"Raymond; a Fragment" is a short

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

story published in 1799. Signed under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Juvenis, it was reprinted, plagiarized, and served as the inspiration for other Gothic tales; it was likely inspired by a 1796 Gothic story. It is part of the genre of fragmentary writing, which uses supernatural motifs without explanation.

Plot

Raymond is sitting at his house following the abduction of his wife, Miranda, shortly after their marriage ceremony. He hears a woman screaming, and he grabs a sword and searches for her. He enters a ruined castle, and after looking through a succession of hallways and chambers (in one, he finds a skeleton wearing armor), he happens upon a man carrying a bloody knife across from a dead woman. After killing the man, he discovers the woman is Miranda.

Publication history

"Raymond; a Fragment" appeared in the February 1799 issue of ''

Lady's Magazine London fashionable spencer ">Spencer_(clothing).html" ;"title="walking dresses, July 1812, including a Spencer (clothing)">spencer ''The Lady's Magazine; or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, Appropriated Solely to Their Use and Amuseme ...

'' as the work of the

pseudonymous A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Juvenis. Since they share substantial textual and plot overlap, it was likely inspired by the earlier "Sir Edmund, a Gothic Fragment" that appeared in the June 1796 issue of ''

European Magazine ''The European Magazine'' (sometimes referred to as ''European Magazine'') was a monthly magazine published in London. Eighty-nine semi-annual volumes were published from 1782 until 1826. It was launched as the ''European Magazine, and London Rev ...

'' by "Fredericsberg Germanicus". Attributed to Juvenis, the story appeared in the March 1799 issue of '' Hibernian Magazine'', an 1810 issue of '' The Weekly Visitor'' (with Miranda's name changed to Louisa), an 1821 fiction anthology, and an 1824 issue of the '' Western Sun & General Advertiser'' of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

; it was plagiarized with an altered title ("Albert and Albina: A Fragment") and distorted authorship around December 1799 as part of a

bluebook ''The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation'' is a style guide that prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. It is taught and used at a majority of U.S. law schools and is also used in a majority of federal ...

; pieces of the text were plagiarized in an 1826 story entitled "St. Aubin and Angelina"; and an inspired short story, "Arthur Kavanagh", was printed in an issue of '' The Irish Shield'' from 1830 or 1831. There are two modern reprints of the story: ''The Candle and the Tower'' by Robert D. Spector (1974) and ''The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales'' by Chris Baldick (1992). The text is part of the

Gothic fragment The Gothic fragment is a type of Gothic fiction characterized by short, atmospheric stories with abrupt beginnings and ends. Widely popular in the late 1700s, gothic fragments are narratives driven by supernatural motifs without explanation. Many w ...

genre, which included stories like "Sir Bertrand, a Fragment" (by Anna Aikin, 1773), "Montmorenci, a Fragment" (by Nathan Drake, 1798), "Sir Edwin, A Fragment" (1800), and "Malvina" (1809). Like other stories in the genre, "Raymond; a Fragment" uses supernatural elements without explanation.

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * {{refend Gothic short stories Works originally published in The Lady's Magazine