Exploring the Scope of Gothic Narratives: The Use of Physiological Thought in the First Part of Tales of a Traveller

Abstract

This paper examines varying depictions of melancholy and delusion in the psychological Gothic stories in the first part of Washington Irving’s Tales of a Traveller, highlighting how these depictions serve as his implicit satire of Britain. The final three Gothic stories, where an English baronet plays a central role, depict melancholy and delusion through two physiological paradigms: the humoral theory of the 17th century and the neurophysiological paradigm of the late 18th century. Notably, these paradigms are applied differently according to the characters’ nationalities. The anguish of an Italian painter, Ottavio, is described within the framework of humoral theory, emphasizing the role of blood, while the baronet, by contrast, can draw upon both this paradigm and that of neurophysiology. The paradigms assigned to the characters according to their nationalities represent a cultural hierarchy that positions Northern and Southern Europe along a spectrum of “advancement” and “backwardness” in physiological thought. However, through the baronet’s final conversation, Irving has this character nullify the hierarchical framework. Ultimately, the American author reveals the limitations of this framework on which the English baronet stands, thereby overturning his central role and indicating the presence of human aspects beyond physiological explanation. This subversion in the final scene functions as Irving’s satire of Britain, consistent with other sections of Tales of a Traveller, while simultaneously broadening the potential of the psychological Gothic tale as a literary style.