St. Irvyne; or the Rosicrucian

views updated

St. Irvyne; or the Rosicrucian

A turgid Gothic novel published in 1811 by Percy Bysshe Shelley under the pseudonym "Gentleman of the University of Oxford." It derives from the genre of Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) and Matthew Gregory Lewis (1775-1881) and may also have been influenced by William Godwin's novel St. Leon; A Tale of the Sixteenth Century (1799). It tells the story of a man whose desire for the elixer of life leads him to make a compact with the devil.

(See also English occult fiction ; Rosicrucians )

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

St. Irvyne; or the Rosicrucian

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

You Might Also Like