, et. al. was that once their hearts took fire, they “…at once lost the most precious of the gifts of heaven—HOPE.” Do you agree with this statement that hope is the most valued notion humans have? Or do you disagree? What else could be argued as more important than hope?

  4. After telling in great and lengthy detail about the fall and ultimate punishment of Vathek and company, William Beckford ends the story with a singular line (almost as an afterthought) regarding Gulchenrouz—who played a relatively minor role in the story—indicating that he passed his life in “undisturbed tranquility, and the pure happiness of childhood.” Why do you think the author ended the story in such a way?

  5. Vathek’s greatest success seems to have come by way of influencing other authors, including Lord Byron and John Keats in the nineteenth century, and H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith in the twentieth, who all cited the book as inspirational in its style and imaginative qualities. What elements in the book or the literary style of the author could you see as inspirational to yourself or to other authors?

  6. The term of Orientalism is used today to define a method of viewing Arabic people and culture in distorted and “uncivilized” or harmful ways. Often this image has been employed to reflect Western culture (i.e., “us” being readers of English or other Latin-based language) as familiar and holding socially acceptable views, contrasted against Eastern or “Oriental” culture, which is portrayed as strange, irrational, and often barbaric. Do you think this novel succeeded (at least partly) because of its Oriental setting, which made for sensationalist reading in its time (the late eighteenth century)? Could this book have been just as successful if the author had changed the setting and culture to any other land and people?

  7. Genii (known also as djinn) are supernatural spirits who are portrayed throughout literature and movies in countless ways from benevolent guardians to demonic tricksters. In this book the antagonistic Genius is depicted by Giaour, who tempts and ultimately leads Vathek into Eblis’s underground realm, along the way demanding fifty children to devour. However in the book there are also benevolent Genii, such as the one who rescues Gulchenrouz and bestows upon him perpetual childhood. Why is it important to show the differences of alignment within this mythical race?

  8. A literary theme is a main idea that a story presents, whether directly (or repeatedly) as a “major theme” or indirectly (or briefly) as a “minor theme.” Vathek has numerous literary themes such as pride precipitating a downfall, the inequity of social order, the role of motherhood, etc. What are some other themes you can identify within this book?

  9. Consider the adage: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” For Vathek, who possessed seemingly insatiable appetites along with unchecked power, the story’s ending seemed somewhat preordained. In terms both of a cautionary tale and by the certainty that the magnitude of his mounting transgressions can only, eventually, overwhelm him, could this book have ended any other way than by retribution against his atrocious deeds? If his power had been checked or weakened early on, could that have ultimately saved him?

  10. Vathek is categorized as a Gothic novel, although it is set in Oriental culture rather than the customary backdrop of castle, graveyard, church, or other locale of medieval-inspired architecture. Rather the classification comes more from the induction of a sense of terror for the reader as well as the emphasis on the supernatural. What do you consider are some of the most memorable or noteworthy supernatural elements in this story? Do you think each was needed as part of the plot or were they merely to populate and accentuate a tale of mystical journey?

  11. Vathek and company set out on a great journey, both literally and metaphorically, to discover the palace of subterranean fire (the domain of Eblis), where they expect to discover the secrets of the universe. How important to you is it to travel to new places and discover unfamiliar things? How far would you travel to obtain something you desire?

  12. This book presents a view of religious “indifference,” meaning Mahomet, as the Holy Prophet of Allah, witnesses Vathek’s pride and excesses, but chooses not to intervene, stating to the Genii, “Let us leave him to himself… let us see to what lengths his folly and impiety will carry him.” Do you think this is for the best, to let individuals make their own way without interference (or unasked advice) from others, or should one with knowledge and means involve themselves in other people’s lives, even if without invitation, if such act is reasoned to be charitable?

  13. Vathek blames his mother for his final punishment: “…the principles by which Carathis perverted my youth have been the sole cause of my perdition!” To what degree is he right, that she has driven the course of his life to this inexorable conclusion? To what degree is he wrong, that Vathek is responsible for his own choices?

  14. In a moment of magnanimity, a benevolent Genius, in the form of a shepherd, offers Vathek one last chance for redemption. Vathek nearly accepts it, until his pride rises up, and he sends the Genius off with scorning remarks. Looking back, Vathek might very well have regretted that decision. Have you ever done something you’ve later regretted? What lessons were you able to take away from the incident in order to make better choices the next time?

  Suggested Further Reading of Fiction

  For readers who have enjoyed Vathek and wish to further read works of similar voice, theme, or literary style, consider the following, which represent just a small selection of available great and commensurable novels.

  Arabian Nights and Days: A Novel (Arabic: Layali alf lela) by Naguib Mahfouz (1979): In this sequel and companion novel for One Thousand and One Nights, familiar characters continue their fantastic adventures.

  The Black Spider (German: Die Schwarze Spinne) by Jeremias Gotthelf (1842): In this gothic horror tale, a woman makes a pact with the devil in order to save a town from the tyranny of their ruling feudal lord, only to learn a crueler fate when she tries to forego the devil his due.

  The Blind Owl (Persian: Boof-e koor) by Sadegh Hedayat (1936): The narrator, a young and despairing opium-addicted painter, is driven to madness by nightmares while he obsesses over a beautiful w
oman.

  Divine Comedy (Italian: Divina Commedia) by Dante Alighieri (3 parts: 1308–1320): Considered one of the greatest works of world literature, this narrative poem is told in three parts, detailing the author’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

  The Episodes of Vathek (French: Vathek et les episodes) by William Beckford (1787): Written as a continuation of Vathek, and told to the Vathek character by other “sinners” awaiting judgement in Eblis, these episodes relate the carnal and evil tales of their lives.

  Faust (German: Urfaust) by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (2 parts: 1772–1775): A retelling of the Faustian legend, in which a doctor seeking knowledge of the divine trades his soul to the devil; this version has an ultimately more benevolent ending.

  The Giaour by Lord Byron (1813): An epic poem, set as an Oriental romance, revolves around three narrators who each have a different point of view about a woman belonging to a harem who is drowned for the offence of adultery, and the revenge taken on her master by her lover, the giaour.

  Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (1991): A young boy, Haroun, is son of a legendary storyteller, living in a city so sad it has forgotten its own name. One day his father’s stories end, and Haroun sets out to restore the tales.

  Hasan by Piers Anthony (1969): In the days of Sinbad, an adventurous young man is guided by Allah to travel the Arabic landscape, and, in doing so, battles all manner of monster and evil in order to learn his life’s desire.

  The History of Nourjahad by Frances Sheridan (1750): A Persian youth is taught valuable lessons of character by his childhood friend, sultan Schemzeddin, by being led to believe he has become immortal and gained inexhaustible riches.

  Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin (1820): A series of “tales nested within tales,” in which a scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for 150 extra years of life, then searches the world for someone to take over the pact for him.