History YMMV / MelmothTheWanderer

* ValuesDissonance: The book is staggeringly anti-Catholic by modern standards, with Catholicism being presented as a sinister, deluded and violent ReligionOfEvil. This does not sit will with the passing of these views. In addition, the N-word is used twice in the opening chapters. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman). [[note]] And he was of Huguenot (French Protestant) descent, which made him doubly leery of the Catholic church. [[/note]]

* ValuesDissonance: The book is staggeringly anti-Catholic by modern standards, with Catholicism being presented as a sinister, deluded and violent ReligionOfEvil. This does not sit will with the passing of these views. In addition, the N-word is used twice in the opening chapters. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman). [[note]] And he was of Huguenot (French Protestant) descent, which made him doubly lairy of the Catholic church. [[/note]]

* OnceAcceptableTarget: The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman). [[note]] And he was of Huguenot (French Protestant) descent, which made him doubly lairy of the Catholic church. [[/note]]
* ValuesDissonance: The book is staggeringly anti-Catholic by modern standards, with Catholicism being presented as a sinister, deluded and violent ReligionOfEvil. This does not sit will with the passing of these views. In addition, the N-word is used twice in the opening chapters.

* OnceAcceptableTarget: The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman).

* RomanticizedAbuse: Melmoth to Immalee. While he tries to get her to sell his soul, he does love her genuinely. Bears some resemblance to Heathcliff. Today's readers may think of him as a ByronicHero, especially fans of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' and ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey''.

* CulturedBadass: Melmoth. He's conversant in politics and culture, and he doesn't hesitate to murder to get his way. On the other hand the reader may find his gloom and desperation pathetic.

%%* TragicHero
* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Creator/OscarWilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists. Today, critics consider it the greatest novel of the Gothic school.

* TragicHero

* {{Once Acceptable Target|s}}: The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman).
* RomanticizedAbuse: Melmoth to Immalee. While he tries to get her to sell his soul, he does love her genuinely. Bears some resemblance to Heathcliff. Today's readers may think of him as a ByronicHero, especially fans of {{Twilight}} and ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey''.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Creator/OscarWilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists. Today, critics consider it the greatest novel of the Gothic school.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. OscarWilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists. Today, critics consider it the greatest novel of the Gothic school.

* RomanticizedAbuse: Melmoth to Immalee. While he tries to get her to sell his soul, he does love her genuinely. Bears some resemblance to Heathcliff. Today's readers may think of him as a ByronicHero, especially fans of {{Twilight}} and FiftyShadesOfGrey.

* OnceAcceptableTarget: The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman).

* MemeticMutation: The novel copies a popular theme of selling your soul to the devil, found earlier in Goethe's {{Faust}} and Matthew Lewis' TheMonk. The Wandering Jew element was also copied from folklore.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Oscar Wilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists. Today, critics consider it the greatest novel of the Gothic school.

* MemeticMutation: The novel copies a popular theme of selling your soul to the devil, found earlier in Goethe's {{Faust}} and Matthew Lewis' TheMonk.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Oscar Wilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists.

* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Oscar Wilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists.
* MemeticMutation: The novel copies a popular theme of selling your soul to the devil, found earlier in Goethe's {{Faust}} and Matthew Lewis' TheMonk.

* The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman).
* VindicatedByHistory: The novel was reviled in England because critics thought that it was anti-Christian due to the evil hero. This affected Maturin's chances of promotion. Years after his death, authors admired him and were inspired by him. Oscar Wilde even used the pseudonym of Sebastian Melmoth. The psychological complexity and emotional intensity, unusual for his era, was praised by later novelists.

* The novel is partly set during the Spanish Inquisition and the sadism of the priests is certainly very anti-Catholic by today's standards. But during Maturin's time there was anti-Catholic sentiment among the Anglicans (Maturin was an Anglican clergyman).